EVERTON INQUEST MUST START NOW AS SEAN DYCHE AND KEVIN THELWELL SENT BLUNT TRANSFER MESSAGE

Ben Crawford - Time for an inquest

We did it. An Abdoulaye Doucoure stunner rescued Everton from the trap door of relegation as we once again found a way to cling onto our Premier League status.

However, the time for an inquest is now. A club of Everton's history, size, and stature should not be in this mess two years running. Last season could have been forgiven as a one-off, but this season was a repeat and even a downgrade from last season.

No matter what happens over the summer in terms of off-field distraction, the simple fact is that the clear deficiencies within the playing squad must be addressed. A striker must be a clear priority for the Blues, with a full-back and many more positions also being a need rather than a want.

CONNOR O'NEILL: Everton's Conor Coady decision is as baffling as it is bold and brave

The club is working on a shoestring budget, which means that the club must be as prudent as ever with their acquisitions, but the option for the club to not sign Conor Coady on a permanent transfer did baffle me; where else do you get an England international for £4.5 million?

Sean Dyche has a big job this summer, and he, along with the rest of the Everton hierarchy, will be quite rightly judged on it.

Paul McParlan - Russian Roulette

Once again on Sunday, Everton fans were subjected to another day of emotional turmoil.

When the news filtered through that Leicester City were leading, a dark shadow was cast over proceedings at Goodison Park. At halftime, the sense of trepidation increased as the realisation dawned that we were only 45 minutes away from our first relegation in 72 years!

The question on everyone’s lips was quite simple: who was going to score for us? In previous relegation battles, an unlikely hero, such as Barry Horne, Gareth Farrelly, or Michael Keane, emerged to deliver a humdinger of a shot that crashed into the back of the opposition net.

This time it was Abdoulaye Doucoure who smashed home a sumptuous volley on 57 minutes to send the crowd into a state of unbridled ecstasy. It was suitably ironic that the player who had been frozen out by Frank Lampard, the manager mainly responsible for this mess, was the one to score the goal that ensured a 70th consecutive season of top-flight football.

When the game ended, the overwhelming feeling was one of sheer relief. The scenes of fans celebrating on the pitch were utterly bewildering to me. Is this what Everton have become a club where surviving the drop is the height of our ambitions?

Most Blues who stayed behind would have liked to have seen the team and the manager acknowledge the crowd rather than watch endless selfies being taken on the field of play for Instagram posts.

Sean Dyche’s post-match comments were direct and hard-hitting. Everton are a big club, but in no respect are we acting like one at present. A radical restructuring is required, and more investment is urgently needed. If Farhad Moshiri wants to sell up, this would be a good time.

Everton have played Russian Roulette with relegation far too often for a team that has won more league titles than Chelsea and the same number as Manchester City. Four times we have rolled the barrel, and four times it was empty.

We may not be so lucky next time. Nevertheless, we survived despite catastrophic and inept leadership combined with a lack of strategic direction from the owner.

If we don’t want to be fighting the drop next season, something must change. Give Sean Dyche the tools he needs to rebuild this fallen giant of English football. Nil Satis Nisi Optimum!

Luke Davies - I want to just see progression

What can I say apart from wow? Wow is the word to sum up the rollercoaster of emotions experienced by all Blues fans last Sunday inside Goodison Park and around the world.

At half-time things looked bleak for Everton. With hardly any attacking threat, I feared the absolute worst. Demarai Gray missed golden chance early in the second half filled me with dread, and I wondered if that was the pivotal chance squandered.

However, all plaudits go to Abdoulaye Doucoure. What a strike, what a goal, what a result! A player frozen out by Frank Lampard has shown the tenacity and desire that fans love at any club, especially Everton. Another pat on the back must go to James Garner for playing out of his usual position at wingback - a great performance with such discipline and assurance.

Another mention must go to Dyche and his team. By no means am I the biggest fan of his style of management, but I must thank him for keeping Everton in the league. I am interested to see how we fair after a full season under his stewardship.

I do trust Dyche to recognise the issues we have, specifically in the final third of the pitch and in the full-back areas, and I have faith in him to sign a couple of players for these roles at least. How much he will have at his disposal to spend is a completely different question.

That brings us nicely onto the elephant in the room: Everton’s ownership. Yes, of course, fans celebrated as they should after such an emotionally exhausting season; however, many still recognise the issues at the club and want to avoid another relegation battle at all costs.

It is fairly obvious that the majority of the fanbase wishes for drastic changes in the boardroom and throughout the football club. Everton need a cultural change, starting at the top. We cannot be swept up in thinking this season is a blip, this being the latter of two relegation battles in two seasons.

Changes must happen; fresh, new ideas must be injected into the club without losing the tradition and ethos of the club. Whoever that board may be, they need to take an active role at matches, interacting with and understanding what the fans want.

I will finish on the topic of fans. Well done to every single Everton fan who has spent their hard-earned cash on away games this season, travelling to games week in and week out with little hope of a result.

At times, the players do not deserve the support they are given, but I do think they appreciate it. I can’t fault this group for passion, at least. We shall see what next season brings. I want to just see progression and steps in place to improve this fantastic club.

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2023-06-02T05:13:50Z dg43tfdfdgfd