Sean Dyche has galvanised Everton but he will forever...

Sean Dyche has galvanised Everton but he will forever be Burnley royalty.

At Burnley, “gaffer’s day” was an essential part of Sean Dyche’s vision for the team.

It was supposed to be the worst day of the year, one that any player would have been justified in wanting to avoid.

Before subjecting his players to heinous acts of running in the name of team building and,

to a lesser extent, fitness, the manager would give his coaches the day off,

leave footballs at home, and ignore contemporary technology, save for a stopwatch and whistle.

On Saturday night, Dyche makes his first trip back to Turf Moor with Everton since his

dismissal in April 2022. Including two promotions, seven Premier League seasons,

and even a brief trip to Europe, his ten years at Burnley were an overall success. As part of his legacy,

he took great pleasure in making his teammates suffer on his special day during the

preseason and forcing them to run until they could no longer do so.

Sam Vokes, a former striker for Burnley, says, “It is a great day.” “It’s the hardest physical test I’ve ever done,

but when you get through it, it strengthens the squad mentally because you remember

those difficult times together.” It sounds ridiculous, but I was watching from the

sidelines and was devastated not to be involved because you see the guys finish and they are all together,

and it forms the character of the squad for the season. I remember missing one because I injured my cruciate ligament.

After Eddie Howe abruptly left in October 2012, Dyche moved north to live in an apartment

with his assistant Ian Woan. Burnley was mid-table in the Championship and had only

been in the top tier for one of the previous thirty-four seasons. Although it wasn’t the most alluring offer,

Dyche couldn’t complain because he was unemployed following Watford’s dismissal.

The squad Dyche inherited had potential, which was excellent news. Kieran Trippier and Ben Mee,

two promising players, had just joined from Manchester City, and Charlie Austin was a regular in the second division.

Vokes recollects, “I remember some of the early meetings and it was very much – more than

tactics or technical stuff – about changing the club and players’ mentality to align to his culture.”

That was crucial at first. The most crucial thing was to have a strong and fit team,

and it paid off since we were promoted as underdogs the next season.