As the hours tick down to our first competitive game at the Hill Dickinson stadium, on the banks of the Royal Blue Mersey, a look at the managers who task it has been throughout our history to deliver glory, and latterly try to bridge the growing competitive gaps in English football. 

Personally, I am delighted it is a David Moyes team, opening a new history for our wonderful club:

To manage Everton:

To manage Everton Football Club is to wrestle with the ghosts of glory whilst firing the hopes of the future. With the job comes the weight of history as rich and decorated as almost any in English football, yet one where the most triumphant chapters have felt increasingly distant. One hopes the Friedkins can return us to the winners circle

The Everton hotseat is a crucible of immense expectation, passionate but demanding support, and more recently, a perennial struggle to reconcile grand ambition with financial reality.

The story of Everton’s managers is the story of the club itself. It tracks the evolution of the role from the administrative “Secretary-Managers” of the Victorian era, who laid the foundations of a Football League founder, to the visionaries of the mid-20th century who sculpted dynasties. It encompasses the halcyon days of the 1980s, when the club stood (all too briefly) at the pinnacle of European football, and the long, painful wilderness years since.. 

Most recently, in the last two decades, it is a tale of two contrasting philosophies: a decade of stability and relative overachievement on a shoestring budget, followed by a chaotic period of unprecedented spending, a revolving door of high-profile appointments, and a near-calamitous engagement with financial and competitive ruin.

This analysis examines every permanent manager in Everton’s history. It looks at their performance, chronicles their highlights, and yes, examines the controversies that defined their tenures. From the first champions to the “School of Science,” from the “Dogs of War” to the architects of the “Great Escapes,” this is the history of the men tasked with one of English football’s most challenging and prestigious roles.

The Founders and the First Champions (1878–1939)

The foundational era of Everton Football Club, from its inception as a church team to its status as a dominant force in the professional game, was shaped by a series of long-serving and influential figures. In these early decades, the concept of a “manager” as a tactical specialist did not exist. Instead, the club was guided by Secretary-Managers, powerful administrators who handled everything from fixture arrangement and player registration to team selection. This period allowed the club to establish its identity, become a founder member of the Football League, and secure its first wave of major honours, building a legacy of success that would define it for the next century.

The Secretary-Managers: Building a Football League Founder (1886–1901)

Alexander Nisbet (1886-1888) & W. E. Barclay (1888-1889)

The formal management structure of Everton began to take shape with the appointment of club secretaries responsible for team affairs. 

Alexander Nisbet held the role in the years immediately preceding the formation of the Football League. 

His successor, William Edward Barclay, holds a significant place in history as the man who guided Everton through the inaugural 1888-89 Football League season. An Irishman who had settled in Liverpool, Barclay’s tenure was brief, lasting just one season in which the club finished eighth out of twelve teams.

Barclay’s most enduring legacy was until Benitez, the only man to have managed both Everton and Liverpool. This was a direct result of the 1892 schism over the rent at Anfield, then Everton’s home ground. When club president John Houlding, who owned the ground, clashed with the Everton committee, the club departed for a new, purpose-built home at Goodison Park. Barclay, remaining loyal to Houlding, stayed behind and became the first manager of the new club formed to occupy the vacant stadium: Liverpool FC.

Dick Molyneux (1889-1901)

Following Barclay’s single season, Dick Molyneux took the secretarial reins and became the club’s first truly successful and long-serving manager. Over a 12-year tenure, Molyneux established Everton as  the footballing powerhouse. His crowning achievement came in his second season, 1890-91, when he delivered Everton’s first-ever Football League Championship title.

Under his stewardship, the team was a consistent force, and his impressive win percentage of 50.5% across 388 games provides evidence as to the club’s elite status. It was also during Molyneux’s tenure that the club made its historic move from Anfield to Goodison Park in 1892, becoming the first club in the world to construct a purpose-built football stadium, a move that secured its long-term future and identity.

