‘Things have got to change’ – Sean Dyche calls for refocus as Everton stay up

LONDON – After overseeing Everton’s win against Bournemouth that prolonged the club’s 69-season English top-flight stay, manager Sean Dyche said the final day of the season was horrible and the Merseyside club must refocus to oversee lasting change.

The nine-time top-division champions needed Abdoulaye Doucoure’s second-half goal on Sunday to earn a 1-0 victory that kept Everton in the Premier League by two points.

It is the second season in a row that Everton have preserved their top-tier status by the skin of their teeth, and Dyche predicted a long, hard path for the club if they are to ensure they do not end up in the same predicament next term.

“Horrible day for all concerned apart from getting the job done,” he said. “This was the main job. We had to get it sorted out and over the line. That was the key focus. Now we must refocus on the rest of it.

“The underlying bigger news since me being here has been negative, so it’s been difficult to do that but the overriding feeling is we shouldn’t be here. Enjoy it but things have got to change. This was a big step to make sure we secure it.

“Work on next season started the day I got here. Don’t think this is an easy fix. There is massive work to be done.

“It’s a big club but it’s not currently at the top end of the market... we’re not performing like a big club. It’s been like this for two seasons now. This is a bigger project.”

That Everton again clung to their place in the elite by the quick of their fingernails should, really, have been cause for celebration. There were fans on the field within a couple of seconds of the final whistle, ignoring the increasingly desperate pleas of the voice on the public address system.

Relief, though, is not the same as joy.

The ownership of Farhad Moshiri has reduced Everton to days like these – ones filled with fear and jeopardy and dread – with ever-increasing regularity. But more damning, and more urgent, is that the club have been managed so poorly that this game, this win, may be nothing but a stay of execution.

In March, the Premier League charged Everton with failing to comply with its catchily titled Profit and Sustainability rules, the regulations formerly known as Financial Fair Play. From 2018 to 2021, the club recorded losses of almost US$460 million (S$621.7 million), three times more than the amount permitted under the league’s protocols.

The case is, slowly, making its way through the league’s labyrinthine quasi-judicial system. 

In the end, Everton’s punishment might extend beyond being forced to pay compensation to Leeds United, Leicester City and Southampton, the three teams relegated this season. They could face a points penalty next season. They may even have one retrospectively imposed on this campaign. For now, Everton have avoided relegation. But only as things stand.

Dyche also highlighted how light his squad is, in terms of depth, but is not anticipating having lots of money to spend to rectify that problem this close season.

“I know the industry,” the 51-year-old added. “I’ve been in football all my life so I know what I’m doing. This is going to be a work in progress, and I think Everton fans understand that.

“We’ve got to recruit wisely and recruit players who understand this club. I’ve learnt that. We need that mixture of a heartbeat and talent.

“There has to be a reality as we’re not going to get that (a summer war chest) as we’re building a beautiful new stadium. The heartbeat of the football club is needed. It’s beating a little bit stronger.” REUTERS, NYTIMES