EVERTON: A STORY OF THE DISASTROUS RECRUITMENT OF PLAYERS AND MANAGERS ON AN INDUSTRIAL SCALE THE NEW EVERTON MANAGER’S IN-TRAY

Lampard was handed a thankless task by the Toffees but the owners had already shown a worrying lack of awareness by appointing Anfield hero Rafa Benitez as manager at Goodison

TWO words that symbolise the calamitous decline of Everton – Rafa Benitez.

Not that Rafa is not a fine fellow and a good coach and he is certainly not to blame for the perilous situation in which the club finds itself.

But his appointment as manager at the end of June 2021 just happens to be one of the starker examples of the rank-awful decision-making that has been a constant thread through Farhad Moshiri’s ownership.

Seriously, who on the Everton board thought appointing Benitez was a good idea? Presumably the same people who have overseen a player recruitment policy based on little more than potluck and that left Frank Lampard with a thankless task.

Again, there have been so many poor decisions, it is almost cruel to single out mistakes. But other than the fact he was relatively cheap – the fee was undisclosed but the suggestion is it was not much in excess of £10million – what was the point in signing Neal Maupay in the summer?

Smashing pro but, essentially now, a non-scoring striker. Before moving to Goodison Park, Maupay had one goal in his 17 most recent Premier League appearances for Brighton. Unsurprisingly, he has one in 13 Premier League appearances for Everton. But if Maupay proves to be a poor signing, he will merely be one of a multitude since Moshiri took over almost seven years ago.

And that is the bottom line – disastrous recruitment of players and managers on an industrial scale. As far as the blame game is concerned, that is easy. The people who have made the decisions are to blame. Chairman Bill Kenwright, chief executive Denise Barrettbaxendale, ex-sporting directors Marcel Brands and Steve Walsh, and, of course, Moshiri.

The owner actually went to a game on Saturday, presumably because his time in England is generally spent in London, where his head has been consistently spun by agents trying to palm off expensive players and managers on him.

There is no escaping the

fact

Moshiri, who has parted with more than half a billion pounds for a succession of duds, has been regularly taken for a mug.

And those in the boardroom, including Kenwright, and on the managerial staff, should carry a lot of the responsibility for that.

No wonder the supporters are calling for an executive overhaul, to put it politely, for a club which are the second longest servers in the top flight behind Arsenal since their promotion in 1954.

That is easier said than done but, as long as Moshiri would not be asking for an outlandish profit on his investment in Everton, the club should still be an attractive purchase. It has a great fan base, is moving to a new stadium on the banks of the Royal Blue Mersey, has

a global name and is in a wonderful footballing city. If Moshiri can sell in the near future, he should.

But one thing is for sure, years of mismanagement at every executive level means there is no quick fix of the grand old club.

The squad needs a complete overhaul under a manager who can forge a close relationship with a sporting director and assemble a group of players who are young, hungry, ambitious and driven – not costly cast-offs from clubs Everton should be striving to compete with.

If the rebuild has to take in a stint in the Championship, then so be it because this is a mess created and compounded by a stream of bad decisions that simply cannot be tidied up overnight.

W% 23.7 27.3

STOP LOSING GAMES

Everton may have had just one win in their last 14 matches but more important at his stage is to stop the bleeding. Nine defeats in the last 12 league games have left them in this hole but they are only three points adrift of 14th. INCREASE THE GOAL OUTPUT

Only Wolves have a worse return in front of goal than Everton’s 15 in 20 matches. They have scored more than once only twice this season and Demarai Gray is the leading scorer with five in all competitions. He and Anthony Gordon have three apiece in the league. KICK-START CALVERT-LEWIN

Best hope of escaping relegation appears to lie with Dominic Calvert-lewin, who has struggled with injury since last season, finding fitness and form after one goal from 11 appearances. Lampard’s tactics did not play to his main striker’s strengths. He would benefit from more crosses into the box and getting the ball forward quicker.

SIGN A STRIKER

Not entirely within the manager’s control working under a director of football as the club is hamstrung by tight financial constraints in order to comply with profit and sustainability rules. However, they need another option up front in case Calvert-lewin does not come good.

TIGHTEN UP AT THE BACK

The signings of experienced defenders Conor Coady and James Tarkowski appeared to have addressed last season’s major weakness but even they are starting to look fragile under the pressure. Just four clean sheets this season and on five occasions they have taken the lead and failed to win.

GALVANISE THE TEAM AND FANBASE

Anger off the field aimed at the club’s board has started to be directed at players. Fans are unhappy with performances and level of effort and that is negatively impacting on the squad. The new manager has to use a honeymoon period to quickly find a way to establish harmony and get everyone pulling together.

FRANK LAMPARD AT EVERTON

P W D L F A Premierleague..38 9 8 213459

All Comps ........... 44 12 8 24 43 71