Everton told they have an ‘amazing’ man as Sherwood scoffs at underrated claims
Tim Sherwood has scoffed at suggestions that Everton have an underrated manager in Sean Dyche as he is doing an ‘amazing job’ guiding the Toffees to safety this season.
The Blues now sit four points clear of the relegation zone after taking three wins on the spin. Everton have even won four of their last five Premier League games to take the second-most points in that period. But the Toffees sit near the bottom following their 10-point deduction.
Without the penalty, Dyche would have Everton sitting 10th in the table ahead of his return to Turf Moor. The Blues coach returns to Burnley for the first time as an opposition manager this Saturday. He has not stood in Turf Moor’s away dugout since August 2011 with Watford.
Sherwood believes a mid-table finish would have been the best Dyche could have achieved this season before Everton’s 10-point deduction. But the way that he has got the Toffees to respond to the penalty has proven to the pundit that Dyche is far from an underrated boss.
“Not by me,” Sherwood told No Tippy Tappy Football. “He’s just been amazing. And Dychey, against all the odds, siege mentality, fixed bayonets and all that, 10-point deduction.
“The job was exactly the same as what it is now to what it was at the beginning of the season: stay in the league. It’s just made it more exciting for them because they were cruising. It was boring for Everton fans.
“They must have thought, ‘Wow, we’re going to be mid-table. What’s the point in that?’ All of a sudden, nick 10 points off them, make it more exciting. What were they? [On] 23 points at this stage if they had got their 10 points back? Amazing, amazing job he’s done.”
Only AFC Bournemouth, Aston Villa and Liverpool have earnt more points (13) than Everton (12) over the last five Premier League games. Only the Cherries (3) and Villans (4) have also conceded fewer goals than the Toffees (5). The Blues rank seventh for goals scored (9), too.
What has helped Dyche take Everton on such a strong run is their brilliant defensive record. The Goodison Park natives shut Nottingham Forest, Newcastle United and also Chelsea out for 1-0, 3-0 and 2-0 wins. No top-flight team can rival their record so far through December.
Dyche will now hope he can maintain their form when Everton visit Burnley on Saturday. A win at Turf Moor will further fuel the Toffees’ charge ahead of a trip to Tottenham Hotspur and the visit of Manchester City to Goodison during the Merseysiders’ Christmas schedule.
