TFG-owned Roma hire Ranieri as new boss

More trigger-happy than Moshiri? Oh dear…

Just looked at Ivan Juric's statistics, they are woeful. I hope they get their act together when they officially take charge of Everton.

Friedkin is way too inexperienced and unknowledgeable to do this himself...

They sacked De Rossi far too quickly. He was still very popular with the fans and all although they had a slow start, it wasn't terrible.

They still appear to be some way off becoming our next owners and I'm happy for Dyche to see this season through to the end on a shoestring budget.

I don't want and Everton can't afford to 'do a Roma'. No to the moaning one, no to a "play out from the back, no matter what" Potter style-over-substance manager.

We need someone better than Moyes to make the best of what we have while improving the style over the next few seasons with better or more-suited players. Not a rushed job whilst we are still very much a relegation candidate.

Van Nestléroy, no thanks, wake up and smell the coffee.

Or if it's a former player, I'd take Xavi. Terrific at developing young talent.

Or, want to do a Santa Job for us, Sean?

Well here's the sack!!!!

Wasn't Van Nistelroy the manager who gave Branthwaite his chance in Holland?

Forgetting his recent stint at Man Utd making him this week's managerial guru, as far as I know, he's got a reasonable reputation of bringing players through from a young age, has had experience as a striker coach, and as mentioned above, he was involved with Branthwaite at PSV.

Young and keen, obviously not as experienced as Sarri and Allegri, but probably eager. As also mentioned by others on different threads, there are decent young unknown or inexperienced coaches and managers out there.

However, if appointed, his first decision would probably be to help sell a certain defender to Man Utd and in the process blot his copybook from the start.

Was trying to think of a comeback. Failed.

Is that lunatic guy from Palace available, he might prove to be the best option for Everton, after all.

Any decision [to find a new manager] Everton’s future owners make will be made with help from Ed Shiple, a ‘Tarantino-esque figure’ who ‘solves problems’ for the group. He is an expert in human relations but with no sports knowledge.

His role at Roma is to work on the new stadium, relationships with the fans and the ‘team’ in the background of managers and workers. He is currently finalising a report on the current situation they find themselves in.

Friedkin turns to friend for advice

The situation risks erasing all the good work and good will the American group have built up during their time at in charge of the Italian club.

Right now, they find themselves without a coach, without a CEO and wondering where to go next, with ‘Mister X in the shadows’ and the fans not understanding or accepting what is going on.

I'm a big advocate of strong leadership and ignoring the torch and pitchfork brigade (remember Kendall?) but it's dangerous stuff.

Scousers are like elephants - they have long memories and like doughnuts.

It's gonna be terrific.

Van Nistlerooy has done a superb job since taking over at Man Utd, he's a once fearsome forward and would be no higher on the risk scale than many I've seen touted.

This is what makes it so strange on what is going on at Roma, and I know it should not make any difference but seemed to be a well run club when we played them pre-season.

Whatever the outcome, I hope that The Friedkin Group when they complete the takeover learn one thing from this and that is, Don't Piss Off The Supporters.

The club needs a complete overhaul, starting with the senior leadership at board level, before moving on to the rest of the structure. In many ways, the first-team coach should be one of the final pieces of the jigsaw.

We must hope Friedkin learns from his Roma experience. Unfortunately, successful business owners with huge financial assets are sometimes reluctant to learn lessons from their failure in areas unfamiliar to them.

I’ve never felt so disillusioned with football. It started with a conman, but it’s slowly spreading right through me, especially now I’m watching Everton, playing football I find it very hard to relate to.

The contradiction is that I’m enjoying watching the kids play, without the diving and the cheating. This is miles away from the circus, that now engulfs football in the EPL, and the honesty is very, very refreshing.

Like everyone else I love Everton Football Club though, and even though I’ve lost a lot of love, a part of me will always remain restless until the younger generations of fantastically loyal and absolutely fanatic Evertonians, get to finally witness our team winning trophies once again

A new guy will have half a season to work with the players and decide who to keep/not to keep come the summer. Would also give the squad the stability of knowing who the new man in the dugout is. New manager bounce should hopefully give us a few more points as well.

With respect to ‘who would take the job’? I always find this question funny. Pretty much any ambitious football manager wants to manage in the premier league and there are only 20 spots. Whilst we’ve been shit the last few years, I think we’re still a massive pull. Just depends on who’s available, how much we’re willing to pay in compensation and how much we’re willing to pay the manager. With Dyche on £5m a year, he’s actually one of the best paid managers in world football so that’s not an issue. Amorim at Man Utd is on £6.5m in comparison.

I think the stumbling block will be paying the compensation as a ‘name’ will come with a high price. No idea who it’ll be but a couple who are free and available are Potter and v Nistelrooy. Not advocating either just highlighting there are free options who imo would at least be a world better than the likes of Moyes or Lampard.

