RBM Reader Awards - Everton 2018-19 Season

The 2018-19 season is wrapped up across the board, with Everton celebrating some high points and pondering some lows.

We’re looking for your votes for the following awards, and if a player you have in mind is not on the list of nominees, you can certainly write-in a candidate in the comments below. We’d love to hear what you think for each of the awards as well, so chime in.

Everton Player of the Year

The men’s senior team finished the year in 8th place, same as last season. However, there were definitely a lot of positives to look forward to, not least the manner in which the Blues finished the season with a couple of strong months. 54 goals scored, 46 conceded and 54 points is definitely better than the 44 scored, 58 given up and 49 points the Blues ended up with last season. Under Marco Silva and after another summer of Marcel Brands in charge, we’ll be expecting even better next season.

In last name alphabetical order -

Lucas Digne: Incredible first season with the Blues, made the leftback spot his own and scored some scorching goals on the way too.

Idrissa Gueye: Gana was as good as he as always been, but since the January transfer window closed he’s stepped it up a notch or two especially in possession.

Michael Keane: A bedrock of the defence, took some time settling into Silva’s system but has made his presence felt since on both sides of the pitch.

Richarlison: The big-money purchase came under some flak early on, but his pace and skill have shone through and his 14 goals on the season is joint top in the side.

Gylfi Sigurdsson: Stepped it up and answered his critics this season, also scoring 14 goals while adding seven assists and making the playmaker role his own.

Kurt Zouma: The other half of the solid defence that saw Everton end the season with eight clean sheets in eleven games, also a strong influence on either end.

(If you can’t see the poll below, click here to go and vote - thanks!)

Young Player of the Year

The Blues have a young core of players in the senior squad who are continuing to develop and grow, with the sky the ceiling for many of them. Brands’ policy of letting the youth flourish will continue to aid the development of this squad.

In last name alphabetical order -

Dominic Calvert-Lewin: The striker continued to impress with his workrate picking up 8 goals, but still needs to improve on his positioning and finishing in the box.

Tom Davies: The jack-of-all-trades midfielder has injected energy into the Blues whenever he’s played, even becoming the youngest ever Everton captain.

Ademola Lookman: Another youngster who has influenced the game in the few minutes he’s played, but we get the feeling Silva wants a lot more from him.

Richarlison: Marked his excellent form this season with his first Brazil international appearances and goals as well, will only get better from here.

(If you can’t see the poll below, click here to go and vote - thanks!)

Ladies Player of the Year

It was a difficult season for the Everton Ladies team as they lost some key players in the summer, endured having to change managers during the year and had little help in the transfer market with goals hard to come by.

The Blue Girls finished second-last in the Women’s Super League, and were lucky not to be relegated this season. They’re going to need much more support over the upcoming summer from the powers that be to remain in the top division, but they do have a nucleus of a strong side in place.

In last name alphabetical order -

Chantelle Boye-Hlorkah: The fleet-footed winger upped her game this season, and chipped in with four goals in all competitions.

Gabrielle George: Young central defender who is the cornerstone of the Blues backline, and got called up to the England national side as well.

Inessa Kaagman: The midfielder was the heart and soul of this side, scoring five spectacular goals and putting on four assists for the offensively-challenged Blues Girls.

Simone Magill: The Northern Ireland footballer had a strong year at forward, scoring thrice and adding two assists during the season.

(If you can’t see the poll below, click here to go and vote - thanks!)

Youth (U18 & U23) Player of the Year

It was quite a season for the Under-23 side who bounced back from their disappointing season last year to win the Premier League 2 title for the second time in three years. The Under-18s improved on their previous year performance finishing third in the North Division of the Under-18 Premier League.

In last name alphabetical order -

Morgan Feeney: The captain of the Under-23s was a rock in the backline, anchoring the team in all situations and will have a chance to impress Silva this summer.

Bassala Sambou: His goals were a key part of the U-23s lifting the title, he had ten of them along with two assists to lead the youngsters.

Ellis Simms: The striker has been utterly prolific this season, banging in 32 goals for the Under-18s, signed a new Everton contract and has been called up to the England youth setup too.

Joao Virginia: The goalkeeper had David Unsworth singing his praises early on, and even Silva acknowledges that he’s ready to play in the senior side.

(If you can’t see the poll below, click here to go and vote - thanks!)

Most Improved Player

The final award is an interesting one, only because improvement can be considered quite subjective. If a player struggled in limited minutes but flourished when given more chances, does that mean he’s improved? Does playing in a different style under a different manager make the difference? What do you think?

In last name alphabetical order -

Dominic Calvert-Lewin: The forward matched his goal total from last season, but looks very settled in Silva’s dynamic attack and poised to make the striker role his own.

Seamus Coleman: Last season was ruined by his horrific injury, and it took him some time this season to get back, but was excellent the last few months of the season.

Michael Keane: Looked slow and plodding last season but while that hasn’t changed, has been better at positioning and passing this season.

Morgan Schneiderlin: Was considered persona non grata for a long time by the fans, but has been excellent since February with the Blues unbeaten with him on the pitch.

Nikola Vlasic: While it’s really hard to judge Vlasic considering the quality of the Russian Premier League, he certainly showed he his capable of playing as a #10 in the Champions League.

(If you can’t see the poll below, click here to go and vote - thanks!)