DYCHE: WE ARE STILL TRYING TO JUGGLE SAND
Everton could be safe tonight but boss Sean says: There’s always something going on
EVERTON v BRENTFORD
BY CHRIS MCKENNA
SEAN DYCHE feels he will still be “juggling sand” at Everton – even if they secure safety.
The Toffees can survive the drop if they beat Brentford today and Luton slip up against Wolves.
It would be a nice reprieve after a season of points deductions and off-the-field bedlam, with new potential owners 777 still to complete their takeover.
Everton have only survived the drop in the final week of the campaign in the last two seasons.
So Dyche was asked if securing safety early may give them a head start on planning for next season.
But the Toffees boss admits the uncertainty over the club’s ownership and their worrying financial situation means that is not the case, even if they get the job done today. He said: “I am waiting to see the realities of what we can and can’t do.
“It’s been a constant here and not just about players. There’s always something going on here, it is like juggling sand.
“How do you master that? Every time we go ‘yes, that’s good,’ something crops up and it’s ‘that’s not good, now we have to solve that’.
“It’s like putting your fingers in the dam. It’s the same with players at the moment. Because the club is in this flux we can’t guarantee one way or the other, so we are shifting, moving and moulding things as we can.
“Usually the earlier you get things done, the quicker you can plan your next step. But we’re planning anyway – myself and director of football Kevin Thelwell and scouts – what if this happens? What if that happens?
“And then trying to keep an open mind, but then still go to your staples, who is going to be here? It’s the juggling act of the club, it’s like juggling sand.”
But Wednesday’s win over Liverpool – their first Merseyside
Derby win at home in 14 years – has lifted spirits at the club on the back of a vital victory against Nottingham Forest.
Now they can secure safety with victory today should the Hatters fail to beat Wolves.
Dyche added: “It’s easier with two wins. It has made everyone feel better. That’s what we’ve been trying to do.
“Every time we just change the narrative, we get another knock. And then we change it again, we get another knock. Go on then, let’s change it and keep it going. That’s the challenge.
“Change the rhetoric and storyline. I’ve never shied away. It’s my responsibility, I lead it.
“We keep nearly getting there and getting bashed again.”
The club is in flux so we are shifting, moving and moulding things as best we can