The memories will no doubt come flooding back for Sean Dyche on Saturday evening, and the reception the former Burnley manager will receive from the home gallery will certainly be loud, but the sentimentality will stop as soon as the whistle sounds.
Dyche takes his Everton side to Turf Moor and remains a firm favourite with Clarets supporters after a highly impressive decade with their club in which he won two promotions, finished seventh in the Premier League and qualified for Europe.
“People who know me in football, know I don’t really go in for all that sort of stuff [sentimentality],” said Dyche. “That’s up to them, we’ll see, but I don’t expect anything of anyone.”
“I always had a big respect and a big connection with the people and the fans because of my time, and the team’s time, and what was achieved there. To be honest, when the whistle blows, I want to win. That’s work time, that is what I am in the game for: to win.”
Dyche’s focus is solely on his current club — and his return to his former home comes as Everton appear to be truly reaping the rewards of his appointment in January. Dyche kept Everton in the Premier League last season but his work is coming to greater fruition now.
Since Everton were docked 10 points for a breach of financial rules, a judgement that the club are currently appealing, the team have won three of their four league games, which included home triumphs over Newcastle United and Chelsea, and have leapt from the relegation zone.
That Everton have now tasted victory in five of their past seven matches, performances have become more complete and goals easier to come by demonstrate Dyche’s methods are turning things around on the pitch at least.
Dyche, along with his assistants Ian Woan and Steve Stone, have brought the dressing room together, instilled a stronger mentality and eked out more consistent performances.
Although Everton will be without centre-back Jarrad Branthwaite and central midfielder Idrissa Gueye after both picked up their fifth bookings of the season, Dyche will hope their replacements step in and match their work ethic.
“The form was good before, but it’s about winning and that really comes down to taking your chances. We have done that in these games recently,” Dyche said of Everton's improved fortunes with a League Cup quarter-final also to come next week.
“We’ve created a lot and we’ve taken them, and we’ve kept clean sheets. So that’s the mixture every football manager and every player should want. We’ve got to keep working hard to get that to continue.”
'It's a challenge for anyone going up'
While Everton have forged a way out of the bottom three, Burnley remain 19th. Vincent Kompany, Dyche’s successor, won the Championship last season but his team have found the going tough back in the Premier League.
Burnley have collected eight points from their opening 16 matches but did register a moral-boosting 5-0 win over Sheffield United in their previous home game.
“They had a fantastic season last season and I saw Vincent at one of the League Managers Association dos and commended him on the work that they’ve done,” Dyche said. “They’ve spent money, but how do you buy players who are game-ready for the Premier League? It’s not easy.
“Then you’ve got to develop. You’ve got to mould it, you’ve got to form it, you’ve got to produce a team that can win. It’s a massive challenge for anyone going up and I’m told from colleagues who are in the Championship that the gap’s got bigger. It’s even harder to make that jump.”