Long before he was sacked, a criticism of Ronald Koeman at Everton was that he seemed to regard the club as a stepping stone.
“He called us Everton, he never called us ‘us’,” former Blues skipper Kevin Ratcliffe once remarked. And he was right, the former Barcelona star didn’t.
While the man who replaced Koeman never had the backing of supporters. The reaction to Sam Allardyce’s sacking told people exactly what they needed to know.
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Marco Silva and Carlo Ancelotti both received plenty of backing from supporters - but their time at the club was short. Rafa Benitez was an appointment that always looked doomed to failure. And sure enough, it did, with the Spaniard being sacked after just six-and-a-half months at the club.
But one man who did get Everton was the man brought in to replace Benitez. Frank Lampard became the first manager under Farhad Moshiri to build up a real rapport with supporters.
It was a bond that led the Blues to Premier League survival last season. 'He just gets Everton', was a phrase so often used by fans.
But ultimately, it was results and performances that did for Lampard. He gave his best, but it just wasn't enough. Just like plenty before him, he learnt the hard way that boom is forever followed by bust at the modern Everton.
Which takes us to now and Sean Dyche. The man not only chosen to replace Lampard, but the man tasked with leading the Blues to Premier League safety.
When Dyche walked through the doors at Finch Farm for the first time, he did so with his side cemented inside the relegation zone, and with just days to go until the transfer window shut.
In the end, Everton endured a dreadful end to the transfer window with numerous attempts to strengthen Dyche’s threatened squad resulting in failure
That came despite promises from majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri that Everton would secure a much-needed striker in January. The club actually ended the window with a weaker squad than when it opened.
A small number of fans descended on the club’s Finch Farm training complex on the night the window shut, with banners calling for the club’s hierarchy to quit pinned against the railings both there and also at Goodison Park.
But on the pitch, Dyche has managed to get a tune out of Everton’s players. So much so that they return to Premier League action in 15th place in the table. However, amid all the progress being made on the pitch, once again the club find themselves embroiled in a battle off it.
The Blues were rocked last Friday when the Premier League announced that they have referred Everton to an independent commission over an alleged breach of its financial fair play rules during the 2021-22 season.
Following the announcement, Everton released a statement in which they issued a defiant riposte, insisting they are 'entirely confident" that the club "remains compliant with all financial rules and regulations".
But it is a far from ideal situation for the club to be in. And supporters were right for thinking what the thoughts of Dyche were after the news dropped.
But addressing the issue for the first time on Thursday afternoon, Dyche couldn’t have been any more forthright in his response to a question about the referral.
“Things before my time, they’ve covered it in the club statement so I’m happy to go along with that and I’m more focused on what happens on the pitch,” he said.
“The club have assured me their statement is correct and the rest will go down to the powers-that-be to do what they have to do.”
But it was what came next that should really strike a chord with supporters.
“No, it wouldn’t have mattered to me regardless. It’s Everton Football Club and if they come knocking it is a yes,” he said when asked if seeked assurances over Everton’s finances before joining the club.
They are the words all Blues supporters should want to hear from their boss. He clearly feels privileged to be in charge of the Goodison Park club.
Amid Everton’s recent struggles on the pitch, and battles off it, Blues fans should take heart from the fact they have someone in charge who understands just how big a club they are.
Not for the first time in his short Everton tenure, Dyche delivered the perfect message when he needed to.
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