Our Lowest Point?

When we had the chance to bring in a new chief executive, I was expecting someone dynamic, someone who had led a major organisation, someone with major marketing connections, that could bring in a leading kit manufacturer, new mega sponsorship deals. Was this another opportunity missed? We've had plenty of new but is the old holding the club back?

We should all be excited now. If it is the lowest point, surely we are due a surge upwards again?

I absolutely love Dunc and I had a tear in my eye on Saturday and a lump in the throat as I recognise the feeling Dunc displayed so perfectly. I have it too. But - it can't mask the mismanagement and apparent lack of a cohesive plan.

There is no correct or wrong way to sack someone because either is bad for the person getting the bullet. We are run miles better at the moment than we used to be, we have just not found THE manager to take us forward yet.

I think we are now on the right road with Dunc. He might not be the one but I believe the next manager should be someone who has a strong affiliation with Everton.

I watched Howard's Way and it's true: our club is special and the winning comes with hard work and endeavour, players fighting as we did against Chelsea. We will never be a Barcelona and we shouldn't want to be, that's not us. Let's keep the managerial position in house keep it going Big Dunc.

We are not the only Club to have struggled getting the right man. Manchester Utd have been in a similar position and have thrown money away on poor choices of Manager and players.

Another half-veiled attack on Bill Kenwright but wrapped in loquacious tones. Thoughtful but spiteful. I think Moshiri has been his own man (Russian backers aside).

Are you one of the many that have been calling for the "backroom deadwood", aka Duncan Ferguson, to be thrown out of the club with Bill Kenwright? Saturday's result may just show that things perceived behind the scenes are not in fact reality.

He's here to build a new ground, sell us on - as per the theory, to 'Some Other fool' and make a pot of money.

Did Bill Kenwright put the idea in his head? More than likely...that's his 'day job' its what he does.
Getting people in (called angels in the trade), seducing them with the 'glamour' of the theatre, of rubbing shoulders with famous...and not so famous, larger than life egomaniac Actors and assorted Luvvies.
With the promise of jam tomorrow if you get a 6 month run at 80% bums on seats.

Moshiri's day job is keeping track of Usmanov's money. He said from day one that Bill was his go to guy on football matters.

The CEO; a former head of soup and blankets for the homeless. Who, while claiming to be a life long Blue, alegedlly, didn't know who Big Nev was and had to have a minder with her, as she'd heard he was a bit 'opinionated'.
She comes across to me (without prejudice) as a bit of a cross between a cougar, who has Bill wrapped round her little finger and Delores Umbrage, who has the rest frightened to death of the sharp end of her tongue.

Our next two directors are Moshiri's russian mini me and an all round football guru.

In a League awash with money we've struggled to put lagging on pipes and on one(?) occasion been on the brink of defaulting on wages.

One CEO, left after 6 weeks. Why?
One has on his CV; a midnight dash to a millionaires yacht in the Med to sign a none disclosure document...what was all that about??

It's no wonder we're in the state we're in.

Surely the club must make a quick announcement and clarify the man at the helm as soon as possible, as soon as possible means this week by the way.

They need to come out and say that either Duncan stays until May on interim basis or we quickly get the new man in on permanent.

The only man for interim is Duncan Ferguson, not David Moyes, not Mark Hughes, not Sam Allardyce.

If we can’t find better between now and then, it’s a no brainer to hand it to Duncan on temporary and see how he fared.

Appointments like Periera for me would be fraught with the same danger as Marco Silva.

Unless there’s something special out there then I’m feeling the same apathy and anxiety about what our board will announce next.

Eddie Howe has been mentioned but defensively I’m really not sure he would be much different than what we’ve had in the last four or so years, yes you can probably see the players also busting a gut for him but at another big financial payout to prise him from Bournemouth is that enough?

If we hand it to Dunc until May then the biggest test he would face is can he get the players playing like that nearly every week?

It’s one game, yes it was unreal the way we played but can they turn it on every week like that?

What’s all forgotten and the players need to have reiterated to them is we are not out of danger down at the bottom and if you aren’t at it then quickly the bottom three beckons.

The next decision that the board make will be the biggest in the clubs recent history.

We can’t keep getting these botched appointments costing us campaign after campaign.

It’s high time Everton Football Club started achieving.

Forget looking at Liverpool or Barcelona, the example I use is Leicester City.

A crop of players working their nuts off every week and evolving every week, that shouldn’t take four years for a manager to get right.

In another thread I noted that, while other too Premier League teams have recently dispensed with their managers, they did so in a decisive manager. In the case of Tottenham, they even had Mourinho lined up and unveiled him mere hours after Pochettino was sacked.

In contrast, Everton had a full day of rolling Sky Sports News coverage describing every movement of they key actors. Indeed it was extremely odd that the players were allowed to leave before 4pm. It beggared belief that Brands left Finch Farm long before Moshiri, Kenwright and Silva. The whole circus rolled on into the early evening with the outcome uncertain.

Moshiri is not a billionaire through sheer luck. He must now realise that the senior management team at Everton needs to be overhauled. Denise Barrett-Baxendale is an exceptional woman who has done wonders with Everton in the Community, but she appears to have little influence over the bigger decisions being made in the boardroom.

Surely now is the time to bring in an experienced, hard nosed CEO with a proven track record of delivering strategy in business. That person would be Moshiri’s person on the ground and bring all elements of the club together. I cannot speak to the effective of Sasha Ryazantsev but he seems to have little involvement in footballing matters. Marcel Brands stock is also falling. At Paul points out, how can there not have been a pre-agreed succession plan for Silva given how clear it has been that his position may become untenable, as it did on Wednesday night? Regardless of which managers are currently available and willing to come to Everton, Brands comes out of this having apparently been sleeping on the job. His position is further diminished by the apparently willingness of Moshiri to overrule his decision to stick with Marco Silva.

