Seasons » 2013-14 » Opinion
Fan Articles Season 2013-14
Contributions from ToffeeWeb readers. Submit your own article for consideration
Punk Football at Everton
Can the concept of fan ownership of football clubs through the vehicle of the ‘supporters trust’ take hold in the English Premier League and bring the top-flight game back closer to its roots?
: 25/06/2014
Roy Hodgson's Tactical Flaws Exposing Baines for England
I can’t help but think that England missed a fantastic opportunity to beat Italy and go into the second game with one foot in the door for the knock-out stages. That these tactical misjudgements centre largely around Everton players past and present made me want to share my thoughts for the first time on Toffeeweb.
: 18/06/2014
Bobby 'Brown Shoes'
Bobby Brown Shoes has instilled belief in us like no other... and, as long as he is at the realm, then I firmly believe that he can lead us to success – whether that is in Europe or the Premier League, I don't know. But what I do know is that Bobby will lead our mighty Blue Boys to glory.
: 09/06/2014
Why Everton must never sell Ross Barkley
I believe that the story of Ross Barkley – a local lad, playing for his boyhood team, spearheading our resurgence from obscurity – is going to be a marketing dream. I believe Everton are not only a sleeping giant on the pitch, but off it too, in terms of our "brand" and how we can capture the imagination of a knowledgeable footballing population growing sick of being force-fed the Sky Sports driven agenda which is as appetizing as a McDonald's Happy Meal to a connoisseur.
: 07/06/2014
Who Can Make Roberto's 28? Part 3
Looking at the limited options in Everton's forward line
: 30/05/2014
Who Can Make Roberto's 28? Part 2
Looking at the options in central and wide midfield areas
: 28/05/2014
The EFC Heritage Society Dream Team - The 90's
Calling out Everton's best or most important players of the mostly dark 1990s
: 28/05/2014
Who Can Make Roberto's 28? Part I
Assessing the back line of the current squad with a view to the challenges posed by next season.
: 27/05/2014
What Is Missing?
For the last couple of seasons before this one just finished, it was the same old answer whenever anyone asked what was missing from this Everton side: "A 20-goal-a-season striker." This season, we did... so what is the answer to the question now?
: 25/05/2014
Stop Moaning About Loaning!
In previous times, loans were for the most part emergency cover or blooding youngsters elsewhere... The big difference in 2013-14 is that an astute but level-headed gaffer loaned top-class players from top-class teams to put together a team capable of challenging for a top-4 seat — and he nearly pulled it off, delivering Everton’s best Premier League season in everything else but final finish with verve in his first season with us.
: 17/05/2014
Abu Dhabi Dooooo!
We are all well and truly bored with the proposed 'sale' of our club by now... but two recent news items have slightly rekindled my interest in our 24/7/365 search for 'investment'.
: 13/05/2014
The End of My First Season As a Proud Blue
After nearly 50 years of faithfully following Baseball, American Football, Hockey, Basketball, and seemingly every other sport under the sun, and with never having been a “soccer” fan, I decided to jump into following the BPL in order to see for myself just why English Football is widely considered the greatest sport on the planet.
: 11/05/2014
Being Blue
An Evertonian exiled in the south of England finds that there's nothing like being a Blue.
: 09/05/2014
A Busy Summer
A look at some of the areas that need strengthening this summer as Roberto Martinez looks to round out the squad in preparation for European football next season.
: 08/05/2014
£89 Million in prize money for Everton?
I calculate that Everton will receive (thanks to the information below) around £89 million in prize money this season; truly the Premier League is the gift that keeps on giving!
: 08/05/2014
Saturday's Dilemma
Wanting Everton to lose is unthinkable... except if a defeat has the potential to deny Liverpool the title. That's the dilemma facing Blues on Saturday when we take on Manchester City.
: 28/04/2014
We need to get over mental road block
I believe there is a real mental problem imbedded and left over from the Moyes years with the whole "punching above our weight", "plucky little Everton underdog" bollocks that we had to put up with for over a decade. Simply, when the chips are down, we're like rabbits in headlights and we’ve seen this time and time again over the last few years.
