Everton

It has been a dramatic week for Everton Football Club, with exits and arrivals in the backroom staff. It all started a few hours before the Toffees FA Cup third-round tie against Peterborough when the Merseyside giants sacked manager Sean Dyche.

It wasn’t the way the owners wanted it

Roll of the Dyche

The sacking of Sean Dyche was not a surprise, but the timing of it was, just a few hours before Peterborough. However, the Everton owners the Friedkin Group’s hand was forced not just by results but also Dyche’s reported attitude towards the job.

The owners reportedly wanted to keep Dyche in his position until the end of the season and then appoint a long-term project manager in the summer.

This idea made sense, as it was short-term pain watching Dyche’s industrial football until the end of the season for long-term gain, with 12 players out of contract in the summer.

Reports from the Guardian suggested that the Everton owners spoke to Dyche early in the week in an attempt to see how they could help the former Burnley boss improve results in the Premier League. However, they felt like the boss had given up and that he basically told them that he had taken the team as far as he could.

Judging by the nature of the timing of Dyche’s departure, his attitude made his position as Toffees boss untenable. The situation left the club’s owners in an unfortunate position.

Dyche had done a highly respectable job in his first few years in charge. He had to deal with a club lacking in leadership and the ownership in limbo, with former owner Farhad Moshiri looking to sell the club. He almost became the figurehead of the club during that limbo.

The former Burnley chief also had to help guide the team through two points deductions. This season, the team started the campaign in poor form, and at times, the strain seemed to get to Sean Dyche.

He often looked lost on the sidelines, which may explain the reports that Dyche told the club owners he had taken the team as far as he could.

It may have ended badly for Sean Dyche at Everton. The Toffees didn’t thank the former Burnley boss in the club statement to confirm his exit. This is likely due to Dyche’s alleged refusal to resign from his post in order to be paid for the rest of his contract.

David Moyes is the new old man at Everton

With Everton looking set to be involved in another relegation dogfight, the owners needed to act quickly to bring in a new manager. The decision to appoint former club stalwart David Moyes seems to be a ‘Safe Hands’ appointment.

Moyes previously spent 11 mostly successful years at Everton from 2002 until 2013. During that time, he became an icon before an ill-fated switch to Manchester United.

 

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The Merseyside club’s owners had to consider PSR when making their decision. This meant that they couldn’t afford to hire a manager who was under contract elsewhere, as they would have to compensate the other club.

Compensation for a new coaching staff would drain the club’s coffers, which are desperately needed to strengthen the playing staff. With the Toffees squad threadbare and the team struggling, fresh additions in the January window could well be a season-changer.

Different to Sean Dyche

As previously stated, David Moyes is a ‘safe hands’ appointment. He is a solid manager who will get back to basics. However, as proven by their performances over the last seasons, the Everton squad isn’t overflowing with quality.

The team produced some decent performances towards the end of last season. However, a more back-to-basics approach would benefit the squad.

Sean Dyche was a manager who focused on the basics and foundations. Although Moyes is considered as just as much of a pragmatist when it comes to playing style, the Scottish boss has created teams that have played some excellent football in his managerial career.

In his first spell on Merseyside, Moyes was heavily involved in player recruitment. He brought in Mikel Arteta and Steven Pienaar, among other skilled players, who helped the team play a better style of football.

When he first arrived at Everton, the team was at a similar low ebb as the current situation, in a relegation battle. Gradually, he turned things around and took the Toffees to their highest Premier League finish of fourth place, and more often than not, finished in the top half of the table during his first spell with the club.

Moyes is maybe the manager Everton needs

For many, he is the best Everton manager of the Premier League era. His 11 years with the Toffees brought hope back to a club that had struggled to recapture the glory of the 1980s.

It would be a massive surprise if Everton suffered relegation under David Moyes. The Scot is a highly experienced manager who has helped both the Toffees and West Ham through relegation battles.

Moyes has also guided Everton and West Ham to European spots, with the latter winning the UEFA Conference League.

Some Everton fans are concerned about the nature of Moyes’s departure from their club the first time around and how he behaved towards the club during his early days at United. They also worry that the Scottish boss’s appointment has caused the club to go backwards rather than forward.

Understandably, the long-suffering Evertonians want the club and team to move forward. However, at the moment, the stability that David Moyes brings is likely what the team needs, even if he is not the manager that some Everton fans wanted.