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 had 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 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.
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