Simon Jordan and Martin Keown clash over Farhad Moshiri decision at Everton live on talkSPORT
Simon Jordan clashed with Martin Keown live on talkSPORT branding Farhad Moshiri’s decision to appoint Carlo Ancelotti as Everton manager back in 2019 as “appalling”.
The Italian manager enjoyed a rather successful tenure at Goodison Park where he was manager between 2019 and 2021, winning 31 of his 67 games in charge, before leaving to rejoin Real Madrid.
And speaking live on talkSPORT [29 May, 8m:40sec] after Everton secured their Premier League safety on Sunday [28 May] after a 1-0 win over Bournemouth, presenter Sam Matterface made reference to Moshiri’s decision to appoint Ancelotti which brought criticism from Jordan.
Jordan said: “The Evertonians have had difficulty with the style of football whichever manager it’s been.
“They got fed up with the tippy-tappy brand of football that Roberto Martinez brought, they didn’t much like Marco Silva for a period of time, and they certainly didn’t like Sam Allardyce.
Matterface responded by saying: “They loved Ancelotti, though!”
However, Jordan let it rip over Moshiri’s decision to appoint the Italian, he said: “They loved Ancelotti for five minutes, he was an appalling appointment.”
Keown then argued: “But they were fifth in the table at some point, the best start to a Premier League season in years.”
Jordan then said: It was an appalling appointment for the long-term stability of the club because he was never going to be there for any period of time and if you look at the players he brought in, that consequently cost Everton a lot of money and they found difficulty getting out.”
“It was the wrong appointment, it was a Hollywood appointment, an owner caught in the headlights of seeing a stellar name and he only went because they would pay him more money!”
Some truth
Ancelotti’s appointment at Goodison Park certainly was a Hollywood appointment by Moshiri back in 2019, and there are certainly some truth to Jordan’s comments regarding the future stability of Everton.
The Italian manager was certainly never going to be on Merseyside for the long haul and when looking at things in hindsight, Everton have indeed suffered as a result.
Fans have been incredibly expectant since then, desiring the kind of football that Ancelotti instilled despite knowing he was always going to choose Real Madrid had they come calling again, in which they did and he dutifully accepted, leaving Everton in a sorry state of flux.
More crucially, the signings they made back then were absolutely disastrous which has certainly contributed to the club’s two seasons of relegation fodder.
Something has certainly got to change at Goodison Park, and it seems as though the appointment of Sean Dyche can certainly bring the long-term stability that Everton is looking for after he masterfully guided the club to safety.
However, the former Burnley boss has to be backed if he is to fully transform the club’s fortunes. Given Moshiri’s continued incompetence at the helm, and the uncertainty surrounding a potential takeover, that doesn’t look any bit guaranteed right now.