Nobody at the club, perhaps bar Duncan Ferguson, comes out of this situation looking good. Now is the time not only to appoint the right manager but also to call an inquest into how the club has ended up looking for its fifth manager in six years. A boardroom reshuffle must be high on the agenda and I would urge shareholders to raise this point at the upcoming AGM.

I'd like to think that the next permanent manager is carefully chosen with proper research. If no one is on the radar then offer to Dunc until end of season. As Jim refers to look at Leicester after making the right appointment and look at Wolves, they have a manager who is head and shoulders above anything Moyes has ever been. Even Newcastle managed to obtain Benitez, so I'd like to see a quality appointment for once, as it's a long time since Joe Royle was appointed.

Everton have always been a premier league team, and I'd like us to behave like one.

Liverpool are going to win the title this season so Everton on and off the pitch need to pull their socks up.

The power lies with the (apparently inept) Moshiri and the (apparently underhanded) Kenwright. We’ve been listing for a long while, and all the money in the world won’t change a toxic or dysfunctional culture in any organisation. As fans we have a right to protest about the poor stewardship of our club, but if the very recent past reminds me of anything, is that the club won’t listen. My wife and I were attacked at Goodison some years back - the perpetrator brought to justice - and yet not only did Everton refuse to refund our season tickets, the ‘Head of Security’ (at the behest of our venerable Chair) phoned to threaten me to not pursue compensation. My dreams of the Everton family died that day, and while I hoped for a new dawn when Moshiri bought a major share, I realised it was only going to provide window dressing for deeper problems.

And yet, even if we get a manager with the right chemistry, without proper governance and footballing reform, history will repeat. Just like before

I'm glad the club is taking a little time to get the next appointment right which they may not necessarily do but had they had someone come in on the day Silva was let go and we lost badly to Chelsea then people would be screaming that they haven't done their due diligence.

Arsenal are taking their time. Are they a shambles? (Hmmm maybe they are?)

It turns out that the Chairman, Bill Kenwright, asked Duncan Ferguson to take charge temporarily for “the Chelsea game” (in Bill’s own words addressing one of the Goodison lounge’s yesterday).

What's the problem with the chairman asking ?

I think you have given a very neutral summary of all that is wrong at Everton in terms of structure, decision making and frankly from the outside, rank poor leadership extending back to the late 1980's. I have written before I am of the view we are at a definitive point in the history of the club - our footballing stock has never been lower, and whether you support, are neutral or offer criticism of Bill Kenwright, this has all happened on his watch, with his consent and history will judge him on that. I will remain neutral except to say that if Bill Kenwright had joined the Board in 1959 instead of Sir John, would we have had what we were lucky enough to see, and going further back, Everton were pioneers of football with greats such as Will Cuff, and Doctor Baxter driving forward change and demanding the club follow its motto. I simply have not seen that happening at Everton for decades, resulting in us being irrelevant to others outside of our own fan base, wallowing around as some form a rival to Wolves, West Ham and others, who no disrespect, have nowhere near the breadth and depth of history attached to Everton Football Club. Such comparisons would never have been made in any other era. Unless we change things, that meandering drift will continue downwards.

The big question is - How do we change it? As Derek reminds us, a number of Chief Executive's (who had standing in the game at the time) left us in strange circumstances. Such activity combined with what we see on an almost weekly basis give the impression of a very dysfunctional board, without any master plan to follow simply reacting to circumstance or pinning hopes on the fact if we throw some more money at it, it might fix it.

Put your last paragraph in a time capsule and dig it up in 10 years for the answer.

Let’s be perfectly honest about Saturday, taking nothing away from Duncan Ferguson, it was a day he will remember for the rest of his life, I don’t begrudge him that, like a lot of Evertonians, I envy him that day and that wonderful feeling, in fact we, the fans, were responsible along with Duncan for that win. To put it in a simple fashion, todays hero is tomorrow’s scapegoat and I wouldn’t want that for Duncan. So who will the new manager be, if it’s possible to get someone to come in on a short term contract I’d have a sensible and underrated man like Chris Houghton with Duncan in his team.

As for the more important post of CEO, that needs looking at, seriously looking at, with Moshiri taking good advice, for once, from someone who knows how football works at the very top and can provide sensible names to consider, Everton is a huge club and needs somebody who knows the workings of such a position, we are not a corner shop or a charity.

I believe that the decision to appoint Ferguson as interim was significant. He was then surrounded by the u23 staff. There was a notable exception. The guy he surely beat to be handed control of the match for.

I have been a big supporter of giving Unsworth a chance. I heard a few concerning things about him before the game on Saturday. Rumours I've heard before, and some I was hearing for the first time. Very concerning if true. I won't repeat them as they are just that, rumours. But if true, Unsworth will be taking a step into management very soon.

The rumours touched on a lot of what Paul the Esk says. And it seems the club is very rotten from top to bottom with lots of people not only holding jobs they should not have, but being extremely well paid for them. I sincerely hope the rumours are not true, and if they are we won't succeed on the pitch, or build the stadium properly, until these people are removed. Everton needs to keep in touch with its roots and its community, but it needs to be run more like the massive business that it is, or at least should be.

On the subject of Ferguson, I expected it. I said so before the game. I expected us to replicate the Watford atmosphere. I expected the switch from toxic to positive to spur the players on to a performance. Go through the squad and they're nearly all £25m+ signings (Pickford, Keane, Digne, Walcott, Schneiderlin, Sigurdsson, Iwobi, Richarlison – that's a team that cost £200m to £250m). There is quality there and, with a change in atmosphere, I thought they would perform. Some of them, Schneiderlin in particular, have a habit of performing at these times as they play for their very future. I also expected the 4-4-2 and Duncan to go British where he could, eg, London boys Iwobi and Walcott played and Calvert-Lewin over Kean.

