Harry Redknapp drops Everton relegation verdict after what he saw live

Harry Redknapp says he backs Sean Dyche at Everton although they are in a very real relegation battle this season.

The Blues boss has come under criticism of late with pressure mounting as the Friedkin Group line-up their succession plan at Goodison Park.

Sitting just a point above the relegation zone, there is absolutely no doubt that serious improvement is required from the Toffees in the second half of the season.

Redknapp feels sympathy for Dyche but said having seen them live he thinks they are lacking quality in several areas.

He said live on talkSPORT (9 January, 8:16am): "I'm a big Sean Dyche fan, I like Sean and he's, again, I watched them last week I went to the game at Bournemouth and no disrespect, they're an average team.

"Very, very average group of players that any, no manager would go in there and turn them into world beaters. You looked and thought 'oh my God' they are so short in so many areas.

"They are a team that are in a relegation battle, make no mistakes about it because you see Ipswich play, Ipswich have done fantastic."

Sean Dyche needs to improve at Everton immediately

There does have to be a level of sympathy for Dyche as he has been impacted by events off the pitch which has certainly made his job at Goodison Park difficult.

However, things are not good enough this term and if the Toffees aren't careful, they will soon find themselves dragged down into the relegation spots, especially with Wolves and Ipswich looking like they can step it up.

On the other hand, the Blues look like they have no chance of scoring in many games and it's a hard task to gain enough points by only drawing games.

West Ham replacing Julen Lopetegui with Graham Potter has seemingly given TFG something to think about but given the 49-year-old has been appointed at the London Stadium despite reportedly having spoken to the Toffees [Rob Dorsett, 9 January] means there's no need for a rash decision on the blue half of Merseyside.

Nevertheless, if Dyche's side continues to get pulled the wrong way in the table, it would not be surprising to see a change made with Gareth Southgate also named as a prospect [Everton.news, 8 January].

In other Everton news, an update has emerged on who will be the next CEO with The Friedkin Group making moves.

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