Everton captain Seamus Coleman admits Lampard sack ‘hit players hard’, as strong Dyche message issued

Everton captain Seamus Coleman has said the players are ‘not innocent’ following the sacking of Frank Lampard, but believes his team can avoid relegation.

The Toffees appointed new manager Sean Dyche on Monday, who has a tough job on his hands to turn their season around. But, the 34-year-old is confident he is the right man for the role.

Everton currently find themselves joint-bottom of the Premier League table, after enduring the worst start to the season in their entire history.

The Blues have won just three of their opening 20 league matches and as a result, Lampard was relieved of his duties following a 2-0 defeat to relegation rivals West Ham United.

Coleman, who joined Everton for just £60,000 back in 2010, has opened up on how difficult it has been to lose yet another manager.

In an interview with talkSPORT, he said:  “There is no getting away from it, it’s been difficult, it’s been tough.

“We have lost another manager and for me, personally, I have seen I don’t know how many managers now.”

To be exact, Coleman has seen a total of nine different managers during his 13-year stint at Goodison Park – and that isn’t including David Unsworth and Duncan Ferguson, who took charge for brief spells.

David Moyes, Roberto Martinez, Ronald Koeman, Sam Allardyce, Marco Silva, Carlo Ancelotti, Rafael Benitez and Lampard have all been and gone since 2010, spending hundreds of millions in the process.

Coleman takes personal responsibility for another sacking

Coleman has always been a top professional at Everton, deservedly being named captain in 2019 following the departure of Phil Jagielka.

Overall, he has played 398 games for the Toffees and at one time was considered the best right-back in the Premier League.

The Irishman added that the players and he, as captain, need to take responsibility for yet another coach losing his job.

“You are not innocent from it all and you have played a part in another manager getting sacked. Us as players have been a massive part of that as well,” Coleman said.

“It is not just a case of you see one manager off and another comes in, it hits you hard.

“When a manager goes it is a reflection of what we have done on the pitch and what I have done as a captain as well.

“We wish Frank all the very best. He gave his all to the football club and did a great job keeping us up last year.

“Now we have got a new manager in, and we all need to do our best.

“This football club for the next 18 games is fighting for everything and we need to keep fighting. We have to find a way of getting results.”

Coleman impressed with ‘honest’ Sean Dyche

Despite the clear challenges ahead for Everton, the Republic of Ireland international was also positive, stating he has been impressed with Dyche’s hard-line approach in training sessions ahead of his first game in charge against Arsenal on Saturday.

Coleman added: “I am confident with the new manager coming in because he has proved it in the past and hopefully he can do it again.

“He did not manage in the Premier League for ten or eleven years without having something about him.

“It is not just a case of him making us wear shin pads and socks [in training] or making us run, there is loads more to what he has brought to us already.

“We are still within touching distance of a lot of teams so I would like to flip all the negativity into thinking we can turn this around.

“I feel like a lot of talk is that it’s inevitable and some people are sitting, waiting and even hoping Everton go down.

“We know with the fan-base we have and with the quality in the dressing room that if we can come together, without thinking we are too big to go down, we will give ourselves the best possible chance.”

The Toffees are currently three points away from safety, so if they could pick up three points against the league leaders at the weekend, it could make a monumental difference to their season.

READ MORE: Sean Dyche determined to uncover ‘the truth’ from Everton stars over struggles this season