Roma were the lab rats. Everton are the Golden Goose
I think people may be reading The Friedkin Group's approach to Everton the wrong way. Everyone asks why they haven't ripped out the old systems at Finch Farm. Why bring back David Moyes instead of installing a fully modern, data-first structure?
But what if Roma changed the plan?
At Roma, TFG seemed to lean hard into the modern ownership model: process, analytics, long-term logic, less emotion. Then the Daniele De Rossi fallout triggered a huge supporter backlash and exposed something football people already know: clubs aren't spreadsheets.
So maybe Everton isn't the experiment. Maybe Everton is the asset they can't afford to break. Premier League status changes everything. Relegation destroys value. Everton are a big club, financially, in comparison to Roma. Even the Roma fans' protest is centred on Everton as the priority for TFG over Roma. For TFG, stability may be more important than ideology.
Viewed that way, some of the contradictions make more sense. Rather than replacing systems outright, TFG appear to be layering new processes over old ones. Recruitment looks younger and more financially disciplined, but Moyes still leans toward experience and immediate results.
That doesn't necessarily mean confusion. It may mean the plan is: survive first, modernise second. Even a drag in this timeline is a cause for concern knowing Everton's cultural intransigence.
Where I still think there's a disconnect is supporters. Evertonians don't just want competence. They want authenticity. They don't want to feel managed or treated as customers in a transition plan.
Roma may have taught TFG that football clubs have souls and Evertonians are part of that. I'm not convinced they've fully worked out yet how to speak to one.
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