Moshiri praises Everton Board for Lampard appointment, asks for fans to unite
A bit of back-slapping going on with the Everton leadership
Everton Unveil Frank Lampard as Their New Manager
Photo by Tony McArdle/Everton FC via Getty Images
With Frank Lampard finally announced as the next Everton manager, and the sixth permanent one appointed during the six years of Farhad Moshiri’s ownership of the Toffees, the business tycoon has actually used the club’s official channels to address the fans.
In comments to evertontv, Moshiri praised the new manager’s drive and ability to pull the Toffees out of the relegation cesspool his previous appointment Rafa Benitez had dragged the Blues into.
“Frank is an impressive young man on and off the pitch. You can quickly relate to him and there is a positivity and confidence that comes through. The more you see of him, the more you like him. He is a very likeable man and I’m really pleased we’ve secured his services.
“He is from a footballing family, it is in his blood, he is a winner and played at the highest level of the English game. He will give the team an immediate boost. A dressing room will always rise to someone of his character and achievement.”
There have been plenty of protests from the Everton fanbase as the club has lurched significantly this season, with the supporters very vocal about who they wanted to see running the club, both on and off the pitch.
In a comment aimed at winning over the dubious fans, Moshiri noted how important unity among the fanbase is –
“I will provide the system to support him. The process is vital to ensure all components of Everton fully support the manager. Fans are the most important part of that. You can buy any player; you can’t buy the 12th man.
“The biggest thing for us – for me, for Bill, for all parts of this great and beautiful club, is to get behind this manager. Let’s unite behind the team, give the team the 12th man and start moving up the table.
“Our future us bright. We just need to be united. Maybe together, me and the fans should be more patient – I am also impatient.
“We have to get behind the manager and give him that Goodison feeling, and I think success will come with that. Throughout the team there are strengths, so if we get the confidence back and the Goodison crowd gives them the 12th man, that is the most important signing we can get in this window.”
Today’s announcement brings to an end a managerial search that for fifteen days bordered somewhere between formulated and farcical, often swerving wildly from one to the other in a matter of hours. Moshiri’s last comments came off as a bit self-aggrandizing as he praised his colleagues on the Board, in particular club chairman Bill Kenwright who has come in for a lot of criticism.
“We ensured a lot of expertise went into it. We had Graeme Sharp, with his vast football experience, and our Board. Tim Cahill was (also) advising me personally and attending all the interviews. He did ve
ry diligent, serious work.
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