How Everton are now ‘making a mockery’ of gloomy pre-season fear under Sean Dyche

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When this campaign began, Everton fans understandably expected the worst.

After all, with what their club had served up for them to endure the past two seasons, there had been little suggestion that a change in fortunes was on the cards.

Then, having started the season winless after five Premier League games, those fears were confirmed. Sean Dyche likely felt the pressure mounting, but remained calm and collected. Results will come, he promised. And come they have.

Having now won ten of their last 14 across all competitions, tomorrow marks a chance for them to stride into the EFL Cup Semi-Final should they beat Fulham at home.

Their turnaround has been remarkable, and completely unpredicted.

Well, journalist Joe Thomas has now sought to outline just how impressive this run has been, writing for the Liverpool ECHO.

He details how the worries emerging regarding this festive period in pre-season have been swiftly brushed aside, initially noting: ‘Everton’s form was poor and its squad was small. The biggest concern was that a seemingly kind start to the season had been squandered with home defeats to Fulham and Wolves looking costly.

‘One of the reasons December looked increasingly daunting was that Everton had failed to stockpile points at more favourable stages of the season to provide a buffer for the festive period.’

And yet, a positivity emerges: ‘Yet it is now halfway through what had the makings of a tough month and Everton are making a mockery of the fixture list.’

Could Everton still get relegated this season?

Of course, Everton are far from completely safe, but at this stage, they are in a far more favourable position than they have been in the last two years.

Having survived by four points, and most recently just two points, the Merseyside outfit could not have come much closer to the Championship had they tried.

Dyche offered a renewed sense of hope that such struggles would not persist, and admittedly he is achieving those goals.

Having established a seven-point gap between themselves and the drop, made even more impressive given the ten-point deduction administered, it should be European football that they are concerning themselves with rather than relegation.

So, whilst the drop will continue to loom, given the pessimism that is ingrained within Everton, this is arguably the best position they have been in for years.

And, given their form in which they have won ten of their last 14 in all competitions, they seem set to only drift further and further away from danger.