Everton put in arguably their worst display of the season on Monday night, but cannot dwell on such abhorrent failure.
After all, this weekend marks arguably their most important game of the term, as they host fellow relegation-battlers Nottingham Forest at Goodison Park.
Hopefully, such an embarrassing drubbing will spark these players back into action upon their return from Chelsea, but there has been a serious dent made in the confidence of fans both in this squad’s ability to achieve safety and in the manager.
It is hard not to point the finger at Sean Dyche, given how tactically naive he set his side up at Stamford Bridge.
Well, those murmurs have clearly made their way up the food chain…
Everton’s position on Sean Dyche’s future
Writing for iNews, journalist Mark Douglas has offered an in-depth review of everything Everton-related.
And boy is there plenty to cover.
From takeover dramatics and PSR controversy, and even the ever-regressing dire performances on the pitch; it is as tough a time as any to be an Evertonian.
Yet the support remains unwavering, and this Sunday promises to be one of Goodison Park’s biggest and most important showings yet.
That is, if disgruntled fans can get behind Dyche after the abysmal showing his side gave on Monday. In fact, one of the key points of Douglas’ article was regarding the future of the 52-year-old.
He wrote: ‘There were some calls from supporters to change manager but i understands Sean Dyche is under no threat despite the desperate run of form. Given the club would already have been safe but for the points deductions, that seems a fair view – even if frustration at the extent of Monday’s collapse is justified.’
Should Everton sack Sean Dyche?
As much as this is a subjective decision, and each fan will likely have their own views on whether Dyche should remain in charge, the fact of the matter is that nothing can really be done at this stage.
When viewing it objectively, Everton are stuck.
Having appointed the former Burnley boss in late January of 2023, he has had his hands tied from minute one.
And whilst that does not excuse this torrid run, with just one Premier League win since December, it does offer crucial context alongside the accumulated eight-point deductions.
But even if the Toffees wanted to make a change, there remain various hurdles in the way.
Firstly, the murky ownership situation begs the question as to who would even make that change. Farhad Moshiri has gone awol and is seemingly finished pumping his money into the club.
And that poses another problem. Who would pay out his contract?
If they cannot even afford to keep the lights on without loans from 777 Partners and other lenders, where will they find the funds to first pay off Dyche’s contracts, and secondly tempt a new man in, who would improve their coaching staff?
Sacking a manager is always a long and expensive process, and one Everton simply cannot afford both financially and emotionally.
Whether fans like it or not, they are stuck with Dyche, and all we can do now is back them once again and hope they have what it takes to survive the drop for a third successive season.