Duncan Ferguson for his part, has thrown a great big spanner in the corporate works.

Like many of us Farhad Moshiri will be scratching his head right now.

If he achieved this then it would be because we were inevitably in a better position than we are when he bought us.

Perhaps he could ask the previous seller how it's done...

All I can say is that I hope Marcel Brands is able to clear out the whole academy with his departure, and rebuild it properly. Sure, the coaches who are good enough should be retained. But the academy is just one area of the club that is broken right now.

I don't know who made the appointment of Duncan Ferguson to take over for the Chelsea game, but despite my reservations it was exactly the right decision. Now I for some reason don't think it was our majority shareholder or our DOF. Just touching on Brands what has he brought to this football club except another salary to pay. Apart from Digne non of his buys would fetch anything like the money we paid for them. And his judgement is seriously floored if he wanted Silva to be given more time.

So were back to everyday the press speculating about who will be our next boss. Right now if the choice is a man who has spent the last 2 years in China or Ferguson, I will stick with Ferguson till the end of the season. As I think bringing someone in to this club now who has no concept of the Premier league is fraught with danger. I know all clubs seem to get a bounce when there is a change of manager, but what happened on Saturday wasnt just a change of manager, it was a change of culture. Who was the last Everton manager to play 4-4-2, that team on Saturday were given simple instructions and were well motivated. Not tying to make them play out from the back which this squad is incapable of doing. We took no chances and got the ball in their half as quickly as possible and put them under pressure.

Dave, I watch most of the U23 games and the difference in formation (Silva's formation versus the U23's 4-4-2) has always been stark (although recently we've seen the U23s use 3 at the back).

This time, Duncan has been promoted with Ebrell, Kelly, and Jeffers. A short term appointment, unless Duncan goes out and recruits more staff. Say Davie Weir and guys like Steve Round and Chris Woods come back in, then we know Duncan's getting a run at it.

There's no movement. I see six candidates, although there is a rumoured shortlist of four. Pereira, Moyes, Marcelino, Gallardo, Howe, and Jardim. Marcelino has definitely landed in London and this was widely reported. He was only free to negotiate, following his sacking, this weekend. It seems Arsenal are ahead of us in the queue for him, but they might go elsewhere. Gallardo's contract has some sort of break clause this Friday. But I spoke to Argentina based Everton fans on Twitter who poured scorn on this view and said it would be difficult to get him.

I also spoke to a load of Monaco fans on twitter and read what they had to say about him. Basically, he's about to get sacked. Whilst wanting to see the back of Jardim for good reason (long list of complaints including results, tactics, and substitutions) they seemed to be pragmatic and said that a clean break would be good for Jardim too and he might recover what made him one of the best in 2017. One thing to consider is Moshiri lives in Monaco. They are his local team, he must go and watch them. Maybe he hears all the negativity and that's putting him off.

Eddie Howe is too difficult to get in for the weekend, being under contract, so if it was him, then I'd expect to see Duncan getting more staff in and having an interim period.

Moyes was called, asked if he wanted the job, and agreed to take it, only for the fanbase to react badly and he appears to have dropped out of the reckoning remaining only as a failsafe.

Then there is someone high in the betting that is supposedly not in the race. Niko Kovac. He flew into England, went to Goodison, the Manc Derby, one of the games yesterday and will go to see Arsenal tonight. The fact he's watching two clubs without a manager is surely not coincidence? surely, he'd be a fool to come to Goodison without speaking to us and at least getting a freebie out of us, and having a good look at the club. His reputation was not quite shot to pieces by the Bayern sacking, but it's said he can't handle the big clubs with the big players (doesn't bode well for us) but he would surely realise that this would mean he would need to lower his sights to Everton level for his next job.

Vitor Pereira is a surprising one. The story goes that his agent called us, rather than him being on Brands list. Brands will surely have had a list of targets beforehand. So why would he suddenly have his head turned by Pereira. It makes little sense. Listen to Stuart Webber, the Norwich Brands, to hear what the job is and how he has two people lined up in case Farke gets sacked, poached or drops dead. Why would Brands be any different. Link

As long as Everton win we are happy, doesn’t matter how we do it.

Saturday is everything we want.

You don’t score goals passing the ball around the defence with slow slow snail snoozy build up.

Look at the first goal, quick fast, out to Sidibe, no second touch just cross, Richarlison header bang 1-0.

DCL that’s what I’ve been crying out for from him for ages, he didn’t get much service on Saturday but he was a bastard, a horrible bastard to play against and that’s why I’ve criticised him in the past because Saturday shows that you don’t always need great service to get involved in the match, he was a horrible bastard to play against, look at Jamie Vardy, he’s the same at Leicester.

This is the minimum requirement any of our future managers need to force from the players.

Skill over hard work is nothing, hard work is paramount.

Whether we like to admit it or not, getting a man to transform the playing side of a club is as scientific as rolling dice. We just need to ensure we hire a motivator who can get a team "at it" in every game, rather than another morose tactical "genius".

Even from up here, it's clear that the club is run in a dysfunctional way, with vested interests blocking the club's transformation into a properly run large business.

It's down to Moshiri to sort this out, as he must, if his financial & emotional ambitions will bear fruit for him and us.

Before Saturday, there were no viable candidates. No perfect Goldilocks option has emerged since then.

If the appointment was Bill's Idea, he's done Moshiri the biggest favour – he's bought him some time... one game at a time.

I have done quite a bit of research on him and watched a couple of River Plate's games recently, they play attractive flowing football with a steely determination. The timing of his release clause couldn't have come at a better time either.

