January, 2022

The day of deadline. For the neutral, it’s always a thrill ride, but not so much if your team is managerless and in desperate need of players.

With less than ten hours until the January transfer window closed, Lampard’s employment was completed, leaving Everton supporters in that predicament.

There was space for two new players, Dele Alli, who was a free agent from Tottenham Hotspur, and Donny van de Beek, who was on loan from Manchester United. A new and promising period was about to begin. After being fired by Chelsea a year earlier, Lampard had been out of work for a year. He brought in backroom staff members like Paul Clement, who won the Champions League while playing for Real Madrid as Carlo Ancelotti’s No. 2; Clement was straightforward about the task at hand.

Given that the former England player had rarely finished near the bottom of the standings in his illustrious career, pundits doubted his capacity to fight in a relegation war. “I’m very aware of that, but the challenge is different,” said Lampard. “We will be defined this season over the next 18 games over the work we put in on the training ground.”

He also repeated remarks made by the late, great former manager of Everton, David Moyes, at his initial news conference. “I can see why people hold this club in such regard because it’s a club that is ‘the people’s club’.”

Lampard made all the correct statements, but would he follow through?

February, 2022

A 4-1 victory at the outset—does it get any better?

With their impressive FA Cup performance, Lampard’s Toffees looked nothing like the team that had lost their previous four league games.

A cup run appeared likely after Yerry Mina, Richarlison, Mason Holgate, and Andros Townsend all recorded goals.

They would lose away to a resurgent Newcastle before defeating Leeds handily at home to go back on track. While tinkering with his side, Lampard came up with the traditional 4-4-2 formation. It was also clear that, just as in the good old days, they required opponents to find Goodison to be a difficult place to visit.

After losing 2-0 away to Southampton, they were humiliated 5-0 at Spurs, making it five straight road defeats. Relying on the Goodison magic, Lampard and company almost scored a point when Manchester City, the reigning champions, visited the area.

Oleksandr Zinchenko of City and Vitaliy Mykolenko of Vitaliy’s team broke down in tears as the crowd displayed their support for Ukraine, which had just been invaded by Russia. Ninety minutes later, there was undoubtedly a shift in the atmosphere, especially among the home supporters. Everton was shocked to be denied what should have been a penalty in the last seconds.

“Go to VAR, they have two minutes to look at it and to think they have not given that as a penalty when it strikes him on the arm, in an unnatural position,” Lampard complained. “I have a three-year-old daughter at home who could tell you that was a penalty.”

The coaching of Lampard sprouted green branches as springtime arrived. The Toffees suffered a blow from the Tottenham blowout and a heartbreaking 1-0 loss to Wolves at home, where Conor Coady scored the winning goal. However, a 1-0 victory over Newcastle at Goodison Park demonstrated the elements needed for a comeback.

Although 10-man Everton was able to grab a crucial three points through a goal from Alex Iwobi in the 99th minute, the game will likely be most remembered for an earlier event. Not a product of the young academy, Louis McKechnie, 21, tied himself to a goalpost during the second half, causing a 10-minute stoppage in play.

Given that Lampard had told his players to “just stop goals” during the break, he was a supporter of the anti-government organisation “Just Stop Oil.” Luckily, they did so before to Iwobi’s victory, but the resentment quickly surfaced after three straight losses, starting with a catastrophic 4-0 loss at Crystal Palace in the FA Cup.

“I accept accountability,” Lampard said to the club’s reporters. “Quarter-final of a cup, start really well control the game, allow a goal from a corner, allow another average goal, and a fluke goal, and another average goal.”

An honest evaluation.

April

Turning back the clocks, Everton slumped and appeared as helpless as ever. Following a midweek loss to West Ham, which saw former manager David Moyes get one over on his former employers, the match was regarded as a relegation six-pointer.

At Turf Moor, torrential rain fell, and in dramatic manner, the home team won all three points. Two penalties from Richarlison gave Everton the lead at halftime, but Burnley rallied and Maxwel Cornet scored the game’s winning goal in the 86th minute amid a Lancashire storm.

The most hurtful remarks came from Clarets manager Sean Dyche after the game, when he disclosed that he had informed his players in the locker room that “they [Everton] don’t know how to win.”

