Everton have taken chaos theory to extremes in recent years, but nothing comes close to the current atmosphere of dysfunction and mistrust at the heart of Goodison Park’s latest crisis.
The arrival of billionaire Farhad Moshiri in February 2016 was designed to usher in a new era of prosperity and success – instead it brought years of instability and decline that left the club on its knees against a backdrop finance and football.
Everton travel to West Ham on Saturday in 19th place in the Premier League after just three wins this season, and with unrest and fan discontent at all-time highs.
The match at the London Stadium was cynically dubbed ‘El Sackico’ on the basis that the loser between Everton manager Frank Lampard and Hammers counterpart David Moyes is expected to be in imminent danger of dismissal.
Everton walked away from relegation on death last season, but despite all the bold claims about a strategic review to restart the struggling club and avoid a repeat, they currently look even more vulnerable to dropping out in the Championship.
And over the past 10 days, the relationship between the Everton board and many fans has become so fractured that it’s no stretch to suggest it may now be beyond repair.
It came to a head ahead of the home game against bottom club Southampton when Everton supporters announced plans for a full-scale protest and sit-in organized by 67 fan and social media groups, as well as more than 20 official fan clubs.
Everton owner Moshiri, longtime chairman Bill Kenwright and chief executive Denise Barrett-Baxendale were prime targets for those demanding change in the boardroom.
Hours before kick-off, Everton announced that the board, which also includes playing legend Graeme Sharp and chief financial and strategy officer Grant Ingles, would not be present due to a ” real and credible threat to their security”.
Protest groups have said throughout that their intentions are peaceful, with fans forming a welcome for the team bus ahead of kick-off, while a later statement from Merseyside Police said that ” no threats or incidents” had been reported to them by the club before the match.
Footage on social media later showed defender Yerry Mina in a heated discussion with fans after the game and confronted Anthony Gordon in his car.
Everton then announced that they were “reviewing all matchday and non-matchday security arrangements following the home game with Southampton” and that “enhanced security procedures and protocols are being put in place for players and staff. of the club following incidents in this match and previous matches”.
Far from calming the situation, it only created further division between the board and supporters who felt they were portrayed as the bad guys in the room by a hierarchy under scrutiny – supporters who gathered to drag Everton on the line as they faced relegation last. season.
It is difficult to see how these particular fences can be repaired and under what circumstances the board that stayed away against Southampton will return for Everton’s next home game against Arsenal.
And then there are the problems on the pitch, leaving Lampard to struggle against the chances of becoming Moshiri’s sixth sacking.
So how did we get here? How did what was supposed to be a dream turn into Everton’s worst nightmare?
Chairman Kenwright, in a statement which has now gained notoriety among Everton fans, told the virtual annual general meeting in 2021: “A very famous football club told me two or three days ago : ‘Whenever we have a problem, we say: What do the Everton board do because they always succeed?'”
Evidence suggests that whichever club in question would have done well to avoid copying Everton’s boardroom model, such has been the scale and speed of the club’s slide.
Kenwright, who bought the club in December 1999 and became chairman in 2004, has been a regular lightning rod for critics, seen by those who want him to quit as a constant in the unsuccessful years since the FA victory Cup in 1995 against Manchester United.
In reality, Everton’s board has presided over managerial rotation, appalling decision-making and financial waste in the industry-wide transfer market for years under Moshiri’s tenure.
Moshiri sacked Roberto Martinez, Ronald Koeman, Sam Allardyce, Marco Silva and Rafael Benitez.
The latest fixture was a divisive and high-risk gamble in the face of fierce fan opposition that was to end in the kind of acrimony and dissent it did when the former Liverpool manager was sacked there. almost exactly one year old.
What resulted was a Frankenstein squad monster – the starting XI in the 2-1 home defeat to Southampton with players acquired by six different managers.
Benitez was sacked with Everton in 15th place with 19 points from 19 games. A year later, they are in an even more perilous position under Lampard, entering this weekend’s pivotal game one spot down with just 15 points from 19 games.
Moshiri was powerless to stop his dream manager Carlo Ancelotti from returning to Real Madrid, but the stark truth that is at the heart of the rebellious mood among supporters is that Everton have regressed under his stewardship.
Everton were supposed to return to the top flight with their backing but instead reverted to selling club status – one example being how star striker Richarlison was snapped up by Tottenham in the summer for £60million sterling.
Things have been made worse as no natural replacements have been fielded or signed since. Neal Maupay has arrived for £12m after being declared surplus to requirements at Brighton.
England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, who has been on hold for two years, is yet to sign a new contract and speculation has already begun over his future.
Will he really see his career enriched at club and international level amidst the whirlwind of life in the Premier League basement at Goodison Park?
The wild scenes of celebration that greeted the win over Crystal Palace which provided security last season were meant to mark the start of the road to recovery.
Instead, those same fans, whose role in keeping Everton alive cannot be understated, are in revolt and planning further protests for the next home game with Arsenal.
And, at this stage, it’s hard to pinpoint one area where Everton’s long-term fortunes could improve.
Financial fair play restrictions mean that most of Everton’s purchasing power has been removed. So, even if Moshiri wanted to go on another frenzy to fix the current huge problems, he is unable to do so.
Everton are yet to secure a signing in this January window while those struggling around them – such as Southampton, West Ham United and Wolverhampton Wanderers – are in the market moving.
Moshiri, rightly, said he put his money where it was, both providing transfer money and also funding the £760m – his latest revised figure – for the Everton’s new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock, due to open early. of the 2024-25 season.
This, and the fact that the club are still for sale despite Moshiri walking away from this discussion, only increases the growing sense of panic surrounding the possibility of Everton falling into the second tier.
Everton’s problems are not just about the moment. They talk about the uncertain future they face.
Manager Lampard has handled the situation with dignity and retains the sympathy of many supporters but, inevitably, his future will be in serious jeopardy unless an abysmal run of results improves.
The stakes couldn’t be higher for Lampard or Everton, especially their beleaguered hierarchy, when they face other West Ham strugglers.