The administrative stability provided by Molyneux’s long reign was a crucial factor in the club’s ability to cement its place at the forefront of English football. This continuity allowed for consistent team-building and the establishment of a winning culture, a foundation that would serve the club for decades to come.

The Dynasties of Cuff and McIntosh: Trophies, Dean, and Dominance (1901–1939)

Will Cuff (1901-1918)

Will Cuff succeeded Molyneux and became a colossal figure in the club’s history, serving in various capacities for nearly 60 years.

 As Secretary-Manager for 17 years, he oversaw a period of significant achievement and innovation. His tenure delivered Everton’s first FA Cup victory in 1906, with a 1-0 win over Newcastle United, and a second League Championship in the 1914-15 season, the last before the suspension of football for the First World War.

Cuff was a visionary administrator whose influence extended far beyond team selection. He organised the first-ever tour of South America by an English club in 1909 and was the founder of the Central League, a competition for reserve teams designed to ensure players were fit and ready for first-team action. His impact on the wider game was profound; after his managerial spell, he became Everton’s chairman and later the President of the Football League, where among other innovations he was instrumental in the universal adoption of numbered shirts.

Thomas H. McIntosh (1919-1935)

After a brief interim spell under W.J. Sawyer following the war, Thomas H. McIntosh took charge in 1919 and presided over one of the club’s most celebrated eras. His 16-year reign was defined by the signing of, and building a team around, the world’s greatest goalscorer, William ‘Dixie’ Dean. 

McIntosh’s side, powered by Dean’s phenomenal exploits, was a dominant force, winning two League titles in 1927-28 (the season Dean scored his record 60 league goals) and 1931-32.

His tenure was not without adversity. A shock relegation in 1930 was immediately rectified by winning the Second Division Championship at the first attempt in 1930-31, a testament to his ability to hold the squad together. This was followed by the immediate recapture of the First Division title and victory in the 1933 FA Cup, completing a remarkable sequence of success.

Theo Kelly (1935-1948)

Following the untimely death of McIntosh in 1935, club secretary Theo Kelly gradually manoeuvred himself into a position of greater power, eventually becoming the club’s first official “Manager” in 1939.

 He inherited the magnificent team built by his predecessor and oversaw the 1938-39 League Championship victory, Everton’s fifth title. Kelly’s enduring legacy includes the creation of the club’s famous crest, featuring Prince Rupert’s Tower, and the motto Nil Satis Nisi Optimum (“Nothing but the best is good enough”).

However, his tenure is also mired in controversy. Described as an ambitious self-publicist, Kelly was a divisive figure whose poor man-management skills had severe consequences. His most infamous act was his falling out with club captain and England international Joe Mercer. 

Kelly accused Mercer of “not trying” in an international match, refused to believe he had sustained a serious cartilage injury, and ultimately forced him to pay for his own surgery before selling him to Arsenal in 1946.

 This, along with the departures of other key players from the 1939 side like Tommy Lawton, directly contributed to the dismantling of a championship-winning team and sowed the seeds for the club’s sharp post-war decline. The success under figures like Cuff and McIntosh was built on their administrative control and long-term vision. The Kelly era, however, demonstrated the inherent risk of a club being dominated by one individual – something that has happened on more than one occasion since . When a powerful administrator prioritised personal authority over player welfare, it proved deeply destructive, illustrating that poor man-management could be just as damaging as tactical ineptitude.

The Post-War Wilderness and the Rise of the School of Science (1946–1973)

The period following the Second World War was one of stark contrasts for Everton. The championship-winning side of 1939 had been dismantled, leading to a prolonged decline that culminated in the club’s second-ever relegation and a frustrating spell in the Second Division. 

This barren era was brought to a dramatic end by the appointment of Harry Catterick in 1961. Backed by the financial muscle of chairman John Moores, Catterick ushered in a new golden age, building two magnificent title-winning teams whose stylish, attacking football revived the club’s “School of Science” reputation. This period of triumph was, however, punctuated by a major scandal and ultimately ended in a sudden and perplexing decline.

