With Everton confirming the dismissal of their 14th ever permanent manager since the position was established in 1939, Roberto Martinez, it is no surprise that names of potential successors of the Spaniard are being thrown about all over social media. It is a rare occasion for Evertonians – seeing a new manager introduced – with the club being known to give their boss’ much more of a chance than rival Premier League clubs, who have an average manager tenure of just 1.23 years (as of 2015).
The fans are excited, and so they should be, with an abundance of respectable managers available to take the vacant position – but Kenwright and co. have to be certain that they are employing the right man to lead one of England’s oldest clubs back to its glory days.
So, what should they look for?
“And if you know your history!”
Most importantly for many Everton fans is the recognition of the club’s illustrious and admirable history.
The Blues’ 138 year history has seen it be one of the founding members of the football league, have one of the greatest goalscorers in Dixie Dean to ever grace the English game and hold nine first division titles, along with an array of domestic cups. It is this proud history that makes Everton so wonderful.
Undoubtedly Bill Kenwright will look for this in a manager as he did with recent investor Farhad Moshiri. Of course, an Everton fan as manager would understand the club and it’s supporters more than anyone, but these are rare in the world of top flight managing, with only Eddie Howe’s name being mentioned with this knowledge. It could also mean a former player or club legend such as Duncan Ferguson who is currently a first team coach could be promoted to this position, as only then could they connect with the fans by sharing memories of the past, whilst hopefully creating new ones.
Young and upcoming or experienced and safe?
It’s a tough one to call. It would be sensible to employ an acclaimed and recognised figure to rally the players after suffering two poor seasons. It may be that this experience and knowledge of the game could be the only way to keep key players like Romelu Lukaku and John Stones, who are rumoured to be leaving in the summer. If Everton were to go for this option there is a range of faces available. Frank De Boer recently left his position as Ajax manager and is the hot favourite amongst pundits and fans alike, with other options coming in the form of Guus Hiddink, Manuel Pellegrini, Roberto Di Matteo or Andre Villas Boas.
But the Toffees could also look for a younger, more upcoming manager as they did with Martinez. This could introduce a more fast paced modern style of play rather than one based on slow, measured passing. If this is the case, Everton may look towards the Evertonian Howe.
Some of Martinez’s signings have been questionable during the Catalonian’s three year tenure, with the likes of Arouna Kone, Aiden McGeady and perhaps new signing Oumar Niasse all failing to live up to expectations.
Of course, the Spaniard didn’t perhaps have the funds to buy world class superstars, but spending over £5 million on Kone who has only scored six goals in 40 appearances for the Blues shows that what he had could have been invested more wisely.
Now, with Farhad Moshiri owning 49.9% of the shares of Everton Football Club, the new manager will undoubtedly have a much larger fund to splash on players that can help carry Everton in the right direction – whether that is back to Europe, winning domestic silverware or perhaps just ensuring the key players stay put.
