Bill Kenwright’s open letter raises more questions than answers at a time when, above all, Everton need to operate with clarity.
There is only one goal right now: Premier League survival. Failure would be catastrophic - for the club, its fans and its staff.
With Everton in crisis this is not a time for setting records straight, for personal agendas or point scoring. There is a bigger picture here. Yet somehow, towards the end of a rare week to have passed without the club being thrown into more controversy, it has conspired to generate another avoidable mess.
It is not unreasonable for Kenwright to want to address questions about his health raised by others. And it is true that, over recent months, supporters have called for more communication from the club and those at the top of it. The ECHO has been part of those calls. But this letter, from its tone to its content, did not need to be written. Not now. It is a battle that does not need to be fought this weekend. Every ounce of energy is needed to help matters on the pitch. This is a statement that only serves to deepen division at a time when that must be avoided at all cost.
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With Everton struggling so severely, any unity that can be mustered is crucial. With little sign of that being possible between the fanbase and the hierarchy, the bond between players and supporters has become as important as it was when Everton faced the same turmoil last season. Sean Dyche and his players have been backed with passion up and down the country despite the struggles on the pitch. The dedication of that support has been worth points. It will earn more.
For all of the trouble surrounding this historic institution, thousands of supporters will travel to Selhurst Park for the match with Crystal Palace. Supporter group The 1878s, which has done so much with the club in need, has led calls for fans to be in their seats by 2.30pm to show the players they are backing them. Dyche does know about this. And he appreciates it. Similar scenes of impassioned support will follow for each of the six games after this weekend. The supporters will not give up on the club. Their dedication will ensure those on the pitch know what is at stake and hopefully inspire them.
Everything that happens in and around Everton between now and the rest of the season has to be done with that very goal in mind: How does this decision or that action help the cause?
Which is why Kenwright’s statement is so problematic. Put simply: How does it help? Who does it help? As Dyche and his players prepare for a game of such magnitude they will now do so amid a cloud of controversy and speculation. As the incredible away support navigates the country once again despite having witnessed just three league wins on the road in nearly two full seasons, it will do so after another sleepless night fretting over the future of their club. The same will be true for the tens of thousands planning for the home game with Newcastle United next week, and the matches beyond.
This week, Dyche has spoken at length about how to avoid disaster on the pitch. Crucial, he said, is getting “noses pointing in the right direction”. Essentially, that means players knowing precisely what their jobs are. For Everton as a club, the same is crucial.
Going into the final weeks of the season the supporters were, to borrow another Dyche phrase, ‘aligned’ with those set to do battle on the pitch. Against that backdrop, Everton’s survival is not dependent on a third strand - those at the top of the club breaking the current impasse with fans, untenable as it is, and fixing a relationship that may be impossible to repair. But it needs key figures to avoid fanning the flames of discontent. There is, after all, a bigger picture here.
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