Season Review

It's been less than a week since the culmination of the 2010/11 league season and we are already facing up to the prospect of a long, football-less Summer, with only Jack Rodwell's involvement at the U-21 European Championships to get our Everton fix.

One thing we do get plenty of, however, is time. Time gives the opportunity for reflection, for optimism to breed and for fans to scour YouTube for compilation videos of their club's latest transfer targets.

I've decided not to waste my time researching our supposed transfer targets as I would be on YouTube all day with the amount of players we get linked to: Bothroyd, Campbell, Owen, Callejon, Ba, blah blah blah. I'll believe it when it's on the official website - and even then, I'll have my doubts.

Anyway, I've decided to pen a review of our season. Let's start at the very beginning which, in the words of Maria von Trapp, is a very good place to start.

August 2010

Blackburn Rovers 1-0 Everton: The season kicked off on August 14th at Ewood Park after a positive pre-season had fuelled aspirations of European football. However, the hope was quashed as we failed to recover from an early Nikita Kalinic goal. We played well enough to win the match but were found to be lacking in the final third, with Tim Howard's error gifting Rovers all three points.

Everton 1-1 Wolverhampton Wanderers: The type of home game that summed up our first half of the season. Cahill gave us the lead but one goal was all we could muster, and we were duly punished.

Everton 5-1 Huddersfield Town: The first win of the season came in the Carling Cup, as Fellaini, Rodwell, Beckford, Saha and Osman saw off Huddersfield. A bad night for John Heitinga though, as the Dutchman missed a penalty and scored an own goal.

Aston Villa 1-0 Everton: A totally undeserved result. After we fell behind early on we dominated the match but once again could not find the net and we ended the month with a solitary point from a possible nine.

September 2010

Everton 3-3 Manchester United: One of the highlights of the season. We took the lead, only for United to score three without reply. At the end of normal time the points looked to be heading down the M62. Cahill and Arteta had other ideas though, and two goals in injury time salvaged a great point. Phil Jagielka almost completed what would have been one of the greatest comebacks ever but missed the chance to make it 4-3.

Everton 0-1 Newcastle United: After the excitement of the last home game, this one was a totally different story. Newcastle came, scored, defended and took home three points from the type of game we should be winning.

Brentford 1-1 Everton: An utter low point of the season. On a freezing cold Tuesday night we exited the Carling Cup at Griffin Park. After Seamus Coleman's goal was only enough to earn us a draw we lost in a penalty shoot-out. Although I did manage to high-five Yakubu as he collected the ball from in front of the Everton fans.

Fulham 0-0 Everton: A game that will not live long in the memory but we picked up just our third point of the season.

October 2010

Birmingham City 0-2 Everton: Our first league victory of the season was a straightforward one at St. Andrews. The pink kit got a second airing and goals from Cahill and a Johnson own goal secured victory.

Everton 2-0 Liverpool: A second successive win and suddenly everyone thought we'd turned the corner. The elation of derby victory is a high point in any season, and goals from Cahill and Arteta gave us all a day to savour in a season to forget.

Tottenham Hotspur 1-1 Everton: We stretched our unbeaten run to three games with Leighton Baines' exquisite free-kick earning us a point at Spurs. A good display meant that we returned with a very good point.

Everton 1-0 Stoke City: Our third win in four games made sure that we went the month unbeaten. Yakubu's goal was enough to see off a resilient Stoke outfit in a hard-fought match.

November 2010

Blackpool 2-2 Everton: Seamus Coleman bagged on his return to his old stomping ground as we twice came from behind against a free-scoring Blackpool side. Cahill got our other goal (above) and guess what - it was a header.

Everton 1-1 Bolton Wanderers: It was another disappointing home result, but notable for a fantastic goal at the death from Jermaine Beckford. He received the ball in the corner of the penalty area, took a touch and curled a shot over Jaaskalainen. Beauty.

Everton 1-2 Arsenal: Our seven match unbeaten run was ended by an admittedly excellent Arsenal side. Trailing by two, Tim Cahill's 89th minute goal could not inspire us to a comeback like the one we'd witnessed against Manchester United.

