Nowadays, you wouldn’t consider Everton a racist club. You wouldn’t give it a single thought. However, once upon a time, they had a bad reputation. Fans made racist chants more often than not, and that is no secret.
Everton
Abe Donzo – The Refugee Prodigy
Abe Donzo (also known as John Abraham Kamara) was born on September 3rd, 1993 on the Guinean-Liberian border. He had a large family – 15 siblings due to having a trigamous father. He had a difficult start to life, spending almost his entire childhood in poverty.
What’s Going On With Everton?
Up to the middle of September, Everton fans’ hopes were high. Everton had one of their best ever league starts and it appeared that the Martinez era quickly became a thing of the past. However, since their shock League Cup defeat to Norwich, it has all gone downhill. Everton have won just once in their last 9 games in all competitions. Here are the key reasons that could explain their severe drop in form.
Slow starters
Everton have an abysmal first half record. In the Premier League season, they have scored 6 goals in the first half – 1 against Tottenham, 1 against West Brom (in added time), 3 against Middlesbrough (1 in added time) and 1 against Crystal Palace. Therefore, they haven’t scored in the first half in 9 out of 13 Premier League games this season. And this is not new. They have failed to score in 11 out of their last 13 Premier League games away from home, and in that same run, they ended up winning only twice. It gets worse. The two away games they did score in the first half came in added time.
Everton, for some reason, just can’t seem to score in the first half. Why is that? Poor finishing? Poor teamwork? Here are Everton’s first half stats.
As you can see, there are some stark contrasts, particularly with shots. In Everton’s first 5 games this season, half of their shots in the first half was on target. Since then, around a quarter have been on target. Also, it is fair to say that scoring just one goal out of 43 shots is shambolic.
It is evident that Everton’s poor first half is costing them dearly. Severely poor finishing has meant that other teams took advantage with good teamwork and taught Everton how it should be done.
The defence
It isn’t just poor attacking, it’s poor defending as well. Everton have given away 4 penalties this season, which is already more than or equal to the number of penalties they conceded in 8 of the previous 10 seasons. 3 of those penalties were given away by captain Phil Jagielka. It’s surprising how quickly the Everton defence have deteriorated. The defence had a very strong start and were almost faultless. But in the previous 8 games, the exact opposite happened.
The average shots on target figure has doubled, the average amount of touches in Everton’s penalty area has increased by nearly 60% and Everton have allowed 7 more crosses per game in the previous 8 games. As you can see, Everton have become more and more exposed defensively. Everton have also kept only 3 out of 13 clean sheets in the Premier League this season and conceded the first goal of the game 7 times (including 4 of their last 5 games). It isn’t any wonder that the club is in very poor form with stats like these.
Lack of young blood
One solution fans have offered was playing youngsters. Mason Holgate has already made a huge impact at the club. Despite playing only 3 games, he has 1 assist to his name and won every single tackle. His performances have been widely acclaimed but he hasn’t played a single minute since Seamus Coleman returned from injury. Holgate can play centre-back as well as right-back, so he can replace heavily-criticised Phil Jagielka.
Tom Davies is another acclaimed youngster. He has only made a few substitute appearances this season, so he made little contribution. But he’s only 18; those substitute appearances will have helped him grow as a footballer because of the first-team experience. Him partnering Idrissa Gueye could be ideal for Everton.
Another youngster is Kieran Dowell. The 19-year-old hasn’t played yet this season, however he has already played 3 times for the club and started in last season’s 3-0 win over Norwich, giving him more taste of Premier League football. He could be a good replacement for out-of-form Ross Barkley.
It isn’t just the three aforementioned players Ronald Koeman could play. Everton U23 are top of the Premier League 2, winning 7 out of their 11 games and losing only twice. They have also scored more than 2 goals per game and have conceded only 9. Other honourable mentions are summer signing Dominic Calvert-Lewin (who has scored 4 goals in 8 PL2 games), Jonjoe Kenny (the U23 captain) and Liam Walsh.
If need be, one or two U18s could have a go. Particularly Fraser Hornby, who has scored 10 goals in 10 games, including 4 against Stoke U18.
It’s fair to say that it’s far too soon for Hornby, but if he gets a chance in the reserves and he impresses, who’s to say he won’t be a first-team player sooner rather than later?
The manager?
It’s nearly December and fans already want Ronald Koeman to be sacked. Is there any justifiable reason? He has inherited a team that has been very low in morale and adapted to terrible tactics. It was always going to be a mammoth task for Koeman to transform the team and make them a club others hate to play against again. He has only been in charge of Everton for 13 games in the Premier League this season, earning 19 points. By comparison, he has earned one point more than Howard Kendall after his first 13 Everton games in the league, and two points fewer than Harry Catterick. So an average start doesn’t always mean impending doom.