Following yet another setback, Lampard approached the wet Everton supporters, expressing regret but remaining resolute. There are nine games remaining. There are 27 points remaining. bottom fourth. Manchester United is up next.

The Red Devils, once a dangerous proposition, were going through their own upheaval as a result of Cristiano Ronaldo and company’s dismal season. Everton seemed to have an opportunity, even though the league standings didn’t seem to indicate as much, and they seized it.

Boyhood blue Anthony Gordon, the Toffees’ breakout hero, hit a long-range drive that ricocheted off United captain Harry Maguire and into the goal. A great deal in pennsylvania

May

Just as any side battling relegation would like it to be, survival was in Everton’s hands. Up first was a mouth-watering clash with Chelsea, Lampard’s old club who he’d been ruthlessly sacked by in January 2021.

The West Londoners came to town in a much different shape to the one he’d left them in. His successor, Thomas Tuchel, was now dealing with an uncertain club which owner Roman Abramovich had been forced to sell, ending a glittering 19-year reign. Chelsea were in disarray and like against United, Everton took advantage.

A goal from talisman Richarlison was enough to stave off Tuchel’s side, but if it wasn’t for the heroics of England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, the Toffees wouldn’t have stood a chance. Buoyed by the win, Lampard took his men to Leicester and picked up another three points, this time without having to call on Richarlison for a goal.

A 0-0 draw away to doomed Watford threatened to derail Everton’s brief resurgence, but surely another home clash with Brentford was the perfect opportunity to seal survival? Instead more madness was about to ensue.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin, with only his fourth league goal of the campaign, put the Toffees ahead after 10 minutes, only for young defender Jarrad Branthwaite to be shown a straight red card for a last-man challenge soon after. That didn’t appear to deter the home team, though, as after Brentford found an equaliser through a Seamus Coleman own goal, Richarlison popped up with a strike on the brink of half-time.

Then, a second-half collapse.

Two goals in three minutes turned the game on its head and the Bees were victors, themselves safe well before crunch time. Everton, who’d ended the game with nine men thanks to a red card from Salomon Rondon, knew deep down that they’d a win from one of their final two games to secure safety.

Enter, Crystal Palace.

The Red Devils, once a dangerous proposition, were going through their own upheaval as a result of Cristiano Ronaldo and company’s dismal season. Everton seemed to have an opportunity, even though the league standings didn’t seem to indicate as much, and they seized it.

Boyhood blue Anthony Gordon, the Toffees’ breakout hero, hit a long-range drive that ricocheted off United captain Harry Maguire and into the goal. Lampard’s team held onto the spoils, thanks in large part to the Red Devils’ foolish attempts to get an equaliser.

But the stories would still centre on Ronaldo, who ultimately faced a £50,000 fine from the FA and a two-match suspension after hitting a young autistic kid with a phone while returning to the locker room. Before the month was out, there would be even more celebrations at Goodison when Richarlison’s equaliser in the 92nd minute secured a vital point against Leicester City at home.

Regretfully, defeat at Anfield marked the end of April on a familiarly depressing note.

For the majority of the 90 minutes, the Toffees put on a strong display, but goals from Divock Origi and Andy Robertson reminded them that they still had work to do as they got closer to a six-game final stand.

Patrick Vieira was involved in a post-match altercation with a mouthy Everton fan ( 

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Visionhaus/Getty Images)

Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s goal sealed Premier League safety with one game to spare ( 

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Michael Regan/Getty Images)

In a sophisticated manner, Lampard acknowledged: “I feel bad for Patrick. By the end, I didn’t understand him. Come in with us, I would have said, even though he might not have desired it. It’s not simple, of course, to run 80 yards across the pitch.”

The moments in the home dressing room where Lampard praised his players—especially captain Seamus Coleman—were particularly noteworthy. The Chelsea veteran, who has played with some of the greatest players in modern history, said, “To say in front of everyone, this fella is one of the best people I have ever met, as a man and what you are and as a player.”

Everything appeared to be getting better at Goodison, but following a 5-1 loss to Arsenal on the last day of play, safe Leeds and finally relegated Burnley filed a combined complaint with the Premier League, briefly endangering the Toffees’ standing. Prior to conducting an inquiry into any violations of financial fair play regulations, the two clubs requested that top-tier executives make sure that none of Everton’s financial information from the preceding three years “ends up in the North Sea.”

