I was wrong…

Only yesterday against Newcastle did he make changes but still left Godfrey in.

So without a firm hand giving him a slap to sort it out he’s left to his own devices- much like Moshiri letting Bullshit Bill keep ahold of his train set and look where we are 🤷💙

He's fashioned a more-than-competent back five (check out the goals against), and an adequate midfield, but is saddled with incompetent losers up front — Calvert-Lewin, Beto, McNeil, Harrison, Young — none of whom are Premier League standard players.

What's he supposed to do, given the financial shape the club is in — suit up himself? Yeesh.

It's like thinking the performance of your pimped-up Escort van will be improved by replacing the bog standard 1,300 cc lump with another bog standard 1,300 cc lump – it won't!!

Needs a remap or Uncle Dave to do a bit of fabrication to shoehorn a Cosworth engine in – and don't forget the Recaro front seats. All costs of course.

I think it's because fans cling to the notion of the infallible manager, all-seeing, all-knowing, perfect in every decision, and above all capable of making any group of players perform like champions whatever the circumstances. It's rubbish of course. Such managers do not exist in any walk of life.

Without the points deduction, we would be 14th in the table. Where did fans expect us to be this season with this squad? I suggest most of us would have predicted somewhere in the mid-section of the table.

That points deduction piled the pressure on the club, manager and squad. Then we ran into injuries which reduced the options available to the manager. We are coming out of that and I believe we are in a position to finish the season strongly.

Of course we should demand better, but considering everything that has been going on at the club, I would say that improvement is at least worthy of a small amount of credit.

We are without doubt a club in crisis, and Dyche has at least steadied the ship a little. The off-the-field stuff has absolutely nothing to do with him and therefore shouldn't affect our judgement of him.

Fans and players need to turn up on Saturday. The moans and groans for every misplaced pass need to be stifled.

The supporters who disappear to the bar 10 minutes before half-time need to stay in their seats and support the team.

This was a great achievement with a threadbare squad and the threat of a points deduction. It was before and after the Xmas period in the full effort in the Caroboa Cup and the FA Cup that he put too much pressure on the threadbare squad and lost key players due to injury.

I put it down to Dyche and his hard way to success attitude, with no let-up. This put the rest of the players under pressure, who were questionable anyway. The recovery did not come fast enough in January and February and his stats approach fell apart.

The focus of the squad always dips at this part of the season and International breaks never help. The game after the recent break was typical Everton, not helped by Dyche's lack of change.

Against Newcastle, he had no choice. Hopefully he has learn't something. There is no doubt with another team and such a run of results, he would be sacked. But maybe he will be able to get back on track by fully utilising the squad, taking a 2-point deduction, and making a bit more variation in tactics.

Everton will survive. It is going to be brutal both on and off the pitch and it is going to be different than we all expect.

For fuck's sake, give the bloke a break and get real with the players he has to deal with and did not choose.

Laying 100% responsibility on Dyche is a shallow criticism. Additionally, not accounting for the devastation of player morale in a withered squad is somewhat offensive to those who support Dyche. He deserves better treatment of this and yes it is a valid debate.

I will wait for round 2 just so I don’t get on more nerves than usual. I know English gentlemen who frequent TW don’t consider ‘told you so’ to be good behavior. For this reason I am playing the lowly yank card to say I did. This is far worse than the Carlo Wars but is entirely a continuation of that episode.

This summer will likely see the early departure of at least one of Onana or Branthwaite out of necessity, and those out of contract on high wages. Dyche and Thelwell will have very little “wiggle room” as to spending on players, but I feel the very least that Dyche ought to be afforded is a season with his rebuilt squad in the final year at Goodison.

The day I wrote this, though... not one of the better moments.