People talk of it being a mistake to let Joe go, but my memory of the time is that he had completely lost the plot for the four or five months prior to his dismissal. We were in freefall. Kanchelskis made a mug of us and we crashed of the cup to Bradford. I was relieved when there was a change of management that Easter, because we had been dire for months - and this after winning a cup and finishing sixth the previous year. We were going backwards fast.
So, was I right? Well, looking back at our results from that season - nearly 30 years ago now - we started well, beating Newcastle and going 2-0 up at Old Trafford. What a start! These were the two best sides in the country at that time. Bizarrely, we lost the next three to Villa, Wimbledon, and Middlesbrough - so the signs were there. Then we went on an eight-match unbeaten streak, including a draw at Anfield. Joe had the Indian sign over them. But my memory is proven right when we look at the next set of results. We lost 3-1 at home to Sunderland at the end of November and went into absolute freefall. We suffered six (!) straight defeats, conceding 18 goals in the process, after Christmas and then four more defeats in the following eight matches. And crashed out of the cup embrassingly. Joe went with us four points above the drop zone.
Given what followed, you could argue it was a mistake. But at the time, he had lost it. Utterly. And there is no guarantee that he could have retrieved things, especially given the financial constraints that soon would follow.
I love Joe. He was a winner. But Everton in the 90s ate winners for breakfast, as even the great Howard Kendall and serial winner Walter Smith would find to their and our cost.