Everton and Dyche must take this ‘Sliding Doors’ opportunity

Crisis club Everton are desperately on the lookout for a new gaffer, and it appears it’s going to be a straight three-way fight between caretaker David Unsworth, former England manager Sam Allardyce and Burnley chief Sean Dyche.

Our resident football odds expert Adrian Clarke is crystal clear on who he believes is the right man to take charge at Goodison Park…

When I woke up this morning and read a headline that stated, ‘Everton interested in Sean Dyche’ my initial reaction was, what took them so long?

The moment they decided to axe the unpopular and befuddled Ronald Koeman (rightly so, by the way), I would have been straight on the phone to Turf Moor requesting permission to speak to the Clarets’ main man.

To me, Dyche is head and shoulders the right man for the Toffees job.

I say this because Everton’s players quickly need five clear things put into place for them:

– Tactical clarity from a manager that knows exactly how he wants his teams to play.
– Better defensive organisation (because they are currently all over the place).
– Significantly improved fitness levels.
– Team selections that don’t create an obvious imbalance.
– And a collective verbal rocket aimed up the you-know-where.

During five excellent campaigns in charge of Burnley, the former defender has demonstrated a consistent ability to cover all of the above bases.

It is hard to think of a Premier League coach that is as straightforward as Dyche – and his style of play will resonate well with the Everton fans who expect to see passionate, hardworking football.

He is an intelligent, motivational manager, who quite rightly demands that the ‘basics’ are always executed properly.

Right now, as big-spending Everton and their myriad of underperforming stars stand hesitantly on the precipice of a disastrous season, he is exactly the type of leader they need.

Once those five key areas are fixed, the talent they have as a group will come to the fore. You can then expect the Blues to soar up the table.

It’s also the right time for Dyche to make the move too.

He’s five years into his job at the Lancashire outpost, and I just don’t know how much further he can take Burnley. On a limited budget, they are over-performing to what I regard to be maximum levels.

This weekend’s 1-0 success at home to Newcastle United took Burnley to the lofty heights of 7th in the Premier League table. So from there, I am afraid the only way is down.

Timing in football is everything. For Dyche, this Everton opening could be a true sliding doors moment.

Will he ever make the leap from Burnley to the big time of a top-six club? No, that isn’t going to happen. He’s not on their radar.

So the best step he can make for now is Everton; and with this vacancy cropping up at a time when he’s at his managerial peak, I believe he HAS to take the job if it’s offered.

By the time another post as attractive as this one comes around, his Burnley side could easily be in the bottom half of the table and in the midst of a relegation fight. At that point, his stock won’t be anywhere near as high; even if his abilities haven’t altered one bit.

In my opinion, David Unsworth doesn’t have enough top-level experience for such a prestigious role, and although Sam Allardyce is a quality candidate, in Everton’s shoes I’d be wondering how much of his heart was in it. After all, just a few months ago he said he wanted to retire.

It has to be Dyche.

Everton should not mess around here. This is no time for dithering.

Having spent all that cash last summer it’s imperative the right man is inside their Finch Farm training centre ASAP, to sort out their mess.

No matter how much compensation Burnley demand, Dyche will be worth taking the punt on.