Premier League fixtures announced

Be interesting to see how Højbjerg performs against us. Just hope we turn up with something resembling a midfield.

Should help our relegation battle.😉

(Just to please the doomsayers amongst us)

I'm already sick to fucking death of them.

Please, Everton, just for a change, work it up them in the derby.. Give us something this season.

Fucking great!!!

I hope Bielsa twats Klopp over the head with his famous blue bucket on the first day of the season and more importantly takes three points off the RS.

Either centre-half, right wing or right-back by the looks of things.

So there might still be plenty of game time for Bernard, Iwobi and Walcott next season.

Brands needs to work some magic and bring players in now, as we cannot start at Tottenham with the slowest midfield in the league, or we'll not get out of our own half.

Surely next season can't have as many all-time lows as last season because, if it does, relegation beckons.

Brands had better get a move on this week because anyone signed from most countries has to go into 2 weeks quarantine before they can even join the squad.

Anyway, Spurs will be shiting themselves, Davies and Gomes ripping them apart in central midfield and Calvert-Lewin smashing in two 25 yarders. Or take out Richarlison and test Pickford at every opportunity.

We're 12th or maybe even 11th and Man City are strolling to a 2-0 win until a scrappy goal by us near the end puts City into a panic and, in the last minute of injury time, a Limpar-like handball gives Everton a penalty.

The RS are 4-0 up and if we equalise with the pen then Liverpool win the league. What do we do??!!!

Get an organised and quality midfield with say, Allan, (Doucouré or Santamaria or Sangare) and David Brooks and give Tottenham a really competitive, tough game. We have players like Richarlison who can come up with a match-winner in a hard-fought game so with a much better midfield we can do the business.

Same goes for the rest of the games, get the midfield right and we can be a very improved team.

We need a bit of togetherness and confidence behind the new team and new midfielders, so when the new lads come in, us fans have to play our part.

Then Spurs and the other teams can do some worrying about us.

Instead of checking facts on TW's database, he would rather make this outrageous statement "I can't be sure but in Premier League history Everton have started with a home game 3 times in 28 years."

I did a simple check and could only be bothered going back to 2008, but since then we have started the season, six games at home and six away. Yes, there are times when we or the shite start the season at home two years in a row, but it balances itself out.

Unfortunately, the victim culture and negativity that pervades EFC is all too real.

Hopefully Ancelotti will have made some good additions to his squad, and hopefully and just as important started to change the mindset of this group of players.

Last season was apparently an 'easy start' and it contributed to our downfall. All games are winnable, all are losable.

The Goodison derby in an empty stadium, so predictable. Put your money now on another RS title win, the RS backers and football authorities will see to it again that they get what they want. Power, corruption and lies.

Don't know about you but sick of slow low scoring boring football, season after season. Martinez first season being the only standout in decades. If that makes me negative, is it any wonder?

When the penalty kick was first introduced, the game was played largely by gentlemen and, on the grounds that a penalty implied unsportsmanlike conduct, the penalty taker would deliberately hoof it out of play.

As gentlemen we should do the same.

Not sure I fancy Spurs away though... let's face it, we never win our first game of the season, so we may as well play it at a ground we never win at anyway!

17 Home
11 Away

Also, 8 wins. 13 draws, 6 losses
One match was postponed

4 consecutive home games from 1996 to 1999 inclusive and
6 consecutive home games from 2004 to 2009 inclusive

I think it can be said that we get our fair share of opening games at Goodison Park.

It is maddening to read on here such lazy shit like this flung against the wall. It sticks and needs a disproportionate amount of hard and diligent work to get it scraped off.

What a lovely and gracious acknowledgment by Joe of his error. We've all had to tolerate it, Joe. The difference is we don't use that as a pathetic excuse for making up and then posting utter shite.

We had an "Easier" start under Koeman (*as I remember it, not fact-checked; gulp) which fell apart after that cup game.

A particularly challenging one can lead to a tough situation. This one looks like a good mix and gives us a chance of adjusting to varied opposition.

That's the positive angle. Have to cite the irony of having the empty stadium however, against the RS, in this one-off situation, at least for the occasion. You just knew it...

Not EVERYTHING is fixed against us. They're supposed to be the permanently offended. Not us.

I was alluding to when we play our first derby match in any season. I am sure that for very many years all those first derbies have been at Anfield. But surprise, surprise this season of all seasons we get to play them first at an empty Goodison, with the possibility of playing them in front of a crowd at their place next year for the return match.

And before anyone asks, no, I don't think we'll win the league.

I would say that it barely matters whether we – or the Shite – are playing at home or away while the grounds are closed to fans. But as the season progresses and fans are allowed back in, it does mean that this season – like last – will be played under two different sets of circumstances. So, all titles should come with a huge asterisk next to them, just as they should for the 2019-20 season.

Plenty of scope there for a conspiracy, but if you’re going to look for one, you need to pick the right side of the argument to start with.

Wow Michael #29 - Do you also do children's parties?

Where I live (55 Miles from Liverpool) I'm surrounded by never been to Anfield Kopites, and occasionally the frustration manifests itself.

Could you imagine ToffeeWeb if we got tonked 4-1 on opening day.

Please somebody enlighten me. I'm not as efficient in fact-finding as some well versed on this site. Ta.

Season 2015-16. First game at home to Watford, drew 2-2, and last game was at home to Norwich, won 3-0.

One of these days, it would be great if we could just treat each fixture the same and let others worry about when they were playing Everton.

The derby games are obviously important fixtures. However, to please both sets of fans is not easy, especially season ticket holders. If every season they were to alternate which team hosts the first derby which seems sensible, each set of fans would only see the home fixture of a particular season every other calendar year but of course, with the first fixture being alternated, it would effectively mean seeing the home fixture of the following season in the same calendar year... think that makes sense!