I’d like to think the Friedkin group is ambitious and will bring in a progressive guy with some imagination.

Dyche has done a great job stabilising the ship but needs a new guy in to take it forward.

Far more important than the manager as success is top-down driven. We have suffered badly from being run in an unprofessional manner so there must be no more Kenwrights or Barrett-Baxendales and zero cronyism but only meritocracy.

We were never ready for the Premier League but now is the time. I've shifted my view on the manager too. I feel now that it is very much in our interest that he goes now.

The transfer windows have also been an issue. In years gone by, managers could address issues in the season with additions required. This kept players more on their toes, and probably allowed teams to run with smaller squads. Teams regularly signed that goal scorer or defensive stopper to turn around their own affairs. Sometimes that's it all that it takes. Andy Gray signed for Everton in November 1983, the rest was history.

For me, I want a manager with experience. Someone that can change the game, command respect, recruit well, be firm but loved. That's a fair ask in a world where most managers really lack any sort of personality.

It's VITAL to have long term consistency in ownership. It's IMPORTANT to have long term consistency in the Director of Football and other executive positions. It's IDEAL to have long term consistency in the team management and coaching staff.

De Rossi fell out with the Executive and there was a "him or me!" stand off presented to the Owners. They took the decision to sacrifice the Ideal and retain the Important, which is what I would want them to do at our club in the future too.

It was for nothing though as the executive walked 3 weeks later anyway! paving a path for De Rossi to return.

We are looking for stability. At Roma, the Friedkins made the right call but received the wrong outcome.

I hate trigger-happy owners – obviously Abramovich was successful in spite of frequently replacing managers, but that was the pre-FFP and PSR era.

As a club, we are crying out for stability – not the trophy-less Moyes era stability, but something like Brentford or Fulham where their managers – Frank and Silva respectively – have brought them up from the Championship and kept them comfortably in mid-table of the Premier League for 3 or more seasons.

The football is not pretty the last few games, but 10 points from the last 7 games after 0 from the first 4 indicates that Dyche has stabilised the season, especially after a potentially morale-crushing collapse against Bournemouth.

Apart from the first 2 games, we have not lost games by more than 1 goal, indicating that we have been competitive for the most part.

Dyche deserves to be given time to work with some key players coming back from fitness and injury concerns – players like Garner, McNeil, Iroegbunam, Broja, Chermiti, Patterson, Coleman, Tarkowski, Branthwaite.

If Thelwell can strengthen the squad in some key areas – wide forwards, midfield, full-backs – then we could have a decent finish to the season.

It is much too risky to replace Sean Dyche midway through this season – in fact, I believe it would increase the chances of relegation if TFG were foolish enough to attempt it. We might end up looking back fondly at the Moshiri era!

I'm starting to worry if they're capable of getting a decent replacement for Dyche…

Not exactly inspiring from our proposed new owners.

What's next for us Hodgson or Big Sam.

The longer this takeover takes the more I want it to collapse.

Appointing the wrong guy in January might turn a challenge into a catastrophe.

El Bobble (no, I don't know how informed he actually is) is reporting that there is just the Premier League's Owner's and Director's test left to go... we must be getting pretty close.

If it's close, then I'd be inclined to go with an interim manager. The club needs a short boost that Dyche isn't going to deliver.

A courtesy conversation could be had with The Friedkin Group beforehand. I don't doubt that they're already involved in club business.

Hopefully they're not the blueprint for us in that regard. Strategy can at best be described as strange and unpredictable.

Richard #38, the executive walked because the Roma ultras threatened to kill her. And it was four days after she sacked De Rossi, not three weeks. Facts matter.

The managerial roller-coaster at Roma is deeply troubling, as is his utter lack of footy nous and the regular protests of Roma's diehard supporters that reminds me of the massive eruption of no and fuck off from the supporters of historic Liege to the 777 twats.

There are times when I think that the understandable blind faith we put in the Texan and the Dock is desperate. Neither is a guarantee of anything. And, Mike, there is little in your upbeat reports of the Trump Texan that - pace Roma - suggest that he is a good fit for us.

I hope that you are right. And, if so, I'll drive from your city to WA to raise a glass with you.

Is Dyche genuinely a dinosaur incapable of playing a different style of football? Or we are just stuck with suffering the slop he is shoving down our throats every week simply because of our lack of bite. Our impotence in front of goal is well catalogued so his pragmatic stance of emphasis on trying not to lose as opposed to stepping out to try and win bears some credence. I get that.

However, we have seen (albeit too rarely) glimpses of some quite decent football under his tenure. I was thinking, could Dyche and Thelwell, with a decent war chest and a bit of time, actually shock us all and start producing some mouthwatering entertainment and, per se, good results. He might just have it in him, and TFG might just be thinking of providing the opportunity. Has he ever been given that in the past?

