The international break has come at a good time for the Everton Board. They now have two weeks to decide who their man is to occupy the dugout, presumably at least until the end of the season. But will they stick or twist? Jamie Pacheco looks at the chances of the three main candidates...

David Unsworth - 9.20
The case for

One of the first things any Law Undergraduate will learn in the lecture theatre is that possession is 9/10 of the law. He's the man currently in the hotseat so he's the one that needs to be dislodged.

Further in his favour is that he's Everton through and through. 'Rhino' made over 300 appearances for the Toffees over two spells and was a fan's favourite with his hard-tackling, chest-beating style of play and eye for goal. Only John Terry (39) has more Premier League goals as a defender than his 38.

There was a real sense of determination and passion as Everton fought back from 2-0 against Watford to win 3-2. Who knows how crucial that late Leighton Baines penalty could be to his prospects of getting the gig.

The case against

It's one thing telling a 20 year-old to track back or run the channels; it's quite another to have the tactical nous to succeed at the highest possible level.

It's also very different being a club legend laying down the law to a youngster and handling millionaire star internationals. A few eyebrows were raised at the alleged incident that saw him ban Kevin Mirallas and Morgan Schneiderlin - two of the highest earners at the club - from training. Reading the riot act to two senior players can go one of two ways.

Sam Allardyce - 1.60
The case for

If all that the Goodison Park decision-makers care about is avoiding relegation and maintaining Everton's run of being just one of six clubs to be ever present in the Premier League, then go ahead and appoint Big Sam.

Twice he was appointed Manager of relegation-threatened clubs (Sunderland and Crystal Palace), twice he led them to safety. There's no doubting his 'back-to-basics' approach would improve a defence with the joint-second worst goals-against record (22) in the division.

A big club needs a big personality calling the shots from the bench and you don't get much bigger than him. The clue is in the name.

The case against

Are we really meant to believe Everton are facing the drop? True, had those last five minutes on Sunday gone the other way things would be looking very different in the table. But Betfair odds of 12.00 suggest they're not going down, whoever is appointed.

And is Allardyce the right man for this particular club? Whether rightly or wrongly, the squad is packed with technically gifted players: Klassen, Sigurdsson, Mirallas, Rooney, Barkley. Are they his sort of players? Everton are also proud of youth development and that's hardly an area where the former England manager has excelled in the past.

Oh yeah, there's that too. Allardyce's actions in the sting operation that saw him deposed as England boss were at best ill-advised and naïve, at worst they were downright dodgy. Hardly ideal when your owner is being investigated himself.

Sean Dyche - 6.40
The case for

He's flavour of the month after some superb displays that have seen little old Burnley occupy seventh spot in the table on a shoestring budget. Back-to-back clean sheets over the past fortnight suggest Everton's much-maligned defence could easily be sorted out and he'd relish working with Michael Keane again, purchased this season by Everton from...Burnley.

At 46 he's pretty much the perfect age to take the step up to a bigger and more ambitious club. If offered he job, he'd find it pretty much impossible to turn down.

The case against

More transfer funds that come with their own pressures, more big-name players, bigger stadium, more expectation. Can he take the step up or is he one of those Managers who couldn't hack it, much like David Moyes couldn't deal with life at Old Trafford? That's the only doubt, although of course we'll never know if he's never given the chance.

Who's your money on?

As regards Allardyce, much will depend on to what extent Farhad Moshiri cares about how the appointment of his next permanent Manager goes down with the fans. Fair to say Allardyce wouldn't be the choice of many of them.

And fit and dedicated though he is when in the job, it shouldn't be forgotten that he pretty much announced his own retirement from management when leaving Crystal Palace before changing his speech to considering roles as an international manager but not as a cub boss. Sound like the right man to be in charge of an ambitious club for the next five years?

For me there are too many potential spanners in the works here to justify an odds-on price about Allardyce.

Recommended Bet
Lay Sam Allardyce to be next Everton manager @ around 1.80




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