What Sean Dyche told Everton players after final-day win over Bournemouth

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Fans of Everton will want to expel last season from their memories as quickly as possible, given the few redeeming moments they enjoyed.

Unlike their first flirtation with the drop, where a triumphant comeback at home to Crystal Palace sent Goodison Park into euphoric meltdown, their recent final-day win over AFC Bournemouth was more depressing than enthralling.

It marked a dark day for the once-great club, who were forced to face up to the fact that they were far from where they once were. A shell of the outfit that used to challenge for titles, they were lucky to even be in the Premier League.

No celebration was in order, and Sean Dyche made clear of that as they would get to work instantly over the summer.

Whilst they are now reaping the rewards of what he has implemented, pundit Stephen Warnock sought to hark back to that Sunday afternoon, detailing what the former Burnley man actually told his players after that 1-0 victory that secured survival.

Speaking on The 2 Robbies Podcast, he relayed what some of the staff had told him about his dressing room speech: ‘Do not celebrate this like it’s something that should be achieved. It’s not an achievement, this should never be happening at Everton football club, this shouldn’t be the standard in this changing room.’

How close were Everton to getting relegated?

If Evertonians thought the 2021/22 campaign was bad, they could not possibly have imagined just how much worse it could get.

After all, in what was their first true foray into a relegation dogfight, securing safety with one game to play and eventually finishing four points clear of the drop was a walk in the park compared to last term.

With it all coming down to their home clash with the Cherries, the only positive thing was that it was at least in their hands despite having Leicester City and Leeds United both challenging them.

However, with Foxes taking a lead in their match, it meant Everton simply had to win. During that final day, every side flirted with safety, before Abdoulaye Doucuore and a solid defensive showing brought it back to Merseyside.

Having come so close, and gotten so lucky, Dyche will be desperate to ensure that never happens again. His speech, as noted by Warnock, only reinforces that. Forever pushing his players to improve is the only way this club will return to the top.