10 Jan 2024 19:26:20
Interesting interview from Real Madrid Assistant Manager Davide Ancelotti who has spoken to El Pais about his time at Everton. Especially the last 6 months and board interference/ squabbling.

“Me and my father (Carlo Ancelotti) enjoyed our time at Everton. We came in at the end of 2019 with a plan to get the club to where we all felt it deserved to be, competing at the top.

The owner (Farhad Moshiri) sold us a vision which really excited us, we knew then that this was the place to really achieve that. The club had clearly went through a period of instability and we were determined to change that.
Everyone knows that the Premier League isn’t easy, that first season was difficult. Everton was at the wrong end of the table when we took over. What we took from that season was the assessment of the squad and how we would improve that in the Summer.

Unfortunately by this time, the world was a few months into a C.V. This had a significant impact on Football and the financial implications were great. This is something we had to work with.

That summer (2020) we were able to do some business to improve the squad including bringing in a player me and my father knew very well in James Rodriguez. However during this time problems began, there was a number of disagreements with the Director of Football (Marcel Brands) on strategy.
He (Brands) wanted players which we felt weren’t the right fit for Everton, in the end we came to an agreement on the players we would pursue but this was a long and difficult process.

The Chairman (Bill Kenwright who passed away in October 2023) would often sit in at these meetings giving advice which we found strange as this was something I had not seen at other football clubs.

Following the summer we started the season (2020/ 21) really well and we were confident that the club could really achieve european Football. There was of course a couple of poor runs throughout the season which ultimately cost us and we finished 10th, this was very disappointing.
My father had grown increasingly frustrated with the business done in the January window that season and after a meeting with the Chairman at the end of the season we discovered that the club had very little to spend in the summer (2021) .

We were also told this was something unlikely to change for a number of years, at this point I think my father had made his decision that this project was coming to an end.

Just a day after this meeting Real Madrid had approached us to take over there, it was a pretty easy decision but that isn’t out of respect for Everton. It’s a wonderful football club however with the serious financial problems it was facing we decided that is was the right decision to leave. ”.

1.) 10 Jan 2024
10 Jan 2024 21:23:34
Yeah interesting read cookie78. I for one have no issues with carlo leaving. I recall the loss against Fulham at home and seeing how angry upset and utterly dejected carlo looked. I think his appetite had gone after that game. I still think carlo is the business and a class fella and do not begrudge him leaving, again more than likely down to that bafoon moshiri.

2.) 10 Jan 2024
10 Jan 2024 21:25:33
Excuses excuses, absolute bull rubbish.

3.) 10 Jan 2024
10 Jan 2024 22:08:04
What's the truth then?

4.) 11 Jan 2024
11 Jan 2024 01:13:35
Wouldn't say excuses but it gives an insight into the way our owner goes about his football business. Was a good read I thought personally. It was a shame when they left, said at the time that it was probably the only club he would have left us for, seems that the interference from the owner and the fact that the DoF was not supporting the manager either also played a part.
Looks like the press are having a bit of a dig at FM today. We had this from DA and also Jim White having his pennies worth, albeit to help sell his new book. Be interesting to see if anything there is more to come.

5.) 11 Jan 2024
11 Jan 2024 06:22:35
What makes me laugh is the fact that Moshiri is supposed to be an accountant. Look at the mess we are in now. You would think that the accounts would be sorted. I think Ancelotti knew what he was doing but soon lost patience when he realised the club was in a mess ran by clowns. Getting his house broken into didn't help either!

6.) 11 Jan 2024
11 Jan 2024 07:07:04
The truth is brown shoes he just dropped us with the drop of a hat because real Madrid came knocking and they are just blaming everton instead of telling the truth.

7.) 11 Jan 2024
11 Jan 2024 07:14:59
He’s an accountant for an oligarch where 2+2 = whatever number is needed.

8.) 11 Jan 2024
11 Jan 2024 12:28:09
That's it? As simple as a hat drop? Ok live and learn. I'd appreciate your 2 short sentence synopsis on the FFP financial plight and new ownership if you can enlighten us all?

9.) 11 Jan 2024
11 Jan 2024 16:38:23
We've spent too much money in the past. Now we're in serious bother.

10.) 11 Jan 2024
11 Jan 2024 17:53:52
Bill sold the club to the wrong person brown shoes
And he has ruined the club.

{Ed025's Note - we all thought we were getting the messiah Skylark...what we actually got was "a very naughty boy" mate.. :)

11.) 11 Jan 2024
11 Jan 2024 19:37:29
It's all so simple and clear now.

12.) 12 Jan 2024
12 Jan 2024 04:48:33
The truth is that he had more of a connection with a club that he had more history with. In addition, the project he was sold by our owner quickly vanished and there was little money there for him to improve our team. If you weren't a blue and you were in his position, I reckon the majority of us would do the same.

13.) 12 Jan 2024
12 Jan 2024 13:28:43
I'm. not sure why your blaming carlo and saying its crap, look at the books, we are in deep deep rubbish, so that bit was 100% correct, why she he lie about the rest, top class managers do ther graft to get where they get, why should he stay at Everton with no money and wrevk his career, Madrid or Everton I no who I'd pick, so he's not to blame the owner is.