One phrase uttered by an Everton powerbroker earlier this month pops into mind every time one thinks of the negativity stinking out the club.
‘I just hope for one day where it does not rain,’ they said. It was a nod to a quote from legendary Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson.
At Everton, the metaphorical blue skies are as rare as a sunflower in the Sahara. Like a cruel spin-off of hit US show It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia, Everton are It’s Always Gloomy At Finch Farm.
Speaking of television, production companies have missed a trick following the likes of Manchester City, Liverpool and Tottenham for their fly-on-the-wall documentaries. Stick a few cameras in the inner sanctum of Goodison Park and Finch Farm and it would be a box-office hit.
Not that Everton fans would see it that way. They have had enough. Every week brings a new reason for heartache. A phrase Mail Sport has used several times is the ‘crisis carousel’. Wherever they turn, chaos lurks at Everton, and it has become dizzying.
Everton are gripped in dizzying chaos and supporters have had enough of the heartache
The club have suffered four straight Premier League defeats in a dismal start to the season
Four Premier League games, four defeats. An average of 3.25 goals conceded per match, up from 1.34 last season, when they boasted the best defence outside of the top three. Two of those were capitulations from 2-0 up.
They are also out of the Carabao Cup after a shootout defeat by promoted Southampton. It is worth saying that with a hint of luck, the outlook would be different. The Toffees played well against Bournemouth before blowing a 2-0 lead in dramatic fashion at the death.
To put that in perspective, there have been 4,212 instances in the Premier League of a side leading by two goals in the 87th minute. Only once has the team in front contrived to lose.
So Everton could well have won six points, but football is not played in a hypothetical sense and this is the cold reality. Everton are bottom of the Premier League and fast approaching the 30-year anniversary of their last trophy, the 1995 FA Cup.
For three straight seasons now, they have tap-danced on the relegation trapdoor. And despite a feeling inside Finch Farm this summer that the club had turned a corner, better times have not materialised.
It means that after just four Premier League games, we already have a genuine six-pointer in the form of Saturday’s trip to Leicester.
Lose at the King Power Stadium and calls for manager Sean Dyche’s head will be cranked up to a deafening level.
The outlook may be different with a bit of luck but football is not played in a hypothetical sense
They are also out of the Carabao Cup after a shootout defeat by promoted Southampton
Prominent fan site The Toffee Blues asked whether fans still backed the manager and just 14 per cent voted to stick with Dyche, compared to 66 per cent who wanted him sacked.
The manager appeared relaxed in a dark club t-shirt on Thursday as he fielded questions ranging from whether he felt lonely to his legacy at Goodison. A streak of defiance, yes, but in control.
‘I regard (my reign) as a current and ongoing success,’ he said. ‘There have been huge amounts of shifts here. We have brought in tens and tens of millions in fees, we have got tens of millions off the wage bill.
‘Whatever happens next, whether people want me or don’t want me, it is not going to take away the amount of work and effort that has been put in to balance out the situation as best as I can. It is not just me, but I am the one who has to head it up. There are lots of other people.
‘All of the challenges that have come our way… if you said, “Stop, stand still” now, I would still be proud of everything. But the fact is you haven’t said that. Until that moment comes, I will be working my rear off continuing to find a way.
‘I don’t sit here and say I have done my bit, absolutely not. I have maintained that all the way through. There are miles to go. There is not a flick of a switch to solve everything. There are miles to go in the journey of Everton to get it back to where it wants to be and should be.’
Lose against Leicester City and calls for manager Sean Dyche’s head will be cranked up
As for the decision-makers, Mail Sport understands Dyche has the backing of the Goodison Park hierarchy. There is a view inside the club that if they were to sack him, they would just look for a similar type of manager. But how strong is their support?
Some fans would take back David Moyes, many would favour a more progressive coach. The Scotsman is out of work after leaving West Ham and it was noted that he appeared on a podcast with the Liverpool Echo on Thursday, reminiscing over his 11-year reign.
The 61-year-old, or anyone on a shortlist, would not be walking into the same well-run club Moyes departed in 2013. It is now mismanaged and has a stench of mediocrity. Several top managers have tried and failed.
