Dyche on Everton transfers, Ownership latest and Brighton preview
15/08/2024
Finch Farm training ground, Liverpool, UK
15/08/2024
Finch Farm training ground, Liverpool, UK
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00Hiya.
00:02Oh, it's warm in here, I miss this warm room, absolutely boiling.
00:06And here we go again.
00:08Why is he sweating, I don't realise how hot it is in here.
00:11New season, you're a minute early.
00:12The starters I definitely don't mean to go on.
00:15Impossible, I'll be on time every week.
00:19Good afternoon, everyone, welcome to our pre-match press conference
00:22to preview this weekend's game against Brighton and Hull Belgium,
00:25we'll start with questions from Vinny at Sky Sports News.
00:28Sean, we know there's plenty still to be sorted out around the club,
00:30but at the same time, it feels like there's a more positive atmosphere about the place,
00:34how does it feel to you?
00:37You get the sense of, I think, after last season, the challenge is a positive finish to the season
00:44and a more positive feel, a bit more calmness, I suppose, not just positivity,
00:49but a bit more calmness, maybe a bit more reality of the truth of what the situation is.
00:54It takes a dampening down of such a passionate fan base at times
00:57just to speak the truth and let them align with that.
01:00And I think there's a mixture of circumstances, but I do agree.
01:03I think, generally, being up and around the people here in my pre-season games,
01:07we tried to keep them local so lots of fans could join in.
01:09And I think there is a better, certainly a better feel and a more positive feel,
01:13generally speaking.
01:14Has recruitment helped that as well?
01:15Because the fans' view is that, in terms of the recruitment,
01:18it's worked to a better model than we've seen over a number of years.
01:22Well, some of it has been a have-to situation.
01:26We've tried to be open with that in my time here so far and, you know,
01:30trying to get players in who do fit the club, of course, and can grow into the club.
01:34And I think we've worked hard collectively, but particularly Kevin,
01:37the team of scouts, to try and align the right players.
01:42You know, the only sort of balance to that is that the players we've brought in
01:46haven't got much Premier League experience and it's a very tough league, as you know.
01:50So it's how quickly they can affect the group, but also affect it,
01:54not just pre-season, of course, when you go into the real stuff,
01:57and that's yet to be seen, but I think we've adapted the best we can
02:00to the challenge of the Football Club financially.
02:01How ready do you feel they are to impact the Premier League?
02:04Yeah, well, see, there's never a pure guarantee,
02:07but the way they've gone in pre-season, the way we've looked at them,
02:09the way they've conducted themselves through the fitness programme
02:12and worked hard to get to where it needs to be,
02:14then I've been pleased with that.
02:15The fact, though, that off the pitch, another takeover has fallen through,
02:19how is the ownership situation beginning to impact you now?
02:23No, I don't think, I think we've tried to see through all of that
02:26since I've been here.
02:27It's difficult at times, especially when I first got here,
02:29because it was a constant, well, it has been a constant theme more or less.
02:33And, you know, I think we've tried to stay focused on the real job
02:36from our point of view, which is to get the pitch right.
02:39You know, we can't do everything and we certainly can't affect
02:42the business model of the club in that respect if someone's buying it.
02:44So we'll just have to wait and see.
02:46Will you be given any guidance as to how, when a resolution could be found?
02:50Nope, just fingers crossed that it gets found.
02:54Well, does that create uncertainty for you, though?
02:57No, not so. Well, it's been there ever since I got here.
02:59So, you know, it hasn't really changed.
03:01The narrative that side of it hasn't changed much.
03:03It just goes higher volume, as you know, or lower volume,
03:06you know, depending usually on results and the bigger picture of the club.
03:10You know, I mean, it's one of the, I can't control,
03:13you know, I always believe in controlling the controllables and that's not one,
03:16you know, I can't decide whether the club gets sold or who buys it.
03:19And so we're just going to wait and, you know, wait for that period
03:22when it happens, or if it doesn't happen, then keep working hard.
03:24I just wonder as well whether it impacts a player like Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
03:28We know he's into the final year of his contract as well.
03:30Are attempts still being made to get him to commit beyond next summer?
