In a poll of over 1,400 Premier League fans, those claiming to support Everton were the least optimistic about the 2023-24 season:
How optimistic is your fanbase? 👀
We asked over 1,400 Premier League fans, on a scale of 1-10, how they were feeling ahead of the 2023/24 season 🤔
Everton fans delivered the lowest optimism score in Fan Hope Survey history…😳
— Sky Bet (@SkyBet) July 17, 2023
SkyBet have provided some additional commentary and results from their survey:
Sky Bet has launched its 2023-24 Fan Hope Survey, which reveals Everton fans’ hopes, views and predictions, ahead of the start of the new Premier League season.
A Sky Bet spokesperson said: “Thanks to an unbelievable strike from Abdoulaye Doucouré on the last day of last season, Everton secured Premier League survival by the skin of their teeth for the second time in as many years, and according to fans, this year could be just as big a challenge.
“It’s clear that fans feel owner Moshiri isn’t the right man for the job. And with Dyche also favoured by many as first for the sack, the first few games of the season seem crucial to not only raise spirits in the Everton fan camp, but also for the manager to keep his job. Could this be the first season in which Everton fall out of the Premier League? Our fan data certainly trends in that direction.”
After securing Premier League survival on the last day for a second successive season, Sky Bet’s research has found that Blues supporters feel they are in for an equally long season, ranking as the most pessimistic fans in the league.
When polled on their chances of silverware, Evertonians may want to look away now, ranking rock bottom, with only 5% of the fanbase seeing any chance of a trophy making its way to Goodison Park this season, for the first time since 1995.
Everton’s owner Farhad Moshiri has also come under extreme scrutiny in recent years and the pressure seemingly will not be easing any time soon, with the club not only ranked the worst run club in the Premier League (21%), but also a whopping 91% of the fanbase hopeful for a club takeover in the coming season.
Fans are also not convinced that Dyche’s reign as Everton manager will last long, voted as the most likely manager to be sacked first this season (10%), ahead of Nottingham Forest’s Steve Cooper and recently appointed boss, Chelsea’s Mauricio Pochettino.
By contrast, when given the hypothetical scenario of Pep Guardiola as Everton boss, over one in five supporters (22%) feel they’d be capable of qualifying for the Champions League, with 4% thinking they could even contend to become Champions this season.
To discover more hopes, views and predictions from the Sky Bet Fan Hope Survey, visit the dedicated start-of-season hub at Sky Bet Fan Central.