If there’s one man that typifies the fighting spirit and determination required to keep a team out of relegation trouble, it’s Sean Dyche at Everton.
The former Burnley manager is completely authentic, doesn’t talk in riddles to the press, seems to have a simple enough formula for winning games and is only interested in getting the best out of the players who he manages.
It’s a modus operandi that might seem a little too simple and dated for some, who perhaps prefer to tie everyone up in knots whilst poring over data sets and the like.
As the great Johan Cruyff once remarked; ‘Playing football is very simple, but playing simple football is the hardest thing there is.’
Sean Dyche has it all to do at Everton
Where Dyche wins in the modern game is that he appears to keep things as simple as possible, with no need to overcomplicate things.
Under normal circumstances, he’d surely be overseeing a team that are at least comfortably sat in mid-table, or perhaps even challenging for Europe.
Unfortunately, the way that Farhad Moshiri and the late Bill Kenwright have run Everton football club means that Dyche’s only concern at the moment is trying to keep the Toffees in the English top-flight for another season.
“I like Sean Dyche. No nonsense, organises teams well with the aim of competing within a budget, is a modern day hybrid of Sam Allardyce and Harry Redknapp, both of whom, at their best could put out teams that didn’t just scrap and fight and show classic English attributes, but in Allardyce’s Bolton and Redknapp’s Spurs, they could play too,” Stan Collymore said to CaughtOffside for his exclusive column.
“Likewise, Dyche at Burnley where his Clarets side were criminally underrated at times.
“Everton are a mess on and off the pitch – mostly off – and I do wonder whether even Dyche’s famous enthusiasm and ‘never say die’ attitude will come up short as one of England’s great clubs has sadly become a basket case.
“That’s mostly been down to Moshiri and the late Bill Kenwright. As someone said the other day of the late chairman; “a great Evertonian but a poor chairman.”
“I think what Everton were left with on the pitch when Dyche walked in were waifs and strays, some were bought over the odds, some are ageing, some have to be wrapped in cotton wool 80% of the time, and eventually it will tell. I fear that time is now.
“Do I think Dyche should stay? Yes, under normal circumstances I believe he could build phase one of a new Everton as they walk into their new stadium, but with points deductions ongoing, scratching for form and not being able to rely on key players I do fear for him.
“One thing is for certain, should he go, Everton won’t be needing a great coach who plays like a Pep or even an Emery. They need a club builder, a force of nature to follow and dare I say, a bit of a miracle worker.”
Whether or not Everton do end up dropping through the trap door to the Championship, it will be interesting to see whether Dyche feels it’s worthwhile carrying on at the club.
The new stadium does present a new dawn of opportunity for the club, but it’s true that it needs to be run in an entirely different manner moving forward if they are to become the once great club that they were.
Howard Kendall’s great team of the 1980s are light years away from what Everton fans are watching at present, and it’ll take a huge leap of faith to get anywhere close to those halcyon days.