When Sam Allardyce became Everton boss back in November, it was a desperate appointment by the Toffees, in every sense of the word. The former England boss was a specialise in fighting relegation battles.
At the point of his appointment, Everton were struggling against the drop and looked like a team lacking balance and cohesion. The veteran boss has guided the Toffees to the safety of ninth place after a 3-1 win over Crystal Palace on Saturday.
The win was achieved in a rather industrious style and some would say it was slightly lucky. The Eagles had their chances to score and on another day, they could have taken something from the game.
Allardyce was always a short-term appointment
It was almost an open secret that Sam Allardyce’s appointment was a means to an end. The Toffees attempted to give Allardyce a six-month deal before having to give him an 18-month contract.
The 63-year-old was hardly any Evertonian’s first-choice boss for the job. However, at the time the Toffees were worried about the teams top-flight status, despite the Merseysiders spending an unprecedented amount of money last summer.
Allardyce was hired to stop the Blues suffering relegation. A few more wins and most Evertonian’s would gladly wave Allardyce goodbye. The amount of compensation he would receive would be of no concern to the fans. His appointment was a necessary evil.
Style of football is awful
Many different bosses play football in many different styles. There is no right or wrong way to play football. Most football fans would like their team to play attractive football and score goals.
However, some bosses can play a more pragmatic style of play and get results. Allardyce’s style of football is awful and is unlikely to improve anytime soon. His teams are supposedly good at defending.
In the last few months, though, Everton have struggled for results and clean sheets. The Toffees have not even been able to park the bus properly in recent months under the experienced boss.
The one facet of coaching that Allardyce is renowned for he is struggling to recreate at Everton, admittedly with a poor group of defenders. The veteran boss had a chance to strengthen his defensive options in January but failed, except to bring in the unconvincing French centre-back Eliaquim Mangala on loan from Manchester City.
Apparently, he and director of football Steve Walsh could not find a left-back in the whole of Europe. The questionable decisions just keep stacking up against the veteran former England boss.
Allardyce should leave this summer
According to media reports, Everton majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri is frustrated by the team’s recent form and that he will review the managerial situation this summer.
Ironically, the Toffees could yet still finish in the league’s top-seven this season, the same position as last season under Ronald Koeman. In fact, the Merseysiders are now odds of 1/5 to finish in the top-ten.
The fact that Everton have been so poor and could still finish as ‘best of the rest’ is a sad indictment of the league as a whole. The teams below the top-six are much of a muchness, shown in the fact that half the teams in the league are still in the relegation battle.
It could be argued that Everton were on a slight upward trajectory when Allardyce got the job. Maybe another boss could have achieved the same or better results than the veteran boss has managed. Recent results have not exactly been incredible and the team’s performances have been questionable at times.
Sam Allardyce is one of the highest paid bosses in the Premier League. Everton are not currently getting much value for money. It would not be a major surprise if the former West Ham boss and the Merseyside club parted company this summer. I doubt there will be many tears from Everton fans.
Should Sam Allardyce be the Everton boss next season?
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