Ex Everton star suggests Graham Potter should replace Dyche

Former Everton midfielder Don Hutchison has called for Everton to consider replacing Sean Dyche with ex-Brighton and Chelsea boss Graham Potter.

Hutchison has posted on social media in response to questions about the performace and suggests the Toffees turn to Potter to jump-start their flagging campaign.

Everton have endured a terrible start to the season and languish in eigtheenth place having only managed to pick up a single point in five games.

Dyche’s team selections, tactics and game management have come under more and more scrutiny as results have continued to decline.

In particular there has been increasing concern about the negativity and apparent lack of ambition that Dyche’s sides have displayed at times.

On Sunday, Everton were limp and lacking in energy and intensity and conceded all the momentum in the match to a much better Arsenal side.

The team seemed to shrink into a cautious shell in which damage limitation appeared to be the only objective and there was an almost total lack of attacking ambition.

It was summed up for me by Dyche’s decision to replace Beto with Dominic Calvert-Lewin while it was still goalless, showing a total lack of desire to try and win the game.

At that moment there was still a chance to go and get three points and the manager simply replaced like for like without any tactical change.

Now, there is a case for arguing that it would still be justified to take a cautious approach and ok fair enough, but the Gunners record at Goodison Park has been very poor and there was a chance to continue that run and secure a badly needed win at home.

The question is what has happened to the energetic and dynamic approach that especially charaterised Dyche’s first game in charge against the same opponents back in February?

Seven of the same players were on the pitch in both matches apart from Beto, Arnaut Danjuma, Jarrad Branthwaite and Ashley Young.

And the centre of midfield was exactly the same with Idrissa Gueye, Amadou Onana and Abdoulaye Doucoure all playing again. And they were collectively awful on Sunday.

Back in February, Dyche was only a week into the job and had to cobble together a side to take on the then Premier League leaders having seen the club embarassingly fail to sign a single player in the January transfer window.

And yet, the Toffees produced a strong and dynamic performance and overwhelmed their more cultured and favoured opponents.

To some extent it was in all probability a new manager bounce and Everton produced similar efforts and further 1-0 wins at Goodison in following games before it started to stagnate again.

The emergency tactics and approach adopted continued for the rest of the campaign and in the end it was just enough to stave off the drop.

However, during the summer the manager had the chance to try and re-shape the way the side plays while seeking additions to improve the squad.

It doesn’t seem to have happened and this Blues team is playing exactly the same way now and is actually going backwards in terms of performance and results from where it was six months ago.

In truth, Dyche’s future isn’t going to be decided by what happened against Arsenal but rather the failure to beat sides like Fulham and Wolves at home earlier in the season.

Coming up now are huge matches against Brentford away and then Luton Town at home. In all honesty the Blues really need four points from those two games as a minimum.

If Dyche doesn’t at the very least get a win against the Hatters at home, even if the team loses at Brentford, then he cannot surely survive.

So, would Potter be the man to replace him?

I don’t know I’m not sure if anyone can turn this listing club around. Would he also would want the job given the managerial merry-go-round that has characterised things at Everton for so long now?

He did an excellent job at Brighton playing positive, progessive football before his failed move to Stamford Bridge.

But, at the Amex he had a strong, stable and competent management structure around him,  including very good player recruitment. None of that is true of Everton of course!

At any rate, defeat against Luton would put massive almost unresistable pressure on whoever is still taking decisions at the club to make a change of manager.