Michael Ball slams ’embarrassing’ Everton for framed pictures of relegation survival at Finch Farm
Michael Ball has slammed Everton for the “embarrassing” framed pictures the club hung up at Finch Farm after the relegation survival in 2021/22.
Sean Dyche’s side beat Bournemouth 1-0 on the final day of the season (28 May) to extend the club’s 69-year stay in English football’s top tier, finishing the season two points above the relegation zone.
However, in the aftermath of the survival, news emerged that the club had previously hung up pictures of the 2021/22 survival under Frank Lampard as a moment to be remembered and celebrated.
Writing in his weekly column for the Liverpool Echo, in a piece titled “I don’t know who sanctioned embarrassing Everton picture – it needs tearing down”, Ball vented his frustrations about the club’s lack of ambition.
“What we don’t want to see is staying up this year being viewed as another magnificent achievement, in the way it was perceived in 2021/22,” he said.
“Shortly after Sean Dyche’s appointment, it emerged that framed pictures in the aftermath of our 3-2 win over Crystal Palace had been hung on the walls at Finch Farm.
“I am 100 per cent against that photo being there.
“It was a moment in our history, yes, but for the wrong reasons. When I first saw that, it reminded me of when I visited clubs lower down in the division when playing for Everton or Manchester City in the FA Cup or League Cup. You would go round their ground and see their moment in history, and there’s not a trophy in sight.
“It’s all about a giant-killing, where they have beaten a top side in the cup but haven’t got anything to show for it in the end.”
Lack of ambition
The pictures hung up at Finch Farm show just how far Everton have fallen in the past few years.
When has Goodison Park become a place where you celebrate defeat?
Of course, the initial relief and emotion of the day can be celebrated, but in the long run, this is nowhere near where the football club should be.
The Toffees should be fighting for European football alongside the likes of Newcastle and Aston Villa, but instead, they are languishing perilously close to the relegation zone under an owner who has divided the fanbase and is unwilling to relinquish his control.
The fact that the Goodison Park faithful quickly vented their anger towards those upstairs with chants of ‘sack the board’ mere minutes after the final whistle on Sunday shows the difference in mentality between the fans and the hierarchy.
Change needs to happen fast at Everton this summer, and overhauling the board is the obvious place to start.