Deserved congratulations to Everton manager David Moyes on his 150th league victory Wednesday, earned in emphatic fashion as brilliantly summarized here at EPLTalk. Moyes, 48, is the third-longest tenured head honcho in the prem, behind only Arsene and Sir Alex; whom he is sometimes rumoured to replace should his fellow Glaswegian ever retire. His 150 league victories with the same club rank third among current managers behind the same two living legends; Harry Redknapp lies fourth with 66.

While Moyes is the magician of keeping the so-called people’s club above mid-table, with an average league position of 7.8 in 9 full seasons as top Toffee, he has yet to sip Chang beer from a trophy of any kind during his Goodison Park reign. Supporters and Moyes alike blame the paucity of pounds, or as Big Daddy Kane put it, “romance without finance is a damn nuis-ance.” There is usually a direct correlation between the biggest cash-splashers and the top spots in the league, aside from Newcastle’s barren late-2000s campaigns.

Everton’s revenue, as reported in such sources as Deloitte’s Annual review of Football Finance, is stagnant and decidedly below the league’s perennial powers. The club has been active on both the buy and sell sides in the transfer market (most notably selling Wayne Rooney for £25 million in 2004), as detailed in this chart; and it becomes apparent that Moyes has made the best of the resources at his disposal.

The recent additions of Landon Donovan and Darron Gibson should envigorate the team as they return to mid-table and away from an early-season relegation flirtation. Moyes guided the club to fourth place in 04/05 and consecutive fifth place finishes in 07/08 and 08/09. But since those days, Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur have bloated the Big Four into a Super Six by spending like bankers on bonus day, albeit with wildly different amounts. Modestly-run clubs can really only hope for mid-table stability and the occasional cup run. Many clubs thus unable to bring in talented players install a revolving door in their manager’s office; as evidenced by the 11 prem gaffers that have only been with their clubs since 2010. All the more reason to take a moment and celebrate Moyes’ landmark win and admirable career.

For a guy who had a tough time finding the pitch for Manchester United, Darron Gibson certainly helped his former employer on Tuesday. His 19-yard deflected strike beat Joe Hart at the hour mark, and Everton earned the home victory over league leading Manchester City.

Tim Howard and the Everton defense, playing without injured defenders Phil Jagielka and Sylvain Distin, kept a clean sheet against a star-studded lineup for the Blues playing in their Milanesque red-and-black away kits. A somewhat makeshift central defense pairing of John Heitinga and Tony Hibbert were surprisingly hard-nosed, especially in defending the multitude of aerial attacks from the wings. While City poured on pressure through extended portions of the match, the closest the came to a tally was a Samir Nasri slice from nearly 30 yards that struck the corner of the woodwork.

The interesting tactical feature for Manchester City was playing a 4-4-2 with Samir Nasri paired in a deep central role with Gareth Barry. With James Milner playing to the right, he and David Silva would cut inside from the wings behind Gibson and Marouane Fellaini. The two central midfielders from Everton would be sucked upfield to get pressure on Nasri and Barry, and that left space for the wingers to wait for passes into the next layer. Unfortunately for the Blues, their two forwards, Edin Dzeko and Sergio Aguero, were not particularly effective in the final third at finding space.

The Toffees were up to their usual game of aerial football, attempting to play balls to strong center forward types (Denis Stracqualursi and Tim Cahill in this match). In general, Gibson and Fellaini were quite generous in returning possession to City throughout the match. In the first half, they nearly scored off a corner as Stracqualursi headed the ball towards net. A saving clearance from Joleon Lescott kept the match level up until the Gibson goal.

That goal came at the end of a great run by Roysten Drenthe. As he came upon pressure, he laid a pass into space for Leighton Baines. The left back crossed from just outside the 18-yard line, and was initially thwarted by Vincent Kompany. The ball came to Landon Donovan, who couldn’t find a shot himself but set up Gibson streaking towards the area. The recent acquisition from the Red Devils hit a right footed shot that glanced off the defense and snuck inside the right post.

The match was stopped for nearly 5 minutes in the first half as a pitch invader decided to handcuff himself to the City goal. The scene was somewhat surreal as the police freed the intruder.