The Barren Years: Relegation and Stagnation (1948–1961)

Cliff Britton (1948-1956)

A star player for the club in the 1930s, Cliff Britton returned as manager in 1948 but was unable to halt the decline initiated under Theo Kelly. The post-war years were a struggle, and in the 1950-51 season, Everton were relegated to the Second Division for only the second time in their history.

 Britton successfully guided the team back to the top flight as runners-up in 1953-54, but the club remained a mid-table side. He resigned in February 1956, complaining of board interference and a lack of freedom to do his job, a sign perhaps of the evolving pressures on the modern manager.

Ian Buchan (1956-1958)

The appointment of Ian Buchan remains one of the most curious in Everton’s history (at least up to the Moshiri years). A former PE teacher and lecturer in sports science with no professional football experience, he was given the title of ‘Chief Coach’ rather than manager, suggesting reservations from the board from the outset.

 Buchan’s focus on fitness and conditioning was ahead of its time, and he was credited with making Everton the fittest team in the division. However, this physical advantage could not compensate for a lack of tactical sophistication and an inability to maintain form through the winter months. After two poor seasons and a run of six straight defeats, he was dismissed in 1958.

Johnny Carey (1958-1961)

Johnny Carey, a former Manchester United captain, was appointed to succeed Buchan and brought a measure of stability and progress. After two mid-table finishes, he led Everton to fifth place in the 1960-61 season, the club’s highest league position since the war.

 Despite this clear sign of improvement, Carey was famously and ruthlessly sacked by the new chairman, John Moores, in the back of a London taxi.

This act was a pivotal moment. It was not a decision based on failure, but on the immense ambition of Moores, the owner of the Littlewoods empire. 

Fifth place was not good enough; he demanded the championship. This ruthless statement of intent signalled a new era for Everton, one defined by financial power—earning the club the “Mersey Millionaires” tag—and an absolute demand for trophies. It fundamentally changed the definition of success at Goodison Park and directly paved the way for the appointment of Harry Catterick, the man Moores believed could deliver the title.

 The Catterick Supremacy: The School of Science (1961–1973)

Performance and Highlights

Harry Catterick’s 12-year tenure was one of the most successful in the club’s history, yielding two League Championships (1962-63, 1969-70), the 1966 FA Cup, and two Charity Shields.

 An authoritarian and astute manager, he immediately transformed Everton into title contenders. In his second season, the 1962-63 team, featuring the prolific strike partnership of Roy Vernon and Alex “The Golden Vision” Young, stormed to the title.

Catterick’s teams were lauded for their cultured, attacking football, reviving the “School of Science” reputation that had first been applied to the club in the 1920s.

 After winning the FA Cup in 1966 with a thrilling 3-2 comeback against Sheffield Wednesday, Catterick constructed his second great side. The centrepiece was the legendary midfield trio of Alan Ball, Colin Harvey, and Howard Kendall, known as the “Holy Trinity.” Their sublime interplay and technical brilliance made them arguably the finest midfield in Europe and propelled Everton to the 1969-70 league title in breathtaking style.

Controversy and Decline

Catterick’s glorious reign was, however, marked by significant controversy and ended in a sudden, sharp decline.

