Michael Ball insists ‘shambolic’ Everton board deserved to be relegated from Premier League
Everton hero Michael Ball has delivered a savage verdict on Farhad Moshiri and the board with his verdict that they “deserved to be relegated”, as reported by the Liverpool Echo.
Ball distinguished those figures from the club overall, as well as the fans, as he reflected on his own experiences of the dramatic events on the last day of the Premier League season, but he said that the relief now turns to anger.
He also praised the leadership of manager Sean Dyche who called for celebrations of avoiding relegation to be toned down.
In his typical robust manner, Ball delivered a strong verdict on the current situation at the club.
“All things considered, the relief of Sunday now turns to anger,” he said.
“I thought Dyche hit the nail on the head in his post-match interview about this being a moment that shouldn’t be over-celebrated as there has to be standards at our club.
“I am hoping we can start seeing a bit more positivity in the coming weeks, but it comes down to whether we can we learn from past mistakes. We have been erratic in our spending in the past and people took advantage of the owner in the transfer market.
“The board and the owner deserve to be relegated, the club and the fans do not. Until there are changes at the top, I don’t think the fans will be fully behind the club. Whether that’s investment or a takeover, we want decisions to be made early.
“The football club has been run in a shambolic way and the only way forward is a total reset. The aim is to reunite the board and the fans. How they go about that is up to them.”
Ring the changes
Everton needs to seize this chance to build momentum, given what lies ahead.
Fresh funds and ideas are due to come into the club very soon, with changes to the board fully expected as part of the shake-up.
The current custodians know that their time is up and given that they haven’t been to Goodison since January, there is no way back for them. The relief of avoiding relegation is not a signal that things are back to normal, far from it.
The crucial victory on Sunday has to act as a signpost for the changes that need to happen off the pitch, in order to give Dyche the tools required to deliver proper progress on the pitch.
He was spot on, as backed by Ball, to shut down talk of celebrating a fourth-from-bottom place finish in the table.
It is those standards and expectations that will see Everton rise, once again.