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There are only 13 Premier League games left at Goodison Park. Sean Dyche still doesn’t know if he will be in charge when the club moves.
Failure to overcome a Brentford side reduced to 10 men for 49 minutes does nothing to help his cause in seeking a contract extension when the Friedkin Group finalize their takeover, the brief taunts at full-time more frustration facing to yet another stalemate than total protest, but typical of another busy afternoon on Merseyside.
“They [the boos] can be addressed to whomever they are addressed. They expect to win and I hope to win,” Dyche said of the fan reaction.
He can analyze this match and highlight his team’s fast start with five goal attempts in the first six minutes. He can argue that Vitaliy Mykolenko and Beto could have won in the second half, the latter denied by Ethan Pinnock’s block in the 93rd minute.
And he could justifiably argue that when it came down to 11 versus 11, Everton seemed the likeliest winner.
But Dyche has enough football knowledge to read a room and knows that while he once came close to conquering this stadium with his best results, too many of them seem lost now. Friedkin’s rebuild plan is expected to include a new coach for 2025-26 rather than a new deal for the current one, so until then the club is operating in limbo where Dyche remains the top man to keep the club in the division. while spectators long for the first decisive steps towards a better future.
It would be a surprise if Everton’s next owners do not engage in frank conversations.
Saturday’s opponent, Thomas Frank, would be an ideal candidate assuming he sees the Everton job as a step up in terms of status, or even a league position, based on recent years. The Dane’s philosophy is inspired by the Goodison tradition: military-style set plays and a flexible approach based on good defensive organization. The way his players held on after Christian Norgaard was sent off in the 41st minute was impressive.
Frank also has that exotic overseas charisma that appeals to fans more than the rough and ready British character of Dyche, who from day one has been marked by Gwladys Street in the same way as Sam Allardyce during his brief stint as survival. The charm offensive expanded until Frank complimented his players for taming a “fantastic” home crowd.
Goodison’s panic this time – and it was palpable even during the home side’s best moments in a match they should have won – is down to a sense of foreboding. Everton’s next seven matches include Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City. Their fifth draw in eight games, the last three without a goal, could only make the atmosphere tense.
It was a wasted opportunity given Brentford’s numerical disadvantage.
At first glance, Norgaard’s attacking challenge on Jordan Pickford looked like an innocuous attempt to connect with the ball at the far post.
A slow-motion replay later and Norgaard’s studs had clearly caught the England number 1 on his knee. Referee Chris Kavanagh was forced by VAR to take another look. In doing so, the red card was produced and Frank was subsequently cautioned.
“For me, it’s not a red. We will most likely appeal this decision,” Frank said. “I see a situation where Christian has his eyes on the ball and there is no intention. He withdrew with all his strength. If the law of the game is that of the red card, the law has changed.
For Everton, the pressure to win has intensified. Iliman Ndiaye, the winger who, when fit, looks like he trained at Hogwarts, was a potential winner from the start.
But the general lack of cunning, patience and imagination proved maddening. Instead, Brentford’s courage earned their first away point of the season, leaving Dyche in the dangerous territory that he and his predecessors Frank Lampard, Rafa Benitez, Marco Silva and Allardyce know all too well.
