Why Big Sam's Mr Fix-It Everton appointment is the right call at the right time

The arrival of an end to Everton’s long and potentially costly dithering over the appointment of a new manager suggests an acceptance that they’re in it up to their necks.

Sam Allardyce is their man, it’s seems. The man for all occasions, except the long term ones more often than not.

A month and a half ago, the former England manager was the wrong man for the job. Everton, with a fine summer of transfer business behind them, wanted to redefine themselves and find their identity. They wanted to discover a Tottenham-like re-brand again, and a mid-table season was the perfect garden in which to practice.

Nice idea, but their plight has since reached the desperation stage.

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The club’s nosedive was powered by the mixed messages from a board which has seemed to confuse itself at every turn.

They wanted the thinker in Diego Simone. Then, the tactician with style in Watford’s Marco Silva. In between, they wanted the brute force and pragmatism of Sean Dyche.

Instead, they’ve gone for the quick fix to a problem they didn’t have five weeks ago.

Everton, in appointing Big Sam after he told them no, are about to hold their hands up to having totally mishandled the situation.

The fact they have had to crawl back to the 63-year-old having been rejected earlier this month smacks of desperation. It carried the whiff of a club who know they have got the process completely wrong.

Their hesitancy could yet have dire consequences. While all road leads to the club moving away from the bottom three, they’re no guarantee of Allardyce turning the ship around.

At the moment it’s sinking. They showcased their struggle at Southampton, a 4-1 defeat was Titanic, the ship which sailed from the city – not colossal.

Sam is Mr Fix-It, and Everton’s plight now needs a man with a hammer and some trusty plywood. He said just last week that taking the job “just didn’t feel right”. It’s amazing how an extra 10 or 20 grand a week can change a mood.

Things have become so desperate that the once proud and prudent Toffees have been reduced to throwing money at it. They’ve essentially had to beg to get a new boss.

So much so that they a stumping up a staggering £100,000 a week for their new boss. Lose tonight to West Ham, and he’s worth every penny of the £12m deal he about to agree if he keeps the club up.

Critics say without the big man up front, he’ll be nothing and the problems will persist. Wayne Rooney’s role becomes even more important until January at least when they can try to finally address the Romelu Lukaku-shaped hole in their forward line.

The midfielders in which the club invested so heavily in will, at times, become almost redundant but sacrifices will need to be made to get results.

They now may not have the style the owners crave, but what they will have is substance.