THE NOTEBOOK: Sean Dyche continues to ‘juggle sand’ ahead of Everton post-season departures, encouraging words from the pages of Luton’s programme and how Ross Barkley should have been a Toffees hero

Luton drew level on points with Nottingham Forest but remain the Premier League’s bottom three after a 1-1 draw with Everton at Kenilworth Road

A few weeks ago this was seen as a potential pivotal six-pointer in the battle at the bottom, however, Everton’s recent upturn in form means they know they’ll be already be playing top flight football next season. 

The Hatters on the other hand still have work to do, and may see this as a missed opportunity as they look to pull off a great escape. 

Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s penalty put the visitors ahead in the first half, but was quickly cancelled out by Elijah Adebayo, and that was how it stayed. 

Away from the relegation drama Mail Sport pinpoints some of the things that might not have been spotted on the night.  

THEY AREN’T MAKING IT EASY FOR DYCHE

Sean Dyche called it “juggling sand” and you understand why that description is so apt when it comes to running Everton. 

A look at their squad list tells you that six players are out of contract this summer and another two will see their loans expire.

Jack Harrison and Arnaut Danjuma will go back to their parent clubs, while Idrissa Gana Gueye, Andre Gomes, Seamus Coleman, Ashley Young and experienced goalkeeper Andy Lonergan are waiting to see what happens next. Dele Alli will leave.

On top of that, there are another seven – including goalscorer Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Abdoulaye Doucoure, a big influence earlier in the campaign – who have entered the final 12 months of their deals.

In normal circumstances, such important decisions would have already been made. 

The feeling within football has persisted for some time that Everton will make a big sale not long after the end of the season – Amadou Onana and Jarrad Branthwaite, particularly, have suitors – and how sad this all is for a club desperate for some stability.

Kevin Thelwell, Everton’s Sporting Director, was in situ at Kenilworth Road, but he cannot begin to tackle the backlog of deals until the farcical situation around who will own Everton next is resolved – the longer time ticks by without 777 partners being announced, the more you worry.

What a disgrace it has come to this. When Dyche talks and stresses that there is “still miles and miles to go” to find level ground, this explains his rationale. 

If six players go out the door in June, where is the money going to be found to simply bring in bodies?

GET WITH THE PROGRAMME  

Match programmes can often be filled with anodyne guff but that wasn’t the case in Luton’s latest publication. Chairman David Wilkinson’s “message from the boardroom” was an excellent read.

‘Many so-called experts gave us little chance of being in with a shout of staying up at this stage and reckoned that we would be lucky not to break Derby’s lowest points total record,’ he wrote. ‘Not only are we still here fighting, we have made many friends along the way.

‘The Premier League is a very different animal to the EFL and National League but our staff have adapted amazingly well to the increased workload and professionalism. That has been recognised by the powers that be. Whatever happens, we are all extremely proud.’

So they should be. Luton may fall short in their objective but, if they do, they really must not feel they have failed. Look at the squad and the management and all you can see are reputations enhanced. Here is another example of why making assumptions in football frequently backfires.

 NO RETURN FOR ROSS 

Impossible not to watch Ross Barkley and wonder what could have been had he stayed with Everton. He burnt bridges with many fans after moving to Chelsea in January 2018 and that was always in his thoughts in recent years when switches back to Goodison Park were mooted.

Time moves quickly but it is still doesn’t seem like 10 years ago he was swaggering around Everton’s midfield, having turned 20, and being compared by Roberto Martinez to Michael Ballack. He had everything to be the hero his old club craved. 

What a shame it never turned out that way.

HARD AT WORK  

It has always been impossible to fault David Moyes’s commitment to hard work and so it proved again. Increasingly it looks like he will leave West Ham this summer but here he was at Kenilworth Road, on a Friday night, doing an old-fashioned scouting report on his team’s next opponents, Luton.

Not much has changed in this terrific little stadium since Moyes brought Everton here on October 31, 2008 – a Tim Cahill header in extra-time prevented a fright in the League Cup – and nothing has changed in terms of how the Scot goes about his job.

Plenty would like to level criticism at Moyes – much of it is disrespectful – but one thing in which they could never find fault is in his professionalism. Many men in his situation would have watched this game at home. His application is beyond reproach

PLEASED TO SEE PLEAT 

On the subject of famous faces, what a sight it was to see David Pleat in the Directors Box. 

What a manager he was here but, more importantly, what a man he is. An encyclopaedic knowledge of football, an eye for a player and wonderful company.