Everton 1-0 Bournemouth 
by James Nalton
at Goodison Park

FOR a second you might have thought Sean Dyche was issuing one of his sarcastic press conference quips, but it didn’t take long to realise he was deadly serious.

The Everton manager was speaking following the home win against Bournemouth on the final day of the season, where Abdoulaye Doucoure's wonder goal secured Everton's top-flight status for another season.

For Dyche, there was no enjoyment to be had beyond the satisfaction of this first part of a bigger job being completed.

This is how he saw Everton’s 2022/23 season, and he commented that work on the 2023/24 campaign started as soon as he arrived.

The manager made it clear that this is a long-term project. The club has found itself in a mess that won’t be magically turned around by a 1-0 win against Bournemouth, even though it was a win that secured the club’s top-flight status for a 70th consecutive season.

“I think it's a horrible day for all concerned,” said Dyche, frankly. “There's no joy in it for me, other than getting the job done.

“There has been loads of work trying to fit so much change into a relatively short period, particularly with injuries, suspensions and all that comes with it, and contracts and all the stuff that's going on here.

“I said to the players, we shouldn’t be here. I said it’s joyous today, enjoy it, and you've earnt it, but at the end of the day, it's got to change.

“There's no point in sitting on it already and going ‘look how great we are’ because it's not like that.

“There is loads to change here and a lot of work to be done but [this game was] a big step to making sure we secure it.”

Everton fans reflected Dyche’s sentiments by celebrating their survival but with a dose of realism thrown in. 

Amid the joyous scenes in Goodison Park were very serious chants of “sack the board”, something the fans have been urging for some time now.

Everton’s current ownership has failed. It is there for all to see in a sporting sense with these narrow escapes from relegation for two seasons in a row and in an administrative sense with the club under investigation for potentially breaking the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules.

The All Together Now supporters group released a statement on Monday calling for a change in leadership at the top of the club.

“The majority of fans have shown once again that they will not tolerate another minute under the governance of this board,” it read.

“The clear show of unity from the whole ground at full time, this should be the end of the road for this board.

“We implore the owner to communicate on the actions he is looking to take that will begin the process of high-level change.

“This can then prove to be the first step towards repairing the fractured relationship between the fans and club.

“This must be done immediately. We as fans, custodians, and as the beating heart of this football club demand change, and we demand it - now!”

It seems the fans are on the same page as Dyche who also mentions the need to strengthen the heartbeat of the club in order to begin to fix what has been gradually broken over several years.

“I think there's a there's a hard edge to the fans here,” he said. “A number of fans who actually go ‘no, I think you're right, I think we'll go with you’.

“I think we need to collect it all back together, realign it, get us back on board, get the fans connected to what we are as a team, to what I am as a manager.

“Then there'll be another day when hopefully I'll put enough things in place, if I get my time here, when a fashionista can come in and they'll all have a beautiful product.

“But for now, it's something that actually needs a rawness, a heartbeat, that Evertonians can grip to and go, right, we've got a group that are giving every inch of it, and build on that. And I've been pleased with some of that.”

Remaining in the Premier League is just the first step in this plan, albeit an important one, though you get the impression the task would have been approached in a similar manner under Dyche in the Championship.

The club, not just the squad, needs a rebuild, and it will be interesting to see what form this takes both on the pitch and in the board room.