... is 'direness' a word?!

- it was our 9th Saturday game in succession, home and away, all in the League!
- that hasn't happened since February-April 2006!

- we've only won once now in our last 9 encounters with the Swans, home and away in all competitions
- W1 D5 L3

- in the Premier league our away record against them is W3 D3 L1 and in all League visits it is W8 D4 L1
- having said that, we haven't beaten them now in any of our last 5 trips to South Wales in all competitions
- W0 D3 L2 (one of those defeats came in the League Cup)

- the latest draw was our 150th away from home in our Premier League history!
- our current away Prem record is P498 - W127 D150 L221 - F524 A717

- the game was, of course, a Saturday match
- we've had just 1 win now in our last 12 away Saturday fixtures - W1 D4 L7, all in the Premier League!

- nice to see Ramiro Funes Mori return to the team
- it was his first appearance of this campaign

- we've now used 39 players this season in all competitions
- that extends the club record!
- the previous highest was 36 in 2009/10

- Phil Jagielka made his 374th appearance for us in all competitions at Swansea
- that puts him level with the legendary 1960s/70s full-back Tommy Wright
- they are in joint 20th place on our All-Time Appearances list

- and Phil has now made 311 League appearances for the club
- he's now 20th, 1 ahead of 1950s/60s utility man Brian Harris, on our our All-Time League appearances list

- Seamus Coleman is now in joint 65th place on that list with 214 League games
- he's level with 1980s hero Trevor Steven!

- if was also Phil's 295th Premier League start for the club
- that moves him equal with Leon Osman in 3rd place on our All-Time Prem starts chart
- only Tim Howard (354) and Leighton Baines (313) have started more Premier League games for us!

- and congratulations to Morgan Schneiderlin!
- he made his 50th appearance for us in all competitions against Swansea
- that's made up of 42 starts and 8 substitute outings

- Wayne Rooney was subbed off once again at the Liberty Stadium
- that's the 23rd time it's happened to him this season in all competitions
- and that equals the club record for being replaced the most times in a single Everton season!
- Wayne has joined Yakubu (2007/08) and Marcus Bent (2004/05) at the top that chart!

- it was also the 19th time it's happened to Wayne this season in the League too
- only 1 player has been replaced more times in one Everton League campaign
- that was Marcus Bent, 21 (2004/05)

- and so on to Newcastle at home on April 23rd!

- here's how the Everton programme welcomed the Magpies in March 1957!

- we've never played the Magpies before on that date

- and we've lost on our last 2 outings on April 23 - both against Manchester United, coincidentally!

- the most recent was the heartbreaking 2016 FA Cup Semi-Final at Wembley
- you may remember that Anthony Martial's 92nd minute goal gave them a 2-1 victory

- the previous April 23 meeting was in 2011 when we lost 1-0 at Old Trafford

- our last April 23rd home game was a 1-1 draw with Birmingham in 2005
- and our last home win on that date (in fact our last win anywhere on April 23rd) was back in 1984
- 2-0 against Wolves, with Andy Gray and Trevor Steven providing the goals

- that was one of 9 home games for us in the past on that date - and we've lost 0 of them! W3 D6 L0

- aside from the 2016 meeting with Man Utd, we've also played 2 other FA Cup Semi-Finals on April 23rd

- in 1966 Colin Harvey scored in the 79th minute at Bolton's old ground, Burden Park
- it was enough to beat Man Utd on that occasion
- and it took us to the Final and 3-2 glory over Sheffield Wednesday

- in 1977 one of the most notorious games in our history took place
- it was at Maine Road, Man City's previous ground
- we came back from 1-0 and 2-1 down against Liverpool
- and with time almost up, Ronny Goodlass crossed from the left
- and Bryan Hamilton knocked the ball home with his hip for a sensational winner!

- except that referee Clive Thomas inexplicably disallowed the 'goal'
- it wasn't offside, it wasn't handball
- and Thomas initially refused to elaborate at all on why he'd made his decision
- the truth is he got it wrong and, of course, we lost the replay 4 days later 3-0

- the pain is still raw!

