Everton real points total and new stadium milestone among quiet positives emerging

This is another tough season for Everton supporters.

Off the pitch instability has continued to dog the club, turning fans into part-time football finance specialists and sporting legal experts amid a controversial and protracted takeover attempt, an unprecedented points deduction, and the fear of a further sanction to come.

The club could end up in a third consecutive relegation battle as a season of progress on the pitch threatens to be undermined by continued issues off it. Recent displays have been a source of frustration with the club struggling to help itself by failing to exploit opportunities to pull away from trouble.

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Amid the understandable concern for what may be to come, there are positives that can be taken from the season so far, however. With Everton one week into a three week fixture break - and after seven days in which potential relegation rivals have failed to capitalise on their own chances to heap pressure on the Blues - the ECHO attempts to reflect on some points that may be easy to miss when assessing the campaign so far.

The remarkable rise of Jarrad Branthwaite

One of the biggest positives of the season is one of the hardest to miss. At 6ft 4 inches tall, Jarrad Branthwaite towers over most. His performances have also been impossible to overlook in a breakthrough season that should be a source of pride for Everton and those associated with the club. Branthwaite may not be a true academy product having moved to Merseyside in his late teens, but the extent of his development and the pace at which