Everton Supporters’ Priorities for New Ownership: Culture, Management, and Debt

Following The Friedkin Group’s completion of its takeover of Everton, supporters offered their perspectives on the new owners’ immediate priorities. The following are some of their comments: Gerard suggested that the manager should be supported “until the end of the season.” He cautioned against “knee-jerk reaction[s]” given upcoming challenging matches, stating that Everton’s current squad is “good enough as they are.” Gerard also noted that “one or two bits of astute business across the midfield and back four would be welcome, more for injury cover and competition than anything else.” Regarding strikers, he acknowledged they “might not be firing” but are currently available, considering their performance a potential “summer’s problem” that “might even be a happy headache by then if one or two of them start to find form.” Steve expressed a desire for a manager and players capable of delivering “attractive attacking football.” He criticized the existing playing style, stating, “No more 30% possession and trying to nick a goal on the break – it’s been torture watching for far too long.” Paul remarked that the takeover was “A long time coming but finally the takeover has been completed.” He identified securing Premier League safety as the first necessity, which he believes “will need some new players brought in January.” Despite finding the “current style of play is terrible,” Paul advocated for Sean Dyche to “stay until the end of the season and get us safe.” He emphasized the importance of immediate “summer planning,” including lining up “a new manager, some new players and, most exciting of all, the move to our fabulous new stadium.” David recommended that Dyche “remain in place to the summer.” He advised assessing “the club, players and staffing” and avoiding “too knee-jerk in January,” stressing the need for “stability and simply to remain in the Premier League this year.” David proposed using the summer for a comprehensive “rebuild,” encompassing “new ethos, new manager, new stadium…and a new bookkeeper to avoid any more PSR breaches!” Mike presented a list of desired changes, including a “Change of culture, change of management, refresh the team, boost the squad, find a striker who actually knows how to score, open up lines of communication with fans, solve world hunger, fix global warming…just the simple things first!” Noel highlighted the necessity of acquiring “new players in the January transfer window” but asserted that the “main priority for the new owners is to clear the club’s debt.”