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
2001–02 Everton F.C. season 2001–02 Everton F.C. season During the 2001–02 English football season, Everton competed in the FA Premier League. The Everton directors finally lost patience with Walter Smith when they sacked him on 13 March after being knocked out by Middlesbrough in the FA Cup quarter final as well as their poor league form with only one win in 13 league games which saw them slip down the Premiership table and one point above the relegation zone. Preston boss David Moyes was named as his successor, and did a good job of steering Everton clear of the drop zone – though they