After finishing sixth the previous season, Everton started the new season with much hope and ambitions of qualifying for Europe or winning a major trophy. But the mid-season sale of top scoring winger
Andrei Kanchelskis to
Fiorentina sabotaged Everton's chances of more success, and manager
Joe Royle resigned in March, less than two years after guiding the club to
FA Cup glory. Captain
Dave Watson took over as acting manager and confirmed Everton's survival with a 15th-place finish, before
Howard Kendall returned to
Goodison Park for his third spell as manager. ==Final league table==