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IT'S taking an awfully big slot for this penny to drop for Andy van der Meyde.

I actually hope he does get himself fit and ready to make up for lost time and finally have an impact at Everton. I'm sure he means it when he says it is his "dream" to do that this season.

EVERTON'S initial reaction to playing the three newly-promoted clubs in their first three away games might be "happy days" but ideally you'd want to be facing these sides in February or March.

Eager and excited by the newness of the Premier League - particularly Stoke and Hull who haven't been there before - these kind of teams are a different animal when you come up against them in the early weeks of the season.

They're the kind of games you might go into with confidence when looking at them on paper but you'll often find the new boys play above their level at first so it's usually better to face them in the middle of the season when they haven't won for a while and a few injuries and defeats have dampened their spirits

WHILE the subject of new arrivals is on everyone's lips, talk of departures will also rise but one man who won't be leaving Goodison Park this summer is Andy van der Meyde.

Though he never kicked a ball in anger for the first team last season and has consistently under-whelmed on the pitch since he arrived at the club three years ago, Everton simply are unable to offload him.

Clubs in Portugal and Greece have, at some stage in the past 12 months, made strong enquiries but the player simply won't move.

PHIL JAGIELKA can count himself very unlucky if he doesn't get his first England cap this week.
I'm not sure if it will happen tomorrow, when Fabio Capello should be looking to put out his strongest side possible at Wembley against the USA.

But after that? The big players should be told to get home and have a good rest, particularly the ones who were in the Champions League final.

It makes sense for both parties. The players can put in one last big effort for Capello while he gets to see his top players in serious action.

TWO good cup runs and an excellent fifth place finish means Everton can reflect on a job well done.

Their style of football - playing more through the midfield - went down well with supporters. In the past the team has relied on Mikel Arteta too much for its creative spark, but players like Leon Osman and Stephen Pienaar took on some of that mantle.

Yakubu had an excellent first season in topping 20 goals and represents the kind of signing Everton now need to be making.

PHIL JAGIELKA'S England call-up surprised a lot of people - including himself.

But think about it. How many English centre- halves in the Premier League have been more reliable than him this season?

And it's always useful to have someone who can play all over the shop.

In that sense, I think Jagielka is a natural replacement in the international set-up fro Jamie Carragher. He played right-back, left- back, centre-back and central midfield for his country - all positions the Everton man can occupy as well.

But it was in the middle of the back four where he became a mainstay and although he will know that the likes of Ferdinand, Terry and Woodgate are ahead of him in the queue and he is a long way off being first choice, it juts shows the value of being versatile.

The absence of Premier League football will cast a long shadow over the summer, but now is the time to reflect on the season just ended, a campaign which has been a tremendous one for Everton Football Club.

If you take wage bills and transfer expenditure into account, you could put up an argument that Everton were the most successful club in the country last season.

I believe the way Everton have gone about their business in recent years - prudently and low risk in an era when more and more clubs are existing on a knife edge - is the right strategy.

THERE was no more fitting way to end the season than with a flamboyant win and already some supporters are counting down the days until the new campaign.

But, before optimism starts to run away with you, it is worth bearing one thing in mind. As Kevin Keegan said just a couple of weeks ago, it's not realistic to expect the top four to be broken up this time next year.

I'm sure if we had all written down who we expected to fill the first four positions in the table last August, the names of Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool would have dominated lists, although possibly in different orders.

IT'S an old saying but it continues to stand the test of time. The league table doesn't lie and, now that the final ball has been kicked, it shows Everton had a magnificent season.

Every plaudit and accolade that comes the way of the management and players is fully deserved and there was no better way to finish things off than with a stylish, slick success against Newcastle.

And don't for one moment underestimate what has been achieved. We would all love to be reflecting today on a successful title challenge, but finances dictate these days that you have to cut your cloth accordingly.

The top four clubs will always have the most money, therefore can attract the better players, so for Everton to emerge as best of the rest without spending the vast quantities of others is a terrific achievement.

THE dramatic resolution of the 2007/08 season is upon us, and while Everton can only finish in one of two places, to my mind finishing fifth is significantly better than the place immediately below.

That's not just because the fifth spot carries with it the reward of UEFA Cup football.
Finishing fifth means you have effectively won the league beneath the so-called Big Four.

Kevin Keegan's comments in the week may well have angered his club's owners and maybe even some Newcastle fans, but what he says is fundamentally the truth as it stands.