Football News: Sam Allardyce puts his own agenda before what is good for Everton FC

What Sam Allardyce has produced in terms of results is not vastly different from what David Unsworth produced; 1.40 points per game with Unsworth and 1.46 with Allardyce. I accept everything was not perfect under Unsworth and he did it over fewer games and had no games against the top 6 but he also won both home games, drew 1 away game and in 1 of the 2 Premier League games he lost, he caught a Leicester team at exactly the wrong time.

I think, in fairness to Allardyce, he has done exactly what I expected him to do for Everton and exactly what he was brought in to do. However, i think at the end of the season that job is done. He reduced the attacking ambition in favour of defending first which brought some results and a steady flow of points. This continued the work Unsworth did at stabilising the club which I personally think is underrated as he took the squad on at its lowest point.

Allardyce took the squad on after we had risen to 13th and just given West Ham a 4-0 drubbing. Allardyce certainly got good results at the start and this contributed to us moving further away from the relegation fight and towards the fight for 7th but to say all the positive changes came after Allardyce arrived isn't entirely accurate.

Are we genuinely thinking we will be fighting against relegation next year too? I don't believe we will be and I personally think another 12 months of Allardyce will be a wasted year. There will likely be a big turnover of players in the summer. Doing that with a manager who is only there for another 12 months doesn't make any sense. Better to do it with the next regime in and develop the squad in a way that fits their requirements.

I think the only way we progress as a club is if the young talent in the squad is embraced, developed and given plenty of game time in a forward thinking system from an innovative coach. I don't think Allardyce is the man for that.

To think that the transition from Allardyce to the next manager will be smoother in 12 months than it will this Summer I think is also wrong. Every managerial change creates a lot of upheaval. It might actually be easier this Summer before Allardyce has truly managed to put his stamp on the team which I personally think would be damaging.

Those practical things aside the thing that really turns me off with regards to Allardyce is his arrogant approach with the focus of everything he says being about making himself look better. You just have to listen to his recent press conferences.

He talks about the home form in the last 6 games and the time since he arrived being good but the away form which is shocking he talks about over the past couple years basically saying it isn't his fault. His words imply that he is having a positive affect and things are changing but the reality is our home form has been good at Goodison long before he arrived and our away form has been terrible also long before he arrived - not a great deal has changed under Allardyce in that regard.

He also threw the players under the bus after Arsenal. Yes they were shocking and deserved criticism but so was his setup and approach to the game. He should have shouldered his fair share of the blame too. Again - not my fault when it goes wrong.

His handling of the Lookman loan was shocking. He heaped an extra amount of pressure on Lookman by saying its all down to him and its not what I wanted. That was completely uneccessary and designed purely at Allardyce getting his excuses in as to why it isn't his fault if things go wrong for Lookman.

He says that this season is now a write off - why isn't he saying that it is important to fight for 7th as this might offer a way into europe again? Because he wants to lower expectations and sell the narrative that he is turning the club around slowly and its a big job that will continue into next year.

He knows that if it is accepted that the ship has been steadied by the end of this season he will be sacked. He needs to keep peddling the narrative that there will still be a relegation fight next year too and getting rid of him will be a huge risk. Again putting his own agenda before what is good for the team.

There are plenty of other instances of Allardyce manipulating things to make it sound like he is the reason for things going well but it is always someone elses fault when things go wrong. I have no idea what the players think (and i know professional footballers are a unique type of people! ) but I have been in the Army for 18 years and I guarantee he is not a leader that soldiers would enthusiastically follow.

I accept that everyone has different and equally valid opinions but for me another 12 months with a manager who has an arrogant, short sighted, outdated and selfish approach is not something I want and it genuinely embarrasses me as a fan of Everton when I listen to the man talk. OK, he doesn't have the level of character flaws that Mourinho does but that is little consolation!

The sooner that a manager and capable DOF are brought in who have a long term vision and remit the sooner we can attempt to develop into a club that might challenge the top 6. They might fail in their attempts but in my opinion they are no more likely to succeed if they start in 18 months time or in 6 and the gap to the top 6 will be even bigger in 18 months time than it is now- the task gets harder and harder every year, we can't waste another season.

In terms of what I think will happen, I am not sure there is much Allardyce can do about the situation. I think it is pretty clear what Allardyce is. In terms of whether Allardyce gets next season in charge too I think what really matters is what the genuine alternatives are in the summer. If there is someone Moshiri likes and thinks is the long term answer then Allardyce will be sacked. If there isn't someone available like that then Allardyce will probably limp into next year with everyone knowing he is not here for the long term which will make it very hard to recruit the players we need.

Article written by toffeebuds

Written by toffeebuds February 13 2018 22:09:30