After it reported losses of £371.8 million, they threatened to file a lawsuit against Goodison Park officials to determine whether or not they had violated FFP laws. Everton maintained that they were “confident” that they hadn’t, and ultimately Burnley was left to fight for survival when Leeds continued to stay in the top division and they were demoted to the second division.

June

You’re only as good as your recruitment. Given that Lampard’s two late January deals didn’t work out so well – with Alli struggling to make any sort of impact and Van de Beek being plagued by injuries – the pressure was on to secure to more reliable additions.

In came James Tarkowski, on a free transfer, and Dwight McNeil for £20million, the ex-Burnley duo were considered too good to head into the Championship. McNeil was perhaps a mercurial talent, but Tarkowski would bring much-needed stability to a back line heavy reliant on an injury prone Yerry Mina, and more business was to be done.

July

Regretfully, the Toffees also had to deal with the issue of trying to hold onto their few elite players. Everton was forced to sell on July 1st due to the club’s financial predicament, the Brazilian’s desire to go on, and a £60 million offer from Tottenham. Richarlison was purchased for £50 million in 2018 following just one successful season with Watford.

This is due to the fact that, although being in the Premier League, the team was having severe financial problems and was building a new stadium on the docks. Due to its nearly £500 million price tag—a project that Moshiri is still happy to support—the stadium is intended for Premier League play, not Championship football.

Reducing the number of marginal players also made a difference, as large earners Gylfi Sigurdsson, Cenk Tosun, and Fabian Delph eased the pay budget.

Following his horrifying error in a 4-0 preseason loss to MLS team Minnesota United, Alli was also loaned to Besiktas. Spoiler alert: the Turkish club now wishes to return him.

August

Finally, the football was back.

With all the talk of money, Lampard’s team might return to the pitch and start making the greatest kind of progress towards the club’s turnaround. The season started off with a close 1-0 loss to Chelsea, but two more regular players showed up the next day: England defender Coady, a seasoned local kid on loan from Wolves, and Andre Onana, a highly regarded Belgium international who cost a cool £34 million.

Lampard’s sole victory of August came in the League Cup third round, where Demarai Gray’s goal lifted them above third-tier Fleetwood Town, following defeats to Aston Villa and draws with Nottingham Forest, Brentford, and Leeds. Before the transfer window ended, three additional players were added to the roster: James Garner joined from Manchester United, Neal Maupay arrived from Brighton, and Idrissa Gana Gueye returned from Paris Saint-Germain.

Additionally, Lampard was successful in holding onto Gordon, who Chelsea bid £60 million for. After the deadline day, a Merseyside derby was rapidly approaching.

September

Rarely does a clash with Liverpool go down as a confidence booster for the Toffees, but when Pickford’s heroics helped Lampard and co to a 0-0 draw, a feeling of optimism spread. A fortnight on the training ground allowed the 44-year-old to keep working with his new-look squad.

Everton then began to flex their muscles and registered back-to-back wins against fellow strugglers West Ham and Southampton, and the Toffees’ solid defensive record – also in part thanks to midfielder Iwobi becoming a force from box to box – hinted that they were becoming hard to beat in the bigger games.

Cue three losses on the bounce in October.

October

Despite being beaten in three successive games, the defeats were to Manchester United, who they’d taken the lead against, a then-sturdy Tottenham and high-flying Newcastle – hardly cause for alarm.

Once again besting Palace on home soil, this time a 3-0 romp, the month ended with an uninspiring 0-0 draw away to now sixth-placed Fulham. Back-to-back clean sheets suggested that Lampard and his coaching staff had constructed a mean defence, with Coady and Tarkowski’s partnership appearing to transform the whole the team, giving confidence to those in front.

November

Everton attempted to round off the first half of the season strongly as the World Cup approached. It looked like a three-pointer at home against bottom-three Leicester City, but to Goodison’s dismay, the Foxes were starting a comeback of their own and won 2-0.