: 27/04/2014
Everton and Stockport County – The 'Other' Mersey Team
A traditional pub quiz question was ‘Which league football team is located closest to the River Mersey?’ The answer, which catches most respondents out, was Stockport County.
: 24/04/2014
Would You Swap Him For Anyone?
Would you swap Roberto Martinez for anyone and if so who and why?
: 24/04/2014
Two Players For Every Position
The accepted wisdom in this regard is that you basically need two experienced first-team players for every position, and a few more options besides. When you look at the names in our squad, with a few caveats, we are not very far away from having this.
: 24/04/2014
Why Moyes failed at both Man Utd and Everton
In his 11 years at Everton, he brought stability to the club, it has to be said. But he never understood the full potential of this way of thinking, nor his own potential, nor the potential of Everton Football Club.
: 23/04/2014
Hubris
David Moyes was given 11 years and counting at Everton compared to less than 11 months at Old Trafford. I've no doubt that this says something about both clubs but I'm not sure exactly what.
: 22/04/2014
Meeting the Players and the Southampton Game
"I have been a massive Everton fan for over 30 years now and Sunday was special for numerous reasons, but bringing my 8 year old son for his the first trip to Goodison (what an introduction to EFC this ended up being) made it very special."
: 22/04/2014
Everton on Film - The Pathé Years
Much of Pathé News' archive has been released on their YouTube channel and what a treasure-chest it affords the football fan. Some links of interest to Evertonians.
: 21/04/2014
Sandy Brown Did Play Every Position
The immense Everton career of Sandy Brown, remembered in his unique player stats as a very versatile squad player, the original super-sub.
: 09/04/2014
Could this be the Third Best Everton Team Ever… (Or Even the Best)?
A statistical comparison with title-winning Everton teams of the past, based on points-per-game.
: 08/04/2014
''Oh, my, was it really that long ago?''
Gerry Quinn can't really remember when he was last at Goodison park but one game from over 40 years ago seems lodged in his memory... and he's paying a very special return visit.
: 08/04/2014
A Non-Connecticut Yankee in King Dixie's Court
I'd like to regale you with the tale of my first trip to sacred Goodison Park
: 28/03/2014
Time for Some Radical Thinking
Do Everton need to take some radical steps in order to become a bigger global brand?
: 21/03/2014
Have We Improved? - Redux
"The answer is yes – we absolutely have. "
: 09/03/2014
Are We Progressing?
Have we progressed this season? I really don’t know if we have, but it feels slightly more positive. Or am I just falling succumbing to Martinez’s "glass half-full" philosophy?
: 08/03/2014
Oviedo – the 'miss' of the season
For me, one of the most crucial elements in the all the setbacks this season was the injury to Brian Oviedo, coming especially at the time in which it occurred. It is a long time since an injury to a player genuinely upset me.
: 04/03/2014
Theo Kelly: The Rise and Fall of Everton’s Secretary-Manager
Everton’s first manager who created the club crest in 1938 who had tremendous influence over a 21 period at Goodison Park
: 26/02/2014
Roberto's Transfer Improvements?
Examining the impact of the players brought in so far by Roberto Martinez
: 24/02/2014
Andy Gray – Everton Giant
A passionate advocacy of Andy Gray as the next Everton Giant.
: 23/02/2014
After the cameras are gone
A questionin about the persona presented by top managers when they are no longer in front of the television cameras...
: 14/02/2014
Dick, Dixie, and the Greatest Football Story You’ll Ever Hear
One of the last living people to witness Dixie Dean’s 60th goal of the 1927-28 league season was buried today. Dick White was a great friend of mine and all my family.
: 06/02/2014
Time to Prove It
Arguing that it's time Martinez lived up to the hype.
: 05/02/2014
Kingdom of God
I, like thousands of other Evertonians, constantly dream that shortly we will enter the Kingdom of God – or its other name is the Champions League. Roberto has virtually promised it to us didn’t he?
: 02/02/2014
Annual Report & Accounts 2013
Everton Shareholders have received the report and accounts for 2013.
