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 their fourth win in the Premier League after they beat Southampton 3–1 at Goodison Park. The win saw them move up to second in the table. On 9 October, David Moyes was named Premier League Manager of the Month for September. On 19 October, Everton signed free agent Thomas Hitzlsperger until January on a short term contract. The German international has 52 caps and had been without a club since leaving VfL Wolfsburg at the end of last season. On 21 October, following the club's 1–1 draw with Queens Park Rangers, Everton had scored 15 goals from 8 games, their