Should he not be the one, your man Jardim, who I have also done a bit of research into, looks to have the necessary credentials, and his Monaco connection could have some bearing with Moshiri having a modest two-up two down there too. :-)

How long could Duncan, realistically and genuinely reproduce Saturday's transformation? I have never seen them fired up like that before, and players most of us dreaded being in the side, having hitherto been a total disappointment, presented a completely different presence on the pitch.

The answers are largely up in the air, and I hope upon hope that both Duncan is given a couple of more matches to prove either he is the man to take the reins or voluntarily stand aside.

Whatever happens I hope the Board which have proven to be an Executive version of Fred Carno's Circus, there is only Brands who I trust in Football related matters, can take as long as it needs to get it right, one way or the other!

I'd have loved Silva to take a leaf out of Unsworth's book and dispensed with the tedious crud he served up but what do I know, nobody whispers me nothing.

Utd have Solskjær, Carrick and Phelan. Arsenal had Pat Rice and Steve Bould, Chelsea have Lampard and Jody Morris, it's not at all uncommon and these just a few examples. The RS have always had ex players around the club and still do with wotshisname and thingumy in the background (this was a deliberate failing of memory by the way).

We all wondered what Duncan did, and I think DCL said it at the weekend - he praised Ferguson for being around him, and I think you saw his input even more directly with the way in which DCL was way more aggressive at the weekend.

I don't think Duncan will take the job full-time, nor do I think he should (yet). In my view he would be better off taking the Lampard route, trying his hand in say the Championship then if things work out for him, who knows..

Of the list of candidates:
Ferguson - definitely has the character
Pereira - definitely has the character
Kovac - don't know enough about him, but appears he was too weak for Bayern
Moyes - he has the character but not the personality
Howe - seems too nice
Gallardo - unsure, but he's Argentinian
Marcelino - definitely has the character
Arteta - unsure, but he's Basque (very like Scousers) and he knows the club
Benitez - definitely has the character, and survived a difficult period at Liverpool
Dyche - seems similar to Moyes but with a bit more energy in his personality
Jardim - seems far too quite and too nice
Jesus - definitely ticks all the boxes

I really want Jardim, as a coach and a man-manager he's probably the best of the lot. He's also the best player developer. His tactics, and preference for attacking, fast 4-4-2 would go down well with the fans. But he's very quiet and calm. So, maybe he lacks the personality we need right now.

Gallardo I have no idea, but the fact that he's Argentinian and manages in the cauldron of Buenos Aires at River Plate and succeeded tells me he probably has it.

The rest I don't think are actually in the running. Which brings me back to Vitor Pereira. I have reservations about his coaching. I have reservations about his tactics at Porto (possession heavy 4-3-3 albeit with a high press when able to counter attack in Europe). But I'll post again the videos of what he is like as a character:

Link to a Saudi Arabia press conference, now who amongst us would have the balls to do that in a country where punishments for stepping out of line are so harsh?

Google and YouTube will show you lots of videos of him wildly celebrating goals, which made him a hate figure amongst opposition fans (he managed Porto, I support Sporting). Even in Turkey he carried on his wold touchline antics and was a figure who constantly took no shit.

So whilst what he can do on the training pitch might see the likes of me put Pereira to the bottom of the pile, it's his personality that might see him be the best fit if it's a straight choice between him or Jardim or Howe. I'm worried that Jardim gets the job and lets me down like Silva did!!

Any appointment we make will ultimately be a leap of faith... could be the next Poch or the next Silva or maybe something in-between.

Also Peter, please note that before Saturday, I was a big fan of Unsworth and the academy.

But something happened Saturday to turn you off Unsworth?

Don't the Echo hear stories and tittle tattle and decide if they are going to let Evertonians know what it is and sometimes they don't because they don't want to be pushed away by the club for story space?

Well, unless you're connected to the club like the Echo, I don't see the problem telling us what you know about how badly the club is being run.

I'm sorry but quite simply I don't believe that for a second. How would you know that? And also, why would the club do that whilst putting together a list of candidates to assess before then making a decision?

I appreciate your view at times but this matter-of-fact claim is just wild speculation, sorry!

If we got him the ride would be entertaining & full of passion, would love to see him stick one on Klopp lolz. It would either be dynamite or we would implode.

Dave A, I believe someone told you a lot of what I heard repeated from other sources on Saturday last time we met. As this was the first time I heard it, I dismissed it with a pinch of salt, but it's continued and got worse. If you want to meet before the Arsenal game, it's been a while, then I'm happy to do so and have a good old chat about all things Blue.

Daniel, also note that the Suadi video is 5 years ago, and was when Pereira was struggling with his English. His last few jobs, Suadi Arabia, Greece, Turkey, Germany, and China have all required him to communicate solely in English, so I believe he's improved a lot.

We refer to Everton as a "project". Koeman's and Silva's problem was they saw the project as putting the team on the park and winning stuff. That's as maybe but the real work needs to be done at the foundation level and refined as we work up. That takes a special and rare kind of manager, so it may be a while before Dunc gets to take off that rather smart suit. But he will have to get back into his trackies again sooner or later.

For me, that is a questioning of just how Everton operates as a professional organization.

If we focus on that, the prevarication over Marco Silva's position is indicative of what the Esk attempts to lay out.

Even before the Norwich game, the start of yet another mini-slump on Silva's watch, there was a growing disquiet among Everton supporters.

In the wake of that defeat, quite evidently there were high level meetings of the management over several days. And yet, no statement, no declaration, no decision was announced, until a week later via a dour short club interview with Marcel Brands. Basically, it signalled 'as you were, carry on'.

It was further evidence, at least to this Blue, of exactly what Paul writes: confused, shambolic decision making and processes in place, not conducive to running a professional organisation.

