# 2007–08 Everton F.C. season

The 2007–08 Everton F.C. season was Everton's 16th season in the Premier League, and their 54th consecutive season in the top division of English football.

## Season summary

After a sluggish start, Everton climbed the table and stood fourth with ten games left to play. Unfortunately, Everton only won three of these ten games and finished the season in fifth, with 65 points. In many other seasons this would have been good enough to clinch fourth place and Champions League qualification - indeed, Everton finished with more points than they had in 2004–05, when they had finished fourth - but, due to the good form of arch-rivals Liverpool, Everton were forced into fifth, consigning them to UEFA Cup football. Nonetheless, this was a great result for a club with limited financial resources, and served to enhance manager David Moyes' reputation as one of the best managers in England.

## Final league table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 3 | Arsenal | 38 | 24 | 11 | 3 | 74 | 31 | +43 | 83 | Qualification for the Champions League third qualifying round |
| 4 | Liverpool | 38 | 21 | 13 | 4 | 67 | 28 | +39 | 76 | Qualification for the Champions League third qualifying round |
| 5 | Everton | 38 | 19 | 8 | 11 | 55 | 33 | +22 | 65 | Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round |
| 6 | Aston Villa | 38 | 16 | 12 | 10 | 71 | 51 | +20 | 60 | Qualification for the Intertoto Cup third round |
| 7 | Blackburn Rovers | 38 | 15 | 13 | 10 | 50 | 48 | +2 | 58 | |

## Squad

    Squad at end of season
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 2 | DF | ENG | Tony Hibbert |
| 3 | DF | ENG | Leighton Baines |
| 4 | DF | NGA | Joseph Yobo (vice-captain) |
| 5 | DF | ENG | Joleon Lescott |
| 6 | MF | ESP | Mikel Arteta |
| 7 | MF | NED | Andy van der Meyde |
| 8 | FW | ENG | Andrew Johnson |
| 10 | MF | DEN | Thomas Gravesen (on loan from Celtic) |
| 12 | GK | SCO | Iain Turner |
| 14 | FW | ENG | James Vaughan |
| 15 | DF | ENG | Anthony Gardner (on loan from Tottenham Hotspur) |
| 16 | DF | ENG | Phil Jagielka |
| 17 | MF | AUS | Tim Cahill |
| 18 | MF | ENG | Phil Neville (captain) |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 19 | DF | POR | Nuno Valente |
| 20 | MF | RSA | Steven Pienaar |
| 21 | MF | ENG | Leon Osman |
| 22 | FW | NGA | Yakubu |
| 23 | MF | POR | Manuel Fernandes (on loan from Valencia) |
| 24 | GK | USA | Tim Howard |
| 26 | MF | IRL | Lee Carsley |
| 28 | FW | NGA | Victor Anichebe |
| 29 | DF | SCO | Patrick Boyle |
| 30 | GK | ENG | John Ruddy |
| 32 | DF | ENG | Dan Gosling |
| 33 | GK | GER | Stefan Wessels |
| 34 | DF | ENG | John Irving |
| 37 | DF | ENG | Jack Rodwell |

### Left club during season

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 11 | FW | SCO | James McFadden (to Birmingham City) |
| 15 | DF | ENG | Alan Stubbs (to Derby County) |
| 25 | MF | BRA | Anderson da Silva (to Barnsley) |
| 27 | FW | ENG | Lukas Jutkiewicz (on loan to Plymouth Argyle) |
| 29 | DF | SCO | Patrick Boyle (on loan to Crewe Alexandra) |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 30 | GK | ENG | John Ruddy (on loan to Stockport County) |
| 31 | MF | ISL | Bjarni Viðarsson (on loan to FC Twente) |
| 36 | MF | ENG | John Paul Kissock (on loan to Gretna) |
| 38 | FW | ENG | Stephen Connor (on loan to Partick Thistle) |
| — | FW | ENG | Scott Spencer (on loan to Macclesfield Town) |

### Player awards

* Player of the Season - Joleon Lescott
* Players' Player of the Season - Joleon Lescott
* Young Player of the Season - Victor Anichebe
* Reserve / U21 Player of the Season - John Irving
* Academy Player of the Season - Jack Rodwell
* Goal of the Season - Leon Osman vs. AEL

