Everton-The Quest for Success

This is my first FM story, so please take that isto consideration when replying. Whilst I have played FM for a few years now, I am not on the same level as some of the other posters, so bear with. I am going on a holiday to America this summer, so whilst I will still be playing (and hopefully posting), it may not be as frequent as you (or I for that matter) would like. Anyway, on with the game.

Everton. The nearly team. The also-rans when it comes to a top four finish and Champions League qualification. The fact they have only finished in the top four on one occasion since the formation of the Premier League tells the whole story, especially when you consider they have been in the top eight in eight of the last nine seasons. But the current side has promise. With the likes of Ross Barkley, Seamus Coleman and Leighton Baines in the team, fans can be excused for getting excited.

I will get the game going and will post once I have sorted everything out.

So I’ve got started. The meetings with Bill Kenwright and Graeme Jones (assistant manager) went well. The only issue was that Bill wanted to give me a £10million transfer budget and a £1million wage budget to finish in the top half. I thought that these expectations were a bit low for a club of Everton’s stature, so we agreed on a £12.5million transfer budget and a £1.1million wage budget, with our minimum expectation being that we qualify for the Europa League.

We have organised an intra-squad friendly to evaluate the entire squad. I’ve had a look at the team and I have a feeling that I would like to try a 3-5-2 formation for the friendlies, to see how that goes. I will also set up alternatives like a 4-3-3 and a 4-4-1-1. I will try to put some pictures up of the formations. I will post after a few friendlies/if there is any big transfer news.

Great start, but try adding some more pictures as it makes the story more pleasing to look at and easier to read.

How to put pictures in:

HERE

Scroll down and it explains nicely!

Okay thanks a lot for the help! Really appreciate it! Here are my three formations, not sure if they work though. Feel free to offer advice!

3-5-2: https://fmshots.com/bk/Y8PgNFtm.png
4-1-4-1: https://fmshots.com/bk/DaX9CuAm.png
4-4-1-1: https://fmshots.com/bk/iHQIdZUm.png

The formations look great, but if you copy the BBCode bit, the image will not appear as a link, but as a picture

We’ve played four friendlies now, and the early signs are pretty good. I like to rotate my team to give everyone game time and a chance to build up their match fitness.
Everton 2-1 Everton Under-21’s
We started with the intra-squad friendly I mentioned previously. This was a good run out for both teams, but we won the game 2-1. The goals came from Romelu Lukaku and Leighton Baines. It should have been more as we completely dominated. All in all, a good start.
Key Performer-Luke Garbutt for the Under-21’s. Solid performance at left-back topped with an assist where he left Seamus Coleman completely perplexed



Chesterfield 1-1 Everton
The next friendly was away at Chesterfield. This is the only friendly so far where we haven’t used the 3-5-2, instead opting for 4-4-1-1. It was tough picking a side for this game, as almost all of the players in my squads were tired from the previous match. We started off poorly, and were 1-0 down inside a minute. This came from a lapse in concentration at the back. As the game went on we started to take control, but had to wait until the 72nd minute to equalise, thanks to substitute Romelu Lukaku. That’s how it stayed for the rest of the game. Another good run-out.
Key Performer-Romelu Lukaku , at a time where we could have panicked about not getting the goal our play deserved, he stepped up and delivered for the second game running.


Now is a good time to mention that I have brought a few players in on trial. Aruna Dindane, Hameur Bouazza, Mikaël Silvestre, Vincenzo Iaquinta and Stanislav Manolev will all be training with me for a while, to see if there are any coups I could pull off.

Swindon 0-2 Everton
Next was a trip to The County Ground, home of Swindon. We returned to our 3-5-2, and were again very impressive. We won this one 2-0, with the goals coming from Apostolos Vellios and Dindane, with both coming from fantastic crosses from Tyias Browning.
Key Performer- Tyias Browning. What a fantastic performance from him, where he conjured up two fantastic assists. He had actually agreed a season-long loan to Hibernian prior to this game, but we cancelled it at the last minute, because I really want to see more from this kid.



Panaitolikos 0-3 Everton
We seem to be getting better and better as the games go on. We have begun our tour of Greece, where we are to play four friendlies. The first of those was against Panaitolikos. We went 1-0 up inside a minute through Leighton Baines, but there wasn’t any more action until after half-time, where Panaitolikos had Cyril Kali sent off. We then got our second and third goals through Iaquinta, who was only denied a hat-trick by the post. We now have to face Ethnikos, AEK Athens and PAOK.
Key Performer- Vincenzo Iaquinta. Two goals taken very well, and if he continues this level of performance, he may earn himself a contract.



