Dyche said that seeing empty seats at Goodison Park was “a reality” following a 3-0 defeat to Brighton on the opening day [EFC Daily, 17 August], but Southall couldn’t have disagreed more with his verdict.
He said: “It’s really difficult – I feel sorry for Sean Dyche, I think he’s tried to build a house on quicksand and never knows what he can plan, never knows what the future holds.
“I think he needs to be careful with what he says about the fans.
There are no better people in the world than our fans. If this football club was anywhere else in the world, we’d be having 10,000 people coming to games, but we have full houses because we have fantastic supporters.”
Everton fans are running out of patience with Sean Dyche
While Dyche’s post-match comments on the opening day may have riled the Goodison faithful, his side’s woeful start to the season will certainly have done much more damage to his reputation on Merseyside.
The Toffees are winless in the Premier League so far and have just one point after five matches, with Dyche coming under increasing pressure to reverse the “horrendous”
With Dan Friedkin’s takeover looming large in the background, Dyche’s position in the dugout is set to come under further scrutiny as the soon-to-be owner looks to reverse their fortunes [GiveMeSport, 24 September].
Dyche himself is only under contract for the next few months, with his deal running until summer 2025, and there is already a consensus that he faces an uphill battle to earn an extension at Goodison.
How long fans stay in their seats during matches should be the least of Dyche’s worries right now, as unless he can get the Toffees to win games again, he could soon be dumped out of his chair.