Everton did well to see out the match, and this is yet another time where Manchester City lacked the wherewithal to fight back to scrounge out even a single point from this match. While they were missing Mario Balotelli to suspension, the lineup certainly had enough quality to muster a goal against a makeshift back line for the Toffees. The Blues are now on level terms with their Manchester counterparts at the top of the table, with goal difference their only saving grace at this point. Their next test is against Fulham, a home match where they will need to return to form since United is back on track.

EVERTON 1 – 0 MANCHESTER CITY – JANUARY 31, 2012, GOODISON PARK, LIVERPOOL UK

EVERTON (4-1-3-2) – Howard; Neville, Hibbert, Heitinga, Baines; Fellaini; Donovan, Gibson, Drenthe (Baxter 79′) ; Stracqualursi (Vellios 88′), Cahill
MANCHESTER CITY (4-4-2) – Hart; Richards, Kompany, Lescott (Kolarov 68′), Clichy; Milner (Johnson 61′), Nasri, Barry (de Jong 86′), Silva; Dzeko, Aguero

GOALS – Gibson (Donovan) 60′, 19 yards, right foot strike
DISCIPLINE – Everton 1 (Drenthe 77′, caution); Manchester City 2 (Kompany 34′, caution; Lescott 59′, caution)
SHOTS – Everton 9; Manchester City 20
SHOTS ON GOAL – Everton 5; Manchester City 12
FOULS – Everton 12; Manchester City 9

Unbelievable scenes happened at Goodison Park Tuesday night when a protester entered the pitch and handcuffed himself to one of the goalposts. The incident forced the referee to stop the match for approximately five minutes until the man and the handcuffs could be removed from the goalpost next to Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart.

While the police tried to free the man from the handcuffs, the managers from both sides used the time to speak to their players and to give them some team tactics.

The irresponsible move by the protester not only delayed the game, but it also resulted in nobody knowing what he was protesting. The man became quite irate when the police tried to shake the handcuffs. And for a few minutes, the protester spoke to the Everton players.

Here are the photos from the incident.

FOX Soccer has made special arrangements to televise a live broadcast of Friday’s FA Cup match between Everton and Fulham, which will possibly feature Clint Dempsey playing against Landon Donovan for the first time since 2006.

The FA Cup match between both sides wasn’t originally scheduled for television, but EPL Talk understands that Everton gave FOX Soccer special permission to use its live feed of this important fourth round FA Cup match.

Friday’s match will kick off at 3pm ET on FOX Soccer. Meanwhile, FOX Soccer Plus and FOX Soccer 2Go will be broadcasting Watford against Tottenham Hotspur beginning at 2:45pm ET.

In addition to Dempsey and Donovan, American goalkeeper Tim Howard may make an appearance. All three Americans played for their respective teams when they played in the FA Cup third round. However, Everton plays home against Manchester City on Tuesday, while Fulham plays on Wednesday against West Bromwich Albion, so there remains the possibility that managers David Moyes and Martin Jol may want to rest some of his key players.

Landon Donovan has been one of the best players for the Toffees since rejoining Everton on loan, while Clint Dempsey has scored 15 goals in all competitions so far this season, and is currently on fire after scoring a hat trick at Craven Cottage against Newcastle United.

UPDATE: FOX Soccer personalities JP Dellacamera and Eric Wynalda will serve as play-by-play and analyst, marking the first time Americans have called an FA Cup match on FOX Soccer.

Who do you think will win during Friday’s FA Cup encounter? Vote now.

I’m nearing the end of looking through my box of English football collectibles that I found in my garage. I have one or two more items I’ll be sharing with you in the next 48 hours, but in the meantime, I wanted to share with you something different that I found. It’s a collection of beautifully photographed cards from a series called Football Stars, which was made by Fax-Pax and released in 1986.

The box (pictured top right) describes it as “a set of 36 informative picture cards featuring Britain’s football stars of today. Each card includes a full colour picture with career details on the reserve.”

As you can see from the above photo (click on it for a larger view), the series includes stars such as Steve Archibald (Blackburn), Terry Butcher (England), Peter Shilton (England), a young looking Tony Adams (Arsenal), Glenn Hoddle (England), Mark Hughes (Manchester United) and a very old looking Peter Reid (Everton).

If there was ever an award for a manager who can pick a bargain, look no further than a certain David Moyes. Having to overcome financial obligations in the transfer market year after year, Everton have always been widely seen by many as a top ten Premier League club, and one who has performed admirably over recent seasons.

