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
2010–11 Everton F.C. season der Vaart a tap-in finish. Everton next faced Stoke at Goodison with the knowledge that a victory would see them rise into the top half of the Premier League table. After a goalless first half, Yakubu scored the only goal of the match in the 67th minute with a left-footed finish after Tim Cahill's shot hit the woodwork, handing Everton the win and also breaking his own six-month goal drought. Everton's successful form in October – three wins and one draw – turned their season around, and led to David Moyes being awarded the Manager of the Month award. Everton's