: 30/01/2014
How the Derby Was Lost
An analysis of Everton's horror show at Anfield
: 30/01/2014
Plan B
Arguing for a Plan B against those teams that sit back and don't allow Everton the space to play through them
: 29/01/2014
Momentum
We won't get momentum back by not getting beat, we need to win games with cutting edge... now.
: 29/01/2014
The Meaning of Life (aka Football)
Football is, therefore, absolutely essential to the healthy functioning of civilized humanity, a fact that must have been known, intuitively or intellectually, to the Methodists of St Domingo's when they established our wonderful club back in 1878
: 28/01/2014
Special One at a Special Club
A great day out for Sean McGeever at Stevenage that he will never forget, thanks to Chairman Bill Kenwright.
: 27/01/2014
A new stadium needs your support!
A proposal for requesting public funding to solve Everton's perennial stadium problem.
: 26/01/2014
Consistency and expectation
Our ambition every year looking forward should be Champions League qualification. You can say that we have been competing for the European spots regularly in recent years... what is so different this year?
: 16/01/2014
Lack of Firepower? Afraid so!
Everton are playing fantastic football, but not delivering enough goals.
: 13/01/2014
Luke Garbutt Report (Gillingham)
Luke Garbutt making more impressive progress on loan with Colchester United
: 11/01/2014
Eusebio at Goodison
Reminiscing about seeing the Portuguese legend at Goodison Park in the 1966 World Cup.
: 07/01/2014
Cup Banana Skins
Last Saturday's FA Cup performance suggested to me that Mr Martinez has plugged yet another typical Everton trait that has frustrated Blues for years. Namely the FA Cup Banana Skin exit!
: 07/01/2014
A rock at the back? We have a whole quarry
Even with four Everton players named in the back 5 Premier League Team of the Year for 2013 , we all know – as we were told at the start of the season – Roberto Martinez's teams can't defend...
: 06/01/2014
The 'Cult' of Martinez
"Roberto Martinez is winning a cult following amongst Evertonians on Merseyside..." — BBC Sport
: 05/01/2014
Goals coming from Coleman
If you've been as surprised as me at the goals flowing from the best ever £60,000 ever spent during the Premier League era, you'd have wondered where these goals had been during the previous regime.
: 04/01/2014
Memory Lane — FA Cup Round 3
Classic Third Round ties in the FA Cup against Norwich City (H), Bolton Wanderers (A & H), Stoke City (A) and Blackburn Rovers (H) from 10, 20, 30 and 40 years ago are remembered with the help of matchday programmes from Patrick's collection.
: 02/01/2014
Southampton — Lesson to Learn?
Is Goodison Park our Concrete Boots? Weighing us down?? Holding us back???
: 30/12/2013
Luke Garbutt Report (Crewe)
A goal for Garbutt, and a Man-of-the-Match award for Garbutt against Crewe
: 29/12/2013
Loaning our way to the Champions League
rehrbdf
: 27/12/2013
Luke Garbutt Report
Colchester Utd vs Stevenage
: 26/12/2013
Half-Term Report: So Far, So Good
I was happy with the appointment of Roberto Martinez as the new Everton manager, but I wasn't expecting this.
: 24/12/2013
A Changed Man
Another Evertonian admits he got it completely wrong about Martinez
: 20/12/2013
New Year Wishes
The transfer window approaches and a chance to freshen things up for the second half of the season.
: 17/12/2013
A (Foreign) Field of Dreams
A look at how increasing exposure for Everton FC can help spread the brand to the global audience.
: 13/12/2013
A Shanklyesque Revolution, Anyone?
Signs that Roberto Martinez may be starting something big at Everton.
: 10/12/2013
What If...?
Flights of fancy and an alternative Everton history...
: 06/12/2013
The Greatest — Alan Ball or Alex Young??
Who was your best Everton player ever? Alex Young had just edged it for me but, after watching this latest DVD, Alan Ball Remembered, I really can't separate them.
