The Blue Frontier crew take the opportunity at at the international break to do a league-wide pulse check after 7 matches played: revisiting their preseason predictions and dissecting how every club’s story is unfolding so far.

Everything is on the table here (no pun intended): Fulham’s “they are who we thought they were” midtable solidity, Burnley’s relegation-zone scrappiness, and the heavyweights battling at the top of the league. James, Ryan, and Shan trace which sides are over and under-performing their xG, who’s riding luck, and who’s quietly legit. Arsenal’s control, City’s fragility, and Liverpool’s regression all get the microscope treatment, as well as surprise packages like Bournemouth and Spurs under Thomas Frank.

Data, balanced debate, and the usual dry humor on clubs that “cracked the code” only to immediately forget it. Whether you’re an Evertonian keeping tabs on the wider Premier League or a neutral who likes tactics and data, this episode delivers analysis that turns table-watching into insight.

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Everton’s unbeaten home record stayed intact with a 1–1 draw against West Ham, but the performance left plenty to unpack. Michael Keane’s towering header gave the Toffees an early lead, only for Jared Bowen’s deflected strike to cancel it out and renew the sense of frustration around the Hill Dickinson.

In this episode of The Blue Frontier, James and Ryan dig into the tactical storylines and listener-driven questions that emerged from a flat showing against a side struggling in the league. Why is the right side repeatedly Everton’s weak spot? Is Iliman Ndiaye being wasted out wide? And what does it say that James Garner, industrious as ever, continues to stand out in a midfield that struggles to create for its strikers?

The discussion also touches on Nuno Espírito Santo’s evolving West Ham, Moyes’ ineffective substitutions, and the implications of Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s suspension as Crystal Palace loom on the schedule.

LINKS: https://linktr.ee/thebluefrontier

For the second straight season, Everton crash out of the Carabao Cup in the third round, this time a 2-0 defeat to bottom-placed Wolves at Molineux. James and Ryan pick apart David Moyes’ heavily rotated XI that left fans scratching their heads: Seamus Coleman starting at left back, Dwight McNeil miscast yet again, and summer signings Charly Alcaraz and Tyler Dibling yanked before they could properly settle.

The duo dive into the key turning points: James Garner rattling the bar with Everton’s best chance, Wolves punishing a midfield that never quite clicked, and a defensive unit that looked overly cautious. What does Moyes’ refusal to trust Aznou say about the left-back situation? And did too much rotation kill a cup run before it even started?

With listener comments spotlighting frustration over effort levels and tactical rigidity, this episode weighs the fallout for squad players who failed to impress. Plus: standout performers (spoiler: Garner again), the curious case of McNeil, and what this loss means ahead of West Ham and a tricky Premier League stretch.

LINKS: https://linktr.ee/thebluefrontier

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The latest Merseyside Derby at Anfield ended in familiar fashion for Everton: a 2–1 defeat to Liverpool. Ryan Gravenberch’s early volley and Hugo Ékitike’s close-range finish punished a stretched Everton midfield, leaving Jordan Pickford exposed. Yet Idrissa Gana Gueye’s thunderous strike after halftime briefly tilted the momentum, reminding the away end that the Blues still had fight.

James, Ryan, and Shan break down where David Moyes’ game plan faltered in the first half, before tweaks at the break enabled the Blues to grab a foothold in the game. They also debate the Beto vs. Thierno Barry discourse, Grealish’s bruising duel with Conor Bradley, and why Iliman Ndiaye remains underutilized on the right.

The crew examine key stats (Liverpool 0.94 xG to Everton’s 0.6, nine Everton shots but just two on target) and the wider Premier League picture: Everton look more competitive than in recent years, but Moyes’ in-game management again drew scrutiny. With Wolves in the cup and West Ham ahead, can Everton write this off and keep picking up points?

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Everton’s winless run against Aston Villa in the Premier League stretched to 13, as the Toffees settled for a 0–0 draw at Hill Dickinson Stadium.

On paper it looked like a stalemate, but the match itself told a different story: 20 shots, 46 touches in Villa’s box, and over 2 expected goals: evidence of a side creating plenty, just not finishing it. Emi Martínez, inevitably, played spoiler with another standout display.

On this episode of The Blue Frontier, James, Shan, and Ryan break down the fine margins. Beto’s chaotic afternoon, Michael Keane’s unexpected threat at set pieces, and Iliman Ndiaye's awkward fit on the right all come under the microscope. There’s praise for James Garner’s resilience out of position, cautious optimism around Merlin Röhl’s full debut, and frustration at David Moyes’ conservative substitutions.

With Villa undermanned yet still unbeaten in the fixture, the crew ask: was this two points dropped, or proof that Everton are steadily climbing? And with the Merseyside Derby at Anfield looming, the conversation turns to how this deeper, still-unbalanced squad might fare against far sterner opposition.

Links:

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Deadline Day is in the books, and the full TBF trio takes stock of Everton’s summer. James, Ryan, and Shan walk through the full window position by position, testing their own preseason assessments against what actually unfolded. Merlin Röhl’s late arrival from Freiburg, the sale of Youssef Chermiti to Rangers, and the splashy additions of Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Jack Grealish headline the discussion - but so do the gaps left untouched at right back and defensive midfield.

Along the way, the panel weigh Everton’s €120m net spend against squad balance, highlight which misses were blessings in disguise (no Soucek, no Aké), and consider whether patience with Tyler Dibling and other young signings points to a longer-term plan. Listener polls and comments from the Blue Frontier Discord bring fresh perspective on how fans grade the business and where they expect the club to finish.

It’s an audit of Everton’s window: not surprisingly, there are some different grades and viewpoints on how successful the Toffees have been.

LINKS:

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Everton’s August renaissance rolls on. A 2-3 win away at Wolves makes it three straight victories in all competitions. Almost unbelievably, that means as many league wins in August as the previous four years combined. Beto bullied Wolves’ back line for the opener, Iliman Ndiaye leaned into the banter with a wolf-themed celebration, and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall unleashed a bullet on the volley as good as any the Toffees have seen in some time.

But it wasn’t all smooth sailing. Defensive lapses let Hwang Hee-chan and Rodrigo Gomes drag Wolves back into it, exposing Everton’s ongoing right-back and center-back depth issues. Jack Grealish again stole the show: dictating play, winning fouls, and racking up another 2 assists, looking every bit like Everton’s new potential talisman. James Garner’s bite in midfield, Beto’s hold-up play, and the away support also earned high marks.

With Branthwaite’s return looming, Tyler Dibling pushing for minutes, and transfer rumors swirling (yes, Tomas Souček…), the squad balance debate rages on. Shan and James dissect the win, the wobble, and what Moyes’ Everton are becoming.

LINKS:

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