Away from friendlies, I have signed Derby striker Mason Bennett for £600k, Éder Álvarez Balanta of River Plate for £6.5million and John Souttar from Dundee United for £1.7million, where he will spend the season on loan. All three of these are about looking towards the future.

As I am a manager that likes a lot of friendlies, it may take a while to get to the games that matter, so I would like to know if you would prefer more reports, meaning it will take longer to get to the league games, or less reports that will cover more games?

Good win against that Greek team, keep it up!

So five games on and we can look at this spell with mixed emotions.I have sold Darron Gibson to Southampton for £7.5million. We immediately replaced him with Will Hughes for a fee that will eventually rise to £8million. We also signed Jesse Lingard for a fee rising to £4.7million, Michael Keane for £750k and Francis Coquelin for £1.9million, though he will join when his season-long loan at Freiburg expires. Anyway, onto the friendlies:

Ethnikos 0-2 Everton
A game that was won with set-pieces. Éder Álvarez Balanta and Tyias Browning grabbed the goals, both from Leighton Baines corners. Not much to say about this one, things are starting to look very positive indeed.
Key Performer-Leighton Baines provided two fantastic corners, which I expect him to do when it matters



AEK 0-4 Everton
My finest hour yet. Gibson, Álvarez Balanta, Manolev and Iaquinta grabbed the goals.31 shots tells the whole story. I was expecting this to be our toughest test yet, but AEK were blown apart.
Key Performer-Stanislav Manolev. An assist and a fine header. Not bad for a sub appearance. Seriously considering signing him as backup for Coleman.



PAOK 2-4 Everton
Not our best performance overall. We went behind, went 2-1 up through Kone (twice), they equalised. All this in the first half. Kone completed his hat-trick (on his first pre-season appearance) and Naismith made it seem comfortable. It wasn't, but that brought the end to our fantastic tour of Greece. 100% record in the sun. Not bad.
Key Performer-Arouna Kone. Does it need mentioning? Three goals and he isn't even fully fit. He was in my reserves and, if I'm honest, I forgot about him. He changed all of that. Ready to challenge Lukaku and Lacina Traore? Possibly...



Bradford 1-1 Everton
From Greece to Yorkshire. I know where I would rather be. This began a tricky week, where we face Bradford, Sheffield United and our Under-21's again. The change in climate clearly affected us, as we couldn't get going. Steven Piennar missed a golden opportunity in the fist half, but we forgot about that when Coleman scored from a few yards out. I am delighted to see him and Baines getting in the goals, as this acts as an indicator that our 3-5-2 seems to be working. However, with ten minutes to go, Bradford scored from a corner. Worrying but we won't overreact yet.
Key Performer-Seamus Coleman. Scored a goal after a lung-bursting run from right-back and generally caused problems



Sheffield United 2-1 Everton
Argh! Such a frustrating game! I tried a 4-4-1-1 to see if it would work. It didn't. Interesting and worrying to see that our worst performances have come when we haven't played our 3-5-2. Do I need to find a new alternative? Possibly, but that's what pre-season is for. We were dominated in the first half, with our defence at sixes and sevens. Former Toffee Jose Baxter (had to be, didn't it?) scored a fine header after Tony Hibbert made a hash of a simple headed clearance by putting it back into the danger zone. Coleman (again) came to our rescue from the bench. What an outlet we have in him, so we won't just have to rely on Baines this season. But John Brayford gave United the lead again and we were made to rue a poor performance. However, I will take the blame for a needless formation change. I will now try to find another option.
Key Performer-Seamus Coleman. Another goal identified the need for adequate cover for our shining star. Hibbert showed he isn't sufficient enough, which is why I have offered Manolev a contract.



So I have seen the very best and the (almost) very worst of Everton. Work to do on our alternative formations, but I thrive on this challenge. Two more friendlies now, first our Under-21s, then we face Inter Milan in what will be a real test for our squad. then the journey begins...

Pre-season is finally over. The intense work on fitness and strength has come to a climax. The friendlies have come and gone, leaving a very positive feeling about the whole period. Only one loss and two draws were recorded in eleven friendlies, and I believe that the secondary formation I set out to formulate may have finally been found. We trialled a 4-3-3 formation for periods against our Under-21s and Inter Milan, both of which ended with wins.