03:33Or do you just have to part with that?
03:34Yeah, we've spoken openly, or I certainly have, about, you know,
03:37constantly trying to be open with the players.
03:39Kev more so than me with our advisers often and agents.
03:44And we still try and do that.
03:45So, you know, Dom's in the picture.
03:46He's worked very hard in pre-season.
03:49I think he's looked sharp in pre-season.
03:50So we just want him to take that on to the pitch.
03:53Just if a decent offer came in for him, though,
03:56obviously it makes business sense to let him go, or take it as a contingency.
04:00Well, that would be the challenge for the club to decide what level any player,
04:04not just Dom, you know, you saw with Amadou leaving us,
04:07you know, there was a level where they think, right, that's it, it's got to be done.
04:10And that's the current situation at the club.
04:11So it's not just about the players mentioned, it's about any player.
04:14Does that mean, though, that you're confident that the group of players,
04:17the first team group that you have now, you will still have here at Christmas?
04:20No, not necessarily.
04:21It means that I'm confident that the club are going to do the best they can
04:25to make sure we're competitive.
04:26But equally, the club's got an outside picture, which is quite obvious.
04:29And that's not something that I can control.
04:31You know, they do need to balance the finances better.
04:33We've done a lot of work with that since I've been here,
04:36and Kevin obviously included in that, on the playing side of things,
04:39to bring money in and lower the wage bill.
04:41And we've done a pretty fair job, I would say, of that.
04:44But the bigger picture of the club is dependent on what money is needed
04:47at any given time.
04:49Goodison's last season.
04:50Does that bring added pressure, or is it purely a privilege?
04:53Yeah, it doesn't bring pressure to me, because the pressure is constant here
04:57since I've been here.
04:58You know, it's just the way it is.
04:59So I think it brings a...
05:01I think there'll be a good feeling about the place, because, you know,
05:05I've only been here sort of, what, 18, 19 months.
05:07You know, I don't know the depth of families who've had season tickets
05:11for years and years and years, and, you know, the stories.
05:13And you yourself will know, you know, if you're bringing your kids and stuff like that,
05:16and grandkids and all them kind of stories, the history,
05:20and they sort of build in this feel of a football club.
05:23So I'm too new to know about that, but I've learned pretty quickly
05:26what it means to people.
05:27But equally, the demand for a new stadium.
05:29And I think everyone appreciates that.
05:31So, yes, the old will go and the new will come in.
05:35But I think most people, deep down, as much as they love Goodison
05:38for all their memories, will say it's about time it's needed.
05:41So I think it's a step forward.
05:42Thanks, Sean.
05:44Excuse me.
05:47Hi, Sean.
05:50Can they ever get the temperature right now?
05:53Oh, my goodness.
05:54I always think people must watch and go,
05:55God, he looks nervous, he's sweating, they don't realise how hot it is, do they?
05:58My goodness.
06:00First Premier League game, obviously, of this season,
06:03at the weekend, for your first ever Premier League game
06:05for the man in the opposition, Doug Outs-Hertzler.
06:08You have so much experience managing at the level.
06:11He's just starting out at 31 years old.
06:14What advice or what would you tell him to expect from this league?
06:18I wouldn't tell him anything before we play him.
06:21No, it's a challenging league.
06:24I think, excuse me, from a lot of foreign managers
06:27that have come into the league, I've got to know over the years,
06:29I've all said that, you know, the first thing that hits them is the
06:32the different demand of the league and everyone challenged,
06:36you know, in this division.
06:37It's not just the sort of superpower clubs currently,
06:41everyone is a challenge, you know, there's no easy ride in the Premier League.
06:44So, I think that one seems to be the feedback I've had from many managers
06:47down the years.
06:49I mean, he'll learn, I'm sure.
06:50He's obviously got to where he's got to for a good reason,
06:53you know, at a young age, so he's obviously highly thought of.
06:57But, yes, every day is a learning curve anyway in football and any walk of life,
07:01but particularly in football and particularly in the Premier League.
07:03So, we'll see how he fares.
07:04But, like I say, I'll not be telling him too much until we play him.
07:08You couldn't separate the two sides across your two games last season.