Sunderland 2-2 Everton: A lively but scrappy game ended two a piece. Cahill's header and Arteta's deflected strike sealed a point, but Beckford would have been disappointed he didn't make it three after missing a gilt-edged chance.

Everton 1-4 West Bromwich Albion: I don't even want to think about this one.

December 2010

Chelsea 1-1 Everton: A point at the home of the reigning champions was an impressive outcome, and the manner in which we earned it even more so. We were indifferent for the first period and were deservedly behind, but a Leighton Baines-inspired Everton kept going and were rewarded four minutes from time thanks to the striker's instinct of Jermaine Beckford.

Everton 0-0 Wigan Athletic: Just as it seemed we had turned the corner, a poor, poor performance. Wigan came to Goodison not wanting to be beaten and thanks to our lack of cutting edge, they weren't.

Manchester City 1-2 Everton: What better early Christmas present than a victory at (middle) Eastlands? Tim Cahill caught City napping to steal an early lead, and Baines had the audacity to nick a second within 20 minutes after a fluent team move. The bunch of overpaid, egotistical prima donnas were upstaged by a club with morals, values and spirit on a night that reminded us what we all love about Everton.

West Ham United 1-1 Everton: Our Boxing Day clash with Birmingham was postponed due to frozen pipes at Goodison, so we had time to finish the turkey before travelling to Upton Park. HIBBERT SCORED!!!!!!!!!!! Oh... wait... it was an own goal. Coleman equalised to claim a point.

January 2011

Stoke City 2-0 Everton: A New Year's Day trip to the potteries proved fruitless as we got exactly what we deserved. A bad day at the office.

Everton 2-1 Tottenham Hotspur: A much improved team performance produced another great Goodison night. Louis Saha scored his first league goal for 11 months from 20 yards and Seamus Coleman's late header secured a deserved win. Moyes had a go at playing 4-4-2 and it paid off as our power and pace won an enthralling match.

Scunthorpe United 1-5 Everton: Just as in the Carling Cup we won our first tie 5-1. In the new third kit, sumptuously described as 'vanilla', we dominated an awful Championship side and Saha, Beckford, Coleman, Fellaini and Baines all scored in the rout.

Liverpool 2-2 Everton: 'Win at home, draw away' is the key to success in

football, or so we are led to believe by the pundits. After our victory in October, Distin and Beckford scored our goals to claim a satisfying point.

Everton 2-2 West Ham United: An unimaginative performance against a poor side left us needing equalisers from Bilyaletdinov, and then Fellaini, to earn a point in a match from which we'd have been looking to take all three.

Everton 1-1 Chelsea: After demolishing Scunthorpe we were given a much tougher test in the next round of the FA Cup. King Louis' goal glut continued and it would have sent us through but for a late Chelsea equaliser. Onto a replay then...

February

Arsenal 2-1 Everton: A month of ups and downs started with a loss at Arsenal. The King gave us the lead (although he was well offside) but we couldn't hold on.

Everton 5-3 Blackpool: A Goodison classic. Four goals from the man of the moment, Louis Saha (above), and a wonderful fifth from his strike partner Beckford. In an enthralling game the lead exchanged hands multiple teams leading to a score that was frequent in the days of Dixie Dean & co. What's more, it could have been five for Saha as another effort was incorrectly adjudged to have been offside.

Bolton Wanderers 2-0 Everton: From the sublime to the atrocious. This is what Everton do to you. Many suggested that this was the worst performance in Moyes' tenure, and the ginger genius cut a solemn and downbeat figure on the bench. If there was ever a game where I really could have done better than some of our players, this was it. Well, I couldn't have done any worse.