One criticism of Koeman would be not giving youth a chance. But all in all, is his managerial performance so far sackable? It’s highly doubtful. A top 8 finish is still possible, but it’s the players who have to put more of an effort in and turn Everton’s fortunes around. Because Koeman has very limited options (until January at least).
Koeman At 10
When Ronald Koeman came to Everton, he had a big task on his hands. Morale was low, Everton were underperforming and fans were turning against their club. So, 10 games in, has he made any progress? The short answer is yes.
A Blistering Start
After a competent 1-1 draw against Tottenham, Everton won 5 consecutive games in all competitions. After last season, Everton fans couldn’t wish for a better start. In the Premier League, Everton earned 13 out of a possible 15 points, which (taking goal difference and goals scored into consideration) was their 5th best ever league start (adjusted to 3 points for a win). Also, the club’s 4 league wins showed promise for the future. Before this season, Everton won at least 4 of their opening 5 league games 10 times, eventually finishing in the top 2 seven times. The previous couple of seasons were already looking likely to be eradicated from Everton fans’ minds. And Koeman had seemingly already transformed the team.
A Slight Dip in Form
Following the League Cup defeat to lower-league Norwich, a defeat to Bournemouth and a draw against Crystal Palace, fans were unhappy with the club’s performances in those games. Some fans were turning against their own players again, and Koeman as well, in spite of a great start to the season.
It is inevitable that a dip in form would take place some time during the season. Ronald Koeman, his brother Erwin and Jan Kluitenberg amongst others had just joined the club, so Everton cannot be expected to be world-beaters overnight.
Because of that dip in form, before the game against Manchester City, fans were worried about how Everton would fare against greater opposition. Evidently, those fans weren’t aware that Ronald Koeman was in charge of a Southampton side that beat Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester City and Manchester United the previous season. Nowadays, beating those five teams in a single season is incredibly difficult. Take into consideration as well that Everton earned a point against last season’s title contenders Tottenham when the players were “70% fit”. So Koeman knows how to play against the big teams. And he showed it again after Everton drew to Manchester City 1-1, despite Everton having only 28% possession. He relied on his defence and Stekelenburg and they made him and the fans proud.
The Defence
Last season, Everton’s defence was atrocious. They had lost 20 points from winning positions and conceded 55 goals, 22 of them in the final 30 minutes of the game. It was evident that poor defending and tactics played a massive contribution to Everton’s downfall. But then along came Koeman.
In the Premier League so far, Everton have conceded 6 goals, and the club hasn’t conceded more than one goal in a game. The defence is already showing phenomenal progress. One weakness, however, is aerial defending. 4 of the 6 goals Everton have conceded in the Premier League this season have come from header. In fact, Everton have lost 6 points from winning positions so far this season, all because of conceding headed goals. Since the start of last season, Everton have conceded more headed goals than any other team in the Premier League – a very high 18 goals. So this is a problem Ronald Koeman has to sort out sooner rather than later.
That being said, aerial defending is the Everton defence’s only weakness. One statistical quirk is that Everton have yet to conceded a single goal from a kicked shot inside the area in the Premier League. Overall, they have conceded only one kicked goal in the 8 games in the Premier League so far. So, when the ball is on the ground, Everton’s defence is almost impenetrable.
| Statistic | Amount | PL Rank |
| Goals Conceded | 6 | 19th |
| Shots On Target Faced | 22 | 18th |
| Interceptions | 90 | 17th |
| Clearances | 243 | 2nd |
| Shots Blocked | 38 | 5th |
| Crosses Blocked | 28 | =1st |
| Passes Blocked | 79 | 5th |
| Tackles Attempted | 280 | 2nd |
| Tackles Won | 180 | 2nd |
The stats show that Everton have become more aggressive this season. Last season, they have been a bit soft. In fact, last season, they attempted the second-fewest amount of tackles in the Premier League. So, some aggression was badly needed and, so far, it has paid dividends. Also, Everton have made just one defensive error all season. At this stage last season, they made 7 defensive errors.
The Signings
Paul Pogba cost over £90 million. N’Golo Kante cost £30 million. Idrissa Gueye? A measly £7 million. Who has had the better season? Gueye by an absolute lightyear.
So far, Idrissa Gueye has won 43 tackles in the league this season. No player in the top 5 European leagues has won more. The only other player who won as many is Nantes defender Lucas Lima. And Lima played one game more than Gueye! Idrissa Gueye has been everywhere, as shown by his touch maps below.
Ashley Williams has made a bit of an impact, too. His experience, leadership skills and strong defending helped Everton improve their backbone and made him more than just a John Stones replacement. He made 54 clearances (joint-10th highest in the Premier League), and his partnership with Phil Jagielka has become one of the most defensively solid partnerships in the Premier League.
