Everton have undoubtedly endured one of the toughest seasons in Premier League history, although it might not seem it with a brief glance at the league table.
The Toffees sit 15th, a whopping 14 points clear of the drop going into the final day of the campaign.
It marks a miraculous turnaround from the final-day drama last year, as they secured their top-flight status with a nervy 1-0 win over AFC Bournemouth.
What a dark day, but one that threatened to occur again given how relentlessly Everton were pegged back in the following term. Two separate PSR sanctions amassing an eight-point deduction saw them twice dragged back into the mire, and on both occasions, they rose back up triumphantly.
Sean Dyche deserves all the credit in the world for orchestrating this miraculous escape, yet Richard Keys was left stunned that he continues to be omitted from the top manager’s conversation.
Richard Keys cannot believe Sean Dyche was ignored
That was at least what was being claimed on beIN Sport, where the former Sky Sports pundit combed over the Premier League’s Manager of the Season nominees with Andy Gray and Jason McAteer.
Keys would kickstart the conversation, questioning the presence of Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp. He claimed: ‘I find it difficult to justify Jurgen Klopp’s nomination, I have to say. Why on earth is he in the top five?’
‘Sentimental,’ Gray suggested, provoking an impassioned response from McAteer: ‘No, because of where we were last season.
‘You can’t say he’s not done a phenomenal job as well. He’s rebuilt a team, the whole midfield had a lot of surgery to be done, he’s done it, finished third, Champions League, hung in there all season. Why would you not say that he’s done a good job?’
Well, Keys was on hand to shut down that claim: ‘I think he’s done a good job but I wouldn’t say it’s any more than that.
‘I think someone like Gary O’Neil, someone like Dyche, someone who has had to work at their season to get something out of it.’
Sean Dyche completed the impossible job with Everton
Keys is absolutely right with his claims that Dyche goes under the radar, and his work this season has been nothing short of phenomenal.
Even when he took over, it was widely recognised that Everton were doomed for the drop.
He inherited a squad lacking any kind of quality, and yet he somehow steered them to safety on the final day.
However, he then went into the new campaign with few significant additions and was expected to repeat that feat. Then, handed two separate points deductions, neither of which was his fault at all, and he still kept them up with ease.
It is worth noting that Andoni Iraola, who inherited a squad that finished 15th last season in the Premier League, has earned a nomination for Manager of the Season despite the fact that Everton would be above them were it not for their eight-point deduction.
The Premier League really don’t have a clue when it comes to this kind of stuff.