This week Martin Lewis has a scouting report on Everton. This will not only be interesting for Everton supporters but also Manchester City supporters before the big game tomorrow. In fact supporters of any club that are yet to play Everton this season will find this in-depth tactical and statistical analysis interesting. Initial information: Very [...]

Following successive league defeats, a win here was imperative and Everton overcame a disjointed start to do just that. Disrupted by the early loss of Phil Jagielka, the home side were out of sorts for sections of the first half. Already adjusting to the pre-match loss of Tim Howard, the Toffees struggled to shift through [...]

At first glance, the above image reflects favourably on Darron Gibson’s time at Old Trafford, as the Manchester United win percentage towers over the Everton success rate. However, the detail is in the fine print and the reality that Everton fight a weight below United. The real story lies in his impressive unbeaten record at both [...]

The comeback kings of the Premier League clash on Sunday. Gaining 27 points from losing positions, Manchester United play host to an Everton side which have gained 21 points after falling behind. Everton will travel with confidence given recent results against United. After last season’s 4-4 draw dented their host’s title push, Marouane Fellaini bullied [...]

Creating the most chances of any Premier League player this season, much has been made of Leighton Baines’ attacking prowess. Saturday’s 0-0 draw against Swansea highlighted his creative talents with the visitors employing an extra right back in a bid to halt his forays forward. In fairness to Michael Laudrup, the plan worked to an [...]

West Ham welcome Everton to Upton Park as the festive period kicks off this weekend. The home side have been inconsistent of late, with injuries not helping the cause, resulting in a run of only 1 victory in 6 games. After the Arsenal game on Wednesday has been called off due to railway strikes, Sam [...]

The Everton defence is under increasing scrutiny of late. Without a clean sheet in 13 games, 12 of those in the league, Everton have failed to keep the opposition out since the resounding 3-0 win at Swansea in September. For years, the hallmark of David Moyes’ side was the ability to grind out wins. During [...]

The form of Leighton Baines  has not gone unnoticed, with Manchester United again linked with a possible transfer in January. Despite quashing these rumours, Baines has admitted that not playing in Europe is hampering his chances of establishing himself as an England regular, with Hodgson favouring the more experienced Ashley Cole at left-back. Baines, however, [...]

Marouane Fellaini first came to prominence as a Standard Liège player. Unknown to most Premier League fans, Fellaini outshone a number of well-known Liverpool players when the sides met in a Champions League qualifier. Liverpool eventually progressed and David Moyes seized on Liege’s failure by making Fellaini into Everton’s record signing, as the August 2009 transfer window slammed shut. Following [...]

Players with added ability and specialist skills can transform football teams with Leighton Baines falling into that category. These players have the capacity to change an average side into a good one, a good one into a very good one and so on. For a number of years, Baines has added another dimension to the [...]