• The Tony Kay Scandal: In 1964, English football was rocked by a match-fixing scandal. A key figure implicated was Tony Kay, Everton’s record signing and the midfield general of the 1963 title-winning side.40 Kay was convicted of conspiracy to defraud for betting on his former club, Sheffield Wednesday, to lose a match in 1962. He was sentenced to four months in prison and banned from football for life. The loss of such an influential player was a devastating blow to Catterick’s team-building plans and a major disruption to his first great side.
• Managerial Style: Catterick was an introverted, often secretive, and ruthless figure, a stark contrast to a much more charismatic rival across Stanley Park, Bill Shankly. He had an uneasy relationship with the media, once attempting to ban Match of the Day cameras from Goodison Park. His business-like approach to player management led to several controversial sales of fan favourites, most notably the shocking transfer of World Cup winner Alan Ball to Arsenal in December 1971, just 18 months after he had inspired the team to the league title.
• The Post-1970 Collapse: The 1970 championship side was tipped to dominate the decade, but instead, it rapidly disintegrated. The sale of Ball was a self-inflicted wound from which the team never recovered. Confidence plummeted after semi-final defeats in the FA Cup and European Cup in 1971, and the team slumped to 14th place the following season.

 Catterick’s own health was failing; he suffered a severe heart attack in January 1972 and was forced to step down into a non-executive role in April 1973.

The Catterick era serves as a reminder of the fragility of success. It demonstrates that even a manager of immense talent is vulnerable to external shocks and internal pressures. The very qualities that made Catterick a success—his singular vision and unsentimental decision-making—also contributed to the rapid dismantling of his second great team. The sale of Ball, driven by a cold financial calculation, proved to be a catastrophic error in judgment, one compounded by his own declining health, leaving a cautionary tale about the dangers of a club structure overly reliant on one man’s genius.

The Glory Days and the Long Shadow (1973–2002)

Overview

The period following Harry Catterick’s departure was one of extremes. It began with a decade of frustrating underachievement, where the club failed to build on the foundations of the “School of Science.” 

This was followed by the most glorious era in Everton’s history under Howard Kendall, who built a team that conquered both England and Europe. The subsequent ban of English clubs from European competition following the Heysel disaster cast a long shadow, however, effectively breaking up that great side and ushering in a period of decline. The 1990s were largely defined by a struggle to live up to Kendall’s legacy, marked by relegation battles and a brief, brilliant resurgence under Joe Royle that delivered the club’s last major trophy to date.

The Interregnum and the Rise of Kendall (1973–1987)

Billy Bingham (1973-1977) & Gordon Lee (1977-1981)

After Catterick’s health-enforced departure, Everton entered a period of frustrating near-misses. Under Billy Bingham, the team finished fourth in 1974-75, while his successor Gordon Lee achieved third and fourth-place finishes in 1977-78 and 1978-79 respectively. Despite these high league placings and reaching a League Cup final – defeated eventually after two replays, the club failed to secure any silverware, cementing a sense of underachievement and paving the way for another change in management.

Howard Kendall’s First Spell (1981-1987):

Howard Kendall, a hero of the 1970 title-winning side, was appointed manager in 1981. His first two seasons were a struggle, and by late 1983, with the team in the lower half of the table and attendances dwindling, he was on the verge of being sacked. The late equaliser by Adrian Heath in a League Cup tie at Oxford United in January 1984 is famously cited as the turning point that saved his job and kickstarted an era of unprecedented success.

• The Rebuild and Key Players: Kendall masterfully rebuilt the squad, blending astute signings with academy products. He built the team around a legendary spine: Welsh goalkeeper Neville Southall, a £150,000 signing from Bury; club captain Kevin Ratcliffe at the heart of the defence; the tenacious midfield general Peter Reid, signed from Bolton; and a formidable strike partnership of the powerful Scot Andy Gray and the clinical Graeme Sharp.
• Domestic Triumphs: The 1983-84 season ended with an FA Cup final victory over Watford, the club’s first trophy in 14 years. This proved to be the catalyst for greatness. The following season, 1984-85, Everton stormed to the League Championship, finishing 13 points clear of runners-up Liverpool.  After finishing as runners-up to their Merseyside rivals in both the league and FA Cup in 1986, Kendall’s side reclaimed the title in 1986-87, again finishing comfortably ahead of the pack – arguably his finest achievement
• European Glory: The 1984-85 season remains the greatest in the club’s history. Alongside their domestic dominance, Everton embarked on a memorable European campaign. They reached the final of the European Cup Winners’ Cup, with the highlight being a stunning 3-1 semi-final second-leg victory over German giants Bayern Munich at Goodison Park—the greatest ever game played at the stadium. In the final in Rotterdam, we comprehensively defeated Rapid Vienna 3-1 to lift our first and only European trophy to date. The team came agonisingly close to a unique treble but were defeated by Manchester United in the FA Cup final just days later.

