Senior Everton board members missing from Everton match v Arsenal in Premier League – BBC Journalist
Not a single senior board member of Everton was present at Goodison Park for Sean Dyche’s first match in charge against Arsenal on Saturday (4 February), according to BBC journalist Shamooon Hafez.
Supporters lined the streets outside Goodison Park prior to kick-off to protest against owner Farhad Moshiri and other board members, including Chairman Bill Kenwright, but they were not present to witness such scenes.
On the pitch, Everton provided fans with an immediate impact under Dyche against the league leaders in a disciplined and courageous display.
Reporting on the live feed for BBC Sport (Saturday 4 February, 12:42), journalist Hafez highlighted that there were a number of empty seats within the director’s box.
He wrote: “It looks like no senior Everton board members are in attendance again.
“There’s five empty seats in the directors’ box here. Could have put those back into the ballot.”
Typical
It will come as no surprise to see the Everton board missing from the first home game of Dyche’s era, and this will damage the relationship with the fans even more.
At the start of a new era, many fans would think the likes of Moshiri and Kenwright would be present to witness Dyche’s side take on the league leaders, but this typifies their lack of clarity in recent months.
After failing to support the English manager in the transfer window and not putting the funds gathered by Anthony Gordon’s sale to use, the senior board members seem to have deserted Dyche at Goodison Park on Saturday.
If they had decided to turn up to the match, they would have witnessed a much-improved Everton side who were disciplined, strong in defence and aggressive in the press. The way they won every second ball got Goodison Park up on their feet and improved the mood that was circulating around the ground prior to kickoff.