The end effectively arrived seven days ago. At the Vitality Stadium, Everton had been beaten 1-0 by Bournemouth and everything about Sean Dyche told you he was a man who had been driven to distraction.
His answers in a five-minute press conference became increasingly short but every statement was pored over. One, which referenced his surprise that Jarrad Branthwaite had come up short in the build-up to David Brooks’ decisive goal, certainly caused ripples in Everton’s dressing room.
There was a sense of disengagement from several players, who had grown increasingly weary of Dyche.