The Heysel Stadium disaster in May 1985, and the subsequent indefinite ban on English clubs from European competition, had a catastrophic impact on Everton. 

At the peak of its powers and undoubtedly the best team in Europe, Kendall’s side was denied the opportunity to compete for the European Cup. This immense frustration was a primary factor in Kendall’s decision to leave the club for Athletic Bilbao in 1987, seeking the European challenge he was denied at Goodison.

 This external tragedy, for which the club bore no responsibility, effectively ended Everton’s golden era prematurely and stands as the single biggest “what if” in the club’s modern history.

The Long Shadow: Decline, Desperation, and Dogs of War (1987–2002)

Colin Harvey (1987-1990)

Kendall’s assistant and fellow “Holy Trinity” member, Colin Harvey, was promoted to succeed him but faced an impossible task. He struggled to maintain the incredible standards of the previous years, and with the team that Kendall built beginning to break up, he was dismissed in October 1990.

Howard Kendall’s Returns (1990-1993 & 1997-1998)

Kendall returned for a second spell in November 1990 but failed to recapture the magic. Despite signing high-profile players like Peter Beardsley and Mo Johnston, the team remained a mid-table side, and he resigned in December 1993. His third spell, in the 1997-98 season, was a near-disaster. The club was beset by turmoil under chairman Peter Johnson, and Everton only avoided relegation on the final day of the season thanks to a superior goal difference over Bolton Wanderers. Kendall departed by mutual consent at the end of the season. His three tenures produced win percentages of 54.1%, 38.9%, and 26.2% respectively, a stark statistical illustration of the decline.

Mike Walker (1994)

Appointed in January 1994, Mike Walker’s tenure was brief and disastrous. He oversaw the team’s dramatic “Great Escape” from relegation on the final day of the 1993-94 season, coming from 2-0 down to beat Wimbledon 3-2, but his win percentage of just 17.1% saw him dismissed early the following season.

Joe Royle (1994-1997) and the “Dogs of War”

Everton legend Joe Royle was appointed in November 1994 with the team bottom of the Premier League.  He had an immediate impact, instilling a pragmatic, aggressive, and highly effective style of play. After a derby victory over Liverpool, Royle famously described his hard-working midfield trio of Joe Parkinson, Barry Horne, and John Ebbrell as his “Dogs of War,” a nickname that came to define the team’s spirit.

The highlight of Royle’s tenure was a stunning run to FA Cup glory in his first season. After a memorable 4-1 semi-final demolition of a much-fancied Tottenham Hotspur side, Everton faced Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United in the final. As underdogs, they produced a magnificent defensive performance, winning 1-0 thanks to a Paul Rideout header to secure the club’s fifth FA Cup and last major trophy to date.

 The following season, bolstered by the signing of Andrei Kanchelskis, Everton finished sixth. However, Royle’s reign ended abruptly in March 1997. He resigned after chairman Peter Johnson vetoed his attempts to sign Norwegian striker Tore Andre Flo, a dispute over transfer policy that brought a premature end to a popular and successful spell.

Walter Smith (1998-2002)

The final manager of this era was former Rangers boss Walter Smith. His time at Goodison was defined by severe financial constraints and a pragmatic, often attritional, style of play. The club consistently finished in the bottom half of the Premier League table, with Smith’s tenure ending in March 2002 with the team in a perilous position, setting the stage for the arrival of his successor, David Moyes.

