I’m not sure - if we’d started next season like we just ended this one, with crowds back the pressure would have begun to grow. And it’s not as if the football’s been entertaining. I can take losing if we have a go, or being dull while winning. But Ancelloti had produced a team that was both dull and unsuccessful- not a combination we’d put up with for long.
After Christmas who performed beyond expectations? Godfrey, maybe. After him, no one. No one. Our best player didn’t seem to be arsed about turning up to play - James never looked happier than when he was on that private jet flying away from Goodison. Fatigued? FFS. Richarlison, DCL, Digne and others - all good players who just looked miserable and out of form, or injured. Something was fundamentally wrong under Ancelloti and we were too busy being blinded by his elite status and charm to notice. Now he’s gone and we’ve probably saved a fair few quid in compensation in November. And now I’ve had a chance to think about it, I think we’ll come to see it’s a good thing.