I've just been reading a post on the Everton fans website Grand Old Team from someone even more disenchanted than I am - and just as numbers driven, given that he starts by remarking that the 5-1 hammering at Arsenal was the ninth 3+ goal defeat of the season and "simply unacceptable".
While it's implicit that the author is no fan of Allardyce, he delves more deeply into the problems of the club, from majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri downwards.
After many years of stability under Kenwright and Moyes - and what could reasonably be called success apart from the obvious (i.e. not actually winning a trophy) - change has happened under Moshiri. Without his backing would Koeman have arrived, or the head of recruitment from the then champions (Leicester)? Would Lukaku have extended his stay by a year or the Welsh captain (Williams) have chosen Everton for his move, or Palace's best player (Bolassie)?
Maybe not but the author argues convincingly that these have all been bad decisions. Recruitment has been erratic. Bolassie was unlucky to pick up a bad injury but always looked expensive at the price - and Palace fans warned us that he flattered to deceive with little end product. Williams had peaked and is looking old and slow. Klassen was a big disappointment, though arguably wasn't given much chance. I would add that no-one outside the inner circle knows who really wanted Rooney. It hasn't all been bad as Ademola Lookman and Dominic Calvert-Lewin are youngsters with great potential - though as Calvert-Lewin arrived only a month after Walsh it's not clear how much he had to do with it. And promising youngsters is one category Everton weren't short of anyway.
I observe that it isn't getting any better judging by the centre forward fiasco. The replacement for Lukaku didn't arrive in August when needed and the January signing, Cenk Tosun, has been left out in favour of the limited and previously deemed inadequate Oumar Niasse on at least 2 occasions already, so it looks like Allardyce either doesn't fancy him or doesn't think he's ready for the premier league.
Everton have lost the air of sound and competent management that was present for more than a decade. And, for all the reputation of Walsh, the wisdom behind the recruitment of the Moyes era - yes there were expensive mistakes like James Beattie and Per Kroldrup but there was huge success with modest priced signings like Baines, Cahill, Pienaar, Stones and Coleman - has not been continued.
The solution advocated in the Grand Old Team piece is that Everton have to change the manager, but change the director of football first. And others are predicting the latter: the Daily Mail says today that "Everton's transfer flops may get Steve Walsh the sack as director of football after the Toffees experience dismal returns on £239m recruitment drive"
Everton wouldn't be the first club spoiled by a new owner arriving with the promise of money, only for the money to be spent badly followed by decline. But the author's punchline is a concern that, without change, Everton could be on the way to becoming the next Sunderland.....
This analysis has much to commend it and you can read it at https://www.grandoldteam.com/2018/02/08/brave-new-world/
The Mail piece is at http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-5374059/Steve-Walsh-faces-sack-Evertons-director-football.html#ixzz56hxWEdUm
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