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Everton - Points Analysis of Last 7 Seasons

Many comments have been made regarding the quality of the Premier League, and if Everton's position was deserving of European football. Here we analyze Everton's point totals for the last seven seasons.

Paul Thomas

The Toffees have often played bridesmaid for European qualification in recent seasons, and fans have clamored that they deserved a spot with the points they picked up during the season. However, a quick statistical analysis using just arithmetical means shows that Everton have been just about where they deserved, except during the 2009-2010 season, when they finished 8th but could just as easily have been 6th.

The graph below shows the ranges for the final points total and table position on the vertical, with the seasons on the bottom.

Everton_league_position_medium

The positions circled display Everton's points and positions in the respective years. In seasons 2006-07, 2007-08 and 2008-09 they were dead center of the positional range they were in. However, 2009-10 had a bunch of teams cluttered up between 6-10, and Everton's 61 points put them in 8th when a regular progression would have had them in 6th/7th. The next year once again had them on the brink, with 54 points being good for 7th and almost saw them sneak 6th. 2011-12 had Everton solidly in 7th and then the just-ended year saw Everton at the top of the 6th place range. However, fifth place was a massive nine points ahead, as this last season skewed the rankings with the top five all above 70 points, a first for the League.

#1

#2

#3

#4

#5

#6

#7

#8

#9

#10

2007

89

83

68

68

60

58

56

55

54

52

2008

87

85

83

76

65

60

58

57

55

49

2009

90

86

83

72

63

62

53

51

51

50

2010

86

85

75

70

67

64

63

61

50

50

2011

80

71

71

68

62

58

54

49

48

47

2012

89

89

70

69

65

64

56

52

52

47

2013

89

78

75

73

72

63

61

49

46

46

This graph can also be used to compare so-called parity in the Premier League, in the top ten positions at least. A lower points total for any given position theoretically shows more parity, while higher points just mean that the top teams beat up on the weaker ones more often.

With money now flooding the Premier League, it will be interesting to see if the middle ten clubs can make the jump up to the elite levels, currently occupied by Manchester United, Manchester City, and Chelsea, with Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur occupying the rung just below. Liverpool have the financial clout to compete with those five. And then there's the economic gulf separating that lot from the chasing pack, with Everton heading up that group that includes Fulham, Swansea City and the like. On an off season, it is quite possible for a team from that bunch to jump up like Newcastle United did a couple of years ago, but to maintain that position consistently a team has to have the deep coffers that the leaders do, which is reflected in how closely the wage bill chart matches the final League position chart. Here's an example from 2011-12, with a net spending from 2003-12 rank also thrown in for good measure.

Team League Posn Wage Bill Rank Net Spend Rank
Manchester City 1 1 2
Chelsea 6 2 1
Manchester United 2 3 4
Arsenal 3 4 20
Liverpool 8 5 3
Tottenham Hotspur 4 6 6
Aston Villa 16 7 5
Newcastle United 5 8 13
Sunderland 13 9 8
Everton 7 10 15
Fulham 9 11 12
Queens Park Rangers 17 12 9
Bolton Wanderers 18 13 -
Stoke City 14 14 7
Blackburn Rovers 19 15 -
West Bromwich Albion 10 16 11
Wigan Athletic 15 17 17
Wolverhampton Wanderers 20 18 -
Norwich City 12 19 14
Swansea City 11 20 16

One other factor that is going to come into play in the years to come is Financial Fair Play, a set of rules imposed by UEFA. While this is a 90-page document that we are not going to get into at this time, the highlights are that clubs must not only look to break even, but taxes must be promptly paid, with transfer fees and player wages also being paid on time. For more information I refer you to Ed Thompson's comprehensive yet easily-understood website 'Financial Fair Play'.