Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall speaks openly about the controversial bookings that ruled him out of the game with Crystal Palace and provides new details of his decision to join Everton
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall argues with referee Sam Barrott after receiving a controversial yellow card - his fifth of the season - against West Ham. Photo by Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Offside via Getty Images
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall argues with referee Sam Barrott after receiving a controversial yellow card - his fifth of the season - against West Ham. Photo by Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Offside via Getty Images
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“It was horrible. I hate watching football matches that I'm not involved in, it makes it nervewracking. I don't like it because I know I can't influence it.”
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall was forced to miss Everton’s dramatic comeback win over Crystal Palace after collecting five yellow cards in the first six Premier League games of the season. Some might suggest that record is a sign of ill-discipline.
But for those who saw the incidents unfold, confusion still reigns. “Mind boggling”, the 27-year-old described the final two calls on social media. They saw him booked for taking a quick free-kick at Liverpool and for a fair tackle on Kyle Walker-Peters of West Ham United.
The result was that the Blues missed a player who has quickly become central to David Moyes’ plans for an important game, one they struggled in before that late fightback earned three valuable points.
His punishment remains a source of frustration at Finch Farm. Conversations have taken place with coaching staff about how to avoid a repeat of the situation but the conclusion has ultimately been that you can not cater for poor decisions.
“If a bad decision is made, it is made. I've got to get on with it - I'm just hoping that maybe there's not many more for me,” Dewsbury-Hall said with a rueful smile.
This matters to because for all the finesse and intelligence he has brought to the Everton attack, his intensity is a key part of his game.
Dewsbury-Hall stressed: “I'm not a luxury player that's just going to try and do stuff on the ball, and then off the ball just do nothing. I know there are times when we won't have the ball as much, so I need to be a big asset for the team.
“That is pressing, that is tackling, that is getting up to people. So if you completely cut that out of my game then there is definitely going to be a bit of a difference.”
The focus on the suspension is unavoidable but should not distract from the wider story of Dewsbury-Hall’s start to life at Everton.
A £25m summer signing from Chelsea, he has helped to revolutionise the club’s frontline, knitting together passages of play in the final third and building an improving relationship with Jack Grealish and Iliman Ndiaye either side of him.
His impact has been symbolic of the transition Moyes is attempting to drive as the Blues move from the physical power of the important Abdoulaye Doucoure to the guile of their new number 22. It will take time for the understanding to become fluent but there have already been signs of what is possible - the highpoint being the thrilling win at Wolves in which Dewsbury-Hall got off the mark for his new side with a stunning half-volley.
He said: “It was a good finish but I'm trying to work hard to create more moments like that.”
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall takes part in an Everton in the Community darts challenge with local children and professional darts player Joe Cullen to support the charity's Premier League Kicks programme. Image: Tony McArdle/Everton FC
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall takes part in an Everton in the Community darts challenge with local children and professional darts player Joe Cullen to support the charity's Premier League Kicks programme. Image: Tony McArdle/Everton FC
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The attacking midfielder said he was still settling in at Everton but that he had enjoyed his first months on Merseyside.
He was confident he would after detailed conversations with Moyes, who set out a vision for the club and the role he saw Dewsbury-Hall playing in it.
That clarity was key to the player's decision to leave Chelsea after a year in which he won the Europa Conference League and the Club World Cup under Enzo Maresca.
He wants to instil that winning mentality at Hill Dickinson Stadium, hoping for a more prominent role than that which he had at Stamford Bridge - one that he can use to take the Blues forward and to also boost his ambitions of an England call-up.
He said: “I know what it's like to go into every game and be expected to win, you need to perform. I think that's healthy, that's what I want to bring to this club now.
“Even though it's early days, we respect the top teams, but there's no reason why we can't stop believing that we can play against teams and compete against teams. The gaffer said it to us, so why shouldn't we believe it?”
Part of the temptation of Everton was the push to restore the club to a place nearer to the top of the English game. While he earned silverware in London, the former Leicester City man had no issue with the prospect of trying to revive the fortunes of a club that has been fighting relegation through recent turbulent years. It is a project that excites him.
He said: "I know how big this club is, I've played against it many times and it's tough, so for me to leave Chelsea it had to be for a big important English club with a project and Everton seemed like the right one.
“I was excited, I'll be honest (when he first heard of Everton’s interest). When I actually first sat down and spoke about it and realised what the plans are going forward, I was very excited.
“Obviously, they'd struggled the last couple of years and it wasn't nice to see because of the way the club is, but when I heard what the plans were for going forward, I was like: ‘Wow, that's definitely something I can cling onto’.
“After speaking to the manager, who I have to say was very good, it made the decision easy because I did have options but it really felt right to come here and I'm definitely happy I've made the decision.”
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, spoke to the ECHO after he and team-mate James Garner took part in a challenge with professional darts player Joe Cullen and a group of local children to highlight the work of Everton in the Community – the club’s official charity – and its Premier League Kicks programme.
EitC’s Premier League Kicks uses sport to engage ‘hard-to-reach’ young people, steering them away from potential gang involvement and crime by encouraging participation in positive activities.
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