'Not bothered' - Everton boss wins manager accolade a day after dismissing awards

Sean Dyche has been named the Premier League manager of the month for April after a brilliant run, one day after dismissing the notion of awards in football.

The former Burnley boss led his side away from danger across April thanks to four wins and a draw from six matches to secure Premier League safety. He beat Mikel Arteta and Pep Guardiola to do so as his side kept four clean sheets and bounced back from a dismal 6-0 defeat at Chelsea to take 13 points from a possible 18.

In what is a brilliant achievement, Dyche has ended the club’s near-four-year wait for a manager to win the award at the club. Carlo Ancelotti was the last boss to take the award in September 2020 and his 13 points earned was the most ever won in a calendar month other than March 2014 (15) which highlights the nature of his feat.

However, in an ironic turn of events, Dyche claimed during his press conference ahead of Sheffield United that awards in football don’t mean anything to him as he was quizzed on his absence from the manager of the season nominees. “The accolade of that is well earned for whoever wins it but it has been a different kind of season here - it’s not about that. If you win something great, but it’s not about that for me.

“I’m very pleased with my part in helping to see our way through the season - I don’t need an award for that. I know the reward for myself as a manager for playing my part in how that job’s come together.”

When asked if he was surprised not to be considered, he replied: “No, there’s no reason to be. There’s no relevance for me this season. I’m not particularly bothered with awards, I know the work people around me do and I know there’s value to it as it is part of the LMA and I certainly support and back the LMA.”