ALLARDYCE WILL BE KEEPING AN EYE ON MARCO’S PROGRESS AT GOODISON PARK

MARCO SILVA finally took over at Everton last week – and should prepare himself for being the subject of major scrutiny.

And no one will be paying more attention to his results and style of football than the manager who was sacked to make way for him – Sam Allardyce.

There have already been words exchanged between the current and former managers at Goodison Park.

Silva, 40, was always the man wanted by Everton owner Farhad Moshiri to succeed Ronald Koeman but his first attempt to appoint him was blocked by Watford.

They were Silva’s club at the time, a bitter dispute developed between the clubs and Watford still are not happy about his appointment on Merseyside.

So Everton turned to Allardyce, 63, who clearly could not understand why Silva was ahead of him on Everton’s wanted list in the first place.

Big Sam was quick to point out, shortly after arriving at Goodison, that Silva “got Hull City relegated last season”. He also stressed that the Portuguese coach’s record did not compare to his own.

Silva said Allardyce’s argument did not make sense and queried what the former England boss had achieved when he was at a similar, early stage of his career.

Watford, meanwhile, are still seeking compensation from Everton for allegedly unsettling Silva, leading to a decline in results, which ended with his dismissal.

It is understood they have rejected an Everton offer of £12million.

Silva made his reputation by impressing when in charge of Estoril and Sporting Lisbon in his native Portugal, then Olympiacos in Greece. But 48 Premier League games, at Hull and Watford, have produced only 16 victories.

That prompted those comments from Allardyce, who vividly recalls his 4-0 win against Silva when they were the respective managers of Crystal Palace and Hull.

But Moshiri has finally got his man and believes Silva will produce a brand of attacking football which will be well received by Everton’s fans, whose dislike of Big Sam’s style was a factor in his sacking.

Indeed, the Toffees’ major shareholder said this week: “Marco is a young, dynamic, energetic and very modern manager whose dedication to his job and demanding approach will help us to move forward in a confident, purposeful way to where we want to be as a club. His abilities are underpinned by a strong footballing philosophy, a fierce work ethic and his enthusiasm in embracing Everton, our values and our ambitions has hugely impressed me, as I hope it will each and every Evertonian.”

Failing to impress the locals is something highlighted by many as a reason for Big Sam’s departure from Everton.

But what cannot be denied is that Allardyce successfully tackled the job he was brought in to do – keeping them in the Premier League.

And it was not a case of just scraping clear of the drop – Everton finished eighth. Allardyce knows Silva will do well to improve on that, with the top six so far ahead of the rest.

Finishing seventh would not over-impress Big Sam either, when Silva has a full season to do it. So his predecessor will watch with interest – make no mistake about that.