But club insiders insist they are ‘stuck in the mud’ in terms of making any decisions while the takeover saga ticks on. One could write a book on owner Farhad Moshiri’s attempts to sell his stake, such are the twists and turns, but, to be honest, it would make a rather dull read.
To cut a long story short, 777 Partners signed an exclusivity agreement to buy the club a year ago last Sunday, but that plan perished in June. The Friedkin Group pushed forward to be Everton’s saviour, but pulled out at the 11th hour after seeing the club’s finances.
John Textor stepped up and has gone on record saying his deal to buy the club is ’90 per cent done’. It is believed he has already introduced himself to several of Everton’s key figures and it was intriguing that the club signed two players from his other team, Lyon, this summer.
John Textor has gone on record saying his deal to buy the club is now ’90 per cent done’
One could write a book on Farhad Moshiri’s attempts to sell his stake, such are the twists
But while all this looms over the club, they are operating with hands tied behind their backs. If they did want to extend Dyche’s contract, for example, it would be hard to get a green light until a new owner was in place. His deal, for reference, ends in June – if he gets that far.
‘The reality is uncertainty,’ was one phrase used by a club insider. At Finch Farm, they struggle to keep up with the peaks and troughs of the takeover saga. There is too much going on inside the building to be worried about outside noise – the staff are now accustomed to chaos.
Some question if Dyche has lost the dressing room. Most players are still on side, but there are certainly factions in the squad. If he was to lose power, he certainly would not be the first talented manager to do so at Everton.
Players turned on Carlo Ancelotti, who last year won the Champions League and La Liga with Real Madrid. Roberto Martinez and Ronald Koeman, for all their flaws, now manage Portugal and the Netherlands respectively. Even Marco Silva has finished above Everton for two seasons running with Fulham.
Goodison legend Graeme Sharp has not returned to the ground after being warned to stay away by police because he was a member of the board. He is understood to be deeply angry and upset that the fans who once adored him have turned abusive.
Frustration at Dyche stems from his team selection and in-game management. Jake O’Brien, the summer signing from Lyon, is yet to start a league game, despite first-choice defender Jarrad Branthwaite’s injury.
Players turned on Carlo Ancelotti, who last year won the Champions League at Real Madrid
Jarrad Branthwaite is Everton’s most important player but he may not stick around for too long
Dyche has been hamstrung slightly by what people inside the club refer to as ‘hand-in-glove recruitment’.
Director of football Kevin Thelwell knows Rome was not built in a day and could not address every area of need this summer, mainly focusing on adding creativity.
But it means the only fit right back at the club is 39-year-old Ashley Young. He was the butt of a joke this week which read: ‘Bad week for him, first the Government cut his winter heating allowance, then he misses a penalty.’
It is also worth noting Young played in the same Watford team as Dyche two decades ago.
At the other end of the pitch, Dominic Calvert-Lewin – who wanted to leave the club this summer – is relied on too heavily, because back-up Beto is rarely trusted in league games.
Everton are confident of avoiding another Premier League rap for breaching spending rules, but insiders concede that they have become a selling club, with one big-money departure expected each summer.
Reading between the lines, it is hard to imagine Branthwaite sticking around too long. The defender, valued at around £75million, is set to play for the Under 21s on Sunday after returning from injury.
Since the start of last season, Everton have conceded 2.6 goals a game without him compared to 1.3 with him in the team – 0.4 points per game without him, 1.3 with him.
At 22, he is Everton’s most important player, but he is one of just 12 contracted for next season, which proves there is no quick fix at Goodison Park. The Under 21s lost 4-1 to League One Stockport on Tuesday, perhaps highlighting the problem runs a lot deeper than many think.
Dyche has done a respectable job, operating with one hand behind his back and admirably facing up to questions way above his pay grade.
Everton were in a similar situation this time last year and he pulled them clear. But trust is a precious commodity in football.
Dyche has done a respectable job but lose at Leicester and he risks being handed his P45
At Dyche’s press duties eight days ago, the club dished out a statement backing the boss after Textor had publicly discussed his future. On Thursday, there was another sheet of paper – Dyche armed with a note to remind him who was on Everton’s long list of player absentees.
Those scribblings emphasise that the task ahead on Saturday is bigger than it looks. Lose at Leicester and he risks next week’s piece of paper being a P45.
The situation is not beyond hope, but Dyche and Co must show the supporters they can put this right.