- only 33 players have turned out for both Everton and Newcastle in the past
- have a look at these stickers designed by the marvellous Toffee Art
- they show 4 of those 33 players
- better still, pop into St Luke's Church before the game and have a look at all of their memorabilia
- they have a stall as part of the Everton Heritage Society's exhibitions before every home game

- we are currently on a run of 4 straight victories against Newcastle, home and away
- and we haven't conceded a goal in any of them! (1-0, 3-0, 1-0, 3-0)

- the most recent was the 1-0 win at St James' Park last December
- Wayne Rooney scored and Jonjo Shelvey received a red card in injury time

- our last home meeting with them was in February 2016
- 2 late Ross Barkley penalties helped us to a 3-0 win
- and Jamaal Lascelles was this time dismissed in injury time!

- expect goals!
- our last 5 home games against the Geordies have seen these scorelines: 3-0, 3-0, 3-2, 2-2, 3-1

- our last Goodison defeat against them, by the way, came back in September 2010
- Hatim Ben Arfa's goal just on half-time was the difference between the sides that day

- that's their only win at Goodison in 13 visits, however - our record over that period is W9 D3 L1

- a win against Newcastle would bring us just our 2nd League 'double' of the season
- the other was, you may remember, against Stoke City

- a draw would be our 3rd on the run, home and away - and we haven't managed that since April 2016!

- a defeat, meanwhile, would be our 15th in the League this season, home and away
- that would be the most (equal with 2014/15) since we lost 16 in 2005/06

- a draw or a defeat would also be our 10th game shown live on UK TV without a win!
- we've only 'achieved' that twice before
- from February 2000 to November 2001 we managed a run of 11 games live on TV without a victory
- but the club record is 12, which we achieved earlier this season, from August to November 2017!

- 2 goals for us this time, by the way, would take us to 1,300, home and away, in our Premier League history
  (in our 997th Premier League game)!

- 1 goal conceded, on the other hand, would take us to 55 against in the League this season
- that would be the most (equal with 2015/16) since the 57 we shipped in 2003/04!

- if he plays against the Magpies, it will be Leighton Baines' 400th appearance for us in all competitions!
- he'd be just the 18th Everton player to reach that milestone

- Phil Jagielka, if he plays, would move into 20th place alone on our all-time appearances list on 375
- he'd be 1 ahead of legendary 1960s/70s full-back Tommy Wright

- if Phil starts the game it will be his 296th Premier League start for the club
- that's 1 more than Leon Osman managed
- and Phil will have only Tim Howard (354) and Leighton Baines (314) ahead of him on that particular chart!

- if Seamus Coleman plays he will move up to 215 League appearances for us
- he'd be 1 ahead of 1980s legend Trevor Steven and in 65th place alone on our all-time League apps list

- will Wayne Rooney be subbed off again?
- if he does, it will be the 24th time that's happened to him this season in all competitions
- that would overtake Yakubu (2007/08) and Marcus Bent (2004/05) - both on 23
- and it would mean that Wayne will become the most subbed player in a single Everton season!

- it would be the 20th time it's happened in the League too
- and only Marcus Bent, 21 times in 2004/05, has been replaced more times in one Everton League campaign!

- Robert Madley will be refereeing the match
- we've never lost at Goodison with him in the middle - W4 D2 L0!

- will he award any penalties or send anyone off?!

- all-in-all, there have been 35 penalties scored out of 42 awarded in all Everton/Newcastle fixtures
- that's more than in any other Everton fixture at all venues!

- Newcastle have scored 18 of the 23 they've received - and that's more than any other Everton opponent

- a penalty this time for Newcastle would be the 10th for all of our opponents so far this season
- that would equal the club record set in 1976/77!

- if we save a Newcastle penalty it will be the 4th pen save this season by an EFC keeper
- Jordan Pickford saved one at Hadjuk Split in August and against West Ham at Goodison in November
- and Joel Robles kept one out against Atalanta also in November

- our keepers have saved 3 pens in a season several times before (most recently in 2009/10)
- but we've never had a season when Everton keepers have saved 4 penalties!

