Keith Treacy reckons Everton are “in safe hands” under his former manager Sean Dyche.
According to the ex-Burnley and Ireland midfielder, Dyche was the only manager to take an interest in his development as a person, as well as a player.
Treacy struggled with life in England until the arrival at Turf Moor of the popular manager.
“When I was across the water, I had only one manager who tried to improve me as a human being,” said Treacy, who now coaches the St Patrick’s Athletic Under-17s.
“He’s very, very different. When he first came into Burnley, I was in the reserve team, he brought me back into the first team and gave me a clear path.
“There was a six-week fine waiting on me (for arriving back at the club still drunk after an uncle’s wedding). He quashed that. He gave me a clear path back into the first team.
“He put me into the fat club because I was overweight, but he would come running with me.
“Most managers would say ‘go over there and run’. He would bring me through Burnley city centre.
“There would be people beeping their horns and we would just be having chats. It would almost be like a father and son running through Burnley. It was brilliant.
“He was the only manager who ever tried to mentally get me onside, not just physically.
“I wasn’t a regular on that Burnley team but yet I still have so much love for him. When I left, it wasn’t on nice terms but personally for him as a man I have nothing but love.”
Treacy added: “I had managers who literally just cared about the commodity of a footballer. ‘Is he fit?’, ‘No’, ‘Well, get rid of him until he’s fit’.
“I won’t say who it was, but I had other managers who, when you’re injured, you’d walk down a corridor and they’d literally avoid you.
“They don’t want to talk to you and, if you say hello, the reaction would be ‘Why would I talk to you? You’re no use to me’.
“That was cut-throat, but Dyche was so far on the human side, he would meet my kids, meet my wife, he just made me feel like he cared about me.
“I texted him when they beat Arsenal and he texted me back - ‘I got one over on you there’. Very rarely do we speak about football now, it’s a nice relationship.”
Looking ahead to Everton’s survival bid, Treacy said: “As soon as he got the job, I thought ‘They’re in safe hands’.
“I’m struggling to think where the goals are going to come from, but Seamus (Coleman) somehow got one the other day.
“He did look across but I played with Seamus but if he meant that I’ll hold my hands up and say ‘fair enough’ - but I really don’t think he did.
“Everton will struggle to get goals but I think they have a fighting chance of staying up under him.”
