Kevin Thelwell issues classy farewell statement to Blues

Somebody remind me again - why is he leaving?

Ian@2

Unless he has made the decision to leave himself for a new challenge which I doubt Ian then I would be guessing that it’s because he is part of the old regime and TFG want their own man. For me though this is the worst decision that TFG have made so far.

Paul@1

Maupay is a classic example of what this guy was having to deal with in the market Paul. He cost about £12 million I believe. If you spend £12 million on a striker then you get a £12 million striker. Bog all in EPL terms.

The honesty about the shit sandwich he was dealt oozes out of his statement.

I can't help but think that he must be envious that he won't get the chance to have taken us forward under the new ownership and the new Everton Stadium.

But, the owners clearly have different plans on our future direction.

Good luck and best wishes Mr Thelwell. I for one, believe you done a good job with your hands tied, which you openly explain.

We will probably find out in time.

The likes of Bolasie, Tosun, Klaassen, Sigurdsson, Koldrup and Scheniderlin all cost more relatively than Maupay and all left for peanuts.

I think he has proved a canny operator and we will do well to improve on Thelwell.

Ian #2, I wish he wasn't. I think he's done a hell of a job. But TFG has every right to put its own people and system in place.

PH #1, guess you've run a complex business operation without making a single personnel mistake. Congratulations.

The whole Kenwright and then the Kenwright/Moshiri period has seen a watering down of the club status, the sale of our assets on and off the pitch and a collapse of the footballing status we enjoyed for almost all of our previous pre Kenwright history - instead we had directors and shareholders feeing us untruths about everything from investment to physical attack. I am thankful we survived and i thank everyone who assisted - some I acknowledge may not have got near Everton in the role they held at one time, but in trying times Thelwell and several others did a good job.

Good luckl to him.

When TFG conducted their 100 days review this would have come up like a sore thumb..The easiest solution was to get rid of Thewell and restart and restructure with a new Chief Executive who would be accountable.

It is a attempt to tackle one of Gerald McKean's (who worked at Everton) 'Little Empires'.Hopefully it is the beginning and the other 'little Empires' that have plagued Everton follow suit.

Really good news for the future of Everton.

PH #12, sorry about that, I can't always spot satire. Guess I need a winkie emoji or something.

They didnt create this shitstorm. They were simply tasked with keeping us afloat while we went through it. They did it.

Job done

Very genuine and classy man.

I’m tired of people judging Thelwell off of one bad signing that didn’t really have much effect on us in the long run. Especially when he had plenty of good transfers all while having the only net POSITIVE (Brighton aside) transfer spend over his 3 years.

Let the Maupay signing go already people.

A few dud recruits for me, and I’d like to have seen the Academy progress further, but on reflection it’s hard to disagree with Kevin having done a very good job.
Good luck to him.

Still not sure why Thelwell sacked

In today's click bait world he's either 'shite' or 'brilliant'. He did a good job and I hope we don't regret letting him go. Good luck Kevin.

However I’m just a fan and hopefully the owners know what they’re doing.

I wouldn’t expect anything other than this kind of statement from Thelwell. An understated and classy operator.

I think the next club he goes to are getting a talented individual with plenty of humility.

Quite interesting that he didnt mention Dyche, maybe there were tensions between the 2 which no doubt would be enhanced by having very little to spend during their time here.

He had neither the money to invest, nor the time to build, a club worthy of what we all know Everton deserves. Instead he was here when all that mattered was survival.

We survived under Thelwell, just barely, but we did. He is as responsible as anyone — along with the supporters, the players, even Dyche and Lampard — for keeping us afloat, laying the foundation for a new dawn. For that, and based on everything we know about the man and his dealings, he deserves nothing but praise.

Also, fuck Neal Maupay, that little twat.

Conor - 28 - well observed - you are right - it speaks volumes by the lack of any sort of statement on Dyche’s contribution during his tenure!

Agreed re O’Brien. He and several others have shown a good level of performance and/or vast improvements under Moyes.

Excepting Mykolenko, Tarkowski, Pickford, Doucoure who are performing at a similar kind of level despite the change in management.

Just shows what happens when somebody who knows what they’re doing is in charge and gives players a fair chance and tries to play to their strengths rather than not picking them because they weren’t his signings.

I’m excited to see how McNeil and N’Diaye perform under Moyes. I think those two alongside Alcaraz with two solid midfielders behind them are a potentially excellent midfield with match winners amongst them. It remains to be seen whether Tim can stand up to that task and the phenomenal Gana will need a long term replacement.

Branthwaite and O’Brien will obviosuly be a long term and solid defensive base. Therefore I think with some clever recruitment we are probably 2 full backs, one striker and one defensive midfielder away from a really strong side.