Yannick Bolasie, so far, is a question mark. He has 3 assists to his name (all for goals scored by Romelu Lukaku), however that didn’t stop fans questioning his ability. In the past two games, Yannick Bolasie made 14 crosses, but only one has been successful. In total, only 11 out of 46 crosses have been successful. After Everton paid around £25 million for the winger, one would expect him to be a better crosser.
When Maarten Stekelenburg signed for Everton, fans thought he was going to be the number-two goalkeeper. However, apart from a youngster from Oldham, Everton didn’t sign another goalkeeper. Fans were wary about Stekelenburg, in spite of his experience. He had a bit of a quiet start. However, his own goal didn’t help if he wanted to silence his critics (although, in Stekelenburg’s defence, he was fouled). He did silence his critics in the end by performing a goalkeeping masterclass against Manchester City. He saved two penalties (only the second time ever an Everton goalkeeper saved two penalties in the same game) and two goalbound fingertip saves helped Everton earn a brilliant point. That performance will undoubtedly boost his confidence.
Deadline Day signing Enner Valencia has yet to make much of an impact yet. However, given how well Romelu Lukaku is doing, it is unlikely that he will do.
The Resurgence of Romelu Lukaku
Before this season, Romelu Lukaku had a poor 2016. 3 goals in 18 Premier League games was an abysmal record for a striker. He wanted to leave Everton, however over time, it seems apparent that this was largely down to his strained relationship with Roberto Martinez. But once Everton signed his best mate Yannick Bolasie, he was happy again.
So far, Lukaku has scored 6 goals in the Premier League – only Diego Costa scored more with 7. His 11-minute hat-trick against Sunderland was the fastest by an Everton player since 1980. And he is one goal away from becoming the third Everton player to score 50 goals in the Premier League. He is happy at Everton again, and thanks to Koeman and Bolasie, it looks like he will be staying at Everton for a little while.
Conclusion
A solid start for Everton. Ronald Koeman, Idrissa Gueye and Ashley Williams instantly made themselves at home, while Maarten Stekelenburg has just finished decorating and Yannick Bolasie is still deciding on which wallpaper to use. Everton’s tally of 15 points after 8 games is their joint-best tally in the Premier League era. Which season did they also reach that tally after 8 games? The 2013/14 season, where they ended up with a record-breaking 72 points.
The signs are looking good. Let’s hope the players keep their heads screwed on and there won’t be any bad injuries.
Everton Versus The FA
For any footballer, representing your country is a huge honour. But from a club’s perspective, they are wary of their players’ selections, nowadays because of injuries. But in the past, internationals often coincided with club games.
The 1893 Liverpool Senior Cup Final
On April 22nd, 1893, Everton and Liverpool met each other for the first time since the split the previous year. It is disputed that this was the first ever Merseyside Derby. However, Everton’s reserve team (a.k.a. Everton Combination) participated in the tournament, not the first team; so technically, this wasn’t the first ever Merseyside Derby. But that didn’t mean the game was a friendly affair. The Everton-Liverpool rivalry started with a bang.
The Origins of St. Domingo
In 1878, Everton Football Club were formed, and they were known as “St. Domingo’s Football Club”. The club was called St. Domingo’s because they were named after the St Domingo’s Methodist Church where Reverend Ben Swift Chambers created a football team for the winter. But why was the church called “St. Domingo’s”? Allow me to introduce you to George Campbell.
Everton’s First Ever League Match
On September 8th, 1888, Everton, and 9 other teams, played their first ever league game. Everton’s first opponents were Accrington FC (not to be confused with Accrington Stanley – the teams are not related). Before the season started, Everton had three friendlies: a 4-1 win over Padiham (two goals from George Farmer, one from Edgar Chadwick and an own goal); a 1-2 defeat to Blackburn Olympic (Edgar Chadwick scored Everton’s only goal); and a 2-1 win over Halliwell Jubilee (one goal each for Edgar Chadwick and George Farmer).
The People’s Club – Living Up to Their Name
In 2002, in his first press conference as Everton manager, David Moyes called Everton “The People’s Club”. It is fair to say that the club has lived up to the name so many times. But one time in particular shows exactly why they deserve the moniker.
In 2011, the charity “Everton in the Community” released by a book detailing the stories from Everton supporters. Some included times when Everton gave their supporters an experience they will never forget. Come hither Mags Fuller and her daughter, Megan.
The Origins of Prince Rupert’s Tower
Prince Rupert’s Tower is known for being the centrepiece of Everton’s crest. It has been on the crest in 1938 and from 1978 onwards. But what exactly is it?