07:11What do you expect to see from Brighton under their new management?
07:14Well, I'm sure he's trying to bring his version of what he wants to do.
07:19It still looks to me like they're passing, playing,
07:22maybe pressing a bit quicker,
07:24maybe a bit quicker tempo to their passing and playing.
07:27But he's just looking to get his variation of football and one that he'll know
07:30deep down that, you know, you've got to win, you've got to win enough
07:34to make sure that people take strength in what you do.
07:38Starting off where you finished, obviously so well at the end of last season,
07:42how easy has it been to keep that positive momentum going through pre-season?
07:46Yes, I mean, it's different because you have a closed season period and then players come back in,
07:50you know, fitness challenges, we've had a few injuries, which have been unfortunate,
07:53still have from last season and going through this pre-season.
07:58But I think, as we spoke about, the new signings have adjusted that feel as well.
08:02It brings a different kind of signings, different kind of players,
08:05which we thought was important for that diversity of the team and how we want to play.
08:10So, yes, I think there's a newness to it, which does bring a different feeling.
08:14But we can't rely on last season, although it was a very strong finish.
08:16We have to build into the new season, which we'll be looking to do.
08:18And speaking of those fitness issues, have you got an update on Jad Ramfroe and where he is?
08:25Yes, they're a little bit behind us.
08:26Seamus as well.
08:27Jimmy Garner was unfortunate, not too serious, but should be joining pretty soon.
08:31Part of it is making good progress.
08:33You're missing one.
08:35There's another one in there somewhere.
08:36But yes, they're making progress, but they're not there yet.
08:40Thank you, Elmer.
08:40We'll go to Julia.
08:44Excuse me.
08:46You ended last season five wins at Goodison in a row and didn't concede in those five games either.
08:52I'm just thinking as well, with the emotion, as you've said, at Goodison,
08:55I know the 18-78s have got a lot of plans as well.
08:58Do you see home form being a key?
09:01Or are you just slightly worried there could be some distractions with the Goodison feeling around?
09:06Well, I don't think there'll be distractions.
09:09You want your home form to be strong.
09:12But, you know, I think we've spoken about it before.
09:13When I got here, everyone said their way form needs changing.
09:15So we did change that.
09:16And then they said their home form needs changing.
09:17You go, well, you know, that's the challenge.
09:19It's hard to change both every season.
09:20If we'd all did that, we'd all be mega successful.
09:22But I think it's fair to say with your home crowd and your home support,
09:25you want to give them good value in what the team does.
09:28And, of course, that always starts with winning.
09:29If you can win in the right way and in a way that is even more pleasing
09:34for the fans, then that's even better.
09:36But we definitely want it to be the fortress that it is, certainly by voice.
09:39We haven't always made it through results.
09:41We did at the end of last season,
09:42but certainly with the voice of the fans and the way they back the team and the club.
09:46So we definitely want that feeling and we've got to reward that.
09:49Dominic got seven Premier League goals last season, Beto three.
09:52I know you'll want those numbers higher.
09:54Is there anything you've done this summer to try and change things
09:57or work on getting those numbers higher?
10:00I think the players have worked hard and I think they've played their part in that.
10:04I think the basic fitness level has kept Dom out there for a long period of pre-season.
10:09You know, people wouldn't always know, but he's not had true pre-seasons for a long time,
10:12whereas this one he has, that being fit and all the way through and doing all the work.
10:15So we hope that pays him back and us back.
10:18Beto's new to it from last season, come back fit this pre-season
10:21and needs to understand that that's part of the game,
10:23which I'm sure he's learned from last season and was fed back to him.
10:26Dele Alli's been training with you.
10:27Does he have a future at Everton and does he have to prove something to you?
10:31We'll see. I mean, for me, it's always just speaking about getting fit.
10:34You know, that's the first thing, getting truly fit.
10:37He's in and around it.
10:38So we'll wait and see.
10:39Oh, that was the one with Youssef, so he had a minor operation,
10:41but that's going to be weeks rather than days.
10:44But he's in good shape. I know I'd forgotten one.
10:46There's so many of them.
