Everton ignored the writing on the wall but Farhad Moshiri made crucial decision just in time

One year ago today, Frank Lampard was sacked as Everton manager.

It was a development that had become an inevitability after the Blues returned from the World Cup break in dismal form that set the club up for a second consecutive relegation fight.

It was a mark of the chaos engulfing Everton at the time that the premature exit of another Farhad Moshiri manager, one who seven months earlier had led the club to a remarkable survival and whose side had provided hints of real progress just two months before, was not the story of the month but just one chapter in a disastrous start to 2023.

The wider issues running through Everton at the time form important context when reflecting on Lampard’s tenure which, twelve months on, the ECHO’s Joe Thomas, Paul Wheelock and Matt Jones do here.

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It is easy to say, with hindsight, that Lampard should have gone after the terrible week before the World Cup break. There were clear issues in the Bonfire Night defeat to Leicester City and I was surprised by Lampard’s view his side had narrowly lost out to a Youri Tielemans wondergoal and a late second - really they had been outclassed, largely by James Maddison. The double defeat in Bournemouth that followed was horrendous and was a clear cause for reflection on where the club might be heading.

There was still a case for Lampard at that stage though. Putting aside the impact he had on keeping Everton up the previous season, uniting Finch Farm and the fanbase to