Aaron Lennon believes Everton remain in good hands while managed by Sean Dyche, who has twice led the club to safety in tough circumstances
Sean Dyche has received the backing of a former Blue who believes he is the best man to steer Everton away from trouble.
Aaron Lennon – who played under Dyche at Burnley – said he was concerned when Everton lost their opening four games of the Premier League season but has since seen evidence that has given him cause for hope.
The winger, who scored nine times across 77 appearances during his time at Goodison Park is among those who, like Dyche, believes the positives of the current streak of one defeat in eight matches outweighs the frustration of two wins from the opening 12 league games, said: “I was really worried for Everton at the start of the season, when they had a few really bad results. And they were conceding.”
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Only Arsenal kept more clean sheets than Everton last season as Dyche made a solid defence a hallmark of his side. Yet, albeit amid an injury crisis at the back, they let in 13 goals in the opening four matches.
Lennon told the BBC’s Planet Premier League podcast: “It was just not like a Sean Dyche side. They’re not scoring many, but they’re only conceding the odd goal here and there. So the form is much better now.
“I still believe Sean Dyche is the perfect man for that job. Because he will not let any of that outside noise get in between what goes on, on the pitch for his team.”
Dyche has led Everton to safety in remarkable circumstances twice before and once again is overseeing a club that is playing against the backdrop of off-the-pitch issues, from financial restraints to the takeover attempt that is underway.
He spoke of the difficulty Lennon referred to after the goalless draw against Brentford on Saturday, accepting his efforts to tighten up the defence had also reduced his side’s attacking threat.
He said: “The challenge we have had this season is quite obvious to everyone. We were conceding far too many and we had to change that. So we’ve changed that and now you’ve got to stay effective in the offensive side. So we scored a bit more freely at the beginning of the season, but we were conceding too many. So that’s been the challenge, quite obviously.
“Overall today I’m disappointed in the result, quite obviously. Credit to them for defending so well in the second half because they have been struggling to keep clean sheets. We’ve got to find killer moments more often than not and we didn’t.”
Lennon is a fan of his previous manager and his approach to the game, explaining earlier this month: “I loved playing for Sean Dyche,” Lennon told Planet Football. “He says it how it is. Maybe because I’m one of them old-school players. I came through that – he tells you if you play well, he tells you if you play badly.
“I know some of the new generation of players and a lot of them want an arm around them. Dyche is probably not the man to give you that all the time.
“He’d rather let you know: ‘All right, you’re not playing well [or] you’re doing all right’. So, Sean, for me, was brilliant. His demands, his standards are really high. Monday to Saturday, he demands every day of the week. He never lets off.”
