Dyche: winning before style
SEAN DYCHE insists winning is more important for Everton at the moment than style.
In the football world of patterns of play and philosophies, Dyche is cast as an old-school boss.
It is something he disputes, citing the fact he has developed teams at Burnley in the past and brushing off claims he’s a long-ball manager.
But he admits now is not the time for the Toffees to be thinking about playing with a certain style.
As they head into a weekend which could secure their Premier League status if they beat Brentford and
Luton slip up at Wolves after their first Merseyside Derby win at home since 2010, Dyche (right) is mostly bothered about results.
“The biggest judgement here so far is winning, I think we all agree with that, this is not a time for style,” said the Everton boss. “This is a time to win. “The thing I have always said I am trying to get to is a base to work from and if you get that and the club is in better health and better shape you can start developing styles.
Moulding
“But at the minute I have all different styles of players brought in from all different managers and moulding that into one unit is very difficult and winning games and when you add in playing whatever the deemed style would be.”
Everton certainly got a winning way as they outfought Liverpool on Wednesday night to boost their safety hopes and leave the Reds’ title dream on the brink.
But Dyche bristles at the suggestion that his direct football is purely about long balls.
“When you talk about playing direct football, people pre-suppose you mean kicking the ball down the pitch,” he said.
“It doesn’t mean that at all. How many times can you turn and play forwards? That is direct.
“The goal the other day with Jarrad (Branthwaite), he comes out of defence, pops it, plays in, plays forward, gets turned, plays forward, plays forward and we score a goal.
“That is direct football.
You have to penetrate.
“Passing it around the six yard line is not for me. I don’t see value in that. I don’t see value in that as a performance and I don’t see value in that as a fan.
“Unless you are killing the game.
“My idea of direct football is how quickly can you penetrate the opposition and how do you go about that.” Dyche may not have imprinted an easy-on-theeye style yet at Everton but if he gets them to safety after two points deductions amid the mayhem going on behind the scenes at the club it will certainly be deemed to have been a success.