Frank Lampard slams mindset at Everton as club were ‘consigned to relegation’
Former Everton boss Frank Lampard has slammed the mindset at Goodison Park during his tenure, claiming staff at the club were already consigned to relegation before a game had been played.
Lampard shared what he describes as a desperation among staff, and blamed that mindset for the continued struggles at Everton despite his best efforts to change the way people were looking at their survival chances.
With the club looking likely to face yet another relegation battle this season, it would be hard to suggest that mindset had changed, with a critical view surrounding the club.
Speaking live on Sky Sports Monday Night Football on 2 October, Lampard shared: “The amount of Everton fans who work behind the scenes, the kit men, the people there – everybody there is Everton. It’s almost like there is a good and a bad to that.
“The great is that they live it and they love it and they are so desperate for the club because they feel it. But there was also that thing where they were like ‘Oh we’ve been here before, this is going to be a tough season’, you know that cynicism sometimes. I do it as a fan.
“I was surprised by the degree of that, I’m not talking about the fans, but I was surprised by the degree of being consigned to relegation.
“It was a desperation almost running throughout the club. That was the thing I felt I had to try and change the most. I had quite a few meetings with players and staff where I said we have got to lose this.”
The mindset breeds negativity
If people in the backroom staff, no matter how small their role or inconsequential their opinion may be, are going into the season with the mentality that the club could go down, then that mindset will inevitably spread throughout the club.
It’s crucial to have everybody on the same page and pulling in the same direction, and while there may be a sense of realism in admitting they’re going to struggle, it will do nothing to help the situation.
Clubs have been seen in the past to face continued struggles with relegation until one day they drop, and the mindset of all around the club plays a significant part in that. Sunderland would be the most well-recognised example, where the people behind the scenes did not share the mentality that they would survive.
If Eveton are to continue their push for Premier League survival, they need to believe it’s possible. There is no doubt that Sean Dyche and his players will believe it, so the rest of the club needs to get on board.
In other Everton news, a fan representative has shared “game-changer” news after 777 talks.