The dismissals of Allardyce and Walsh being replaced by Silva and Brands, and the shake up of the boardroom and management team in the summer of 2018, outwardly gave the appearance of Moshiri 'taking charge', of putting in place his preferred personnel to transform Everton into a modern professionally run organisation.

Only, it hasn't quite worked out yet, has it?

There still appears to a management team in situ, exactly as Paul writes, that lack sufficient expertise or experience for their roles, thus increasing the risk to the club and acting as a dead weight to us making progress on several fronts.

One presumes, as Director of Football with a seat on the board, that Brands has a considerable database of potential players he tracks that he regards as possible future Everton players in any given scenario.

I would hope Brands diligently also has a database of potential replacements in any scenario for a key position that answers to him: the first team manager.

If there was no such database or contingency plans, then that is a blatant example of what the Esk presents in his opening post.

Now some respondents to Paul view his comments as little more than Kenwright-bashing. I don't. I think he makes a very valid point that, because somehow BK, with his meagre 5% holding, still holds considerable sway is evidence that Everton remains a club 'chained to a habitual way of doing things.'

I concur with Paul's conclusions: that the club's handling of the Silva situation in the last few weeks are:

'a symptom of weak management and management processes. A weakness of corporate identity, governance and structure. A failure by [Moshiri] to upgrade the running of the club.'

Moshiri, as Paul points out, is nearly 4 years into his time at Everton. The Esk, legitimately IMO, says 'the overall responsibility for the failures of the board and management team collectively and individually ultimately sit with Moshiri.'

Only Moshiri himself can instigate that change.

When will he bite that bullet?

I am not surprised at Paul the Esk's assessment. There must be some good people working at Everton wondering will it ever end? Someone like Duncan who needed the job and had to keep his mouth shut to keep it.

I also think Duncan got the Caretaker Manager's job because no-one else wanted it and he was just doing what he was told to do. There was no expectation that he would perform as he did, or get any result.

Kenwright, but particularly Moshiri and Brands, were shitting themselves over having to appoint a new manager. There has been no preparation and no candidates, just a bunch of agents looking for a Martinez, Koeman or Silva type contract.

Duncan will continue in the role as there is no-one else. The Duncan Saga has begun. Hope he does not plug anyone at Anfield.

As for the Academy, well are you all really surprised?

Personally, I believe we need a manager, not a head coach etc. there are loads of differences but it leaves me wondering as Brands would in all likelihood appoint a coach, is a DoF worth it?

I agree with pretty much every word that Jim Bennings wrote above.

From a personal point of view, I've worshipped Big Dunc since that derby goal in 1994. If he is given the job beyond Saturday, I really hope it doesn't go downhill fast because what happened against Chelsea was one of THE great days as an Evertonian over the past 2 decades and there haven't been too many great memories over that time to cling to. I wouldn't want anything to cloud over what happened last weekend and we still have some daunting fixtures ahead of us. Not for the first time, Big Dunc put some pride back into the Blue fanbase. He couldn't have played it better if he tried. From his press conference, his programme notes, the way he patrolled his technical area. Well played Dunc!

I am concerned by some of the names being linked for a permanent role. The likes of Pereira and the Getafa boss look to be Silva-esque in that they've never really proven they could handle anything as big as the Everton job. I still think it's an unpopular view but I think Benitez could be a good fit for us. I don't want Moyes back, that's for certain.

The thing is, nearly every club in the league has a Director of Football or a Sporting Director (same thing different title) or a Director / Chief Executive who performs the task (in the case of Woodward at Man Utd and Levy at Spurs).

Liverpool have one, a guy called Michael Edwards. So good at his job you never see or hear from him, he just gets stuff done, whereas their first DoF Damian Comolli was the one who attracted all the flak as the koppites queried the role and what he was doing.

Man City have Aitor "Txiki" Begiristain. Raul Sanllehi is Arsenal's. Leicester employ Jon Rudkin as their DoF. Kevin Thelwell does the job for Wolves. I could go on.

Putting it on like this only damages a person's reputation with no substance whatsoever. I could quite happily post that I've heard from an anonymous source that a certain poster has been up to no good. It's reliable, from within the club, the poster in question is facing public execution, but I can't say in case it gets someone into trouble.

Either say what you've heard or keep childish gossip (which is what it amounts to, whether it's true or not) to yourself.

As for the original post – at least it sounds like Kenwright had the balls to make a decision whilst Moshiri and Brands wouldn't.

The reality in world football is that passion, commitment and chemistry among a group of people is the most important thing. Under my logic, if Ferguson is capable of generating commitment, sacrifice and passion, it would be enough for him to be our manager. The master tactician could be the difference only in the last stage of the game, but we are in the first step after the failures of our last 4 managers.

Ferguson gives you something that others do not, he is a fan and he really wants to improve Everton. He still has to learn a lot for sure, but now, if I have to choose between a manager with a similar reputation as our last one and Ferguson, I will go for Ferguson 10 times out of 10.

This maybe this explains why the pre-match press conferences are so dull. For example, we wanted Silva to be asked to justify his tactics and team selections, but what we get are bland questions about when Fabian Delph might be fit.

I agree. Especially with the academy, because other clubs have had these paedophile cases.

What I heard was more to do with how different parts of the club are operating – or rather not operating – properly.

Ironic, isn't it that the man we all love to hate seems to have the knack of picking the right man for the moment. In respect of Moyes, 'the man' lasted 11 years and in so doing did a very reasonable job. Trouble is, I think it will be Moshiri's turn when it comes to a permanent appointment which, on past form, means whoever he picks will be crap!

Yes, and start throwing mud (witness at least one post above already), and some of it sticks.

Best not to say, in effect, "I know something you don't!"

"The team was stacked with overage players."

