Everton Season Preview: Introduction

Never before has there been such optimism about Everton ahead of a Premier League season. Even in 2005 questions were asked of just how well Everton could play with such a thin squad and such a big competition ahead of them. Rather than hope there was a constant nagging doubt. The type of doubt the relegates a team to the bottom half of the table.

Though there is no Champions League football this year there is still optimism. Roberto Martinez has taken that sense of giddiness and turned it into something previous managers could only dream about. This summer we've seen new contracts for Leighton Baines, Time Howard, and Ross Barkley, three key pieces to any run for 4th place. Gareth Barry has returned on a permanent deal, and Martinez completed the audacious move of bringing Romelu Lukaku back on a permanent deal. There is no better time to be an Evertonian. It is a feeling many of us have been looking for ever since the 1980's closed. Always looking for it wistfully, but never quite achieving it.

To raise your hope even more, we return today with the School of Science, our Everton season preview. Rather than one long article dissecting the team in a broad but shallow way, we are giving you a new article every hour. We are going to cover every position, starters, backups, even guys who could be pressed into service if things really go sideways. We've got plans to talk tactics and transfers, both critical parts to Roberto Martinez's strategy. Finally we are going to answer some of your questions as well as make a few predictions. We have to have something on record to make us all look like fools after all.

Until then keep checking back every hour at RBM. I would apologize for ruining your productivity at work, but I'm not that sorry about it.