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
Ben Richards-Everton to join Conference Premier side Tamworth. During December 2013, with continued good form, Richards-Everton attracted the attention of many higher English clubs. Tamworth were expected to sell the defender in January 2014 before his contact expired, but he stayed at the club until August 2014. Ben was tracked by a number of Football League and Premier League clubs, but on 22 August 2014, Richards-Everton signed for Partick Thistle, after impressing on a trial period earlier in the summer. He was immediately loaned to Scottish League One club Airdrieonians, making his debut on 23 August 2014, in a 3–0 defeat against