Recently by Chris Beesley

MOST Evertonians stayed away from Goodison Park on Saturday but among the many empty seats in front of the Press box it was easy to spot a certain Jamie Carragher.

Less than 11,000 hardy souls braved the inclement weather for a television-dictated teatime kick-off to witness this game and one of their number was the former Everton fan turned Anfield stalwart.

As a well-known student of football, maybe Carragher was just taking in a game on his day off? He could have been keeping an eye on PSV Eindhoven, who have won the Dutch title for the past four seasons and are potential Champions League opponents. Or perhaps he was looking closer to home at the hosts given that there is a Merseyside derby next month.

MOST Evertonians stayed away from Goodison Park on Saturday but among the many empty seats in front of the Press box it was easy to spot a certain Jamie Carragher.

Less than 11,000 hardy souls braved the inclement weather for a television-dictated teatime kick-off to witness this game and one of their number was the former Everton fan turned Anfield stalwart.

As a well-known student of football, maybe Carragher was just taking in a game on his day off? He could have been keeping an eye on PSV Eindhoven, who have won the Dutch title for the past four seasons and are potential Champions League opponents. Or perhaps he was looking closer to home at the hosts given that there is a Merseyside derby next month.

"Once a blue, always a blue" was the ironic cry from one Evertonian scribe but given the backdrop to this game it would appear more likely that any Liverpool player in attendance would only be present to gloat following a week that had been the culmination of a summer of frustration at Goodison.

BURTON-UPON-TRENT is best known for being the capital of the UK beer manufacturing industry but it is now brewing up something of a football reputation.

Coors, Carling, Worthington bitter, Marston's and Bass are all produced in the Staffordshire town.

The local trade ensures Burton Albion, managed by former Liverpool player Nigel Clough, are nicknamed the Brewers but while they're a non-League outfit plying their trade in the Blue Square Premier, Burton is also making great strides at the top end of the game.

Just last month, the Football Association gave their final approval for Burton to become the home of the new National Football Centre, a facility designed to develop long-term youth coaching in England which is apt seeing as Burton-born Steve Round, Everton's new assistant manager, is seen as one of this country's most progressive coaches.

After losing his deputy of six years Alan Irvine to Preston North End last November, David Moyes, who has always been very much a 'tracksuit manager' has been searching for a new assistant.

On the day Irvine took over at Deepdale, the Daily Post reported on how Newcastle coach Round was leading Moyes's wishlist and although it has taken almost eight months for his switch from St James' Park to be completed, the Scot has finally got his man.

Within the game, Round, who at just 37 is only a little older than some of the senior players, was cruelly forced to hang up his own boots 13 years ago after a mere nine first-team appearances for Derby County.

But despite having his own aspirations as a professional full-back dashed, he threw himself into his new role among Jim Smith's backroom staff at the Rams.

Within the game, Round, who was once dubbed 'Captain Clipboard' by a Teesside football writer, has a reputation for embracing innovative coaching techniques, a trade which ensured he was a like-minded Sam Allardyce's first coaching appointment on Tyneside.

But there is more to Round than just audiobook training manuals, set-piece diagrams and Prozone screens, he appears to be very much a 'players' coach'.

Round first came to Everton's attention when he received a glowing reference from captain Phil Neville who worked with him in the England national team squad and it seems he's far from being the only professional to sing his praises.

Everton midfielder Tim Cahill has only worked with Round for a couple of days but he's already impressed.

A couple of his Australian international team-mates - goalkeeper Mark Mark Schwarzer and striker Mark Viduka - worked alongside Round for a number of years at Middlesbrough while the latter also knows him from their time together at Newcastle last season and while Cahill liked what he'd heard, he also wasn't let down when he finally met Everton's new assistant manager in the flesh at the club's Finch Farm training complex.

He said: "Steve is fantastic. He's a nice bloke and has a great vibe.

"He's very knowledgeable about football and has worked with some big players including a lot of big Australian players as well.

"He knows about our background and what we're all about.

"It's nice to have someone who is sensitive to the players."

