Mick Rathbone Rathbone then returned to Preston North End as physiotherapist. He spent six years at the club, during which time they progressed from Division Three (the fourth tier of English football) to the play-off for a place in the Premier League, latterly as part of David Moyes' backroom staff. When Moyes joined Everton as manager in March 2002, Rathbone followed a few months later after the clubs had agreed compensation. He spent nearly eight years at the club, becoming head of sports medicine, a post he left in May 2010 after what the "Liverpool Echo" described as "a tumultuous season of
Steve Simonsen be involved in a transfer to Wigan Athletic, but the deal fell through. In December 2001, Simonsen even considered making a move to a Danish club. Simonsen did not get a chance to prove himself again until the 2001–02 season, when he made 25 league starts for Everton and finally became a regular first team player. Following the appointment of new manager David Moyes, however, Simonsen rarely got a chance to play for Everton again, making only three league starts during his last two seasons. Simonsen later rejected a one-year contract extension and was thus released by the club in