It hasn’t exactly been plain sailing, but David Unsworth brought his stint as Everton caretaker manager to a close with a rousing win over West Ham on Wednesday evening.
With Sam Allardyce watching on, Unsworth’s side shook off a couple of dreadful results against Atalanta and Southampton as a Wayne Rooney hat-trick provided the catalyst in an redemptive 4-0 victory against the Hammers.
After the final whistle, the Goodison faithful showed that, despite the tribulations of the past few weeks, their admiration for Unsworth has not been dimmed, with a large percentage of the crowd staying on after the final whistle to send ‘Rhino’ back off to the Under-23s with a standing ovation…
Excellent to see. Despite some miserable performances on the field, Unsworth has carried himself with dignity and poise, especially when faced with some uncomfortable post-match press conferences and interviews.
As mentioned, he will now return to his role as head of the Toffees’ reserve/developmental side, with Allardyce swooping down from the rafters to take his spot in the senior dugout.
It’s hard to think of a better role model for the impressionable youngsters at the club.