I think you need to define "stacked" in the context that the rules for PL2 allow up to 3 overage players, plus the goalkeeper, and "overage" means over 23 on a certain date.

I tracked the players used in every game and certainly never got that impression, but I don't intend to do the massive amount of research needed to prove your wild statement wrong, so do me a favour and name the players in any single game where more than two of them were overage.

In any event, what you are saying does a massive disservice to the tremendous achievements by Unsworth and the players in winning the PL2 not once but twice.

Chance???Why not go with it for a while.
Appoint a new man of course but ask him to sit back just offer Duncan his knowledge,support learn the club for a month or two.Let the new manager learn about what it means to play,put a side out at Goodison,hell benifit.Moshiri has never seen Goodison like Sat,maybe he learnt something about his assett.
Go get Keiffer Moore £2 million 6'5" hes off to Euro's.
An aerial option,a No 9 option, he was exellent for Wales.
£2 million,8 weeks wages for some.

Duncan we got by default, ride it.

Take our time.Even if we get a new experienced, progressive manager in.
Duncan genius,Jordan bomb it into their 18 yd box,their third.
Absolute genius?????
So if we are getting killed on the deck,????go route one for half hour.
Batter them, knock em off their perch.

One back pass from Digne from our half way line, he got the biggest bollocking from Pickford.

We gotta play different ways of course.
DCL was playing to his strengths cos the team played to him as two up top, close to eachother.
But Richy is to much of a player, so go get Keiffer to play alongside DCL.

Martina, Niasse and Charsley I think are the only players aged over 23 who this season have played U23. Niasse (and possibly Martina??) the odd game. Charlsey a bit more frequently. The previous couple of seasons would I'm sure show the same.

Did you ever get the feeling Brands over shadowed Silva? I did and the perception was he was not in charge.

But Brands has to revise that whilst Everton need to keep up with modern methods of producing players and better player recruitment, he has to understand the force of personality needed for the role. He has too look at what’s happened under his stewardship.

I don’t want anything resembling the autocratic Moyes, paranoid that any decision taken without him undermined him. FOMO!

Look it’s a very tricky situation, but you cannot have a head coach who the players like but their actions say something different. It felt the players were peers of both Silva and Martinez, too chummy and not enough distance between them. Of course Koeman was too aloof, a complete twat and delegated everything.

There’s a balance, however I feel Brands will only appoint another coach who will love in his shadow.

Maybe the DoF is the right model but we have the wrong man? I hate saying this because Brands should be ideal.

Potentially Brands biggest mistake was not giving Marco more time which is what we’ve read he urged but not telling him he needs to reset and start again or he would lose his job.

Sorry the post is a bit of a maelstrom of thoughts!

I had to say to him afterwards, "That's called real football, son, players fighting with everything they had." He genuinely didn't know what it was for us to play that way. Sad times whatever happens.

Fair play to Big Dunc though after confusing me for 3 / 4 years sitting on the bench saying / doing nothing, he obviously still does give a shit and honestly that was great to see. It's been missing from our once great club for far far too long.

I'm not saying he's the answer but he's shone a light on what actual passion can enable a person to achieve, eg, Tiny Tim, Lee Carsley, Barry Horne, Dave Watson, Peter Reid, Andy Gray, Derrick Mountfield – you get the picture.

Bill, you've done a lot for Everton FC but it's time to exit stage left, in line with your theatre dramatics. Let the football people (Brands etc) run this club now, please.

Guilty as charged of some hyberbole but to be more specific, this is my point. We won the league the first time with the under 23s and our top scorer in the league was Oumar Niasse. A £13 million, 26-year-old international. That's not a case of someone playing the odd game filling in, that is someone who is a critical part of the team's success.

This year, Chelsea currently lead the table and their oldest player is Charlie Brown who just turned 20. In contrast, Charsley who is 23/24 has played 11 times for us so far. Cuco Martina once.

We have four other players who are 20 or 21 whose contracts expire in June, who have never been close to the first team and seem set to leave having failed the grade. Yet, those four have so far played a combined 45 games this season. Everyone of them being older than Chelsea's oldest squad member.

So, returning to my point, are we grooming players for the first team or are we treating the PL2 as an end in itself where winning that with players who'll never get into the first team is more important than giving playing time to players who may one day play first-team football at Goodison?

I don't know what Unsworth's mandate is. Obviously, winning anything is an accomplishment but long-term does success achieved with mediocre >20-year-olds halfway out the door actually help the bigger picture and the first team? I would say, no.

Hardly professional is it?

The problems at the club stem from his desire to keep control of the club and the managers and Brands are not allowed to have their own opinion.

The club is full of Kenwright sycophants.

I think you wildly mischaracterize Niasse's contribution to the 2016-17 PL2 triumph. This is what I wrote in his bio:

"He would go on to play a little for David Unsworth's development side, scoring eight goals in six games and contributing significantly to their Premier League 2 triumph that season. However, before he could savour that relative success, he was shipped off on loan to Hull City and acquitted himself well under Marco Silva but was unable to save them from relegation back to the Championship. "

Delicious irony there re Silva... but loans are a case in point: mostly it's the older players in the U23s who go out on loan, making Unsworth's job all the more difficult. (No I can't prove that contention without again doing a lot of research.) BTW, Niasse played no part in Unsworth's 2nd PL2 triumph.

Which leaves me totally at a loss how to process the heavily veiled bombshells from Steve Ferns and Dave Abrahams on this thread. Come on, lads, have the balls at least to put up what it is you are saying. Nothing is more disingenuous than the ITKs holding those precious little cards pressed hard against their chests, hiding behind this pathetic excuse that they can't pass on what they heard.

If it has been sufficient to affect your judgement of a key Everton figure like Unsworth, why play so coy about it?

