Frank Lampard has been sacked by Everton with the club second bottom of the Premier League.
Less than a year after replacing Rafael Benitez following his ill-fated 200-day spell at Goodison Park, owner Farhad Moshiri has fired his sixth manager in just under seven years since taking charge of the Merseyside club. Ultimately, Lampard paid the price for a run of nine defeats in 12 league matches. which has left the club embroiled in a second successive relegation battle.
Lampard's departure comes only 10 days after Moshiri offered public backing for his manager. But damaging defeats to fellow strugglers Southampton and West Ham forced a change of opinion. The latter of those, 2-0 at the London Stadium on Saturday, took place with Moshiri attending his first match in 15 months.
As he left the ground post-game, he was asked whether it was time for Lampard to be sacked after almost a year at the club. He told Sky Sports: “I can’t comment. It’s not my decision."
That response was met with bewilderment from fans and former players alike, especially after a couple of weeks ago Moshiri had declared that he has previously sacked managers off the back of adverse reaction from supporters.
Former defender Alan Stubbs took to social media and declared: “It’s not my decision... Who’s is it then, enlighten us...Agents, his mate, kit man’s, chef, media??????"
Stubbs' former Goodison teammate Kevin Campbell responded: "I can’t believe all this foolishness! We all know the buck stops with the owner Stubbsy!"
A phone call with Moshiri early on Monday afternoon saw the club's owner confirm that Lampard's time was at an end. Despite his statement to the contrary, the buck ultimately stops with the under-fire Toffees owner and he delivered the news.
News of Lampard's departure soon leaked. It was hardly a surprise, although Lampard could be forgiven for being confused about the timing having spent Sunday in talks with Moshiri and director of football Kevin Thelwell over transfer targets - with the club close to finalising a deal to sign Arnaut Danjuma on loan from Villarreal.
The former Derby and Chelsea boss won just nine and lost 21 of his 38 Premier League matches since taking over and departs eight days before the first anniversary of his appointment.
Everton have scored just 34 goals during that period, and this season they have only 15 goals in 20 games - only Wolves have scored less in the Premier League - and have managed to score more than once in a game only twice this season. After defeat to West Ham, Lampard pointed to the gradual decline at the club since 2015 and insisted there is no quick fix.
“It’s a big job," he admitted. "I knew that when I came in as we were already looking at a relegation battle. I don’t think when you’ve made steps downwards over the years it is a case of being able to turn that instantly, that’s naive.
“History moves and there is nothing in this league which gives you a right to do anything. We have seen huge football clubs go down and come back up.
“It is all about the moment and how you try to move forward as a club and if you don’t do that then you will come into tough times. It’s maybe normal we are fighting again. It is impossible for me to jump into the future. There's a long time to go this season and we have to try to turn the corner.”
However, he will not get the chance, with his departure leaving the club looking for an eighth permanent manager since May 2016, while a first relegation since 1951 looms increasingly large.
