Sean Dyche has outlined the culture and values he wishes to reestablish at Everton, while praising the Club's fanbase for their positive reaction to adversity.
The Blues boss is the subject of our in-depth feature interview for the Official Matchday Programme as Newcastle United head to Goodison Park this evening.
In a wide-ranging discussion, Dyche reveals talks with some of the Club's key figures from times gone by, alongside the work he and his backroom staff have undertaken in a bid to build a strong mentality within the camp.
“I’m a realist,” he says, in the matchday read. “I wanted the job because this is Everton. It’s is a proper football club and a big football club. For me, earning my spurs at a smaller concern in Burnley, which it was and there’s no disrespect in that, and getting the chance to come here was a fantastic opportunity.
“My job is to be a custodian in this period. On another day the Club might have wanted a ‘flamboyant’ manager but the timing of me here now is probably appropriate and I think people see that. I get the feeling the fans see it.
“Perhaps three or four years ago they wouldn’t have wanted me. I’ve got no problem with that at all. Three or four years ago, maybe I wouldn’t have suited it but now I certainly feel like the timing is right.
“The connection I’m trying to build through myself, the staff, the team into the fans is real. It has to be authentic. Beyond that, of course, is more future successes, but it has to start with that bond.
“It has to be kept real and kept bonded. We want a team that can fight and play.
“You can look at other clubs and other teams and what they have but I think the people here want to retain a sense of, ‘This is Everton’ and ‘We are Everton’.”
Everton's players and staff will arrive at Goodison Park by coach ahead of their 7.45pm kick-off with the Champions-League chasing Magpies.
While Dyche is keen to ensure any external noise is tempered internally, the boss says it would be impossible not to be impressed by the volume and passion of Everton's support from the stands.
“The mentality I'm hoping to build in our group is regardless of external noise, but I do really like the way Evertonians respond to hard times,” reveals Dyche. “We hope to give them better times but I do like that about them.
“I think there is a real spirit of honesty here, where you have to earn your right, you have to be successful through your graft.
“That feel comes through the fans and the feel of the Football Club.
“Certainly in the ‘80s they had that awash and I remember that myself as a kid. There was a real edge, a commitment to the cause and that's something we're trying to reestablish here.
“We want good play but we also want an edge to the way we perform, an edge to being an Everton side and being part of Everton.
“I’ve been fortunate enough to get to know some huge Everton figures over the years and they’ve helped me to build an understanding of the history and the feel of the place.
“I said when I came here that we want to embrace the past, but do a modern version of it.
“Some of the key values of Everton's past are still absolutely vital to us. There is an earthiness, an honest core and a genuine connection with the fans. That has to be our foundation.
“We still want to put on top of that a productive style and way of playing that Evertonians can buy into and enjoy as well.
“But Everton’s past has always suggested a proper group of players who are going to give you their lot — and that’s a pretty powerful starting point.”
To read Dyche's interview in full, pick up a copy of the programme around the ground on Thursday, or click here to order a copy online.
Elsewhere in the programme, there’s an interview with Amadou Onana where, amongst other things, he discusses his joy at being an Everton player and connecting with the Club's fans. Plus, Academy graduate Morgan Feeney talks about his ongoing love for Everton and his battle to help Carlisle United secure League Two promotion this season.