10:49Given it's been a calmer, as you've said, a calmer summer,
10:52a calmer feeling around the club right now, do you feel as a manager
10:55you've maybe learned something from the last 12 months
10:59and everything that happened that you couldn't have predicted?
11:01Do you feel you're going into this as a different manager with a new skill set?
11:06I think here you just learn that you never think it's truly calm.
11:10There's always another wave or a storm come around the corner.
11:13That's what it seems like.
11:14It's not literal.
11:15And I don't always see, you know, people sort of have this imaginary view
11:18that I see everything, you know, and I see everything before it happens.
11:21I don't. You know, often the big stuff is way above me.
11:25Sometimes I get a late shout on it, but not, you know, not like weeks in advance.
11:28So I think you've just got to be ready at this club.
11:30You've got to be ready for what comes next.
11:32You know, I've tried to be as adaptable and flexible as I can
11:35with each challenge that's come our way.
11:37Not just me, but the whole group and the club.
11:40Try to stay connected.
11:41I think that's the key for all the challenges.
11:44Thank you, Julian. We'll go to Shamoon at BBC Online next.
11:55Taken by surprise, do you think that it was going to be hard?
11:57I don't expect it.
11:58It's been 19 months.
12:01Do you need a towel?
12:01No, I'm all right.
12:03Cold shower, that's what I need.
12:05The years of experience that you've had playing and managing,
12:09is there still that excitement at the start of a new season?
12:13Yeah, I think there is.
12:13I think what you learn about pre-season over the years and the more experience
12:17you get is they're not always how you imagine them to when the real stuff starts.
12:20You know, good pre-season, awkward pre-season, indifferent, all the rest of it
12:24is when the real whistle blows.
12:25You know, that's when it comes together and that's the challenge.
12:27So, you know, I've learned enough to not think of it either way.
12:31They're not going to be open-minded, so we'll see how we go.
12:34But I think we've had a good pre-season and in the sense of
12:37moulding the players as quickly as possible and the new players into the group.
12:41We'll see how effective that is.
12:43Some mixed results in pre-season.
12:45Are there groups where you feel you want them to be at this time?
12:48Yeah, I mean, obviously, they're not with the injuries.
12:50You know, we were hoping that everyone would be
12:53there was a couple who we thought Pato was a bit longer term,
12:55but certainly the others we thought would be fit for the scene.
12:58They're not, so that's unfortunate.
13:00But the rest of the group, yes, I think fitness is good.
13:02And I think the level of performance, the level of detail
13:05through the pre-season has been good.
13:07On the Brighton Major,
13:09were you surprised they went for someone so inexperienced?
13:14No, I mean, I think, you know, football's changing all the time,
13:16you know, and viewpoints are changing all the time.
13:18And certainly, I don't know whether this is factually right,
13:22but in the German leagues, it seems there's a lot more younger managers around.
13:26I'm not sure that's an absolute fact,
13:27but it seems they're certainly promoting younger coaches to be managers.
13:30I think that's changed as well.
13:31That tag of head coach rather than manager.
13:33A lot of clubs now across Europe that I know, not all,
13:36but are having the idea where it's a coach and not a manager.
13:39They've got other people who manage things and then they want a coach.
13:42So that's changed the model, maybe, and the viewpoint of,
13:45you know, how it was always like a manager would oversee
13:47not literally everything, but lots of things.
13:49Coach maybe just oversees the team.
13:51So I think that's changing the view as well of football
13:53and various football clubs and how they view it.
13:57But you've still got to earn the right, you've still got to be good enough.
14:00And he's obviously shown that he's good enough
14:01to get the challenge of being in the Premier League.
14:04Do you think that's something English football can learn from them,
14:07giving younger managers an opportunity?
14:10I don't think it's about learning from anyone else.
14:12I think it's about just any requirements that an owner usually wants,
14:15an owner or their team around them, the football director, the chief exec.
14:19You know, all different clubs have different models and ways of working.
14:23So I don't think he's learning from anyone in particular.
14:25I think it's just whoever's the ownership at that time
14:27will have their belief in the right thing for a company like any company.
14:30It's not just football industry.
14:32You know, I do little bits with other companies and it's not just about age.
14:35It's about quality.