The striker is obviously not an easy task but I think there are full backs out there that could instantly improve our team. Alfie Doughty would be an improvement and Leif Davis also at left back. Both achievable

The statement comes across as someone with a real affinity for the club, this man saved Moshiri from taking us to oblivion!!

Are we a better squad? That could be debated over and over, Gordon & Richarlison would make this squad better, I can't think of any other sales that would, and I'm sure if he didn't have to sell them he wouldn't.

He's been doing a different job to what a DoF is used to, selling high buying low consistently, getting the big earners who were not contributing off the books and putting us where we are now,in a decent position to spend.

The things he must have learned in these tough times are now going to be used at another club, which is a shame in my opinion.

Football is full of people with seemingly bright ideas, people who in essence ‘talk-a-cracker' and come across so much cleverer than the average man (money can make you lazy, being a perfect example) but Thelwell, has been mostly silent whilst doing his job with both hands tied behind his back, and for this I will always give him a lot of credit.

Whatever road they choose to go down, let's just hope the club get the next appointment right.

It's remarkable we are now heading into the 2025-26 season and a magnificent new stadium as a solvent Premier League club.

Thelwell is part of the reason for this. Its been a grim part of our history but the real culprits for the crap standard of players do not include Thelwell. It's the owners who have let the club down.

But the DoF role also includes developing or setting up an effective system for scouting young up-and-coming talent in the age group leagues and overseeing their development either into the top team or selling for a profit.

Given our financial constraints, I would have thought that more emphasis or signs of some product coming out of this part of the job would have been a hallmark of Thelwell's tenure. Not sure that it has but he was given a hard task to do and deserves to be respected for his efforts.

Constant change in that position doesn't help. Like Everton as a club, we need patience and consistency, not knee-jerking.

But I'd be interested if there is evidence that our recruitment over this time has shown an emphasis on scouting younger talent and resources put in to developing an academy of up-and-coming players from 'the school of science'.

Given the financial situation he knew we were in at the time of his appointment that could have been the first thing he could have focused on. No point pontificating about future goals. No better time for such an objective than 'now'.

Good luck for the future. I reckon we all are sure you will be successful in whatever role you choose.

I remember the board announcing a Strategic Review of the Club and as a result DBB came up with her 20 point plan, one of which was to employ 26 new staff.

I don't recall Thelwell being mentioned even once in the process. The review had commenced before Thelwell had even arrived at the Club.

Moyes is clearly here for the long(er) term - he was only ever going to be short term if we went down.

Watching from 7,000 miles away, the change in the "style" of football with largely the same group of players was instant - even in that initial home defeat by Villa we were creating chances.

The changes to the club structure this summer will be as key as the changes to the squad, IMO.

Too many in our recent history have done the complete opposite of this! With the greatest of respect to Thelwell, given the absolute mess he was given (along with Dyche) the constraints placed upon him and the space we are now in as he steps away I suspect in the future we'll look back and think his time was a success as we look forward to hopefully better times.

Thanks and good luck in the future.

I would hope we continue to make good progress under our current manager then, once we reach the level Moyes never goes beyond, we switch to a younger, more progressive, manager.

But I would certainly give Moyes 2 more years after this season, based on a steady improvement of course.

I would also hope Moyes finally shows some balls when taking on any of the so called big 6.

With regards to Thelwell, I am sorry to see him go. Personally I think he did a terrific job

Moyes has Finch Farm behind him. He was their favoured selection for manager. In the face of new owner changes, they naturally wanted someone they knew. Moyes is largely playing ball already, promoting from within the club.

The staffing levels at Finch Farm which you could trip over, verified by Dyche and Moyes on his arrival, needed addressed. Thewell has taken the bullet for that and had no place to hide.The restructuring will be about power and the revised DoF role will have less power.

Moyes at some stage has to step out from Finch Farm if Everton are to get to the next level of challenging in the Premier League; otherwise, it will be just above mid-table survival in the Premier League and one competition from February till the end of the season. Qualifying for Europe will be a false earn, with slippage down the table.

A Premier League club of Everton's stature should be competing in multiple competitions every season. Anything else is not good enough for Evertonians. Otherwise, we are just supporting the same old self-serving gravy train of Premier League survival, reduced work on the same wages from February on, and league slippage from April on as they all prepare from their Summer holidays.

You could add underperformance after International breaks and a warm-weather break, that Ancelotti did away with. He would know the value of warm weather and dismissed it in one sentence. They are having a great time at Finch Farm at the moment.

You are right, the Summer will show the direction. I used to take the Summer off, avoiding the transfer trash But this past 5 years have been different — starting with the Rooney transfer.

The never ending conundrum. Build for the future, or look at the here and now?

If you are constantly chasing the end of the rainbow, you'll never get there. But then, a forward drive with intent or win a trophy, can be a catalyst and platform for success, which itself breeds growth and investment.