## Transfers
### In

| Date | Pos. | Name | From | Fee |
| 17 March 2007 | FW | Lukas Jutkiewicz | Swindon Town | Undisclosed |
| 4 July 2007 | DF | Phil Jagielka | Sheffield United | £4m |
| 7 August 2007 | DF | Leighton Baines | Wigan Athletic | £5m |
| 21 August 2007 | GK | Stefan Wessels | 1. FC Köln | Free |
| 29 August 2007 | FW | Yakubu | Middlesbrough | £11.25m |
| 14 January 2008 | MF | Dan Gosling | Plymouth Argyle | £1m |

### Out

| Date | Pos. | Name | To | Fee |
| 14 May 2007 | DF | Alessandro Pistone | Released | Released |
| 14 May 2007 | GK | Richard Wright | Released | Released |
| 5 July 2007 | DF | Gary Naysmith | Sheffield United | £1m |
| 4 August 2007 | FW | James Beattie | Sheffield United | £4m |
| 18 January 2008 | FW | James McFadden | Birmingham City | £5m |
| 31 January 2008 | DF | Alan Stubbs | Derby County | Free |
| 31 January 2008 | MF | Anderson de Silva | Barnsley | Undisclosed |

### Loan in

| Date from | Date to | Pos. | Name | From |
| 24 July 2007 | 30 June 2008 | MF | Steven Pienaar | Borussia Dortmund |
| 30 August 2007 | 30 June 2008 | MF | Thomas Gravesen | Celtic |
| 12 January 2008 | 30 June 2008 | MF | Manuel Fernandes | Valencia |
| 31 January 2008 | 30 June 2008 | DF | Anthony Gardner | Tottenham Hotspur |

### Loan out

| Date from | Date to | Pos. | Name | To |
| 3 August 2007 | 30 January 2008 | FW | Stephen Connor | Partick Thistle |
| 2 January 2008 | 30 June 2008 | FW | Lukas Jutkiewicz | Plymouth Argyle |
| 7 January 2008 | 4 February 2008 | FW | Scott Spencer | Yeovil Town |
| 21 January 2008 | 20 April 2008 | DF | Patrick Boyle | Crewe Alexandra |
| 25 January 2008 | 30 June 2008 | MF | John Paul Kissock | Gretna |
| 29 January 2008 | 30 June 2008 | MF | Bjarni Viðarsson | FC Twente |
| 22 February 2008 | 30 June 2008 | GK | John Ruddy | Stockport County |
| 7 March 2008 | 7 April 2008 | FW | Scott Spencer | Macclesfield Town |

## Results
### Premier League
#### Results by round

| Round | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 |
| Ground | H | A | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | A | H | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | A | H | A | H | A | H | H | A | H |
| Result | W | W | L | D | W | L | L | W | L | L | W | W | D | W | D | W | W | L | W | L | W | W | W | D | D | W | W | W | W | L | D | L | W | D | L | D | L | W |
| Position | 6 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 4 | 7 | 8 | 6 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |

#### Matches
### UEFA Cup
#### Group stage

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | EVE | NÜR | ZEN | AZ | AEL |
| 1 | Everton | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 3 | +6 | 12 | Advance to knockout stage | — | — | 1–0 | — | 3–1 |
| 2 | 1. FC Nürnberg | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 6 | +1 | 7 | Advance to knockout stage | 0–2 | — | — | 2–1 | — |
| 3 | Zenit Saint Petersburg | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 5 | Advance to knockout stage | — | 2–2 | — | 1–1 | — |
| 4 | AZ | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 6 | −1 | 4 | | 2–3 | — | — | — | 1–0 |
| 5 | AEL | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 10 | −6 | 0 | | — | 1–3 | 2–3 | — | — |

#### Round of 32

Everton won 8–1 on aggregate.

#### Round of 16

Fiorentina 2–2 Everton on aggregate. Fiorentina won 4–2 on penalties.