Like others on here, potential new signings, specifically in centre-midfield and, if possible, on the wing, are going to be major if we can sign the right players; this could completely turn our fortunes around.

I am very concerned we may only bring one player in because of FFP and world economics; any others coming in will be dependent on getting rid of the dross.

Brands is going to have to earn his money because, if we don't improve the midfield, I think this could be a very tough season, as I can't see Gbamin being anywhere near the first team till March next year and who knows what sort of a player he is going to be!

Which brings me on to the final point; if we have another season of injuries like last season and we don't bring in the right players, it really will be a tough season.

All games are either difficult or hard depending on circumstances at the time. Spurs away may be good as they lose a key player in the transfer window the day before or Walcott misses the bus. Spurs away may be bad as Walcott catches the bus and Richarlison is off to Barcelona; let's see when the time comes.

As for the RS, the last time Leeds got promoted, they battered a team on Merseyside on the first day with mesmeric football. Imagine Allison having a half-time sit-down protest!!!!

'All fixed' some cry, 'cos of course there is a conspiracy by all to feed the computer that churns out 380 fixtures spread over 9 months – data that will prejudice Everton and only Everton.

I'll go all contrarian like Andrew @ 24: "I'm already seeing the last game as a title decider."

Dare to dream, FFS, rather than repeatedly imagining a nightmare.

The re-branding Paul the Esk speaks of in another thread can't come soon enough for all concerned.

There is no doubt about it, after the restart, we were very poor. Players we had and players we had signed, apart from a few, were not Premier League standard and something had to change, including bringing in new players and giving more opportunities to younger players who had been used, and proved they are up for the challenge.

This transfer season will be very difficult but Ancelotti has said there are players out there they may be able to get that will improve the team. My feelings are we could not surely get any worse, that we can only get better. Here is hoping we get better.

Aim for the stars and you may get beyond the clouds... or aim for the top 6 and you may break that glass ceiling.

I was wrong saying there is no use moaning, but not us the fans, it should be someone higher up taking a leaf out of Klopp's book who is doing the moaning. Trust me – it works!

Yes, we would have liked RS at Goodison second with a crowd but, to be fair, it has been very little benefit for nigh on 20 years. We haven't beaten the RS for 11 or 12 years...

Definitely fixed by anti-Everton officials. Let's get a petition going!

If supporters are allowed back in the stadiums we would have already lost the home crowd advantage, then more than likely if more supporters can attend games, then it will be when we have to play those top teams away, in the second half of the season.

I would have preferred to play those teams away in the first half of the season.

To be honest when Evertonians really get behind the team, especially at Goodison, it's a privilege to be there, but on to many occasions even before a ball is kicked you can just sense the defeatist attitude of our fans. And that negative attitude does spread to the players.

Now I know we have been pretty poor over the last 4 seasons and even more galling given the money we have spent, but lads if we wallow in our negativity it doesn't help anyone.

I feel that Ancelotti will turn the fortunes of this club around, and especially if he is allowed to bring in the players he wants.

Man City (89 pts)
Liverpool (87 pts)
Man Utd (73 pts)
Chelsea (70 pts)
Arsenal (63 pts)
Spurs (62 pts)

Everton are predicted to end in 9th position behind Wolves and Leicester, unfortunately, probably not too wide of the mark – unless we can do something spectacular (positvely) next season.

What a disgrace. When is this bloody kopite love-in going to end? Why does everyone from the fixture man to the boss of every major media outlet support that shower of BASTARDS???!?!

Here's hoping with Carlo at the helm, some astute signings, and not necessarily for top dollar either!

My money (proverbial in nature) is on February 2021 for fans returning in real numbers, after the worst of the flu season is done. I really think the Goodison derby will be too early for even a partial capacity without away fans (ah, bliss!).

I'm sure the government want fans back in October, but these "experts" seem to run the bloody show. Funny how they've cropped up overnight, literally out of nowhere. A different one every day, led by Chris Witty – a man who makes Klopp seem vaguely tolerable.

Maybe "Oxbridge" university has a lab where they create experts that (to quote Hugh Abbot from the Thick of It) are simply born at 55 with no background or sense of human emotion.

Anyway, off-topic rant over.

Derby dates: why is Goodison always first?

Personally I’ll accept the views of a publicly humourless, qualified academic over someone making baseless guesses on an Internet forum any day of the week.

If we manage to get the players in that Carlo wishes, then we can be competitive against any team; if we do not, then I fear the similar dross that we were exposed to in the resumption of the end of last season.

In that case, it's going to be a long hard season.

It's not Logan's Run, you know.

If he stays fit and if he adapts he could be just what we need in central midfield. I think getting a younger second central midfielder with great potential could be the best combination and transfer strategy this window.

The most positive view is that the last 30 years been as negative as negative can be. In fact if you look up negative in the New Oxford Dictionary it says Everton Football Club.

I don't care about resales, I care about having a good team that can compete.

Must be weird being a midfielder this week in the training camp, knowing you might be told we've signed someone and you have to go up to the office for a chat.

Seems to be a bit of a free-for-all at Napoli this summer.

You lot need to stop with the conspiracy theories and get a life, talk about doom merchants!

Sorry I woke up now! Maybe I haven't? I hope..

We really must get used to being a small club, run by a small-town mentality.

Thank you, Boys Pen Bill.

However. I do recall a few difficult home fixtures over the years.

Man Utd 2012
Man Utd 2005
Man Utd 1999
Arsenal 2009
Arsenal 2004
Arsenal 2003
Spurs 2002
Spurs 2016
Newcastle 1996

Over 24 years. 9 very tough opening fixtures. Including treble winners in 1999, invincibles in 2004.