Zak Anderton

Wed 19 February 2025 10:24, UK

Everton should not forget the work Sean Dyche did at Goodison Park as they look to secure Premier League safety, the Athletic journalist Adam Crafton has said.

Dyche was sacked last month amid a dire run of form but David Moyes’ return to Goodison Park has seen an upturn in results.

Having taken 13 points from a possible 15 over the past five matches, the Toffees have put a 13-point buffer between themselves and the relegation zone.

Crafton hailed the work done by Moyes since returning for a second stint, but was at pains to stress one point in particular about Dyche and Everton’s fight against relegation in recent years.

Crafton adamant Everton would be relegated were it not for Dyche

While many fans and pundits disagreed with the way that Dyche set up his Everton side this season, with a lot of apathy to his negative tactical style, there was an always an acceptance that he had managed his way through an extremely tricky period last term.

The former Burnley boss managed to guide the club through one of its toughest periods in recent memory after they were found to have breached the Premier League’s PSR rules, which resulted in two separate point deductions last season.

In the campaign prior, he oversaw another successful fight against the drop when Everton appeared to be in freefall.

Ultimately, The Friedkin Group have a lot to thank him for and, though things turned sour a little towards the end, he set the foundations for Moyes to build on.

Speaking on the BBC’s Football Daily Podcast in quotes relayed by the BBC Sport website (18 February), Athletic journalist Crafton said: “One of the reasons why David Moyes has been able to do so well is that he inherited a defence that has been will-drilled for years under Sean Dyche, and if it wasn’t for Dyche then Everton would probably be in the Championship,” he said.

“Once they get into that stadium and everything starts to look rosy under the new ownership, they shouldn’t forget the job that he did last season with point deductions, and even this season.”

Everton have surely saved themselves from Premier League relegation

Before Moyes’ return, there was a common consensus that the 2024/25 could be the one that saw Everton drop down to the second tier.

However, thanks to their recent purple patch of form and the belief the players now have in themselves, it feels like they’ve saved themselves from the drop.

Which, a couple of months ago, felt like it was near-impossible to achieve.

Of course, Everton have a lot to thank Moyes for but as Crafton mentioned, the effort that Dyche put in over the last couple of years can’t be forgotten.

Only time will tell what the future holds for Everton but on paper, it’s hard to see how the Merseyside outfit could end up dropping into the drop zone by the end of the term.