Following two tumultuous journeys to Bournemouth in the course of five days, murmurs about whether Lampard was the appropriate guy for the position once again surfaced, and the whispers soon turned into yells. Upon losing 4-1 in the League Cup, supporters who had endured the exhausting trip to the south coast on a frigid Tuesday evening became enraged.

The Toffees would undoubtedly make apologies on Saturday and end the season high? Not quite: Everton 3-0 Bournemouth.

A supporter became so enraged about their team’s second subpar performance that he even hurled Iwobi’s shirt back at him. Lampard then tried to diffuse the situation, which was nearly impossible given the intense heat in Vitality Stadium.

December

Because much of the following month was devoted to Qatar, Lampard was able to take a break from the strain and lead his team on a mid-season tour of Australia. Gains against Western Sydney Wanderers and Celtic were insignificant.

The thing that has caused the harm is Everton’s performance since Christmas. On Boxing Day, they started giving up the advantage against fellow underdogs Wolves at home. Wolves won in the 95th minute, leaving Goodison in a rage. Despite everything, the Toffees managed to secure a 1-1 draw against Manchester City on New Year’s Eve, providing some optimism for 2023. Ben Godfrey, the defender, effectively man-marked the opposition, which frustrated an injured Erik Haaland.

January

You should be able to foresee the next section, which is another false dawn, if you have made it this far. Brighton managed to thrash Liverpool 4-1, which arguably marked Lampard’s lowest point since taking charge and incited the supporters’ ire.

Lampard’s job appeared to be really in peril when the Seagulls scored three goals in the first six minutes of the second half due to hapless defence. Fans of the Toffees had some hope after a hard-fought FA Cup loss to Manchester United, but it all depended on Saturday’s six-point match against Southampton, a team that was doing even worse in the league than Everton.

“We’re in a tough moment so everything can look tough and feel tough but in terms of my abilities, I always remain confident about that,” the under-fire manager said. I’m aware that I’m not a miracle worker and that I’m not the greatest coach in the world, but saying so would be foolish given the number of successful people in the world. Instead, I promise to work tirelessly to improve myself to the best of my abilities.

“I need to work with the group I have and figure out how to maximise our potential. The supporters are being told that I want to build a team that is passionate, fights, and I will be fair in doing so.”

Even Moshiri, the majority stakeholder, defended his ownership on TalkSPORT and urged supporters to be patient with Lampard. Sometimes all we need to do is wait patiently. Ronald Koeman, Marco Silva, and Roberto Martinez were driven away. All of them are competent managers. A management ought to be given time, in my opinion. The English-Iranian businessman asserted, “We should support him because he’s a very good manager who works hard.”

“I’m building a big stadium, I put £400million in it, and the future of the club is revenue from the new stadium…”I only have one option as an owner: to put my money where my mouth is. That’s what I did. We’ve made certain decisions in collaboration with the fans; all of the managers were fired by the fans, not by me. I trust Frank a great deal. To set up the systems with the players the manager purchases, I believe you have to stick with him. He will do it correctly since he is a thoughtful man.”

Farhad Moshiri is keeping faith in Frank Lampard ( 

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EMPICS Sport)

Frank Lampard is facing calls for the sack ( 

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Alex Livesey/Getty Images)

Unpleasant situations ensued on the same streets where we started, with Colombian superstar Mina getting out of his car to greet admirers, some of whom were pursuing local boy Gordon.

Next Saturday’s visit to Moyes’ West Ham is dubbed “El Sackico,” since both managers are in danger of losing.

“I have no idea where they are going, and I have no idea where Frank is going to go from here,” former Tottenham striker Andy Grey said on beIN Sports.

 

“Even if a lot of players have joined after Frank’s arrival and the squad is now his, if I’ve been there a year, had two transfer windows, and formed the team the way I want and I haven’t advanced them… “Perhaps this is for someone else,” is what I would say. Perhaps someone else is more qualified than I am.”

Lampard, who is still backed by some Everton supporters and is well-liked behind the scenes, has two options: he can either be the one to turn Everton around for the second time in 72 years, or he may fail miserably.

With every match that goes by, Moshiri’s fantasy of seeing Premier League branding on his new stadium gets farther and farther away. For long-suffering supporters, it’s déjà vu all over again, a full year after Lampard was hired.