The Premier League Era – Stability, Chaos, and Survival (2002–Present)

Overview

Everton’s modern history can be bisected into two distinct and dramatically contrasting periods. The first is defined by the 11-year tenure of David Moyes, who transformed the club from perennial relegation candidates into a model of stability and relative overachievement on a severely limited budget. The second, the era of owner Farhad Moshiri, is a horrific tale of ambition unmoored from strategy. It was a period of unprecedented spending, a chaotic revolving door of high-profile managers, and a self-inflicted financial crisis that has seen the club’s primary objective shift from challenging for honours to simply surviving in the Premier League.

The Moyes Decade: Punching Above Our Weight (2002–2013)

Performance and Highlights

David Moyes was appointed in March 2002 with Everton in a genuine relegation battle.  His impact was immediate, securing safety and declaring Everton “The People’s Club” on Merseyside.

 Over the next 11 years, he transformed the club’s fortunes. After a 17th-place finish in 2003-04, Moyes masterminded a remarkable campaign in 2004-05, leading Everton to fourth place and qualification for the UEFA Champions League qualifying rounds—the club’s highest-ever Premier League finish.

Under Moyes, Everton became a model of consistency, regularly finishing between fifth and eighth in the league and qualifying for Europe on four occasions. He also led the team to the 2009 FA Cup final, where they were narrowly defeated by Chelsea. His longevity and success saw him win the LMA Manager of the Year award three times (2003, 2005, 2009), a testament to the respect he commanded within the game.

Financial Context

The most crucial context for Moyes’s achievements is the financial landscape in which he operated. Over his entire 11-year tenure, the club had a negligible net spend, with one analysis suggesting it was as low as £5.6 million in total. Success was built on astute recruitment of undervalued players like Tim Cahill, Mikel Arteta, and Phil Jagielka, and the development of academy products. Moyes consistently had to sell key players to fund rebuilding, yet maintained a high level of performance, a feat of management that stands in stark contrast to the era that followed.

Legacy and Controversy

Moyes’s legacy is one of stability and of establishing a glass ceiling. He made Everton consistently competitive and difficult to beat, but the club was never able to make the final leap to win a trophy or become a permanent fixture in the top four. His style of play was often pragmatic and defensively solid rather than expansive, which drew some criticism. His departure in 2013 to succeed Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United, having been hand-picked by his fellow Scot, was a blow to the club, ending an era of unprecedented stability in the modern game.

The success Moyes achieved was built on a foundation of financial prudence and tactical discipline, making Everton consistently the “best of the rest”.89 

This very consistency, however, may have inadvertently created a culture where this status was seen as the limit of the club’s ambition. 

When new owner Farhad Moshiri arrived, he sought to shatter this perceived ceiling with vast sums of money. The subsequent chaos suggests that the new hierarchy failed to appreciate the structural stability and managerial skill that Moyes had provided, viewing his model not as a platform to build upon, but as a constraint to be broken. This misjudgment led to a flawed strategy of lavish spending without the coherent foundation that Moyes had so painstakingly constructed.

The Moshiri Era: A Managerial Merry-Go-Round (2016–Present)

The arrival of majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri in February 2016 was meant to usher in a new golden era. Armed with a transfer budget that would exceed £500 million, the club was expected to challenge the Premier League’s elite. Instead, it has been a period of chaotic recruitment, a revolving door of managers with conflicting philosophies, and a steady decline down the league table, culminating in a fight for survival.

Roberto Martínez (2013-2016, final months under Moshiri)

Though appointed pre-Moshiri, Martínez’s final season was under the new owner. His first season (2013-14) had been a revelation, with the team playing vibrant, attacking football and amassing a club-record 72 Premier League points to finish fifth.

However, his subsequent seasons were marked by a catastrophic defensive collapse and a stubborn refusal to adapt his tactics. By the time Moshiri arrived, fan disillusionment was significant, and Martínez was sacked at the end of the 2015-16 season after two consecutive 11th-place finishes.