Anyway - Just a thought as I said... I'll probably feel better in a day or two.

Manager Hot Seat

The point I'm bringing to the debate is that, in the future, I would want Everton to be run in a way that sees the consistency and longevity of Ownership (if good) and Executive Layer (if good) outlast Managerial and Coaching positions (even if good). Just as Roma have tried.

There is much support on ToffeeWeb for a playing identity, a cohesive transfer policy and for all teams in the club to be playing in similar ways to promote youth. All of that strategy comes from the Board and Director of Football positions, the Managerial layer is influential, but more disposable, should there be a need to change.

With Potter, De Zerbi and now Hurzeler, Brighton have shown how that back-office consistency can grow the club, the success and the bank balance simultaneously.

Imagine if Everton could do similar with such a big fan base (local and global) and an iconic new stadium purpose-built to entertain!

The building of a club culture takes time. A DOF like Thelwell -- who I happen to believe is the right man in the right place -- must have a stable board above him and sufficient funds to do his job, and then of course the right manager below him.

The culture of success evolves slowly. I know we look enviously at clubs like Brentford and BHA now, but keep in mind that it took 20 years for Brighton to rise from imminent relegation out of the Football League altogether to Premier League success, and Brentford ten years ago was yo-yo-ing between the Championship and League 1. Putting the proper pieces in place was only step one of a long process for both clubs.

Richard, I believe playing identity will emerge in the new stadium under a management team that will be determined shortly and will shape the club over years.

PF, it doesn't matter if the owner lacks footy nous, as long as he hires people who have it, as Friedkin did with Mou. As to the Roma ultras, I couldn't care less what they think. Four years ago Friedkin saved their club from administration and relegation, and now they're driving out the club president with death threats.

Also, PF, there is no information that Friedkin is a Trump supporter, although he's certainly a Republican.

I doubt it for three reasons. First, Friedkin's political donations have gone to the Automotive Free International Trade PAC, a car dealers lobbying group that will definitely fight Trump's proposed tariffs on foreign trade. Second, Friedkin is a Hollywood guy who has made movies that Trump despised. And third, he's a huge conservationist, another cause Trump despises.

I hope they are nothing but my own cynicism that anything Everton is never simple. I do remember lots on here shouting from the rooftops when Moshiri came in that we were big time. I also recall people calling for Usmanov and his yacht to parade down the Mersey.

None of us know what will happen but financial stability and a long term football strategy would be a start. The new ground has to be massive. It's jaw-dropping.

The problem I have with the Van Nistelroy shouts is that he basically took over, temporarily, a decent set of players who had been stifled by an over-thinking manager and enjoyed the "new manager bounce" with no jeopardy. A bit like the Duncan Ferguson effect.

I don't think we're in the position to try another experiment – we need ambition, certainly, but with proven experience.

Sarri is my personal choice but I think Dyche should be given until the end of this tough run in December with a minimum target of, say, 6 or 8 points... If he achieves that, stick with him until the summer.

Agreed, re Van Nistelrooy.

Though I think it should be more like 10 points, Mark.

Personally I would really like to see what McKenna could achieve at a much bigger club. We'd be a great step up for him.

Man Utd away
Wolves home
Liverpool home
Arsenal away
Chelsea home
Man City away
Nottm Forest home

And I think he'll be safe until summer.

Personally I doubt we'll get 8 but fingers crossed. If we can at least beat Liverpool plus any other two games, I'll be delighted.

In fact, if we only beat Liverpool and draw the rest, I'll be delighted.

Tend to agree, I don't really care whether he has a football brain or not, more a business brain. I care even less what his political views are.

Home wins v Brentford, Wolves and Nottingham Forest plus one other point, probably Chelsea or The Shite, That's possible.

If he achieves that then we would probably be 5 or 6 above the drop zone, going into the New Year. Hopefully then a couple of new players should see us right until the end.

Fingers crossed: 🤞

I can see 3 from Wolves and hopefully 3 from Forest (but they are riding high just now). Even with Brentford in the mix, 6 or 7 is my best guesstimate. With luck and a following wind, 11 would be nice but just not seeing it.

It all starts next Saturday. Happy Xmas... According to my chocolate advent calendar, there's already only 3 days to go.

Claudio Ranieri's Official Unveiling Interview

There's a lot on ToffeeWeb who could interview much better. Means nothing.

Unsettled fan base, chaos in the board room, unsettled players and poor performances on the pitch. I think his appointment is a smart move by Friedkin. I think he has the experience and nous to steady the ship.

I didn't say it wasn't a terrific interview.

Like I said, no offence was intended.