I have a soft spot for Everton - I absolutely believe they will stay up
Returning manager David Moyes will be encouraged to hear that Paul Robinson has backed Everton to stay up comfortably with the former England goalkeeper revealing that a Goodison Park legend was his boyhood idol. With the Blues having picked up just 17 points in the first half of the Premier League season and placed just one point above the relegation zone, Sean Dyche was sacked last Thursday and has been replaced by Moyes.
The Scot, who has signed a two-and-a-half year deal, was previously in charge of Everton between 2002-13, steering the team to nine top half finishes, including a competition best position of fourth in 2004/05.
Despite the Toffees’ current sticky situation, Yorkshireman Robinson, born in the East Riding town of Beverley, who played Premier League football for Leeds United, Tottenham Hotspur, Blackburn Rovers and Burnley, finishing with the Clarets under Dyche, reckons they’ll eventually pull clear of danger.
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The 45-year-old, who was capped 41 times by the Three Lions, told Betfred TV: “I’ve got a soft spot for Everton because Neville Southall was my hero and I used to follow them when I was a kid. As one of the Premier League’s longest serving clubs, there’s almost a responsibility for them to remain in it.
“I think they will, and I always think they will, because when you look at Sean Dyche’s tenure at the club overall, they’ve faced points deductions, the mess behind the scenes, the takeovers that didn’t happen, then he did a very good job to keep them in the Premier League. Now you think it’s going to be easier to keep them in the Premier League because they’ve got enough in the squad to do so.
“Drawing away to Arsenal and Manchester City, and drawing with Chelsea at home, are really good results in isolation, but not a great deal of points have come from their recent games.
“I absolutely believe they will stay up and I believe they will stay up comfortably. The three teams at the bottom are the ones in danger at the moment.”