Nottingham Forest are a good example. Relegation threatened last season, went into this season as relegation candidates and now on the cusp of Champions League qualification.

Apologies for reminiscing, but our good selves back in 1984. It built momentum that set us up for all too short-lived success. Although you could argue that was 3 years in the making in a different era.

The reality is you need both. As with anything, a balance. The obvious focus will be the first team right now, however equally important is what is going on in the background for the longer term vision.

“Coming back to Everton felt like coming home, and I have to thank Kevin Thelwell for making that happen.

“From day one, he showed how much he cared about this club, always fighting to make it stronger, even in the toughest times.

“We all know the challenges Everton has faced the last three years, but through it all, Kevin gave everything to help the team move forward.

“Everton is more than just a football club, it's an institution built by the people who give their heart and soul to it. Everyone who comes here plays a part in its history and growth.

“Kevin has definitely left his mark. Wishing him the best for what's next!”

Finally I hope we don't regret this decision and I for one will follow Kevins next appointment with interest.
I also believe that if the plan is for David Moyes to incorporate that role with support from a wider Football set up, it will also be a mistake.
Yes he should have the final say if he definately doesnt see the benefit of a player but he should focus on what he is now doing best, getting the best out of each individual player and moulding into an effective team.
This summer we could have used Thelwell proven strategy to fill in the missing piece of the Everton squad jigsaw.

I don't understand the part of Thelwell taking the bullet for the mess that Finch Farm was and still is. Are you saying Thelwell was part of the blame for that?

I don't think you are but, to be clear, Finch Farm has been a mess, off the field, for a long time — and was allowed to be and to get that way under the guardianship of Kenwright and his clique.

No, Thelwell is not to blame. He came into a regime that gave him the go-ahead, as did Brands (he was better than Brands on transfers), but now things have changed and he was the suitable expendable one rather than others. Thelwell was always expendable.

Hope that makes it clearer. I agree with most posters on Thelwell, but there is a bigger picture regarding Everton's future and Finch Farm will determine a lot.

Thelwell is going and good luck to him. He is already the past.

Clearly it involves Moyes with a far bigger say in transfers. (I don't think anybody would disagree with Manager being heavily involved, tho not sure that happened with Thelwell and Dyche?) Maybe it was a Moyes condition for accepting the job?

Whilst happy with the manager having significant say in transfers, I can't see in modern age that he can do all the reconnaissance and the negotiations. So I'm interested to see what this wider team looks like.

Many argue that DoF model doesn't work in England, seems to work ok for some. Personally, I'd have kept the role, just tweaked the responsibilities.

Dave, I'm agreeing with a lot of people today and agree with you. The academy has not been as productive as it should be or could have been.

For me, it didn't help having Unsworth at the helm. When he was effectively promoted to Director of the Academy (if the memory serves right), he didn't oversee matters across the various age groups and seemed to still be focussed on standing in the dugout at U21/U23 matches.

I think it was around that time, the powers that be handed out coaching roles in the academy to individuals whose only coaching credentials were that they used to play for Everton.

Maybe that's a bit harsh of me, but it's how I viewed it at the time.

By the way, I've no axe to grind with Unsworth. When we lived in Woolton, my son's childminder lived across the road from him in a close in nearby Gateacre and I bumped into him a few times. Very nice bloke. Approachable and no airs or graces. A decent player for us at the time, just not cut out to be a coach and certainly not a manager.

That bizarre twist of events when he signed for Villa, only to return to Everton within weeks before the new season had started, still bemuses me.

Cheers, Kevin, and all the best to you. You'll always have a welcome at BMD.

You ok hun ?

Never rated Thelwell as a dof. Brought in some decent players which is good for a chief scout, but a dof should have dealt with Dyche quicker and not been pathetic in making big decisions

What has also not been getting media exposure at all is his leadership on revamping and modernising the Club's Academy setup (something long-overdue even before his arrival in Feb 2022). We are still a long way from having a world class youth setup like La Masia of Barcelona, but Kevin's work laid a strong foundation to get things back on track.

Another point that a lot of folks might not be aware of: When Liar Bill, Barrett-Baxendale and Moshiri took turns going AWOL at occasions that required Club Leadership to address the public, it was Thelwell (with Chong & Dyche) who showed up with a brave face instead. That was what I would consider performing beyond the job brief of a typical DoF and leadership during tough times.

I wish him nothing but the very best for his next role.

That is pretty well what they will do.But it was too big of a job with Thewell and the structure he had built around him.TFG say the role will be restructured. For them I think that means wages % within budget and under the accountability of the Chief Executive. The role well then become within that context and will be more orientated to scouting and recruitment. Moyes will still have to work with someone on transfers.

I think it was obvious to the TFG after they talked to Thewell he was not going to accommodate this change.So he was told his contract would not be renewed.Simple as.