Everton fans have the LOWEST optimism ahead of the next season
Everton fans have the LOWEST optimism ahead of the new Premier League season as Sean Dyche’s side face prospect of relegation battle, according to Sky Bet survey
- Everton narrowly avoided relegation on the final day of last season
- Their fans are concerned that they will be involved in another relegation battle
- Only eight per cent of supporters believe Everton are a well run club
Everton have the most pessimistic fans in the Premier League heading into next season, with many predicting another campaign of struggle, a survey has revealed.
The Toffees avoided relegation on the final day of last season under Sean Dyche, one year on from another narrow escape when Frank Lampard was at the helm.
And their supporters are not convinced things will be any better in 2023-24.
A Sky Bet survey has shown that after speaking to over 1,400 Premier League fans, the average Everton fan has rated their level of optimism at just 3.3 on a scale of 1-10. This puts them a full two marks below the next least optimistic fans – Tottenham and Wolves (both 5.3).
By contrast, Manchester City’s fans are unsurprisingly the most optimistic following their Treble-winning campaign, with their rating up at 9.1, and Brighton sit second on the list at 8.0 as they prepare to play in Europe for the first time.
Everton fans are not optimistic ahead of next season, with 15 per cent predicting relegation
Despite the team’s struggles, 76 per cent of fans believe Sean Dyche is the right man to take Everton forward
When predicting where Everton will finish next term, 23 per cent of fans expect the club to end the campaign in 15th place, but 15 per cent are expecting far worse and have tipped Dyche’s men to suffer relegation. That would be a devastating blow for the Toffees, who have not fallen out of England’s top division since 1951.
There is mixed feedback on manager Dyche, with 76 per cent feeling he is the right man to take the club forward, but he has been rated as just the 17th-best manager in the league.
Dyche replaced Lampard in January, and has won six of his 18 matches in charge to date.
While Dyche has the backing of the majority of Everton fans, the same cannot be said of the board.
Only eight per cent believe the club is well run following a year that saw multiple protests at Goodison Park.
Only eight per cent of fans believe Everton are well run, with owner Farhad Moshiri (front left) and chairman Bill Kenwright (front right) still at the club
Several board members departed the club last month, with chief executive Denise Barrett-Baxendale, finance director Grant Ingles and Graeme Sharp, who held a non-executive role, announcing their departures in a joint statement.
However, Bill Kenwright has remained in his role as chairman after talks with owner Farhad Moshiri, despite calls for him to leave.
This does not appear to have gone down well with the fanbase, and it seems they are concerned that the decision-making at board level is unlikely to improve with Moshiri and Kenwright still at the club.
Everton get their season underway when they host Fulham on August 12, and they are not set to face any of the ‘Big Six’ until they play Arsenal at Goodison Park on September 16.
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