: 03/12/2013
Luke Garbutt Report (vs MK Dons)
Dick attended a floodlight fixture against MK Dons with Luke Garbutt starting at left back for Colchester United.
: 27/11/2013
A Brief Self-serving Article About Me and My Everton
A lost American soul find his central focus again
: 24/11/2013
Memory Lane – Match 12
Local derbies including Blackburn, Burnley, Liverpool and Manchester United.
: 20/11/2013
Sir Dobbo — Goodison Aristocrat
Rob Sawyer in Conversation with Martin Dobson
: 19/11/2013
Why we should embrace Bobby
Why Toby is happy to have Roberto Martinez as Everton manager.
: 18/11/2013
Stubbs and Kilbane Chat All Things Everton
A Sports Book Festival: Alan Stubbs, Kevin Kilbane and ghost writer James Corbett chat all things Everton for over an hour under the hosting of Dave Prentice, Deputy Head of Sport at the Liverpool Echo.
: 16/11/2013
Remembrance Day and My First Everton Game
It was the 1961-62 season and I was working in London at the time. I had been a long-standing supporter of Burnley, who at that time were riding high and were due to play Everton twice in as many days over the Christmas period.
: 11/11/2013
Luke Garbutt Report (vs Sheffield Utd)
A great report on Everton loanee Luke Garbutt's progress at League One Colchester United — this week playing in Round One of the FA Cup.
: 09/11/2013
10 Game Review
We've passed the quarter point of the season and just dodged being 2nd, or even higher in the Premier League... so, the time has come to make an initial assessment of just how well Roberto Martinez is doing as the new manager of Everton.
: 04/11/2013
Coleman Comes Good
A look at the young Irishman who is now firmly ensconced as Everton’s best right back since the late '80s.
: 01/11/2013
My First Love with Everton
A sensitive Norwegian Blue tells of how he feel in love with Everton, despite resistance from all his red pals at school
: 31/10/2013
How Good is Our Squad?
Beyond the Everton first XI, there are another 17 squad players at different stages of their careers, and each has different prospects at the club.
: 30/10/2013
Luke Garbutt Report (vs Peterborough)
A report on the Everton player's fifth game for Colchester United on loan, and something of a milestone...
: 27/10/2013
We've Already Taken This Step
Not everyone is enamoured with Roberto Martinez's methods since taking over as Everton manager.
: 21/10/2013
A Proper Midfielder
A look at the emerging qualities of midfielder James McCarthy
: 20/10/2013
End of a journey and new beginnings
A first visit to Goodison Park for a lifelong fan from Dublin.
: 20/10/2013
A new Blue attends his first match
Not quite what you might expect...
: 20/10/2013
What a load of Red Bull
A rallying call against the evils of Red Bull in football.
: 14/10/2013
Luke Garbutt Report (vs Walsall)
A good day for Luke Garbutt on loan at League One Colchester United.
: 12/10/2013
Luke Garbutt Report (vs Wolves)
Dick Brady upgrades us on the progress of Luke Garbutt, out on loan at Colchester United in League One.
: 06/10/2013
Everton's Academy is our Foundation
Has the academy structure, with stars such as Ross Barkley coming through, not to forget a certain Wayne Rooney been the underlying foundation that has ensured Everton's continuity in the top half of the Premier League?
: 06/10/2013
Armchair fan to Goodison
From armchair supporter to Goodison Park (Part one)
: 03/10/2013
“Everton's” first game
Paul takes his son Gavin Everton Kelly to his first Everton game, the cracking 3-2 win at West Ham
: 02/10/2013
The Ninjas of Goodison
Just a bit of fun for the TW guys and girls so that we can chill out before the match... can you name your Ninja?
: 30/09/2013
In My Blue Life
Born A Blue,
Live A Blue,
Die A Blue
: 29/09/2013
My First Week as a Blue
A new-found Blue from Texas describes his rapid assimilation into the life of an Evertonian
: 22/09/2013
Luke Garbutt Report (vs Crawley)
Impressions of the Everton loanee's performance for Colchester in League One today
: 21/09/2013
A Great Pity – from an Old 'Un
Ian Burns explains his personal reluctance to call Liverpool FC and their supporters 'Red Shite'.
