There’s a tale told in most business schools around the world – it concerns a pet food company that stagnates. Despite numerous attempts at different marketing, branding, sales strategies, pricing strategies etc the company fails to grow. It cannot increase the volume of dog food it sells. It therefore loses its competitive position at the expense to shareholders’ and other stakeholders’ investments in the company.

Eventually, someone figures out that that if they have good marketing, the right distribution strategy and competitive pricing, yet still can’t grow in a growing market perhaps it’s because the dogs don’t like the food that’s offered them.

Why do the dogs not like the food? Who knows – it could be the quality of the ingredients, the recipe, how the food smells, its texture, – we won’t know because dogs can’t tell us – all we know is that offered a choice the dogs will eat a different brand.

Football is different

Football, and football fans are different. We can’t decide to switch brands, select another dog food to complete the analogy above. For as long as we remain football fans, almost without exception, we stick to one football club regardless of whether we enjoy what’s put before us or not.

Unlike dogs though, we have the ability to communicate what it is about what we are served that we don’t enjoy. For a small number, enjoyment of football and the team we support may just be purely results driven with little consideration for how we play, what our style of football is, as long as we win. For example, in much of the late 20th century, Catennacio was the style that dominated Serie A and was pretty dire to watch, although perhaps the winners of the time did not complain too much. However, for most, whilst results are obviously important, the style of play (football is an entertainment industry after all) plus other factors contribute enormously to the appeal.

Those other factors include passion, competitiveness, the idea that we are keeping up with modern football developments, and perhaps above all else – pride. Pride that the football on the pitch represents our vision of the club we support, that the people charged with playing football give their all, and that the managers and coaching staff are advancing the competitiveness of our club – notwithstanding the increased influence of unequal resources in football. In addition, for those clubs fortunate to be so well storied, to be a fundamental part of the game’s history, development and being, their continued role in the forefront of football’s development.

For football club owners, one would think it’s vital for them too – success drives shareholder value in football. Style of play and the general perception of direction of travel, of ambition, of the desire to not only be competitive but to be the best drives recruitment, attracts the best talent, retains the best talent and sustains competitive superiority. Influence drives strategy to your benefit. This is true on and off the pitch. The corollary is equally true.

Surely this must be so also at Everton?

It’s a good question, because just like with the unloved dog food, something has to change, not only for the benefit of the consumers but for the very existence of the company that provides the product – in this case the football and Everton.

Due to decades of successive mismanagement – accelerated more quickly and with increasing desperation in recent years – Everton have become less competitive, and despite being watched by capacity crowds – the product less palatable.

Not only in real terms has what’s been on offer become less palatable, there is increasing evidence to suggest the same case in relative terms. That means that our competitive position is being eroded to the point that our future as a Premier League club, at risk for several years, can no longer be guaranteed, not only by virtue of what has happened of the field, but increasingly what is produced on the field, and by whom it is produced and directed.

In simple terms – the blindingly obvious – we have known for years the people running the club off the pitch were not good enough and eventually the main characters have been removed from the cast, albeit Moshiri has a short time before his departure. That cannot come quick enough. The new owners, the Friedkins, should, all being well be in control prior to Christmas.

However, the attention must turn to what’s happening on the pitch and more particularly how the football operations, scouting, recruitment, coaching, team selection, tactics, in-game management, standards and footballing ambitions are set, how they perform and how they are accounted for.

Time for change – now

There’s a school of thought, almost certainly within the current boardroom, that the objective is just to get to the end of the season, secure our Premier League position and move into the new stadium, at which point the club can advance, make good some of its previously lost ground.

Nothing could be further from the truth, change is necessary now!

There’s no guarantee Dyche can see us through to the end of the season, securing our “survival”. In fact the evidence is clear that in competitive terms Dyche is lagging his peers. As a result, the probability of (even at a minimum) surviving is reducing.

Not only does maintaining Dyche’s position reduce the chances of staying in the division, it lowers the base from which a new footballing management team entering the club in the summer starts from. We are losing players through the running down of contracts, there is every prospect that our best players, those with talent, those still to mature and develop fully will at the completion of another Dyche season want to ply their trade elsewhere.

I say Dyche, but I must include the wider footballing management team including the director of football. What we are seeing currently on the pitch is not just the responsibility of Dyche. A failure to recommend, a failure to force change now would (in my opinion) be a clear indictment against Thelwell and any others associated with football operations.

In Dyche’s first three seasons (including one relegation) in the Premier League with Burnley, his team scored 103 goals. Since 2014/15 (Dyche’s first Premier League season with Burnley) the number of goals per game in the Premier League has increased by 28%. In the last three seasons, Dyche’s team’s goal per game average improved (since his first three seasons) by less than 3%. He’s falling behind, from an already very low base.

This is particularly true if it can be successfully argued he’s had better players and more resources at this stage of his career than his early Premier League days at Burnley.

His record as a Premier League manager is poor – 362 points in 324 games – 1.17 points per game and 0.98 goals per game. On average his team concedes 1.42 goals per game.

His team selections, his treatment of individual players, preference for favourites, tactics, ability to change the course of a game have all deteriorated. This may be a result of the efforts of the previous two seasons for which there is gratitude  – but whatever the reason, what was previously barely adequate is now wholly inferior and below the standards required to be competitive, let alone what is expected.

The point is we have to act, and act now – we can’t afford to wait until the Friedkin takeover is completed, and certainly not to the end of the season.

Imagine having to go into a new season in the brand new stadium, a largely changed squad and brand new football management? Those, whomever they might be, charged with taking the football management of the club forward must come in as soon as possible (i) to secure this season (ii) to discover what is required for next summer and (iii) to have developed an understanding of our club, our supporters, our expectations prior to entering Bramley-Moore.

The change process has to start now, even if initially interim but more ideally driven by the Friedkins as they await completion. We and they cannot wait any longer. Dyche’s time is up, and it must be enacted immediately.

As we, the fans, proved with demanding board change, it is possible to demand change whilst still providing support. The players will get that support regardless, but we must have change of football management, now for the future of the club.