Chelsea 1-1 Everton: And from the atrocious, back to the sublime. We matched Chelsea for 90 minutes, taking the Cup replay to extra time. It looked, though, that all our endeavours had been in vain when Lampard scored for Chelsea in the 108th minute. Not to be deterred, and roared on by 6,000 Evertonians (1,800 Chelsea fans came to Goodison for the first leg), Everton fought on. Baines' last-minute free-kick earned a penalty shoot-out. Baines then contrived to miss our first penalty, but we pulled it out of the bag. Heitinga shoved Ashley Cole, Howard saved from Anelka and Phil Neville stepped up to score the winning penalty. Cue delirium in the Shed End.

Everton 2-0 Sunderland: We followed up the cup success with the type of comfortable and straightforward win that we had not had enough of so far the season. A brace from Beckford was enough for all three points.

March

Everton 0-1 Reading: Such was the way we knocked out Chelsea in round 4, many blues were thinking about whether a trip to Eastlands or Villa Park was on the cards for the quarter-final. This air of arrogance seemed to rub off on the players, who produced a lacklustre performance and were punished by a solid Championship outfit. We were not aided by the fact that Beckford arrived at the ground three minutes prior to kick-off having been stuck in traffic, but Reading were well-organised and deserved victors. After such a disappointing night we left with a slice of dignity intact after clapping Reading off the pitch - something that manager Brian McDermott and many of his players later eluded to.

Newcastle United 1-2 Everton: Everton: they knock you down and then they pick you back up again. An impressive victory thanks to goals from Leon Osman and Phil Jagielka. Arteta was moved to the wing where he had an excellent game.

Everton 1-1 Birmingham City: A fantastic goal from John Heitinga - his first for the club - was not enough not beat Birmingham. Once again, a fixture we should have won but didn't due to a lack of cutting edge.

Everton 2-1 Fulham: Everton marked David Moyes' ninth anniversary of taking charge with exactly the same scoreline - and against the same opponents - as his first match. Saha and Coleman scored our goals in a comfortable and deserved victory.

April

Everton 2-2 Aston Villa: A lively game which saw us take the lead through Osman before Darren Bent scored twice to give Villa the advantage. Bainesy levelled from the spot but we were incorrectly denied a goal when Beckford's effort was adjudged not to have crossed the line.

Wolverhampton Wanderers 0-3 Everton: After a opening spell of Wolves pressure, we assumed dominance with three wonderful goals. The first was a Beckford header from a Leon Osman cross, the second a thunderbolt from Phil Neville and the third was the best of the lot - a 30-yarder from everyone's favourite Russian.

Everton 2-0 Blackburn Rovers: A straightforward, comfortable victory inspired by Leon Osman. Ossie provided a creative spark that unlocked Blackburn's defence, then Bainesy made sure of the victory from the spot.

Manchester United 1-0 Everton: Our unbeaten run came to an end after a resilient performance at the home of the champions-elect. We looked as though we may be able to snatch a point, but you can never write United off and they scored seven minutes from time. Ferguson then had the audacity to moan to Sky about the amount of extra-time given!

Wigan Athletic 1-1 Everton: A tale of two penalties at the DW: one taken, and missed, by Mikel Arteta and one taken, and scored, by Leighton Baines. A fair result though.

May 2011

Everton 2-1 Manchester City: A victory for class over cash, the spirit of Everton outclassed the Manchester mercenaries. After a dour first half we were 1-0 down, but in the second we witnessed Everton at their very best; unbridled, fluid and magic to see. Osman - 5ft 8" - scored one of the best headed goals of the season, and Distin grabbed the other.

West Bromwich Albion 1-0 Everton: After such a good win, we should have expected an uninspiring loss. And that is exactly what we got.

Everton 1-0 Chelsea: There was nothing to play for on the final day but we ended on a high thanks to a goal from Jermaine Beckford (above) that will go down as one of Goodsion's greatest. He picked up the ball on the edge of his own penalty area and ran solo to the opposite end, before calmly chipping over Petr Cech in front of the Gwladys Street. A standout moment in a forgettable season.

So, there you have it, my season review. We've been less consistent than my Mum's watery gravy and there's been more ups and downs than Jordan's knickers. But we have seen enough towards the end of the season to retain hope for the next campaign, and even though our season wasn't the best our seventh place finish was an improvement on last year.

It's a funny old game.