David Moyes is a manager who has too take full credit, a man who knows how to deal well within his limitations, and always seems too get the best out of the resources available too him. A club known to act shrewdly in the transfer market, by picking up free transfer signings along with the help of loan signings, Everton always manage to get by, comfortably as the seasons go by. Look no further than the 2004/05 season, when Everton defied the odds by breaking into the formidable ‘Top four’ at the time. A miraculous achievement, by a team who certainly know how to utilize their maximum potential.

Their Latest acquisition in Darron Gibson, is another who falls into the baragin basket, with the Republic of Ireland International signing for less than £2 million, as his contract was set to run out at the end of the current season with United. Everton have been no strangers to this years January transfer window, as Moyes completed the loan signing of U.S International Forward, Landon Donovan last week. Besides the possible addition of another striker, I don’t see Everton having the funds available too seriously add again in this window.

Gibson Impact

Gibson was a little unlucky to have not cemented a more permanent position at Old Trafford, as his impressive displays have seen him score some wonderful long-range goals that have Everton fans will no doubt be hoping to see. While it is not widely obvious Everton are lacking strength in the middle park, (with rising stars such as Jack Rodwell and Ross Barkley coming through the ranks), Darron Gibson will prove to be a valued addition to a goal-shy Everton side as we approach the run-in and second half of the season. Known for his intent to get forward, Gibson is very much a player who likes to get in the mix, and without doubt has an eye for a strike from outside the box. It could prove vital to provide Tim Cahill with some competition for the role, with another option of Phil Neville also returning to a full-back position to make way for a keen to play, Gibson. Everton have certainly acquired a player determined to prove his worth, with the Irish International also hoping to impress an ever-watching Giovanni Trappatoni, ahead of the managers’ Euro 2012 squad selection. Everton’s intent to committing him to a long-term contract, also shows their belief that they may well have a real player on their hands. Gibson joins fellow ex Manchester United players such as Neville and Louis Saha, as he hopes too prove that there is indeed life after Old Trafford after all.

Season Expectations

Currently lying in a respectable mid-table position of 11th, Everton will certainly be looking to push on this season and get as close to a European spot as possible. Whilst they realistically seem unlikely to break into the formidable ‘Top 6’, Moyes will be looking for his side to display what is usually a strong Everton finish to the season. Whilst their pre-season transfer kitty was next to nothing, I still feel Everton failed to replace the departing menace of strikers Yakubu and Jermaine Beckford. A lack of firepower up top has left them losing games they should be drawing, and drawing games they should be winning. Some of the positives David Moyes can take from the season thus far, is the emergence of young talent Ross Barkley, who in my opinion is a future England international. This guy is the new Frank Lampard for me, and it will be interesting to see how much of a role he plays when he gets back from injury. Everton have always been known for producing good young players, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see players such as Duffy and Velios be next in line for a first-team role.  My Prediction for the season: 8th place

On day three of cleaning out my garage, I found a pleasant surprise in a 1962 collection of 25 cards entitled “Football Clubs and Badges” from a company named Lamberts Of Norwich.

The cards were included in packets of tea from Lamberts. Each card features an English club with the club’s name, football kit, crest and kit colors, which are all beautifully designed. During the 1961-62 season, there were 22 clubs in the top flight. In the 61-62 season, Ipswich won the title, while Everton won it the season after.

The quality of the cards is exceptional. Click on the above image to get a larger view of the front of the cards to see the detail. It’s interesting to note how plain the Manchester United crest looks, how intricate the one is for Ipswich, the odd character emblazoned on the Nottingham Forest card (a forester, which is one of Nottingham Forest’s many nicknames), and the sad looking cockerel of Tottenham.

You’ll notice that there’s no Liverpool. The Reds were in the second division in the 61-62 season. And how about the surprise inclusion of Colchester United, who were in the Fourth Division at the time. Each of the cards contains a short history of the club, and the back of Colchester’s card mentions how their best season was in 1956-57 when they finished third. I can only presume that Colchester was included in the set of 25 cards because of its proximity to Norwich.

Eagle-eyed readers may notice that there are only 24 cards featured. The one that’s missing, which I do have, is the one for Luton Town.

See any other interesting observations about the cards? Share them in the comments section below.

