The 2000-01 campaign was a season of deep disappointment and internal turmoil for Everton as The Toffees plummeted into a nervous, drawn-out relegation battle, ultimately finishing a perilous 16th, manager Walter Smith's lowest league finish. The team's survival was hard-fought, secured late on amid a year plagued by long-term injuries and severe financial difficulties that forced the controversial sale of academy product Francis Jeffers. Leading the line with his characteristic power was the veteran Kevin Campbell, whose 9 league goals proved decisive in anchoring the attack. The campaign is also defined by the high-profile, yet ultimately ineffective, arrival of iconic playmaker Paul 'Gazza' Gascoigne, who struggled for form and fitness, cementing a turbulent year that also saw the club suffer a humiliating FA Cup fourth-round exit to local rivals Tranmere Rovers.. The 2001-02 campaign was a tumultuous season of dramatic transition for Everton, as The Toffees ultimately secured a 15th-place finish in the Premier League after a mid-season meltdown. The club began with a flash of false hope, briefly topping the table in August, but a catastrophic run of results plunged them into a desperate relegation battle. This led to the sacking of long-serving manager Walter Smith in March, after a loss in the FA Cup Quarter-Final, and the subsequent arrival of a young David Moyes, who successfully steered the club to safety. Leading the line for goals were the joint top Premier League scorers, veteran Duncan Ferguson and the energetic Tomasz Radzinski, both netting 6 times. The campaign also featured the final appearances for icon Paul Gascoigne, whose cameo appearances often lifted the side, before he departed in March, making it a year defined by upheaval and the successful fight for survival that ushered in a new era at Goodison Park.