Everton 3-1 Everton Under-21s
A positive performance with the new formation, with both of our wingers scoring. Jesse Lingard gave us the lead, Kevin Mirallas doubled it, before Steven Naismith made it more comfortable. However, Magaye Gueye grabbed a goal back with a delicious lob following a misjudgement from Sylvian Distin. An efficient performance that gives me a bit of confidence that our alternative formation may prove to be one that grabs us a few points in tight games.
Key Performer-Kevin Mirallas. He has endured a frustrating pre-season, not featuring as much as he would have liked due to our new shape. However, he put in a very good performance when given the chance.



Everton 1-0 Inter Milan
Our pre-season culminated in a good victory in our televised game against the Italian giants. I was surprised to see them starting with the same formations as us, but in the end we came out on top. Neither side was particularly dominant, and a 0-0 may have been fair, but we won thanks to Esteban Cambiasso, who turned Leighton Baines’ cross into his own net with Ross Barkley lurking. The fact that Inter didn’t even register a shot on target, and we only had two, shows that it wasn’t the most exciting game of our pre-season, but ultimately I am very pleased with this result, which gives us a lot of confidence going into the new season.
Key Performer-John Stones. The fact his man of the match rating was a 6.9 tells the whole story of the game. But he was solid, and looks like he could really shine in his debut Premier League season.



So our friendlies are all finished. Almost all of the squad have experienced match action at some point in pre-season, and my preferred eleven have all impressed me. The likes of Seamus Coleman, Leighton Baines, Éder Álvarez Balanta, John Stones and Tyias Browning have all staked their claims for starting spots very well, put one thing is for sure: I am very excited about the new season. We face Norwich away, West Brom at home, Peterborough away (Capital One Cup Second Round), Cardiff away and Chelsea at home in our first five games, and I don’t see why we can’t win all of those games. We shall see.

Chelsea should be an easy three points - Fernando Torres is shite.

Our season is underway. Four wins out of five represents a fine start. The draw against Cardiff was frustrating, but our win against Chelsea more than made up for it. The early signs are very good

Norwich 1-3 Everton
What a result this was. A fantastic performance from the whole team. Our wing-backs were dominant, and Ross Barkley ran the show. Seamus Coleman, on the back of a fantastic pre-season, opened the scoring (though John Ruddy should have done better), and Barkley doubled with a poached effort with the Norwich defence left in sixes and sevens. Half-time came and went, and Norwich were a different side. On the hour, Robert Snodgrass caught Tim Howard out with a weak effort. Game on, at least I thought it was. But Sebastian Bassong foolishly brought Romelu Lukaku down in the box, and he was sent off for his troubles. Penalty. Leighton Baines stepped up, sent Ruddy the wrong way and restored our two-goal deficit on his 200th Everton appearance. Barkley could have added a bit more gloss to the win, but in the end a 3-1 win on the opening day is brilliant. The only dampener is the fact that we have lost Coleman and Barry for two weeks through injuries, which is frustrating.
Key performer-Ross Barkley, who, as I said, ran the show. A goal and he assisted Coleman’s goal. This lad could be in for a big season.



Everton 1-0 West Brom
A good way to start our season at home. Stanislav Manolev grabbed the only goal of the game with a fine left-footed volley on his debut. Not much else to report, but a fine win all the same.
Key performer-Phil Jagieka. A rock at the back, leading the two other inexperienced central defenders throughout the game.



Peterborough 1-3 Everton (Capital One Cup second round)
A fantastic result considering the nine changes made to the starting eleven. Only Manolev and James McCarthy remained, and the game was won in a fantastic six minute spell. First Steven Naismith scored a penalty, then (get this) goalkeeper Joel scored a magnificent thirty-yard free-kick. With a free-kick rating of 17 I probably shouldn’t be surprised! Bryan Oviedo added a third to cap a man of the match performance. Stephen Elliott pulled a goal back with a fine finish, but the damage was already done. A game against Aston Villa in the next round beckons.
Key performer-Bryan Oviedo put in a brilliant performance, grabbing two assists and scoring a third. He showed he was fantastic backup for Baines. Special mention must go to Joel for his fantastic free-kick.



Cardiff 1-1 Everton
Frustrating is the only way to sum it up. We went a goal behind in awful circumstances. First, John Stones’ header back to the goalkeeper was far too week, Éder Álvarez Balanta left the ball for some reason, and Tim Howard committed when everyone else in the ground knew he wasn’t getting to the ball. Baines equalised, but on this evidence, Romelu Lukaku couldn’t score in a brothel! He needs to up his performance level, or he may as well get used to the bench.
Key performer-Ross Barkley again shone, with another assist. This kid is on fire at the moment. I’m preparing a big-money bid. He won the Young Player of the Month for August, a testimony to his good form.