I spent the last week watching Everton try to squeak out matches by the thinnest of margins. Everton’s brand of football has nearly become dire to watch, and the situation brought itself to a head in today’s 1-2 home loss against bottom Bolton. These problems have been brewing for the past 12 months, and there may be no end in sight.

Thus far, the problem has been partly masked in the table by a relatively strong defensive showing. Up until today they have taken 3 points in almost all of their matches against weaker sides. The sides they have beaten look like a who’s who of the bottom feeders, while every side in the top 8 besides riot-denied Tottenham has beaten the Toffees. They sit mid-table, scoring anemically along the way. This dry river of goals was typified in today’s loss at Goodison, where their lone goal was freakishly scored by Tim Howard from distance with a gale gust at his back. Owen Coyle picked a wicked day to give Adam Bogdan a start, and Howard looked dismayed at earning a place in club scoring history, given Bogdan’s unenviable position.

But Everton ended up as the ones with egg on their face after failing to generate attack for much of the second half. They truly looked like a lifeless bunch in this match. The return match for Landon Donovan became the definitive display for their inefficiency in the final third.

If you want to see a common thread to this goal drought, look no further than manager David Moyes’ first choice attackers Louis Saha and Tim Cahill.

- Saha once was a solid striker for Fulham, and had moderate success at Manchester United. He has given Everton some finishing touch up front in recent years. Now at 33 years of age, Saha doesn’t seem to have the speed or flair he once exhibited.

- Cahill, now 32, was a beast in the air for many years. The Australian internations always found ways to wreak havoc in the opponent’s area. But 2011 was a goalless year for Cahill at the club, and there hasn’t been a real sign of him getting back into the swing of things. As far as his aerial prowess, here are his statistics for aerials won per game over the last three years:

2009-10: 3.5
2010-11: 2.9
2011-12: 2.1

Are Cahill and Saha beginning to experience age-related decline in their abilities? If that’s the case, it would be tough to expect them to get back to a similar level of output as in past years. That could spell trouble down the road for the Toffees.

It seems that Moyes may be trying to find another role for Cahill, but to little effect in my opinion. In both their 0-1 late victory over West Bromwich and today’s match, Cahill found himself as more of a holding central midfielder position. Cahill’s ability to be a target forward and attacking aerial specialist (one of his past attributes as a CAM) is greatly diminished as he is asked to fall back into the midfield. Another aspect of dropping into a deeper role is distribution, something that Cahill has never been great at doing. Cahill has ranked 14th on the team the last three seasons in pass success percentage, averaging around 74% completed (thanks to Who Scored). Going from a guy like Mikel Arteta, who led the team with about 86% passing success) to Cahill in central midfield is a huge drop off.

Perhaps the most troubling aspect of this is the loyalty that David Moyes has shown to Saha and Cahill. One or the other (or both) has started every match since October 23rd against Fulham where they scored three times. Since that match, they have scored two goals only twice, and one of those was on a Leighton Baines penalty. Their highest scoring forward, Apostolos Vellios (3 goals), hasn’t started in a month. And today’s result has given goalkeeper Tim Howard as many goals this season as Saha and Cahill combined.

Should Moyes begin to shuffle the deck? One issue is, who? They have young options up front in Vellios, Conor McAleny, and Victor Anichebe, but they are largely unproven. Denis Stracqualursi is on loan from Argentina’s Tigre, and who knows if Everton could afford to purchase him from the South American club. Ross Barkley looks like a solid up-and-coming attacking midfielder, who might be a good replacement for Cahill long-term, but again is an unknown commodity. And of course, Donovan could be an option up front for two months, but in today’s match he played as a winger who cut inside, which was his typical role in his 2009-10 loan stint.

That could be the reason Moyes has decided to go with a more defensive 4-4-1-1. Recently he has played backs Phil Neville and Johnny Heitinga as defensive midfielders. This definitely has helped them to secure the back end. In today’s match however, Phil Jagielka was injured and Heitinga had to move to center back. That is a drop-off defensively for Everton, and the team struggled to keep the game scoreless. They managed as Jack Rodwell was in that holding midfield role after Jagielka went off. But Rodwell also got injured, and the Toffees crumbled defensively with Cahill in that position. The lesson may be that Everton can succeed as long as their defense remains healthy, because their depth at the back isn’t great.

