Everton’s spring training camp was thrown into chaos after Sean Dyche was reportedly taken away to calm down following an altercation with Nathan Patterson. The Toffees are away in Portugal enjoying some warm-weather training, but tempers are said to have flared after Dyche ‘slapped’ Patterson on the head.
As per The Daily Mail, the Everton players and staff were enjoying a meal in the Algarve resort of Quinta do Lago when the altercation occurred, with Dyche said to have aimed a ‘jocular slap’ in the direction of Patterson. While it was intended as a joke, the Everton boss is said to have connected with the defender harder than he planned, with some players not impressed by their manager’s actions.
The report reveals that Patterson was unhappy to have been the centre of attention, with some choice words thrown Dyche’s way. Tempers flared to a point where Everton captain James Tarkowski was forced to step in and intervene, ushering Dyche away from the scene in order for things to calm down in his absence.
It’s suggested the incident – which took place at Everton’s training camp on Wednesday – wasn’t deemed as a major bust-up, with the pair able to reconcile afterwards. There aren’t said to be any lingering problems from the altercation, with both Dyche and Patterson able to smooth over their differences, before training as normal on Thursday and flying home on Friday.
Everton were due to play Liverpool in the Merseyside Derby this weekend, but the fixture was postponed last month after their city rivals progressed into the quarter-finals of the FA Cup. It gave Dyche some extra time on the training ground with his players ahead of what looks like being another cutthroat relegation battle at the bottom of the Premier League table.
Everton required a final-day victory over Bournemouth last season to escape relegation, with it looking like Dyche and co. will once again be involved in the battle to avoid the drop until the very last moment. That is unless Everton can arrest a torrid run of form in the Premier League, with their current winless streak sitting at a disappointing 11 matches.
It’s now over three months since the Goodison Park outfit tasted victory in the Premier League, with their last set of three points arriving during a crunch battle at the bottom against fellow strugglers Burnley. Since then though it’s been a dismal few months for Dyche’s side, who will be looking to amend their winless run next weekend when they travel away to Bournemouth.
