Everton survived relegation from the Premier League on Sunday with thanks to Abdoulaye Doucoure and a 1-0 win over Bournemouth. The Toffees will now play their 70th consecutive season in the top-flight, and continuing their proud record with an 120th season overall. However, Everton the last two years have been disastrously below par having amassed their two lowest ever points tallies in the previous two seasons.
Dyche has done a supreme job at Everton to keep the club up, with no help from those above having appointed him far too late, in a lot of fans' eyes. Furthermore, with the club clearly lacking a centre-forward presence at the club as Dominic Calvert-Lewin battles with his ongoing injury woes, the toffees were the only club in the Premier League to not sign a single player in the January transfer window - despite the sale of Anthony Gordon to Newcastle for a fee believed to be around £45 million. The lack of signings nearly cost the club their top-flight status, but the players and the manager showed grit and fight to somehow keep the club afloat for another year.
Similarly to last season, there have been scenes at Goodison of immense relief and happiness when the final whistle was blown last weekend. However, once the jubilation settled, many Evertonians saw that it was not a course for celebration anymore and now time to push change through at the club.
Everton have been mismanaged ever since Farhad Moshiri acquired the club in 2016, and if you go before that ever since Bill Kenwright was made chairman years beforehand. Since Moshiri came in, the club have spent over half a billion pounds for acquisitions on the pitch who have proven not to have the quality or the stomach to play for the club, with only a handful of players in that long list proving to be successful.
The mismanagement of the club has also led to a mass turnover of managers since Moshiri took control, as the current boss Sean Dyche is the 8th that the club have had in 7 years, leaving far too many questions on where the club is heading. Ultimately the identity that was established by David Moyes and those before him on and off the pitch has been lost.
The money wasted has ultimately put Everton in financial disarray, with the club currently being investigated over Financial Fair Play breaches. The lack of funds has eventually led to the club having no choice in selling some of their valuable assets in recent years, like Richarlison and Lucas Digne. Which with the money that has been spent, is a disgrace.
As reported by Joe Thomas at The Liverpool Echo, the scenes at following Everton’s comeback win against Crystal Palace last season which kept the Toffees up were hung up at Everton’s training complex Finch Farm. A club with a rich history and with the fourth most league titles in the country has now turned to accepting mediocrity and celebrating failure.
The acceptance of mediocrity starts at the top, not one trophy for the Toffees as their record drought for a trophy will now head into its 29th year since the last trophy success in the 1995 FA Cup. There has in fact only been one cup final appearance since – the 2009 FA Cup Final (2-1 defeat v Chelsea).
Change needs to happen and it needs to happen immediately, and with protests that have been ongoing over the course of the season, it is clear where the fans stand. The board have been non-existent at Goodison Park ever since January, accusing fans of abuse and throwing the match-going fans under the bus and showing cowardice and sycophantic behaviour in doing so.
Kenwright publically made a laughable case about CEO Denise Barrett-Baxendale as the ‘best of the best’ in her role in response to a letter sent by fans demanding change. Almost laughing at fans with their fears over his health and whether he’s fit to lead. Claiming the club have had ‘good times’ are just more examples of the delusion that the board seem to have.
Everton has to change, and if rumours prove right an American investor is coming to Goodison Park but it is now time for the board and owner Farhad Moshiri to come out publically to end this nightmare, resign from their posts and sell up. With rumours of CEO Denise Barrett Baxendale potentially resigning, it is time for them all to come public.
Everton cannot be in this position again.