Everton F.C.

Everton Football Club are an English football club from the city of Liverpool, founded in 1878. They are one of the most successful clubs in English football, having played more seasons in the top division (103 of a possible 107) and won more points in the top division than any other team.

The 1930s: The Dixie Years

Quite simply, "Dixie" Dean was the greatest scoring machine that the English game has seen, or ever is, likely to see. After averaging a goal a game for Tranmere Rovers, prolific striker Dean, was lured across the River Mersey to play for Everton. In his first season for the Toffees, the 1925-26 season, Dean netted 32 league goals in 38 games (getting his first two on his debut), scored 21 in 27 the next year, and made history in 1927-28: in a seasonal performance that is unlikely to ever be bettered, Dean hit 60 league goals in 39 matches, setting a record that has stood ever since and almost single-handedly gifting Everton the league title.

Related Topics:
"Dixie" Dean - Tranmere Rovers

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In a turn of events that seems unbelievable today, Everton were relegated into the second division two years later. Predictably, Dean was on top form in the secondary league, hitting 39 goals in 37 games and lifting the Toffees to promotion at the first time of asking.

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The following season, Dean hit 45 goals and Everton regained the league title. In 1933, they won the FA Cup, Dean becoming Everton's first ever number 9 in the 3-0 final win against Manchester City. The number 9 would become synonymous with commanding and high-scoring strikers at domestic and international level football, something Dean embodied.

Related Topics:
FA Cup - Manchester City

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The nickname "Dixie" has ambiguous origins, but it is thought that it was given to Dean because his curly hairstyle was similar to that sported by many people of African ethnicity, popularly nicknamed "dixies" at the time. Dean is said to have disliked but reluctantly accepted the tag. He played his last match for Everton on 11 December 1937 and died at a Merseyside derby at Goodison in 1980, leaving behind a legacy of 383 goals in 433 matches overall.

Related Topics:
11 December - 1937

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In the 1938-39 season Everton with Joe Mercer, the classy T.G. Jones and Tommy Lawton won the Football League Championship again. Lawton scored 34 goals in this season at the age of 19. Sadly the outbreak of World War II interrupted the careers of this team for six years which otherwise might have dominated for several years.

Related Topics:
Joe Mercer - T.G. Jones - Tommy Lawton - Football League Championship - World War II

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