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Farhad Moshiri has claimed he retains faith in Frank Lampard and the under-fire Everton board despite the team’s recent slide into the relegation zone.
The Everton hierarchy had been silent on Lampard’s position after the calamitous 4-1 home defeat by Brighton last Tuesday but, responding to a letter from the Everton Fans’ Forum, the owner offered the manager some support and insisted the club needed stability.
Moshiri not keen to make major changes
Moshiri also rejected growing calls from a wide range of Everton supporter groups to replace the chairman, Bill Kenwright, and other members of the club’s board.
“I have faith in the work being done not only by our manager, but our director of football [Kevin Thelwell] and our board of directors,” Moshiri wrote to the Fans’ Forum. “That faith is based on my knowledge of the depth and quality of work being done both at Finch Farm [Everton’s training complex] and the Royal Liver Building [Everton’s administrative HQ) and of the plan that is in place.
I am confident that we have skilled, experienced, and focused professionals at all levels of the club. We are all agreed that our current league position must and will improve.”
Lampard knows time is running out
Lampard has been under enormous external pressure and while Everton have played well on occasion, the results are not what they should be.
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He said last week that he did not want or need a vote of confidence from the Everton hierarchy, although the manager accepts he is in a precarious position following a run of nine defeats in 12 games.
Everton’s last match at Goodison Park, the loss to Brighton, saw chants of “sack the board” echo around the stadium. There were similar protests during the FA Cup defeat at Manchester United on Friday and a sit-in demonstration is being organised for after Saturday’s game by the #AllTogetherNow campaign.
The Everton supporters demand a change
The campaign, comprising numerous fan and social media groups plus 21 official supporter clubs, is calling on Moshiri to “make sweeping changes at chair, board and executive levels. It demands he brings in competent, experienced professionals who can reverse the club’s decline, and make the necessary changes to make Everton competitive once more.”
The Everton Shareholders Association also issued a statement on Wednesday, saying it is in dialogue with Moshiri. “Our views are consistent with those of other groups who want positive change that will bring about a better Everton Football Club,” read the statement.
However, Everton’s owner has claimed that a restructure at the top of a club facing another fight for Premier League survival is not on his agenda. Moshiri adds: “In almost seven years since my arrival at the club, I have significantly increased my investment and our new stadium has become reality.
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“We regularly review our performance and initiate change where we feel that the club falls short of standard. This has meant that we have seen turnover in managers, directors of football and several board members, but always as we have striven to achieve success. Whilst, in virtually every instance, change has been supported and encouraged by fans, stability must be the key to progression.”
What’s next for Everton?
Everton host bottom-of-the-table Southampton on Saturday in what appears a critical game for Lampard and his team’s latest relegation struggle.
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