14:35It's about the way that you can take any situation forward.
14:38And I think some football clubs are open to younger managers,
14:42some are not, some want experience and also tailoring it to the job in hand.
14:45Brighton obviously feel they've got a person they want in place
14:49for the job in hand that they've got and the model they want to work to.
14:52It looks like Colin Phillips is off to a big switch.
14:56He's a player that the club looked at.
14:59Did we? It's another one we've looked at, including them £40 million out of forwards.
15:03I don't know where that keeps coming from. I wish.
15:07Are you able to say why it didn't happen?
15:09No, there's no reason to because he's not my player.
15:13And he's still looking to do more business with me.
15:16I think it's unlikely.
15:18You know, I'm aware of the financial situation, so I think it's unlikely.
15:22But you never know.
15:23Sometimes things change quickly, so we'll have to wait and see.
15:27Thank you. Thank you.
15:28We'll go to Cal Press Association next.
15:31Hi Sean. Michael Keane was probably the one on the list.
15:34Oh, yes. Short term. So he's trained this week.
15:37OK, so potential for Saturday.
15:39Yeah, he's trained fine today. No reaction, hopefully.
15:41So, yeah, he'd certainly be in the thinking of the group who are fit.
15:45Yeah, he was the one. I'm sorry about that.
15:47Thank you. I might use the word targets, but what are your expectations for the season?
15:53Well, I think because of the bigger picture of the club,
15:56I think it's year on year that certainly under my watch is to move forward,
15:59you know, and be better than the previous season.
16:02And of course, there's a strange view, which people often talk about,
16:04rightly so, because of the adjustment of the points last season.
16:06But the points, the performances, the growth in the team
16:10and the development of individuals, because that's important now.
16:13You know, for the club, it was once quite clearly a buying club and now it's not.
16:18So therefore, it's development and winning and bringing it all together
16:21in a package that can suit the club and be successful, which is a hard task, of course.
16:25So from my point of view as management, looking at the players
16:29individually and their development and how the team's developing,
16:32from the club's point of view, managing the finance is the best possible.
16:35And from the fans' point of view, getting as many points on the table and going up the table.
16:38So, you know, as you know, that's easy.
16:41That's what we do.
16:43Thank you, Calum.
16:45Go to Will next.
16:46Just check on where Leif Paterson is.
16:48Shaun, change us real, please.
16:49Yeah, he's just coming back into the group to train,
16:52but obviously he's had an extended period out.
16:54So there's no expectation of him playing yet,
16:57but he's literally just crossing over to train with the group generally.
17:00First team group, that is.
17:02You said after the press game, we'd like some more experience in.
17:05Obviously, that will depend on the finances,
17:07but Amadou leave and Andre Gomes leave and only Tim coming in.
17:11Do you feel like you're a little bit light in the field?
17:13Well, we've been light since I got here because we had to, you know,
17:16shift players, we had to move them on for the financial side.
17:19So I still think we're a little bit stretched as soon as we get three or four injuries.
17:23But that's the way it goes.
17:24That's the nature of the current situation.
17:26We want players to be flexible.
17:28We do feel we've got players who can play in other situations,
17:30other, excuse me, other positions on the pitch.
17:33So I think we have got some flexibility, but we have got a limited number of bodies.
17:37So, you know, if we can affect things, we will do.
17:39If we can't, we can't.
17:41Mason Holgate's a nameable player, back from loan.
17:43Do you see a future club for them this season?
17:45We'll see. We'll see.
17:46You know, at the moment, it's really about playing, you know, who's playing,
17:50who's playing well, who's training well.
17:52So them decisions will be made before the end of the window.
17:54They might be, they might not be.
17:56Finally, have you spoken to Fabio Chieri at all, given the situation with the takeover?
18:00Yeah, nothing of any depth, just, you know, messages and stuff like that.
18:04I'll probably see him soon or speak to him soon.
18:05But there's been nothing too much to report to him or me.
18:08Sorry, him to me or me to him, really.
18:10Just a few messages like that's what he does.
18:12That's standard for my time here.
18:13So I've got no problem with that.
18:16Thank you. Any more questions in the open section?