: 21/09/2013
Memory Lane — Match 5
Baseball and Highbury Old Grounds for pessimism and Goodison proves the point.
: 19/09/2013
A New Fan Finds His Team
A newcomer to the beautiful game from Texas explains how he was chosen.
: 15/09/2013
Everton and the League Cup: My Head Explodes
Why do we have such a dismal record in the League Cup which, for around 40 seasons, has offered a glory day at Wembley and a place in Europe?
: 06/09/2013
If You Know your History!
January 2013 — A Defining Moment in Time
: 01/09/2013
Memory Lane — Match 3
Patrick Murphy's new feature, looking in retro at Everton's next game by going back through his collection of matchday programmes to see who we played in the corresponding fixture 10, 20, 30 & 40 years ago.
: 29/08/2013
Up the Tempo!
It's all happening too slowly!
: 29/08/2013
Transition for Some... But Not For Me!
"I think we may struggle to be top 6 or 7 this season and I expect a true season of transition. I would predict a mid-table finish."
: 26/08/2013
The End of the Marriage
"It’s so sad when a marriage ends. What was once love, admiration, respect and a desire to continue into old age quickly becomes hatred and a need to dissociate oneself from him."
: 24/08/2013
Song For Whoever!!
A spirited call for more dedicated Everton songs
: 20/08/2013
Carrow Comparisons
...
: 12/08/2013
Reasons to be hopeful
...
: 10/08/2013
It's Not the System that Counts
An exiled California Blue gives his assessment of the new Martinez style for Everton to play up to in the coming weeks...
: 08/08/2013
Vamos Everton
BOTH Evertons are playing on the Pacific coast against big-name opposition this week. You may know all about our game against Real Madrid. The other Everton were in Santiago playing Chile's top club, Colo Colo.
: 03/08/2013
Squad Analysis and My Predictions for the Season
A detailed look at current resources that suddenley seem to be twice what they were last season, whEn fringe players could not be trusted.
: 02/08/2013
Howard's heroics – and some really big Stones
A first-time match-experience for an American Blue on a great night for Everton in San Francisco.
: 01/08/2013
An Evening at Practice with Everton and Juve
Eyewitness report from San Francisco on the preparation for tomorrow's game in the International Champions Cup.
: 31/07/2013
Why Everton will not find a suitable buyer
Another cogitation along the money trail and why buying Everton may not appeal to many Billionaires...
: 30/07/2013
First Team and Formation
Sam Hoare steps up as virtual Team Manager with his selections for the anticipated formation and line-up.
: 28/07/2013
Statistics, Damn Statistics
Although Jim Potter's ruminations over what the coming season my bring seem to have little to do with statistics...
: 26/07/2013
An Open Letter to Mr Rooney
A plea to a boyhood Blue to return to Goodison Park after 9 years at Manchester United.
: 25/07/2013
Our Club and Its Principles
Papiss Cisse’s stance on refusing to wear the Newcastle shirt with their new payday loan sponsors is an interesting example of principles in an industry that seems devoid of them. What would Everton fans think if one of our players took a similar stance?
: 20/07/2013
The new ‘Two teams per capital’ rule
An antidote to the unfair advantage gained by clubs from the capital.
: 17/07/2013
Austria Vienna v Everton
Part 3: After Match Discussions
The post match scene in and around teh Generalia Stadion.
: 15/07/2013
Austria Vienna v Everton
Part 2: Match Report and Observations
Match Report and Observations on Everton's first public game under Roberto Martinez
: 15/07/2013
Previewing Austria Vienna v Everton
Part 1: Evertonians' Quick Guide to Vienna
A fantastic primer for anyone following the Blues on their great European summer adventure in one of the continent's most beautiful and historic coities
: 11/07/2013
Last season and the Next
A perspective on the season gone, and the season to come.
: 07/07/2013
Taking One Step Back
Could promoting players from within the squad rather than selling the family silver be the way forward for Everton, even if means dropping league places in the coming season?
: 02/07/2013
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