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 crashed out of the FA Cup with a 0–3 home defeat by Premier League relegation candidates Wigan, with all three goals coming in less than four first-half minutes. On 16 March, Everton bounced back in the league to beat reigning champions Manchester City 2–0 at Goodison Park, despite playing with ten men from the 60th minute with the score at 1–0, when Steven Pienaar was dismissed. The win came on the day of Moyes' 11th anniversary with the club. On 30 March, Everton defeated Stoke 1–0. It was Everton's third league win in a row. On 5 April, Moyes was