Paul Merson drops Everton relegation verdict after what he saw in Premier League last week
Paul Merson believes Everton won’t be in a relegation battle this season because of Sean Dyche and the state of the rest of the division.
The Toffees were beaten by Liverpool at the weekend in the most recent clash, leaving them three points above the relegation zone after six defeats from the opening nine games.
But while writing on his Sky Sports column (25 October), Merson admitted he isn’t worried for their Premier League status because of the man in charge and also how bad some of the other teams have been this season.
“I’m not really worried for Everton anymore because of the teams they are battling to avoid relegation,” he wrote.
“Burnley went to Brentford and were atrocious. Sheffield United can’t seem to win a game. Luton have shown some fight in games like the one at Nottingham Forest and I can see them finding a way out.
“However, Bournemouth can’t win a game. They somehow keep dodging the bullet and it seems like no-one talks about them. They haven’t won a football match yet.
“Everton will be alright because of the manager. He’s Everton’s lifeline. He’s been there and done it before and when it comes to the crunch, he can get results.”
Prepared
Everton have had a rough few years of results in the Premier League when it comes to battling for survival, but this year feels different despite bad results more often than not.
The performances we have seen on the pitch haven’t been that bad and most fans who have been watching regularly will know that we have deserved more for it. There is structure, there is balance and there is skill.
Obviously that can’t be the case for the entire season because it isn’t sustainable, but there is a reason that the fan base isn’t nearly as toxic as it has been in the past and that’s because of the job Dyche is doing.
Plenty of other teams in the division are struggling as badly as us or even worse. But they don’t have the quality in their squads that we have and we have shown that we do know how to win tough games.
In other Everton news, fresh twist for January transfer as release clause emerges.