Ronald Koeman (2016-2017)

Koeman was Moshiri’s first appointment, arriving from Southampton with high expectations. Backed by a transfer spend of over £140 million, he led Everton to a seventh-place finish and European qualification in his first season.

 However, the summer of 2017 saw a disastrous and unbalanced recruitment drive. Despite selling Romelu Lukaku for a huge fee, the club failed to sign a replacement striker, instead buying three players who operated in the number 10 position (Gylfi Sigurdsson, Davy Klaassen, Wayne Rooney). This left the squad completely unbalanced, and after a dismal start to the 2017-18 season, Koeman was sacked in October with the team in the relegation zone.

Sam Allardyce (2017-2018)

Moshiri turned to the pragmatic “firefighter” Sam Allardyce to steer the club away from danger.1

Allardyce succeeded in his primary objective, comfortably guiding Everton to an eighth-place finish. However, his direct, attritional style of play was deeply unpopular with a fanbase that prides itself on the “School of Science” tradition. Widespread fan protests and a club survey that controversially asked fans to rate his performance made his position untenable, and he was dismissed at the end of the season.

Marco Silva (2018-2019)

Appointed to deliver the attacking football Allardyce could not, Marco Silva’s tenure showed early promise, culminating in an impressive eighth-place finish in 2018-19 that included a 4-0 thrashing of Manchester United. However, defensive frailties persisted, and a disconnect between his transfer targets and those of the Director of Football, Marcel Brands, hampered progress. A dreadful start to the 2019-20 season, culminating in a 5-2 derby defeat at Anfield, left the team in the relegation zone, and Silva was sacked in December 2019.

Carlo Ancelotti (2019-2021)

Moshiri’s appointment of three-time Champions League winner Carlo Ancelotti was a major coup that brought genuine world-class pedigree to the dugout.

Ancelotti guided the team to safety and then led a charge to the top of the Premier League in the early stages of the 2020-21 season. However, the team’s form, particularly at home, collapsed spectacularly in the second half of the campaign, resulting in a disappointing 10th-place finish.

 In a stunning turn of events, Ancelotti abruptly resigned in June 2021 to return to Real Madrid, leaving the club’s plans in disarray and creating significant fan resentment. He later sued the club over what were believed to be unpaid bonus payments, a dispute that was eventually settled amicably.

Rafael Benítez (2021-2022)

In what is widely regarded as the most controversial appointment in Everton’s history, Moshiri hired former Liverpool manager Rafael Benítez. The decision was met with widespread fan protests due to his strong Anfield connections and a past comment where he referred to Everton as a “small club”. After a bright start, a disastrous run of one win in 13 league games saw the team plummet down the table. Benítez was sacked in January 2022 after just 200 days in charge, with the club just six points above the relegation zone.

Frank Lampard (2022-2023)

Frank Lampard was appointed in January 2022 with the sole task of avoiding relegation. He successfully forged a powerful bond with the fanbase, who responded with incredible displays of support, and orchestrated a dramatic Great Escape, culminating in a memorable 3-2 comeback win against Crystal Palace to secure safety with a game to spare.

 However, the following season, hampered by the sale of top scorer Richarlison and severe financial constraints, the team’s poor form returned. With the club once again in a relegation battle, Lampard was dismissed in January 2023.

Sean Dyche (2023-2025)

Sean Dyche was brought in as Lampard’s replacement, tasked with another survival mission. His pragmatic, organised, and direct style of football immediately made the team harder to beat, and he successfully guided the club to safety on the final day of the 2022-23 season. His tenure was defined by navigating unprecedented off-field turmoil, as he has been forced to manage the team through two separate points deductions for financial breaches while maintaining their Premier League status.

The Everton fanbase will always show gratitude for his achievement of keeping us in the Premier League, it required someone with a genuinely strong character to do so.

