An exclusive wide-ranging Q&A with Men's Assistant Manager Ian Woan and Men's Senior Team Coach Steve Stone features in Wednesday night's Official Matchday Programme for the Carabao Cup fourth round clash with Burnley. Here, we take a sneak peek at that sit-down interview...
Click here to find out more about the matchday read, or, click here to order a copy online now, priced £4.
Ian, Steve - we’re well into your first full season at Everton now. First of all, how are you enjoying it?
Ian Woan: I'm loving it. I've said many times, this was always my dream job. Growing up as a Toffee and being here, playing, as a kid and getting close but never quite managing to play, coming back as a coach is the dream for me.
It's been difficult, we're not going to lie about that. We came into a situation where it was just: fight. The thought of being associated with taking this club down didn't bear thinking about and we fought so hard to ensure that wasn't the case. Last year, I don't think we ever came up for air, it was just on to the next battle and the next until we got the job done.
Coming back after the summer break, then, how much of the work has remained the same and how much have you changed from the second half of last season?
Steve Stone: The directive is the same, in terms of how we work, what we do and what we look to try to achieve every day. We want to build culture and an organisation. That's always been the same whenever I've worked with Woany and the gaffer, even when we were at Burnley. But now we're here and we fully understand this is a different entity... This is Everton Football Club, with the history, the huge fanbase and everything that comes with it - there is a different feel to it. The culture we want to bring here is consistent but with a recognition that it's a foundation to keep it moving forward, because you can't just survive here. We've got to be progressive. We survived last year, now we want to progress this year and it's moving it forward little bit by little bit. It takes time. It takes time for us to get the squad that we want and fully imprint the traits we want to see on the players on a consistent basis. It's not just the players, either, it's about taking everyone with us - all the staff around the building and something for the fans to get behind as well.
IW: The culture bit, it doesn't happen overnight. You have got to feed it all of the time, water it, nurture it, because as soon as you just leave it then that's when you lose it. Every day it's our job to keep nurturing it, keep the messages coming through to everyone and the camp, for me, at the moment it feels like it's the best it’s been since we've been here.
Tell us about the work you do with the analysts and Insight department. The manager has spoken before about how much data and statistics are available to you - how much do you use that information?
SS: You have to. If you're doing good work on the training ground - or you think you are doing good work - and the analysts turn around to us and tell us it's not reading right, then you have to look at what you're doing. We're not in that position, though. The analysts, who are purely analytical rather than football, are coming to us and saying the numbers are strong. The bodies we're getting in the box, the xG has been spoken about quite a lot but that's looking good as well, all of it. The data has backed up what our eyes have been telling us and we have to continue working how we have been. Also, it must be said, the analysts aren't here just to tell us how good things are - they are here to tell us when things aren't looking right as well - and, of course, we welcome that when that is the case.
IW: Absolutely. They're not here just to be our friends. They want the best for Everton Football Club. We want to be challenged, 100 per cent. We're all big boys and we know why we're here - to make this club better.
To read the full interview, pick up a copy of the programme, priced £4, around the ground or, alternatively, click here to order a copy online now.
