Sean Dyche has challenged his players to “give something back” to Everton supporters as the Blues look to secure Premier League survival with a victory against Bournemouth on Sunday afternoon. The Blues know they must win their final game of the season to secure Premier League safety and ensure they are not left relying on favours from West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur – who face relegation-threatened Leicester City and Leeds United.
And ahead of Sunday’s must-win encounter, which sees the Blues’ top-flight fate come down to the final day of the campaign as was the case in both of the 1994 and 1998 seasons, Dyche has called on his players to repay the fans’ faith, as well as blocking out the noise and focusing on the task in hand.
Sean Dyche said: “My message has been consistent, I think. Consistent to the players: it’s about delivering performance. Working with them all week, they are in good spirits and in good shape; good physical shape, good mental prep. And to the fans? The same thing. They’ve been terrific. I’d never question the fans here. They’ve been terrific since I got here, they’ve been terrific since before me. Their affection for the club, their desire for the club to do well is there and the teams got to respond to that and give something back. That’s what we’re looking to do. As a footballer, I think you’ve got to use the feeling of the stadium to your advantage and I think we’ve got a decent-enough experience level of the ups and downs of football to understand that. Yeah, we want the players to focus on the game. Not as easy as it sounds but that is the idea. Focus on what’s going on on the pitch, don’t worry about all the noise. Don’t worry about all the rumours, don’t worry about anything that’s happening off the pitch. But, like I say, it’s easier said than done. But that’s the clear intention.”
