It’s been quite simply the most surreal eighteen months or so that I can ever remember at Everton Football Club. And now we have a new manager, a man hardly anyone expected to be strolling into the gates of Finch Farm today.
Let’s go back to December 2019. Marco Silva took his struggling Everton team across Stanley Park for a massive derby against the then league leaders and he lost 5-2.
That was the final straw for Silva and shortly afterwards he was sacked and the Toffees were looking for the fourth manager under Farhad Moshiri.
As the days passed it was very unclear who would take over and what direction the club was going to take with David Moyes seemingly very close to getting the job again. Then suddenly Napoli sacked Carlo Ancelotti and he was available.
Moshiri was determined to get him and he did and on that Saturday in late December one of the most decorated coaches in the history of the modern game was confirmed as manager of Everton.
It seemed like a hugely significant and symbolic moment for the club. After years of bringing in managers with a very mixed track record to say the least, the Blues finally had a genuine heavyweight in the dugout.
Virtually all Evertonians were happy with this appointment, even if it seemed to smack a little bit of desperation and a lack of coherent vision and consistency. However, let’s be honest almost forgetten in this was the fact Ancelotti had been sacked by Napoli and hadn’t won a big prize for five years or so (very similar to Benitez in fact).
At first, all went well and Ancelotti enjoyed a very good first three months or so before a heavy defeat at Stamford Bridge perhaps brought his initial honeymoon to an end.
Then came the Covid pandemic and suddenly everything was thrown up in the air. Football was suspended and no one knew what was going to happen in the future.
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After a good summer transfer window and some well received signings, the game returned and a new season got underway. It was a very strange situation with no fans in the grounds and a string of bizarre early season results followed.
Many teams struggled at home without their supporters and Everton were no different.
In fact the Toffees had one of the worst home records of all last season and the terrible performances and results at Goodison Park was a key reason why the team failed to secure European football.
At the end of the campaign there were increasing doubts about whether Ancelotti’s tactics and approach were right, despite his undeniable pedigree.
But there was still strong support for him among and everyone looked forward to another good summer transfer window and trying to kick on next season.
Then came Ancelotti’s bombshell a month ago when the Italian suddenly walked out on the club and left Everton in the lurch.
So now after a four-week protracted process, Rafa Benitez is the choice of the club. Who knows how this latest episode in the seemingly unending saga of Everton Football Club will play out.