Everton reporter notebook: Sean Dyche has full backing of current ownership despite fan discontent

The boos around Goodison Park which followed Everton’s goalless draw against 10-player Brentford on Saturday reflected the sense of frustration, anxiety and continued disappointment surrounding the club.

It is a frustration that has plagued all connected with the club for some time now but one that gathers in intensity month by month.

It's a feeling only punctuated by the prospect of an iconic new stadium which has risen majestically along the famous Mersey waterfront and the hope that prospective new owners, The Friedkin Group (TFG), will bring to a punch-drunk fan base and club workforce.

After Saturday's game, there was a quote circulating from one player pointing out the positives that Everton had only lost one of the last eight games. However, the beleaguered Everton fans don't see it as a positive.

They want to see wins, they want to see good performances, goals... and some sign that a club which has hung around the bottom of the Premier League for so long it's in danger of being charged for loitering with intent might start to show progress, rather than the rollercoaster experience they've been subjected to for far too long.

Of course, Sean Dyche is taking the brunt of the criticism. Despite navigating the club through some of the toughest times it has ever had to deal with, he will know you're only as good as your results. While there have been some crucial wins in his time in charge, overall they are not good enough for where this club and its fans want to be.

It's only right to say that Dyche has had to deal with some of the toughest conditions affecting any Everton manager, many not of his own making, and he has often been left to front up on his own. It's also correct to note that he and director of football Kevin Thelwell have been working under strict and often delicate financial restrictions.

However, the fans have had enough. It looks like the goodwill Dyche rightly amassed last season has evaporated. The fans don't agree with his selections or tactics and the dissent is growing game by game.

Dyche's contract is up at the end of this season and there are no talks, no any sign of any negotiations to extend his stay.

That is mainly due to the situation over the ownership, with the expectation of the club changing hands within the next month, I don't expect anything to happen with regards to the management position at least until the new owners are in place.

My understanding is that Dyche has the full backing of current owner Farhad Moshiri and board of directors and he will be in charge for the foreseeable future. Many see the change of ownership as a point where the manager's position will be under severe threat - but from what I understand, there have been no discussions in that regard, or about possible replacements, despite the speculation to the contrary.

Former Brighton and Chelsea boss Graham Potter has been strongly linked with Everton but he's now a favourite for the newly vacant position at Leicester City.

I'm told TFG are fully concentrating on completing the Premier League ownership process and getting their administration positions lined up ahead of a mid-December deal completion.

That news will come as a disappointment to a lot of fans that want to see a change in the dugout, especially with the December fixture list ahead - one which includes all of the current top four, along with a trip to Manchester United and home games against an improving Wolves side and surprise package Nottingham Forest.

To say it's a difficult run is an understatement. Dyche will hope that if his side can take a couple of big scalps in that run, he may settle some of the anxiety.

Of course, the alternative to that would probably see Everton beginning the new year in a perilous position; not what new owners would want, and certainly not what a fan base now battle-hardened to relegation scraps want either.

I have to admit to feeling like a broken record when I say these are crucial times at Everton. There have been so many over the past decade and before, but there is a sense that change is around the corner though it's an uncertain time too.

Evertonians have watched with interest the goings on at TFG's other club, AS Roma. That has left some people questioning how they will adapt to life in the Premier League.

They are two very different scenarios in one sense - but it's fair to say there are also many similarities - however with the new stadium and a fresh set of eyes looking at all areas of this famous old football club, it does seem like this is the opportunity to get it back to a place the fans believe it should be.

It will take time for sure. But if ever there was a fork in the road offering a different path, this is it. That's to come though - the reality is there is still a league campaign ongoing, one which will mark the end of an era at Goodison Park.

The famous old stadium, which has seen an unbroken top flight status for over 70 years, deserves to end it by continuing that record.