Matt Jones

Not long now. After what has been an excruciating summer for avid football supporters, with no World Cup and no European Championships to whet the appetite, the Premier League will be back in earnest this weekend. With all the off-season talk based on managerial changes and transfer sagas, the focus falling back to on-pitch matters […]

So after all the tactical experimentation, the promising pre-season showings and the astute transfer dealings, Roberto Martinez is on the brink of his first Premier League match in his capacity as Everton manager. Carrow Road will be the venue for his opening Premier League game, as the Toffees start their season as far away from […]

Whilst the Premier League was awash with off-field sentiment during the final knockings of last season, some on-pitch matters went by unnoticed. Other than the ten goals shared between West Brom and Manchester United on the final day, a couple of other score-lines stood out, mainly the final two games involving Norwich City. The Canaries […]

During his tenure as Everton manager, David Moyes never really sussed out how to get the best from strikers. Despite having broken the club's transfer record three times by bringing in centre-forwards James Beattie, Andrew Johnson and Ayigbeni Yakubu, none of the Glaswegian's purchases were able to deliver goals and performances on a consistent basis. […]

David Moyes is certainly intent on showing us who the boss is at Manchester United. In his most authoritative move so far, the former Everton boss has made it abundantly clear that Wayne Rooney is going nowhere under his watch. That was not long after cleaning house of the previous regime and bringing in his […]

As Aston Villa were reeling this week following Christian Benteke’s transfer request, manager Paul Lambert must have felt a victim of his own good work. Last summer, the Scotsman took over a team on an apparent unrelenting decline. As if being the new manager at one of England’s biggest clubs wasn’t enough of a challenge, […]

As lovers of soccer, we all get caught up in games. But every now and then, there is one game that stands out from the rest. And it can be for a host of reasons. Seeing your team lifting silverware, a dramatic last gap winner, a triumph against your bitter rivals or even just a […]

Are Spain a better side without Xabi Alonso? First and foremost, pondering this question is in no way a slant on Xabi Alonso’s ability. His record speaks for itself anyway: Champions League, double European Championships and World Cup winners medals make up just a segment of the honors he has picked up in a glittering career. […]

What comes to mind when someone mentions Anfield? For the majority, it's the sight of 45,000 Liverpool supporters with their scarves aloft, bellowing out ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone.” The stadium is a symbolic venue, exclusively associated with one of English football’s most decorated and illustrious sides. But looking back through the vast annals of football […]

These days, it is impossible to imagine Liverpool and Manchester United doing any favors for each other. But just shy of a century ago, before the rivalry between the two escalated to the hyperbole that it is today, the two sides conspired together in creating what remains one of the biggest scandals the English game […]

As the England U20’s became the latest crop to put in a lackluster showing for the Three Lions, watching Everton supporters could forgive themselves for feeling rather positive. Toffees youngsters Ross Barkley and John Lundstram both started the game for Peter Taylor’s side and both put in promising showings. Lundstram, usually a dynamic central midfielder, […]

Looking at Everton’s squad as a whole, there are some players that you would expect to take their game to an enhanced level next year. Compared to the pragmatic and sometimes rigid tactical blueprint of his predecessor David Moyes, Roberto Martinez will look to implement a fluent, versatile attacking style. The flair players at the […]

The writing has been on the wall for Stuart Pearce for some time now. But having already lost the opening two matches of the European U21 tournament, a third defeat led the England manager to blame his players for the team's shambolic performances. Having already bemoaned the FA for preventing him from utilizing his best […]

Despite having no manager in place, Manchester City have made their first signing of the summer. Spanish international winger Jesus Navas will don the sky blue strip next season, after a reported transfer fee of £17m was agreed between the Mancunians and the Andalusians. You can only speculate that the man tipped to take the […]

The Arsenal trophy drought has been very well documented. For supporters so used to picking up silverware on a regular basis, it has certainly been a tough spell. The owners, the manager and the players having all been held accountable at one point or another. But despite the eight barren years, Arsenal will be in […]