Now is a good time to cover the action on Deadline Day. Bryan Oviedo, fresh from a man of the match performance against Peterborough, left for CSKA Moscow for a negotiated fee of £6.5million. I am very happy with this, because I have managed to receive £14million through negotiating fees for Gibson and Oviedo. However, we needed to get some cover in for Baines, quickly. I immediately tied up Aaron Cresswell from Ipswich for £4.4million, a player I believe will be able to replace Baines in the near future, as he heads towards the latter stages of his career. Ross Barkley won the Young Player of the Month for August, which was very pleasing. Away from current football action, planning has begun for us to improve our youth facilities, a massive step forwards for the club. We also increased our funding for junior coaching and held a trial day, from where I have offered a few players trials, so they will participate in Under-21’s fixtures.

Everton 2-0 Chelsea
That’s more like it. A complete performance that was very pleasing. The Special One thwarted by the New One. Seamus Coleman gave us the lead with another bombarding run, which have arguably become our biggest outlet this season. In the second half, Ashley Cole was sent off for a second bookable offence. Advantage Toffees. We then made it 2-0 and comfortable. Guess the scorer…………….that’s right, Sir Barkley of Merseyside popping up with another decisive finish.
Key performer-Seamus Coleman. His goal was brilliant, calm and collected, placing it well out of Petr Cech’s reach. He was very good throughout, and I feel as though I may have a fight on my hands if I want to keep hold of him

Quite enjoying this story, read it before lunch and had to log on while I was home to drop a comment. Keep it going.

What did I tell you about Chelsea?

So, three games on, and whilst our level have performances have dropped slightly, our form hasn’t. Two wins and a draw concluded our second month of the season, following our win against Chelsea. Our three opponents were West Ham, Aston Villa in the Capital One Cup, and Newcastle.

West Ham 0-1 Everton
Like our game against West Brom earlier on in the season, there wasn’t much action, but we came out on top, albeit through a stroke of luck. Winston Reid’s unfortunate own goal following good work from Will Hughes and Lacina Traore condemned the Hammers to defeat. However, a 93rd minute injury to Seamus Coleman sent shivers down my spine, however he will be back (maybe not fully fit) for the Newcastle game.
Key Performer-Phil Jagielka, who was his dominant self. He is a vital player for us, a real captain.



Everton 1-0 Aston Villa (Capital One Cup third round)
Once again, I made a lot of changes for the cup game, resting most of my first team players. Arouna Kone sent us through to the next round with a good finish, but Tim Howard made a lot of vital saves to preserve our lead. We will face Southampton at home in the next round. This got me thinking ‘how far can we go in this cup?’ The depth of our squad makes me very excited indeed.
Key Performer-Sylvian Distin was commanding at the back, strong and dominated, which prevented a very different result.



Everton 1-1 Newcastle
Our 100% home run came to an end with this result, as we found it very hard to break down a robust and resolute Newcastle side. This game took place on a Monday night live on Sky Sports, and following the table-toppers Manchester City’s below-par performance in a 0-0 draw with Villa, coupled with their stunning 5-2 win against second-placed United and Fulham’s loss to Chelsea, both of which took place the previous week, I had the chance to go level on points with the Citizens, a chance we passed up. It felt very similar to the Cardiff game, a lot of good work but we weren’t clinical enough. It took a fine tackle from Will Hughes, one that was filled with determination, passion and a sense of a teenager taking control when we needed it most, to find Traore, who was brought down in the box. Penalty. It was dispatched (unsurprisingly) by Leighton Baines, and with a quarter of an hour to go I thought we had scraped another scrappy win. Unfortunately it wasn’t to be. Within a minute Loic Remy’s header tied the game up again. So once again I needed someone to stand up and prove a point. Was our so far-goalless striker Romelu Lukaku that man? I thought ‘why not risk it?’, so I threw him on and we went 4-3-3. In the 92nd minute Kevin Mirallas crossed for LUKAKUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUNOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HOW DID YOU MISS THAT????!!!!????? Five yards out, and somehow, SOMEHOW, he put his header wide. There wasn’t even enough time for Tim Krul to restart the game. So we are left to put this game into the ‘the one’s that got away’ group, which is fortunately looking sparse at the moment.
Key Performer-Tim Howard, who, whilst he wasn’t too busy, dealt with everything well when he needed to, making some fine stops. Didn’t stand a chance with the goal.



