Everton have to be one of the most frustrating clubs in the England Premier League. They claim to have ambitions to break into the Top 4 but we keep seeing bad decisions being made and no clear plan of how to achieve this.
Hopes Quickly Faded
So far this season Everton fans have had to endure an early summer full of hope as many new signings came into the club, which then faded quickly as they realised a replacement for Romelu Lukaku wasn't going to happen even though it should have been Everton's number one priority.
What also never happened was recruiting cover for Leighton Baines, who has been a great player for Everton over the years but at 32 he's not the player he was 5 years ago and is likely to be on the decline. As well as not recruiting cover for the central defensive positions, with regulars Phil Jagielka at 35 and Ashley Williams at 33 also on the decline.
Instead Toffees fans have been hit hard by the realisation that the early recruitment and tactical plan seemed to be to try and play a number 10 in as many positions as possible, with big money signings Gylfi Sigurdsson (£45 million) and Davy Klaassen (£23 million) being squeezed in around Wayne Rooney. With the only width coming from their fullbacks, as natural wingers were seen as surplus to requirements, leading to a lack of pace and goal threat up front, which has been shown by their inability to score goals on a regular basis.
Since their dreadful start of 2 wins, 2 draws, and 5 losses, the last loss being a 5-2 hammering by arsenal, Ronald Koeman has been rightfully sacked. However can he be fully to blame for the poor recruitment strategy or should Director of Football Steve Walsh take responsibility? This is something we will probably never find out.
What do Everton Need?
So now on to finding a suitable replacement to Lead Everton out of trouble and back into the position of fighting to become one of the leagues forces. For me this is another area of frustration as the most likely candidates look to be capable of getting the team out of trouble, however do they have the qualities to take them to the next level? I have my doubts.
Before we look at the candidates, lets focus on what needs to be addressed with the team. We all now know about the lack of natural width, the abundance of number 10's being played out of position, and an ageing defensive line, however what Everton need more than anything in my opinion is a change of mentality.
If you want to break into the top 4, you have to believe you can beat teams in the top 4, and Everton for so many years have approached games against top 4 teams with a mentality of survival rather than trying to get the 3 points. Now I'm not saying they should be defensively irresponsible, however if you take the "park the bus" approach too often, it becomes an in-built mentality which will effect how positively the team approaches games they should be winning on paper. Therefore, what Everton need now is a manager with a winning mentality and a positive approach, not someone who specialises in survival, unless it's to do a short-term job.
The Candidates
Currently the favourites for the vacant managerial position are Sam Allardyce and Sean Dyche.
I have no doubt Sam Allardyce would be able to secure Everton's safety this season, he makes teams defensively well organized and very difficult to beat and would do the same with Everton. My concern comes after they have secured safety, what then? Is he the man to lead them into the top 4? Personally I'm not convinced, but as a short-term fix, he would be very suitable.
Sean Dyche on the other hand definitely wouldn't be looking to be a short-term fix, but can he deliver what Everton need long term? His current team Burnley are also defensively strong, and that approach would likely see Everton comfortably avoid relegation, but will they then go on to achieve any more than they did under Moyes, Martinez, and Koeman? Once again I'm not convinced. Is a manager whose team regularly has less shots and possession than the opposition going to push for a top 4 spot? And will he be able to attract the quality of player they hope to bring to the club?
Playing it safe?
So why don't Everton appear to be looking for a big name, someone who might transform the way they play, into a strong attacking force that dominate possession, and aggressively press and harry the opposition into mistakes? After all, this seems to be the approach that's having the most success these days. My answer to that is simple, I don't know.
There are some interesting and quality options out there in the likes of Thomas Tuchel, Marco Silva, Nuno Espirito Santo, Paulo Fonseca, and even Brendan Rodgers if the fans can look beyond his Liverpool past. Surely any of those names would be a better long-term option, but the chances of them actually becoming the next Everton manager look incredibly unlikely. Maybe some of them wouldn't be interested in the job, but surely it's worth at least trying to appoint someone who might have that something special that can transform this club. Are these options unlikely because the club lacks ambition, or because they don't rate them compared to Allardyce and Dyche? Only the Everton board knows the answer to that, but either way, it definitely causes a lot of frustration amongst Everton fans.
Photo by: Ben Sutherland
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