- between us and our opponents, 6 penalties have been saved by goalkeepers this season
- that's only ever happened once before in our history - in 1904/05!
- another save this time would set a new club record!

- Ramiro Funes Mori made his first appearance of the season for us last week against Swansea
- will anyone else make their seasonal debut for us against Newcastle?
- if they do, they will be the 40th different player we've used this season
- we've never reached that milestone before - the current 39 is our highest ever

- the game is, of course, a Monday night match with an 8.00pm kick-off

- we've won only 1 of our last 6 Monday games at Goodison, irrespective of kick-off time - W1 D2 L3
- the one win was against Southampton , 3-0, in January 2017

- in terms of 8.00pm kick-off times we've won each of our last 2 outings home and away
- that's irrespective of the day of the week
- the most recent was our 3-1 victory against Swansea in December 2017
- and we're unbeaten in last 7 - W2 D5 L0

- at Goodison we've lost just 1 of our last 12 matches starting at 8.00pm - W7 D4 L1

- putting the day and time together, we've lost only 1 of our last 16 Monday/8.00pm games, home and away
- W6 D9 L1
- and just at Goodison our record in our last 14 Monday night, 8.00pm games is W7 D6 L1
- the one defeat was against Liverpool in December 2016

- there have been 3 red cards shown in our last 4 meetings with Newcastle - all for Newcastle players!
- Shelvey, Lascelles and Colocinni were the bad guys

- and 2 of those dismissals have come in the last 2 Goodison encounters
- Lascelles in February 2016 and Colocinni in March 2015

- oh, and don't leave before the end!
- we've scored injury time goals in 3 of our last 4 meetings with the Geordies, home and away
- and there have been 4 goals from the 89th minute onwards in their last 4 trips to Goodison
- 2 by them and 2 by us!

- COYB!!

- a reminder of some new sections on the site!

- Test cricketers have a small number on their shirt or cap
- it shows where they fit in in terms of the historical chronology of their country
- now you can see what number every Everton player would wear!
- have a look at the 'Everton Players Numbered Chronologically' section!

- who's managed the most times against Everton?
- who's managed the most clubs against us?!
- well, there's a new 'Opposition Managers' section that will tell you everything you need to know!

- the 'Goals in Most Consecutive Matches' section has been updated!
- it now includes details of which Everton players have scored in the most successive home & away games too!

- who was the last Everton man to play 50 or more games in a season?
- who has played the most games in one season?!
- the new '50 or More Appearances in a Season' section will tell you!

- on the flip side, which players only ever managed 1 game for the club?!
- find out in the new Just One Appearance section!

- we used 27 different players last season in all competitions and 19 of them scored a goal
- is that a lot?! how does it compare to other seasons?
- find out in the new 'Number of Players Used and Goal Scorers - Season-by-Season' section!

- who was the last Everton player to feature in every game in a season?!
- have a look at the new Ever Presents section to find out!

- and how often have we completed League 'doubles' over our opponents in the past?
- alternatively, how often have we been on the receiving end of a double?!
- you can now find out in the new League Doubles For and Against section

- ever wondered which Everton player has been substituted the most times?!
- well, now you can find out - have a look at the new Subbed Off section for full, fascinating details!

- Ademola Lookman scored on his Everton debut last season
- who else has managed that feat for the club?!
- have a look at the new Scored on Their Debut section to find out!

- with Wayne Rooney having returned to Everton action, who else has had 2 separate spells at the club?!
- the new Two or More Spells at Everton section will tell you!

- new boy Jordan Pickford looks like he'll be our keeper for some years to come
- but who else has appeared for us between the sticks in the past?!
- the new Goalkeepers section has all the details!

- and don't forget there's also a new History In Short section too!
- you can see at a glance how many times we've finished in each position in the League
- and where exactly we've been knocked out of the various cup competitions
- have a peek!