@Steve
Whatever the revelation just append "allegedly" to it, post away, and all is well in the world,

I for one am dying to hear the gossip :)

I just thought it was a stretch to say the team was "stacked" with overage players. When you look at the players under 20, and even under 18 (and some as young as 16), then it feels like an age-balanced U23 squad.

All perception / opinion from me, but I think we have been "grooming kids for the first team". Few are ever going to come through, I know. Some have already. And imminent perhaps, Beni, Gordon, Evans. And in a year or so Simms, Hunt. Onyango.

It shows how far we've fallen as a club that the best we can do these days seems to involve stories of discontent in the U23/Academy hierarchy. Bernie the Bolt would turn in his grave (if he was dead - Wikipedia suggests he isn't).

“Ferguson in charge of a game” was fingered as the club finally reaching its “lowest point”? So, that’s a more shameful, depressing, dwelling place than the one the club found themselves dossing down in when the banks nearly pulled the plug, or when a last day win was needed against Wimbledon to avoid relegation, or when Peter Johnson promised we’d be ‘pleasantly surprised’ at the incoming ‘world class’ manager only to see a once great clubs interest used as a negotiating tool by a fucking tv pundit, or when only goal difference sent Bolton down instead of an Everton squad containing John O’Kane, John Oster, Carl Tiler, Mikel Madar, Terry Phelan, John Spencer, Claus Thomsen et al, or the panicked, short-sighted pocket stuffing of Sam bloody Allardyce. Not the circumstances leading up to Ferguson being put in charge, not the tannings that took place prior to the manager being given the boot, not the awkward silence only broken by Brands, or the seeming indecision of the board to pierce exposed back with dagger and definitely, definitely, not the small upturn in ‘squad market value’. Just Duncan Ferguson being ‘in charge for a game’.

It was apparently such a ridiculous bit of reckless risk-taking because “there were no guarantees on Thursday evening that a totally untried, untested manager could deliver such a turn around in such a short period of time in highly pressured circumstances.”

Well, there were no guarantees anyone could step in and turn the ship around straightaway no matter their name, track record, or pedigree, not even if they were that craggy-arsed and experienced in management they were around to formulate the ‘two by two, the elephant and the kangaroo’ formation.

There was, however, almost a cast-iron certainty that seeing Ferguson lead the team out would get the crowd within Goodison, who had this season veered from anger to apathy and back again, firmly onside and pumped up for the fight. That at least gives you somewhere to start, something of a chance and let’s the opposition know its not going to be plain sailing trying to pick up 3 points. (Paul, If you do happen to know the name of a gaffer guaranteed to instantly right things at will in any circumstances...never mind those of the last couple of weeks, then can you get him on the blower and let him know Farhad would be willing to treat him like he was his very own flesh and blood, the fruit of his loins or, if truth be told, perhaps something a little closer to Clyde to his Clint).

We then have the club being simultaneously criticised for leaving an “honourable” man hanging on to learn his fate and for not having a ready-to-plan in place if the time to plonk his arse in the ejector seat ever came to pass. Any ‘plan’, other than pinpointing somebody already part of the club who would knowingly be prepared to step in on a temporary basis, would have surely involved protracted negotiations with outside parties behind the then incumbents back. So it’s fine to be dishonourable as long as doing the dirty doesn’t leave you looking a bit of a dithering dick in the eyes of the dodgy suited shit spewers on Sky’s ‘The Debate’?

You missed out the part of the call where Moyes convinced the board he wasn't a hopelessly out of touch arl has been:

“Ah'm the man who coined that People's Club pish and pioneered the false 9. Captured lightning in a bottle, enough tae power a hoose so the bairns widnae have tae read library books by firefly after 7.30pm

David Moyes has always.... always... always... always... been a progressive manager and age hasnae dulled that!!!”

[With that, the swivel chair comes out as Moyes plonks himself down and proceeds to hammer away at the keyboard of his heavy-duty desktop PC like a man possessed]

“Take it from me, Farhad, modern fitba is awl aboot ‘transitioning'. Transitioning. Ah've already telt the boys, we're going to be binning off the long baws and that awld fashioned inverted Christmas tree shite and setting oor sights on being gender fluid fae now oan...”

The thing with this is why bother then? Greg O'Keefe and co haven't put one quote into any reporting or laid down any evidence for the cause.

This is a fella trying to go his own way and creating a new customer base so he needs some fuel. If he knows the club would ban him for printing the truth then put the quotes in if you are still brave enough to report on it.

These "sources" are known to take money or favours for information. Whether that information is true is anyones guess.

I've been on ToffeeWeb for four years, and have observed a clear pattern in threads and posts:

When we're on a decent run of results, it's all onwards and upwards, we're on our way back to glory, and finally the Board are acting professionally, with a master plan for success.

When we're on a bad run of results, it's disaster, we're fucked, we're on our way to relegation, the Board are incompetent, the manager is shite, the players are shite, there's no plan in place, and Kenwright is a charlatan.

Perhaps the Board know precisely what they're doing. Perhaps they're happy for Everton to be in the Premier League, to maintain the apparent hamster wheel of signing young players with potential, letting their value increase, then selling them at a nice profit, to help the dividends of the shareholders. Perhaps they're not too bothered about winning trophies, because for them it's a business, and they're not passionate Evertonians.

Or perhaps the Board truly don't know what they're doing.

The fact is, surely, none of us know whether the Board are competent or incompetent. But that won't stop people making assertions either way.

Prior to Saturday, it was quite common to see many posts on ToffeeWeb deriding Duncan Ferguson as a supposed symptom of an Everton Board who don't know what they're doing, as a symptom of an old-boys' setup of cushy jobs for empty suits.

