Do former Everton managers go on to taste success after leaving Goodison Park?
- Cameron Loftus
- 29 April 2022
Since David Moyes’ departure from Everton in 2013, the Merseyside outfit have seen six managers come and go, including huge names such as Carlo Ancelotti, Ronald Koeman and Rafa Benitez.
None have managed to establish the club among the Premier League elite. And while failure at Goodison has proved hard to shake off for some, for others their time at the Toffees has not prevented them from going on to achieve some impressive results elsewhere.
With Everton on the brink of the Championship, Planet Sport looks back on the last seven managers to leave the Merseyside club and charts their careers thereafter.
David Moyes
Moyes led Everton between 2002 and 2013 and any man who can manage to stay in the hot seat that long without suffering the sack must be applauded.
However, when the chance of managing Manchester United came along - and with it a glowing reference from Sir Alex Ferguson himself - Moyes was out the door.
Ultimately, his time at Man United was a huge failure and he was sacked four games before the end of the season, with the team languishing in seventh place, 13 points adrift of fourth-placed Arsenal.
Moyes then went on to manage Spanish side Real Sociedad for a year, the highlight of which was not anything on the pitch but his attempt to speak Spanish (or not).
Moyes then returned to the Premier League with Sunderland, but his time up north did not go to plan. The Black Cats were condemned to relegation to the Championship in his only season with the club.
A couple of months later, Moyes was appointed as West Ham manager on a contract until the end of the season. When he arrived in November, the club were in the relegation zone. He guided them to safety but left at the end of the season after not being offered a new contract.
Following the sacking of Manuel Pellegrini and with the club in 17th place and again in danger of the drop, Moyesy was reappointed. He again staved off the threat of relegation.
Moyes then oversaw an astounding turnaround in 2020/21. The Irons finished with a record Premier League points haul (65) to finish in sixth place, qualifying for the Europa League in the process.
This season, West Ham have remained on the fringes of the Champions League places, while reaching their first European semi-final in 46 years.
Roberto Martinez
Martinez was appointed to replace Moyes after impressing at Wigan Athletic.
He spent three years at the Toffees before being sacked just one game before the end of the season during the 2015/16 season.
The Spaniard bounced back into management that summer, taking over Belgium and lifting them to the number one nation in the world by September 2018.
They hit top spot after defeating England in the third-place play-off in the 2018 World Cup.
However, Euro 2020 proved a disappointment as they were knocked out by eventual winners Italy in the quarter-finals.
Nevertheless, Martinez remains under contract until the end of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and has been linked with a host of club jobs
Ronald Koeman
Former Dutch international Koeman spent 58 games in the Everton hotseat, lasting little over a season in Merseyside.
Like Martinez, he dipped his toe into international management for the first time following his departure from Everton, taking charge of his home nation, the Netherlands.
Handed a four-and-a-half year contract in February 2018, Koeman guided his nation to the final of the 2018/19 Nations League, but lost out 1-0 to Portugal.
He spent 20 games in charge, winning 11, but left when Barcelona came calling in 2020. An underwhelming 14 months in Spain only yielded the Copa del Rey. He became the first Barca manager to lose three consecutive El Clasicos, with the axe falling four days later following a 1-0 loss to Rayo Vallecano.
Despite proving a failure at Barcelona, it was announced in April that Koeman would again take charge of the Netherlands following the conclusion of the 2022 World Cup.
Sam Allardyce
Big Sam succeeded Koeman at Goodison, with the former Newcastle and Bolton boss reversing his decision to retire from management.
Allardyce's time at Goodison was short and sweet. The controversial boss was in charge for less than a season, with Everton finishing the 2017/18 campaign in eighth.
He then took a two-and-a-half year break from the game before returning to manage West Brom in December 2020, with the club 19th in the Premier League.
Even with a reputation for saving clubs from the drop, Allardyce was unable to prevent the Baggies from sliding into the Championship, marking his first Premier League relegation as a manager.
Despite the club wanting Big Sam to spearhead their bounce back attempt, the former Bolton boss walked away from The Hawthorns and has been out of football management since.
Marco Silva
Fulham boss Marco Silva spent a year-and-a-half with Everton before being sent packing. Following his dismissal, Silva spent the same amount of time out of the game before being handed the reins at Fulham in the summer of 2021.
Promotion to the Premier League has since been confirmed, with the Cottagers needing just two points from their final two games to guarantee the title.
Ninety-nine goals in 44 matches have helped restore Silva's reputation and the fact that two of his former clubs - Everton and Watford - may be swapping places with Fulham next season will make elevation to the Premier League even sweeter.
Carlo Ancelotti
Ancelotti's appointment was a shock and like many before him, his time at the club lasted around 18 months. His first half a season ended in 12th place, with his only full season yielding a tenth.
It was no surprise, however, when the former Bayern Munich, PSG, Chelsea and AC Milan boss resigned to rejoin Real Madrid in the summer of 2021.
His second spell at Madrid can be deemed a huge success, with the Spanish giants on the verge of a 35th Spanish title and still alive and kicking in the semi-final of the Champions League.
Should Madrid win La Liga, it would make Ancelotti the first manager to win a league title in the top five European leagues.
Rafa Benitez
Always a controversial choice on the back of his strong Liverpool connections, Benitez only lasted 22 games at Goodison, becoming the fifth Toffees manager to lose their job in six years. He is yet to find his way back into football management and may soon be joined in the job queue by Lampard should Everton not be able to arrest their slide towards the Championship.