### FA Cup

Kick-off delayed by 30 minutes to 3.30pm due to a fire outside the ground.

## Statistics
### Appearances and goals

| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Total | Total | Premier League | Premier League | FA Cup | FA Cup | League Cup | League Cup | UEFA Cup | UEFA Cup |
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| Goalkeepers ||||||||||||||
| 24 | GK | USA | Tim Howard | 47 | 0 | 36 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| 33 | GK | GER | Stefan Wessels | 7 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Defenders ||||||||||||||
| 2 | DF | ENG | Tony Hibbert | 35 | 0 | 22+2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4+4 | 0 |
| 3 | DF | ENG | Leighton Baines | 29 | 0 | 13+9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 3+2 | 0 |
| 4 | DF | NGA | Joseph Yobo | 39 | 1 | 29+1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| 5 | DF | ENG | Joleon Lescott | 54 | 10 | 37+1 | 8 | 0+1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 10 | 2 |
| 16 | DF | ENG | Phil Jagielka | 49 | 2 | 27+7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 7+2 | 1 |
| 19 | DF | POR | Nuno Valente | 15 | 0 | 8+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Midfielders ||||||||||||||
| 6 | MF | ESP | Mikel Arteta | 37 | 4 | 27+1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6+1 | 3 |
| 10 | MF | DEN | Thomas Gravesen | 13 | 0 | 1+7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 1+2 | 0 |
| 17 | MF | AUS | Tim Cahill | 28 | 10 | 18 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 3+1 | 1 | 6 | 2 |
| 18 | MF | ENG | Phil Neville | 50 | 2 | 37 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4+1 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| 20 | MF | RSA | Steven Pienaar | 40 | 2 | 25+3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| 21 | MF | ENG | Leon Osman | 39 | 7 | 26+2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 7 | 2 |
| 23 | MF | POR | Manuel Fernandes | 15 | 0 | 9+3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1+1 | 0 |
| 26 | MF | IRL | Lee Carsley | 49 | 1 | 33+1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| 37 | MF | ENG | Jack Rodwell | 3 | 0 | 0+2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 |
| Forwards ||||||||||||||
| 8 | FW | ENG | Andrew Johnson | 39 | 10 | 20+9 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6+1 | 4 |
| 14 | FW | ENG | James Vaughan | 13 | 2 | 0+8 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0+2 | 0 | 0+2 | 1 |
| 22 | FW | NGA | Yakubu | 40 | 21 | 26+3 | 15 | 0+1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 3 |
| 28 | FW | NGA | Victor Anichebe | 41 | 5 | 10+17 | 1 | 0+1 | 0 | 1+3 | 0 | 1+8 | 4 |
| Players transferred out during the season ||||||||||||||
| 11 | FW | SCO | James McFadden | 21 | 5 | 5+7 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 1 |
| 15 | DF | ENG | Alan Stubbs | 13 | 1 | 7+1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1+1 | 0 |
| 31 | MF | ISL | Bjarni Viðarsson | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 |
Last updated: 30 May 2008 Source: Competitions

### Disciplinary record

    Disciplinary records for 2007–08 league matches. Players with 1 card or more included only.
| No. | Player | Yellow cards | Red cards |
| 2 | Tony Hibbert | 3 | 1 |
| 3 | Leighton Baines | 1 | 0 |
| 5 | Joleon Lescott | 3 | 0 |
| 6 | Mikel Arteta | 2 | 1 |
| 8 | Andrew Johnson | 1 | 0 |
| 10 | Thomas Gravesen | 1 | 0 |
| 11 | James McFadden | 1 | 0 |
| 16 | Phil Jagielka | 2 | 0 |
| 17 | Tim Cahill | 4 | 0 |
| 18 | Phil Neville | 6 | 1 |
| 19 | Nuno Valente | 1 | 0 |
| 20 | Steven Pienaar | 5 | 0 |
| 21 | Leon Osman | 1 | 0 |
| 22 | Yakubu | 1 | 0 |
| 24 | Tim Howard | 1 | 0 |
| 26 | Lee Carsley | 6 | 0 |
| 28 | Victor Anichebe | 1 | 0 |