Premier League Preview 2011-12: Everton

Best title odds: 500/1 - WilliamHill
Best odds on a top 6 finish: 11/4 - SkyBet
Last season: 7th
Manager: David Moyes

Good news:

The manager hasn’t given up on them yet. After nine years of over-achievement with limited resources, Moyes could have easily had enough. (See Martin O’Neill/Aston Villa for how an alternative ending can play out.) The Toffees are popular with most neutrals who respect the boss’s work and like the look of the young British talent on display. Jack Rodwell and Leighton Baines are among the coveted, while Tim Cahill continues to look like one of the buys of the past decade.

Bad news:

How is it ever going to get better than 7th in the league any time soon? There are six teams who now think they can win the league, let alone finish ahead of Everton. It’s not hard to see the problem when stagnation is an achievement, yet it still gets greeted with frustration. Another side faced with significant debt, the Blues can’t seem to sort out a new stadium or find a new owner. The likes of Rodwell won’t stick around forever.

Remember when:

Everton were regarded as one of the big five teams in England? Back in the 1980s. At least Moyes broke the club transfer record four times in four years between 2005 and 2008. Nothing like that since then though.

Verdict:

If you can find a bookie to let you back Everton to finish in seventh, take it. The usual rule of thumb applies; count up all the teams that the Merseysiders have no chance of finishing above based on resources, and put them next on the list. With this manager in charge, at least, they always look like being the best of the rest. A cup win would be a fitting epitaph if the Moyes’ regime is nearing its end.

Prediction: 7th