By Kamsi Anayo with Agency report
Everton have sacked manager Frank Lampard after Saturday’s 2-0 defeat by West Ham left them 19th in the Premier League and without a win in 10 matches in all competitions.
Lampard’s dismissal follows Everton owner Farhad Moshiri attending his first match since October 2021 as the Toffees succumbed to defeat at the London Stadium – their third consecutive defeat in the league.
The former Chelsea boss arrived at Goodison Park in January 2022, and although he helped the club avoid the drop last season, he leaves Everton with 15 points from 20 games and three wins this term – the worst victory record in the division.
Everton are 19th in the table, with only Southampton below them on goal difference.
Everton fans protested against the club’s hierarchy as Jarrod Bowen’s double condemned their team to defeat but the board have instead responded by dismissing Lampard.
After that defeat, Moshiri said “it’s not my decision” when asked if Lampard’s time was up, while the head coach insisted he remained focused on the challenge at hand in his final post-match interview.
Speaking after Everton’s defeat at West Ham on Saturday, club owner Farhad Moshiri said ‘it’s not my decision’ regarding Lampard’s future.
Sky Sport Soccer Pundit Paul Merson told Soccer Saturday that he didn’t believe Lampard had lost the commitment of the players – but questioned the quality of the players at Lampard’s disposal.
“They’re not not trying for Lampard, it’s nothing to do with that,” said Merson. “Sometimes you look at players and think, ‘they’re just waiting for the manager to go and then they’ll start running around again’. They work hard. But they’re just not up to it at the moment.
Frank Lampard’s record at Everton
“They keep on losing to all the teams around them, that’s the worry. They’ve lost to Wolves, Southampton and West Ham in three of their last five games.”
‘A change needed to be made’
“It’s been a case of results ultimately deciding Frank Lampard’s fate.
“There were painful defeats at home to Wolves and Southampton, fellow strugglers around Everton in the table. The fact that they weren’t able to get maximum points from those games set alarm bells ringing at the club.
“The Crystal Palace game in October was highlighted as the blueprint of how Everton want to play but they’ve not been able to repeat that kind of form since then. One bright spot was the equaliser from Demarai Gray against Manchester City at the Etihad.
“It’s been a desperate situation all round. I think the fans look at the situation and say Lampard isn’t entirely to blame for the situation Everton find themselves in.
“Everton are not getting a return on the over £500m they’ve invested in recruitment. Richarlison was sold in the summer and the replacements have not been at the same level.
“When Lampard came in, there was a lot of respect for him from the Evertonians and the media here on Merseyside because of how he dealt with things and that they were successful in beating relegation last season. Everton have not been able to build on that and find themselves in another relegation battle.
“The fans will say a change is needed to be made to give Everton the best opportunity to stay in the Premier League.”
