Neville Southall issues ‘it could cost us’ Sean Dyche sack decision verdict amid Everton struggles
Everton need to show “patience” with Sean Dyche or it could “cost” the club multiple further managers and players if a change is made now, according to Neville Southall.
The Toffees legend told the Liverpool Echo (22 September) that the manager is trying to overhaul the squad with players who have a “different mentality” and don’t have the same “baggage” of some of those currently at Goodison Park, but it is no “quick fix”.
After one point from a possible 15 to start the season Dyche’s job has been called into question, but at risk of a new boss continuing the hiring and firing cycle Southall is clear in his view that the ex-Burnley manager should be allowed to continue the job, despite complaints about the style of football.
Big Nev said: “You can see what Sean Dyche wants to do and I’ve got no problem with that. He’s getting on with doing stuff but people need to remember it’s never going to be a quick-fix.
“If we don’t show patience now then it could cost us another three managers and another 18 players that nobody else wants when they come in to be the fourth manager. We’ve had some dodgy times but I think we’ll finish halfway up in the league.
“Okay, it doesn’t look massively pretty at the moment, but it’s like people running up a hill with big logs on their back. Every day when you wake up, you’ve got to run up that hill with logs, you lose all your enthusiasm for it.
“Once you start bringing people in who can help you carry that log up the hill, it becomes easier. What Dyche is trying to do is bring people in with a different mentality to break the old mentality.
“Then we can change things from, ‘oh we’ve let a goal in, we may as well pack up and go home’, Instead you get, ‘okay, we’ve let a goal in but let’s still go and win the game’.”
Southall did admit it is financially a struggle, saying: “It’s tough when the money situation is up in the air. However, Dyche has just got to focus on what he can deal with.”
He went on: “People say that’s just an excuse for playing s*** football. Everybody knows when they’re having a bad time when things go against them and it’s really difficult to fight your way back.
“These players, when they go a goal down, while they don’t give up, mentally it’s a lot for them. There have been two consecutive relegation battles with all that mental and physical stress on them but then on the third season, you’re expecting them to be world-beaters – it ain’t going to happen.”
Valid
Southall is certainly right that the endless overhaul of managers at Everton has done nothing for stability, and another change would risk more chaos.
But even Dyche would struggle to argue that he is delivering enough currently so he isn’t immune to questions being asked about his job.
He can certainly argue that he is in a pretty impossible position at a club beset by upheaval and struggling financially, and he did as much last weekend.
But since he is the third manager in the past two years at Goodison Park and the struggles have continued regardless it does make clear the problems run deeper than him.
Frank Lampard kept the club up when Rafael Benitez’s side appeared to be heading only one way, and then Dyche did the same a year later, but the league table is already looking concerning this season.
At this stage however it is difficult to see any coach with better credentials agreeing to take the job, and with the takeover going on in the background there are doubts as to whether a change in the dug out is even possible currently.
So Dyche seems likely to get the chance to turn things around after a rough start to the campaign, and he is going to need to do so pretty quickly.
In other Everton news, 777’s input has emerged amid reports of a “leadership vacuum” at Goodison Park.