Was the relationship ever any more than that? No, I don’t think so. The opening half of the 20224/25 season was the most desperate time for all concerned. There were mitigating circumstances obviously – the near complete financial destruction of the club under Moshiri obviously played a part,.

Crisis and Consequence: The PSR Breaches

The chaotic spending of the Moshiri era culminated in a financial crisis. In November 2023, Everton were found guilty of breaching the Premier League’s Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSR), which limit clubs to losses of £105 million over a three-year period. The club was found to have exceeded this limit by £19.5 million for the period ending in 2021-22, resulting in an immediate 10-point deduction—the largest in Premier League history. This was later reduced to six points on appeal.

In April 2024, the club was found guilty of a second PSR breach for the period ending 2022-23, resulting in a further two-point deduction. A third potential charge related to interest payments on stadium loans was later dropped by the Premier League.

These sanctions were the direct and logical conclusion of the Moshiri era’s flawed strategy. The owner’s ambition to break into the elite via massive investment led to a chaotic recruitment policy with multiple managers and directors of football pursuing conflicting visions. This resulted in over £500 million being spent on a disjointed and underperforming squad, leading to unsustainable losses of over £430 million in five years. The very money intended to propel the club forward became the anchor that dragged it into a desperate fight for survival, a self-inflicted wound born from an ambition that was not matched by a coherent strategy.

Ultimately we turned to David Moyes to rescue us, which he did with a characteristic steel, but also (and most importantly, a genuine understanding of what our club is, who we are, and what is required to unify this unique club with its most loyal fan base in the greatest footballing city in the world.

A city in which Everton have created and built three stadia – a unique testament to our significance within the city and the game of football itself.

Conclusion – The Enduring Challenge of the Everton Hotseat

The history of Everton’s managers is a narrative of ambition, glory, frustration, and survival. It is a story of cycles, where periods of visionary leadership and stability have given way to chaos and decline, only for the club to find a way to endure. 

The towering achievements of Harry Catterick and Howard Kendall established a legacy that has become both a source of immense pride but als in the eyes of some, a heavy burden for their successors. Their “School of Science” and “Glory Days” teams set a standard for success and style that has been almost impossible for subsequent managers to meet, creating a constant pressure from a fanbase that remembers what it feels like to be the best.

The modern era has starkly highlighted the club’s greatest dilemma. David Moyes’s tenure demonstrated what could be achieved through shrewd management, tactical discipline, and a deep understanding of the club’s identity, even with limited resources. He built a legacy of stability and consistent  relative overachievement. The subsequent era under Farhad Moshiri showed the perils of wealth without a coherent strategy. The pursuit of a shortcut to glory through lavish spending led not to trophies, but to a revolving door of managers, a disjointed squad, and a financial crisis that threatened the club’s very place in the top flight.

The points deductions for breaches of financial rules were the ultimate consequence of this failed experiment, fundamentally redefining the manager’s job at Everton. The objective shifted from chasing the elite to simply staying afloat. 

As the club today  prepares for our first ever competitive game at the new, state-of-the-art Hill Dickenson Stadium, the challenge for the new ownership and the returned David Moyes is immense. It is not merely to win football matches, but to rebuild a coherent footballing identity, restore financial stability, and finally, to build a team that is once again worthy of the club’s proud and storied history. 

The Goodison hotseat— and from today, the Hill Dickinson hotseat—remains one of the most demanding and significant roles in English football. 

If as is hoped, David Moyes can provide our first silverware in over 30 years, it will be the most rewarding of hotseats also – of that there is no doubt.

The men described above who had the honour of managing Everton are part of our history. But today is also about our future and for me personally, In Moyes We Trust!

Nil Satis Nisi Optimum

Appendix: Managerial Records

Managerial Record of Everton F.C. (1888-Present)

Note: Data compiled from multiple sources. Caretaker managers are excluded. Theo Kelly’s record combines his time as Secretary and official Manager. David Moyes’s record is split into his two separate tenures.