Farhad Moshiri sent clear Everton message amid ominous 2023-24 season fan predictions

Evertonians have had to endure two years of struggle after successive Premier League relegation battles.

And a recent fan poll suggests that supporters will head into the 2023-24 campaign with pessimism awash once again.

The Toffees avoided the drop on the final day of last season following a 1-0 victory over AFC Bournemouth. Sean Dyche helped cajole an Everton side that sat 19th and two points adrift of safety upon his arrival in January after he succeeded Frank Lampard in the Goodison Park hot seat.

Twelve months prior, the Blues had sailed close to demotion to the Championship. It was on the penultimate day of the season when Everton secured their top-flight status following a dramatic 3-2 victory over Crystal Palace.

But with the new season less than a month away, fans seemingly aren’t exactly exuding confidence. Quite the opposite, it seems.

Bookmakers SkyBet, in partnership with YouGov, surveyed more than 1,400 Premier League fans asking, on scale of 1-10, how optimistic they were heading into the upcoming term. Everton had a score of just 3.3 - which placed them at the bottom of the table. Not only that by SkyBet says it’s the lowest score in Fan Hope Survey history.

Wolves and Tottenham Hotspur came joint-second bottom with 5.3 while newly-promoted Luton Town and Sheffield United were given ratings 5.5.

An average prediction of a 15th-place finish has been given, although most believe that Dyche is the right man for the job - with 76% backing the manager.

So far this summer, only Ashley Young has been signed on a free transfer following his release from Aston Villa. That's despite the Blues requiring attacking signings, having scored the second-fewest goals in 2022-23. Meanwhile, Yerry Mina, Asmir Begovic, Tom Davies and Andros Townsend all departed along with loanee Conor Coady and Ruben Vinagre.

Off the pitch, the club remains in a precarious financial position, having posted combined losses of more than £400 million over a four-year period since 2019, with the latest set of accounts reporting a statutory loss of £44.7m. Just 8% of respondents asked by SkyBet believe that Everton are a well-run club.

Last season, Everton fans protested for sweeping changes at boardroom level. Earlier this summer, chief executive Denise Barrett-Baxendale, chief finance and strategy officer and non-executive director departed although Bill Kenwright remains in his role as chairman.

There is currently a period of transition at boardroom level ahead of fresh investment from MSP Sports Capital being announced.