Sean Dyche's Everton axe clears way for David Moyes to make final journey to spiritual home

The timing looked odd but The Friedkin Group have acted decisively and a former manager now seems an obvious choice to spearhead the owners' bold, new era

As Everton managerial sackings go, the departure of Sean Dyche might just go down alongside the dismissal of Johnny Carey as one of the more unusual. After taking the team to a fifth-placed finish in the 1960-61 season, owner John Moores told Carey his services were no longer required as they shared a ride in the back of a London taxi.

Dyche’s ‘taxi’ moment arrived 191 minutes ahead of a third round tie in the FA Cup, the last trophy won by Everton, 30 years ago. Slightly bizarre? Yes.

But when The Friedkin Group (TFG) took control of the club three weeks ago - wiping away debts, promising stability and bringing optimism where there had only been pessimism - the fanbase wanted boldness from the new ownership. And the timing of Dyche’s exit was certainly bold.

There will, no doubt, be complicated and conflicting explanations of why a manager left his post just over three hours before a big game, but the bottom line is that TFG have parted ways with a manager who many in the game saw as the man best equipped to ensure Everton’s Premier League survival. But there are only two problems with that viewpoint.

Firstly, Everton’s form under Dyche has been so uninspiring that survival was not guaranteed. Secondly, even at this early stage, the new owners are already thinking beyond survival. As they should be.

When the dust settles, Everton loyalists will - or certainly should - have a sense of gratitude for the job Dyche did in twice keeping the club in the top flight amidst the crisis that engulfed it during the final stages of the Farhad Moshiri era. But that gratitude was in danger of being wiped away by a mainly dismal first half of a Premier League season that brought only three wins and 15 goals in 19 matches.

Julen Lopetegui won six of his 20 Premier League matches with West Ham United and few raised an eyebrow at his sacking. The business of football management is brutal and the only surprise over Dyche’s dismissal should have been the timing. The nature of the loss at Bournemouth - not a single attempt on target - was confirmation that Dyche had reached his credit limit.

Across his final 10 games in charge, only one player scored more than once for Everton … Wolves defender Craig Dawson. With his contract expiring this summer, there was an inevitability about the parting of the ways, even if it did come at an unexpected moment.

The task of the new, permanent manager, of course, will be to ensure the first season in the stunning, new dockside stadium is a Premier League season. That goes without saying.

But TFG will not want a bespoke firefighter, they will want a manager who can not only grind out the results needed to stay up but can begin building a team that can compete in the higher echelons of competition. That is why David Moyes would be an outstanding candidate.

Enough time has passed for Everton fans to forget he walked out of the club - albeit for an offer most people knew he could not refuse - and he would be backed by an ambitious ownership group. For the 61-year-old, it could be an enticing final chapter of an accomplished career.

The estimable Dyche will get plenty of offers but, while it might have seemed odd, his Everton taxi arrived at the right time.

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