David Moyes rise to £6 million. All of this gave Everton and its fans cause for optimism as a string of strong performances broke the pattern inconsistency which saw league finishes of 15th, 7th, 17th, 4th and 11th under Moyes. His reputation as a disciplinarian could be seen to manifest in Everton's yellow card count. They received just 27 yellow cards all season – the lowest in the league and six fewer than their nearest rival Liverpool. Moyes recruited Steve Round as his assistant manager for the 2008–09 season to replace Alan Irvine, who had taken over as Preston North End manager
2012–13 Everton F.C. season and stretched David Moyes' unbeaten run against Sunderland to 18 matches in his 400th Premier League game. On 17 November, Everton lost to Reading. This was Everton's first league defeat in nine games. On 24 November, Everton drew at home with Norwich City. Norwich's 90th-minute goal was the third time this season that Everton had conceded a last minute equaliser. On 1 December, Everton drew 1–1 with title holders Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium. This result meant that Everton had been unbeaten in six out of the last seven meetings with City. The result also meant that Everton had