Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall Mentality and Class Makes Him the Perfect Everton Player

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall had one of those days against Ipswich back in September. Nothing came off for him, with wayward passes and poor touches curtailing his impact on the game. Everton won but I compared his display to a horrendous Andre Gomes performance I watched live at Villa Park years previously.

Dewsbury-Hall though is a class act and there was no doubt in my mind whatsoever that he would bounce back. The match, against the Tractor Boys, was a bad day at the office that would actually spur him on in all likelihood and so it has proved in the weeks since.

The midfielder’s showing up at Newcastle on Monday night highlighted exactly what Dewsbury-Hall is about. He was a level above, dictating play and making the team tick. There’s a proactiveness to his play that drives the Blues forward. He never hides and constantly shows for the ball. Though it was poor defending by Newcastle, his vision and incisive pass to Tyrique George led to the winner on Monday and he fully deserved his Man of the Match award.

In so many ways, Dewsbury-Hall is the ideal Everton player but this goes far beyond his supreme technical ability. It’s his mentality, outlook and hunger that sets him apart.

He delivers in a way that makes you think of players like Tim Cahill, Leighton Baines and Marouane Fellaini. Sure, he won’t be an eight out of ten every week, but most games, he’s there and contributing positively.

He is tenacious in his desire to get better and improve individually while also dragging the Blues to a new level. Dewsbury-Hall has set a high standard and I’m sure drives his team-mates on just in how he carries himself. He is a leader without shouting and bawling. There’s a confidence about his play and a forthright outlook when he speaks to the press.

“I’m not here to just go through the motions and finish mid-table,” he said on Monday. “No, I want to push for something, because I’m coming into the prime years of my career and I want to show and look back on my career and say I’ve done something for a massive football club.”

He has huge aspirations and is working hard to achieve them with searing focus. The energy and enthusiasm with which he plays and communicates is infectious.

Dewsbury-Hall is upfront and honest too. At the end of last season, after a shot at Europe had been thrown away, he admitted Everton had been miles off it. Such frankness and a willingness to take responsibility was refreshing to read and took the edge off the huge disappointment. You felt he was eager for the summer to fly by so that he and the team could put it right.

He also stuck up for his team-mates recently, speaking out amid the disappointment of a failed transfer window which left a squad of only 18 players. There was lots of disgruntled noise from the fanbase and this very Substack but Dewsbury-Hall was defiant that Everton had enough to properly compete. I didn’t necessarily agree with his take on the ‘meltdowns’ but that’s not to say I don’t understand his viewpoint or appreciate his candour at being irked by such doubts.

No matter what, you can trust Kiernan will go out there, roll his sleeves up and work hard for himself and the badge in order to pick up as many points as humanly possible in the circumstances, no matter how depleted the team. He doesn’t do excuses and instead chooses to take responsibility and look ahead.

Dewsbury-Hall has completely bought into Everton Football Club. There are plenty of times when a player appears to ‘get it’ but you sense with Kiernan, it goes beyond that, and he has really immersed himself in all things Blue. There are cues that he truly respects the tradition and heritage of the club. For example his header on Twitter features himself alongside Alan Ball’s famous quote ‘Once Everton has touched you, nothing will be the same’. It helps form a connection when you feel the number eight on the pitch is truly fighting your corner and shares your will for the Toffees to win.

Dewsbury-Hall, together with Jarrad Branthwaite, Jordan Pickford and two or three others, have what it takes to take Everton back to the top table. The hope is new owners come in with a bold recruitment plan capable of pushing the club forward.

Any future progress made, Kiernan will be a key driver in the dressing room. Hopefully, in the meantime, his mentality rubs off on the club. It needs to.

Dewsbury-Hall is a class act and perfect for Everton.