2004–05 Everton F.C. season

Season summary

Many pundits had tipped Everton for relegation that season: having escaped relegation from the Premier League by six points the previous season, Everton's task to stay in English football's top flight only seemed harder after the multimillion-pound transfer of teenage striker Wayne Rooney to Manchester United after setting the summer's European Championships alight. However, the season turned out to be Everton's most successful in Premier League history as they placed fourth in the league with 61pts. Everton kept pace with the likes of Chelsea (95pts) and Arsenal (83pts) at the Premier League summit for the first half of the season, finishing 2004 only a few points adrift of leaders Chelsea. Although Everton's title challenge eventually fizzled out following the sale of out-of-contract midfielder Thomas Gravesen to Spanish giants Real Madrid, they were able to see off competition from arch-rivals Liverpool (58pts) and fellow northwesterners Bolton Wanderers (58pts) to finish in fourth place, three points ahead of both teams. This secured the Toffees qualification to the 2005–06 Champions League, in which they would enter the tournament in the third qualifying round. In the summer, manager David Moyes splashed the cash on the likes of Netherlands and Inter Milan winger Andy van der Meyde in a bid to keep Everton in a position to make a serious challenge for European qualification the following season.

Despite their high league finish, Everton had the unwanted distinction of finishing with a negative goal difference, as a result of an embarrassing 7–0 humbling at Arsenal in the penultimate game of the season.

Final league table

Main article: 2004–05 FA Premier League

Players

First-team squad

:Squad at end of season

Left club during season

Reserve squad

Transfers

In

• ENG Marcus Bent - ENG Ipswich Town, £450,000, 23 June
• AUS Tim Cahill - ENG Millwall, undisclosed (estimated £2,000,000), 23 July
• AUS Eddy Bosnar - AUT Sturm Graz, free, 4 August
• ENG James Beattie - ENG Southampton, £6,000,000, 4 January
• ESP Mikel Arteta - ESP Real Sociedad, five-month loan, 1 February
• ISL Bjarni Viðarsson - ISL FH, undisclosed

Out

• ENG Joey Jones - ENG Macclesfield Town, free, 18 May
• SWE Niclas Alexandersson - Gothenburg, free, 1 July
• ENG Paul Gerrard - ENG Nottingham Forest, free, 2 July
• ENG Steve Simonsen - ENG Stoke City, free, 8 July
• ENG David Unsworth - ENG Portsmouth, free, 12 July
• CAN Tomasz Radzinski - ENG Fulham, undisclosed, 23 July
• SWE Tobias Linderoth - DEN Copenhagen, undisclosed, 30 July
• ENG Steven Schumacher - ENG Bradford City, free, 30 July
• ENG Michael Symes - ENG Bradford City, free, 30 July
• SCO Scot Gemmill - ENG Leicester City, free, 5 August
• ENG Wayne Rooney - ENG Manchester United, £20,000,000 (rising to £27,000,000 depending on appearances and achievements), 31 August
• ENG Kevin Campbell - ENG West Bromwich Albion, free, 10 January
• DEN Thomas Gravesen - ESP Real Madrid, £2,500,000, 14 January
• ENG Nick Chadwick - ENG Plymouth Argyle, £250,000, 8 February
• ENG Peter Clarke - ENG Blackpool

Results

Premier League

Results by round

Matches

Osman Reyes Cole Ljungberg Pires Naysmith Bent Francis Bent Ferguson Gravesen Jaïdi Bent Negouai Hreidarsson Ziegler Mendes Keane McFadden Osman Camara Bent Cahill Luis García Cahill Vaughan Scholes McBride Cahill Pires Vieira Edu Bergkamp Flamini Jaidi Davies Stelios Carsley

FA Cup

• Plymouth Argyle 1–3 Everton (attendance 20,112)
• Everton 3–0 Sunderland (attendance 33,186)
• Everton 0–2 Manchester United (attendance 38,664)

League Cup

• 22 September 2004: Bristol City 2–2 Everton (3–4 pen.)
• 27 October 2004: Everton 2–0 Preston North End Lupoli

Statistics

Appearances and goals

|- ! colspan=14 style=background:#dcdcdc; text-align:center| Goalkeepers |- ! colspan=14 style=background:#dcdcdc; text-align:center| Defenders |- ! colspan=14 style=background:#dcdcdc; text-align:center| Midfielders |- ! colspan=14 style=background:#dcdcdc; text-align:center| Forwards |- ! colspan=14 style=background:#dcdcdc; text-align:center| Players transferred out during the season

References

References

1. Kilbane was born in [[Preston, Lancashire. Preston]], [[England]].
2. Carsley was born in [[Birmingham]], [[England]].
3. Fox was born in [[Winsford]], [[England]], and has represented [[England]] at [[England national under-21 football team. U-21]] level, but also qualified to represent [[Scotland]] internationally and made his full international debut for [[Scotland national football team. Scotland]] in November 2009.
4. Gerrard was born in [[Huyton]], [[England]], but also qualified to represent the [[Republic of Ireland]] internationally and has played for them at youth level.
5. (2004-06-23). "Football | My Club | Everton | Everton clinch Bent signing". BBC Sport.
6. (2004-07-23). "Football | My Club | Everton | Cahill signs for Everton". BBC Sport.
7. (2004-08-04). "Football | My Club | Everton | Bosnar joins Toffees". BBC Sport.
8. (2005-01-04). "Football | My Club | Everton | Beattie completes Everton switch". BBC Sport.
9. (2005-02-01). "Football | My Club | Everton | Everton sign up playmaker Arteta". BBC Sport.
10. (2004-05-18). "Football | My Club | Macclesfield Town | Macc sign Rooney cousin". BBC Sport.
11. (2004-07-29). "Football | Transfers - July 2004". BBC Sport.
12. (2004-07-02). "Football | My Club | Nottm Forest | Gerrard signs for Forest". BBC Sport.
13. (2004-07-12). "Football | My Club | Portsmouth | Pompey seal double signing". BBC Sport.
14. (2004-07-23). "Football | My Club | Fulham | Fulham land Radzinski". BBC Sport.
15. (2004-07-30). "Football | My Club | Bradford City | Bantams snap up trialists". BBC Sport.
16. (2004-08-05). "Football | My Club | Leicester City | Gemmill joins Foxes". BBC Sport.
17. (2004-08-31). "Football | My Club | Man Utd | Man Utd sign Rooney". BBC Sport.
18. (2005-01-10). "Football | My Club | Everton | West Brom sign striker Campbell". BBC Sport.
19. McNulty, Phil. (2005-01-14). "Football | My Club | Everton | Real are set to unveil Gravesen". BBC Sport.
20. (2005-02-08). "Football | My Club | Plymouth Argyle | Plymouth snap up Everton striker". BBC Sport.