September is now over. Both myself and Ross Barkley finished runners up in the Manager of the Month and Young Player of the Month awards respectively. So who next? Manchester City away. First vs third. Saturday 5th October, lunchtime kick-off, live on Sky Sports and the first game on Match of the Day. No Gareth Barry (ineligible), Álvarez Balanta (injured, although he’s been out since the Cardiff game) or Lukaku (injured). What a massive game for my young squad to negotiate. Not like I’m putting any pressure on them or anything…

Looking further into the future, I’m having a bit of trouble up front. Lukaku is still goalless, as is Traore. Kone has one goal, although that was in a cup match. My top three scorers are Baines (three, although two were penalties), Ross Barkley and Seamus Coleman (both two). Any suggestions as to who I could sine to solve this? I’m looking at Morata of Real Madrid currently, and I could get him for £15million, although he isn’t interested unless I offer BIG money. Any more affordable gems?

We are now into December, after a mixed November which included a Merseyside Derby, some big personal news and our first loss of the season. Anyway, on with the results.

Everton 2-0 Tottenham
Another fine result against our Champions League rivals. We had to fight for this one, and we needed to be patient, but eventually it paid off. First, Seamus Coleman, through on goal, unselfishly squared to Steven Naismith, before Leighton Baines scored a fine second to seal the three points. We are looking very good at the moment.
Key Performer-Steven Naismith, on as a substitute, grabbed a goal and an assist. At a time where I am looking for options up front, he has really staked his claim for a starting role.



Crystal Palace 1-1 Everton
Gutted does not even begin to describe the feelings I have after this game. Looking comfortable throughout thanks to a Ross Barkley goal, Scott Dann breaks our hearts with an undeserved 90th minute equaliser. To add insult to injury, Will Hughes picked up an injury and will be missing for our Merseyside Derby next time out. This was a harsh lesson on being switched on throughout, something we must do in our next game…
Key Performer-Ross Barkley was essentially the best of a bad bunch. No-one on the pitch particularly shone, so it is his goal alone that earns his award.



Next game? Liverpool. A Merseyside Derby, my first in charge. A massive test for our young squad. Can they continue to surprise me? Or will the emotion get to them? For the likes of John Stones, Ross Barkley, James McCarthy and Éder Álvarez Balanta to take on seasoned professionals like Steven Gerrard will help them with their development, but I don’t want them learning any harsh lessons too soon. A pre-match war of words between myself and Brendan Rodgers spiced things up, adding to an already-intriguing meeting between the two great rivals. The players were welcomed onto the hallowed turf with a deafening noise, one that only these types of games can create. A simple handshake between the two managers took place as per usual, but no eye contact was made. So the teams were out, but were we ready?

Everton 2-0 Liverpool
Yes, yes we were. Not the most exciting of derbies, but our passion and determination shone through. Liverpool simply didn’t turn up. Leighton Baines scored two goals, the first a good finish following a Richard Keogh-esque ‘clearance’ from Daniel Agger (it seriously pains me as a Derby fan to say that), whilst the second was an outstanding thirty-yard free-kick. An uphill battle for Liverpool that got even harder when Lucas Leiva scythed down Ross Barkley and was rightly dismissed. We held on through a tighter second half to secure the win. My finest moment yet.
Key Performer-who do you think?? Leighton Baines earned hero status with this performance, and his free-kick will go down as one of the greatest ever for Everton, particularly when you consider the opponents.



I was rewarded with a new three-year deal during the week. I pressed for a fourth year, but Bill Kenwright wouldn’t budge. Still, a more secure future now, and I can’t wait to stay for three more years.

Everton 0-1 Stoke
The hangover caught up with us. From my finest moment to my worst in the space of a week. I won’t last three hours with performances like this, never mind three years. Stoke just wouldn’t let us play, whoever we had as our front two, whether it was Romelu Lukaku and Ross Barkley or Arouna Kone and Steven Naismith, they couldn’t get into the game, and that meant someone else needs to step up, but unfortunately they didn’t. This better be an exception, because we have Manchester United, Arsenal, Fulham, Chelsea (in the Capital One Cup quarter final), Swansea, Sunderland and Southampton to face in what will be a very tough December. This could make or break our season.
Key Performer-Tim Howard made a few good stops, but wasn’t really tested. There were no other contenders though.



So the Stoke result but a dampener on a fine month, but still we are in contention. We face a difficult December that may decide our fate. Time for our big players to stand up and be counted.