Cahill added: "All the players seem to get on with him and hopefully we'll have a great relationship now that we can build on in the future.

"We know his track record. You speak to a few Aussies and they say great things about him and you take their word for it - I'm looking forward to the experience."

LOOKING intently across the gym at Everton's Finch Farm training base yesterday with a steely stare, Tim Cahill's gaze is as focused as his determination to put his latest injury setback behind him.

The 28-year-old Australian's first two seasons at Goodison Park where 24 months of virtually non-stop football with club games for David Moyes's side regularly supplemented with long-haul trips on international duty for the Socceroos.

But rather than his hectic schedule finally catching up with him, sheer bad luck seemed to spark Cahill's injury woes in November 2006 when he collided with then team-mate Lee Carsley during a 1-1 draw at home to Aston Villa

EVERTON kick-off their summer fixtures with a trip to Marc Hottiger's old club FC Sion.

Right-back Hottiger was capped 63 times by the Swiss national side but made just 17 appearances for the Goodison Park outfit between 1995-97 when he was signed by Joe Royle from Newcastle United to provide cover for Earl Barrett.

Indeed, during his time on Merseyside, Hottiger played as many games for his country as he did for his club.

FORMER Everton player Craig Short reckons current Goodison Park star Phil Jagielka has always been at his best when playing in his own old position of centre-back.

Jagielka, who used to be part of Everton's youth team before beginning his professional career with Sheffield United, returned to Goodison Park a year ago in a £4.5million move following the Blades's relegation from the Premier League.

Known as a utility man at Bramall Lane, Jagielka was initially used in the heart of midfield by new manager David Moyes, a similar role to the one he often occupied across the Pennines for Neil Warnock

EVERTON will have to make their way through a strong-looking field of opponents if they are to emulate Liverpool by tasting European glory in Istanbul next season and like their neighbours they could find AC Milan lying in wait if they reach the final.

Carlo Ancelotti's side are the most high-profile club in next season's UEFA Cup competition having failed to qualify for the Champions League due to a fifth-place finish in Serie A.

Despite being the second most successful club in European Cup/Champions League history with seven titles after nine-times winners Real Madrid, Milan have not reached a UEFA Cup final to date

SLAVIA PRAGUE defender Marek Suchý claims that Everton manager David Moyes is locked in a battle with his Goodison Park predecessor Walter Smith for his signature.

The highly-rated centre-back revealed last week that Rangers were keen on him and has now been informed by his agent that Everton have joined the chase.

Reports in the Czech Republic say that Everton sent scouts to Prague last season to see Suchý in action and it now appears they could try to secure a deal. Suchý, 20, is regarded as one of the brightest young talents in the Gambrinus liga, having made more than 60 first team appearances while still a teenager, helping Slavia to their first title success for 12 years last month.

EVERTON captain Phil Neville has declared that he is happy for the club to avoid the "destabilising" effect of having overseas owners.

An increasing number of Everton's Premier League rivals, including neighbours Liverpool, have been purchased by foreign businessmen with the results not always positive.

Off-the field disputes between co-owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett, manager Rafael Benitez and chief executive Rick Parry marred events at Anfield last season and are still rumbling on, while the takeover of Manchester United by fellow Americans, the Glazer family, led to the formation of a breakaway club, FC United of Manchester.

TODAY is the 80th Anniversary of Dixie Dean reaching his record-breaking 60-goal landmark for a single season. Christopher Beesley examines how he was able to get to such a total at that particular time and how he compares to the leading forwards of other eras.

IN an age when an increasing number of players and even fans are unable to remember football before the formation of the Premier League and 1992 having become 'year zero' when it comes to the modern game, it can be easy to dismiss Dixie Dean's goalscoring feats as ancient history and something of an irrelevance to the sport which is now watched by a global audience.

With even the greatest 21st century goalscorers struggling to average a goal a game and even 'one-in-two' strikers worth far more than their weight in gold, detractors will point to someone who averaged better than a goal-and-a-half a game over an entire season as not competing on a level playing field.