Suddenly, Duncan Ferguson is a fucking messiah, based on one result. God forbid if he's kept on and we have a bad run under him, he'll suddenly be shite again.

We all feel frustrated and disappointed with Everton's failure to break out of midtable, but really, is it necessary for anyone to be asserting that we're at our lowest ebb? What the hell does it mean anyway, apart from perhaps a dislike of Duncan Ferguson?

How about getting a grip on reality, and admitting to not knowing things when you don't know things?

Get yerselves to the Saddle. Bit further to walk but much better than the Oak and the drinks are unbelievably cheap!

But, he/she will reserve the right to step in when they have a strong enough view. It seems as though Moshiri did this regarding sacking Silva. And I think he was spot-on in that judgement.

The real issue here is moving the club away from the maudlin Kenwright axis and making 'The Everton Way' running a successful, winning business on and off the pitch, rather than a predesigned, sentimental fig leaf for failure.

Well said sir. I would love to be as shit a businessman as our board members. As crap as our players and as skint as our recently departed 1st team coaches/managers.

I think the vast majority believed that money equals trophies. Man.City, Chelsea and Liverpool have spent big money and achieved success. Arsenal, Man Utd and Wolves have spent big and not had the success they crave. Wolves may prove me wrong in time.

Do our board have a plan? Yes, of course they do. They intend to spend more money than at any time in our history. They have bought young talented players with a better sell on value than purchase fee. They have serious ambition for us to be a global brand.

It will all take time and effort and god knows we have not started well under the new regime. It will get better. We will be stronger and we will win trophies again.

Patience fellow blues. It will come together as long as we keep believing.

Far too much negativity. To say our players are shite is going way over the top. Are they the best in the Premier League? No. Could they be, with a bit of help? I think so... and so do many in the game.

A net spend of £190.7 million since 2016-17 has seen our squad market value only increase by £199.5 million (giving an added value of £8.8 million) compared to, for example, Tottenham Hotspur with a net spend of £110.3 million showing an increase in squad value to £539.6 million (giving an added value of £429.3 million) over the same period. Figures sourced from transfermarkt

I dont know why Unsworth wasn't asked to be caretaker this time, however.

Whatever the shortcomings of Moshiri on football know-how even he must surely see that Kenwright reduced the status of the the club he bought from trophy-winning to nonentity, for twenty chronic years. The fact that he's still at the heart of the club, with his army of sycophants all employed in their ("maybe/probably" - thanks Steve F!) apparently unconnected roles should be speaking volumes to him.

He employs Brands for football know-how. Keeping Kenwright in the chair undermines Brands, and, no, I'm not saying Brands should be in the chair. Hell, to me he shouldn't even be on the board but should be answerable as DoF to a director with a wealth of football know-how.

But it's Moshiri's money and if he wants to keep on haemorrhaging it we'll just have to put up with it I suppose.

@Mike 97
The modern day footballer with their clean living, video games and headphones reduce us to such petty gossip, the world of music is unfortunately just as bad, I mean imagine "partying" with yer man out of Coldplay FFS (some fun!!)

After the summer transfer debacle and now this, I'm starting to have some serious concerns about Brands role. If you were to ask any DoF across Europe for what their role was, two of the main components would be have a portfolio on potential player transfer targets, plus also having one for managers/coaches. What Paul was saying about it was Brands pushing for more time for Silva is that he either doesn't have a list for ready made replacements or that if he did, no one was interested in joining us. What is surprising is that Silva wasn't a Brands hire, and while in his very strong support he seemly had shown him defies logic for anyone who could see it was a sinking ship.

With a DoF, it's meant to mean that there should be a seamless transition between managerial changes and plans in place for transitional periods. If Bill is claiming responsibility for putting Dunc in charge, why is he making footballing related decisions and not our DoF?

Since 2016-17 season till now, Spurs have spent £255.3 million on players; they spent £110 million alone in 2017-18 season. We have spent £443 million.

These figures are what both teams have spent, they don't include sales.

Duncan Ferguson just tore up the 2019 coaching manual and got the best out of the men he was leading out onto the Goodison pitch. They will have enjoyed that perhaps even more than we did – especially Sigurdsson and Schneiderlin.

He has even got John Daley fired up again.

If I was Farhad Moshiri I would be winding Duncan Ferguson up and letting him loose.

I said this before on another thread; the best managers are EMOTIONAL.

Think of the successful managers in England and they are, to a man, visibly animated.

You know when they’re angry and you know when they are happy. They are highly competitive and they take losing badly.

Without necessarily being articulate or charismatic these men are great communicators because no one, especially the players, is ever in any doubt as to what is expected and what level is satisfactory.

Passion is an overused word, especially in football, but the fact remains that passion crosses boundaries of language and culture. Passion fuels plans and strategies. Passion stokes imagination and inspires young men.

Above all else let’s make sure we get a passionate, visibly emotional manager.

I suspect the style of football we saw on Saturday, did not meet the long term aspirations of Mr Brands. It worries me that he will try to recommend the appointment of another possession obsessed, play it out from the back practitioner with no sense of what is realistic or practicable with the current group of players.

Saturday’s victory and the manner of it, has given the Board breathing space to take stock. It may also have placed them in something of a dilemma: should they chase an early appointment or should they leave Duncan in charge to allow more time to identify the best qualified permanent manager? If Duncan is given the opportunity I hope their dilemma continues.

If I didn't know you better Michael you would be hearing from my solicitor, if I had one, post haste. I've never felt so insulted in my life, I'm just glad Mummy has passed on and never read that scandalous accusation.

Which raises the next question how do we get rid of Board members who are rotten to the core, and also a minor Shareholder?

There is only Marcel Brands and of course Moshiri who should remain, you can't expect a ship to function properly and steer on a charted route, if there is no Directions from the Bridge!