The situation is unfortunate for Everton. The club needs a new stadium and financial backing in order to right the ship, and with the core players (Neville, Saha, Cahill) beginning to get on in years, David Moyes needs to find that new blood to help the club contend for European football again. The biggest question is whether he will have the resources to meet those needs. In effect, that may be the reason for Moyes playing such a defensive formation, because he knows that his attacking options are limited. With as thin as they are on defense, the club must hope for continued health, otherwise their scoring doldrums could cost them dearly.

Landon Donovan is eligible to play on Wednesday for the encounter between Everton and Bolton at Goodison Park.

Whether he’ll have a large part to play in that match will be up to David Moyes (and also depending on Donovan’s fitness levels). But I would be very surprised if he doesn’t see some playing time on Wednesday night.

Nevertheless, Donovan will undoubtedly be in the action as much as possible for the two months of his loan to help Everton move up the Premier League table.

But will Landon Donovan be able to play as well as he did the last time when he played in England for Everton? A lot has changed since then. Tim Cahill is nowhere near the form he was during the 2009-10 season. Mikel Arteta is no longer at the club. The same applies to Yakubu and Steven Pienaar. There are also question marks about Donovan, who hasn’t been as influential at LA Galaxy in terms of assists during the 2011 season.

Importantly, Donovan will have a tougher time adjusting to playing in the Premier League this time. Not because of him, but because of his opponents who will be more aware of the threat that he poses and will possibly mark him closer than before. That may open up more room for Royston Drenthe, who has been a breath of fresh air for the Toffees.

Everton currently sit in tenth position in the Premier League. Some of the fixtures that Donovan will be involved in will be against teams such as Tottenham (away), Manchester City (home), Chelsea (home) and Liverpool (away), so the American international will definitely be tested to his limits.

But what do you think? Will Donovan be able to exceed the two goals he scored in the 13 games he played for Everton during January-March, 2010? Post your opinions in the comments section below.

Lastly, here’s what Donovan said after his loan deal ended the last time he was playing for Everton:

“I’m 28 years old now and I’ve played over 100 times for my country, I’ve also played a lot of league games in different parts of the world. But I’ve never met a fan base like this, either playing for them or as an away player. Forget about football for a moment, this is a life experience I’ll never forget.”

One thing can be sure about Donovan. Expect Everton supporters to open their arms to him, and don’t be surprised to hear several “USA, USA” chants from the blues. Whatever happens to Donovan, it’ll be a joy to watch.

Here is what the Premier League clubs are wishing for in 2012:

Arsenal: Gunner fans are wishing that scoring machine Robin van Persie continues his torrid streak.

Aston Villa: That Alex McLeish has a method to his “managerial tactic” madness.

Blackburn: Steve Kean is renting and not buying.

Bolton: Club officials are wishing the F.A. will bring in two more clubs into the Premier League in hopes that Bolton won’t be relegated.

Chelsea: Andre Villas-Boas decides on the correct starting eleven for his club so that they can make another run at the title.

Everton: That Landon Donovan can breathe some fresh air into the Toffees offensive attack.

Fulham: Hopefully Martin Jol can unite his squad to make another run at a Europa spot next season.

Liverpool: Luis Suarez starts to be known for his play and not for his antics.

Manchester City: That the club continues their blistering pace.

Manchester United: Alex Ferguson uses his genius to figure out the midfield problems.

Newcastle: Demba Ba decides to stay with the club through the January transfer window.

Norwich City: That the club can continue their steady pace and enjoy a second season in the first division.

QPR: The Rangers magically figure out how to score more goals at Loftus Road.

Stoke City: To make sure that an away trip to Britannia Stadium remains a difficult test for opposing clubs.

Sunderland:  That the likes of Sebastian Larsson and Nicklas Bendtner give the Black Cats an offensive identity.

Swansea City: The Super Swans wish that Michel Vorm continues his ridiculous form at goalie.

Tottenham: That the Spurs finish in the top four and qualify for next year’s Champions League.

West Brom: The Baggies wish that Shane Long and Chris Brunt can continue to inspire their teammates in hopes of finishing in the top half of the table.

Wigan: That Victor Moses keeps playing with flair and goalie Ali Al Habsi remains one of the best keepers in the league.

Wolverhampton: Wolves wish that Bolton, Blackburn, and Wigan remain below them in the Premier League table.

Note: Readers can follow Matt on Twitter @thehackreport