Should Marco Silva be given the West Ham game as Everton manager after the international break, it is almost universally understood that for him it is likely to be the last-chance saloon.
Should Silva fail to get a performance and result out of his side, his time at the helm at Goodison Park could come to a swift end.
However if he beats West Ham and in an impressive manner, difficult questions will then be asked at the club, with some fans convinced that beating the Hammers won’t be enough to curtail their doubts over his long-term viability.
With a limited pool of prospective replacement managers, Everton need to be certain that their future under Silva will be murky enough that pulling the trigger would be a necessary long-term benefit, and a win over West Ham could complicate things, making that prediction more clouded.
On social media, the usual breeding ground for all manners of fan discussion, several Everton supporters have debated whether there is the possibility of redemption for Silva, or if he has gone too far along the road and needs replacing regardless of the next result.
Twitter: @ForeverEverton0 I believe! (@JustRob17)
Twitter: @ForeverEverton0 I think the fact he’s never ever tried a different system away from home to our home set up makes… https://t.co/II1SJlJA7K (@SBrogarth)
Twitter: @ForeverEverton0 I lost faith after a couple of games … guy is clueless and has no plan B … a moron would keep… https://t.co/HCOA45Codh (@fifasavedmylife)
Twitter: @ForeverEverton0 I think that he’s got two weeks to try and mix it up and turn it around. West Ham is now a big gam… https://t.co/8azP3nzrnR (@AGhiglieri)
Twitter: @ForeverEverton0 I’ve lost faith and totally at a loss as to who would replace him. Not a happy place to be
(@mmdc102)
Twitter: @ForeverEverton0 I hope so… but not holding my breath. Worry about richy if he leaves… (@sludvigs)
Twitter: @ForeverEverton0 All faith has gone. (@robbie1878)
Read Everton Verdict
It doesn’t surprise me that certain sections of the fan base have now written off Silva entirely, and I don’t really blame them either. I personally think he can come back from this, of course he can, but I’m not sure that he will.
On the surface Everton have suffered a horror start to the season, but it is still recoverable, and short of Silva being stubborn and not realising his missteps there is no reason he cannot turn it around at Goodison Park.
He’s still young and will make mistakes, but he has to show the desire and ability to learn when he puts his foot wrong. At the moment, he isn’t doing that.
