Sean Dyche has asked all his Everton players to complete a questionnaire as he attempts to uncover the problems on Merseyside.
The former Burnley boss returned to management this week when he was appointed at Frank Lampard's successor at Goodison Park. He has been handed a difficult task with Everton languishing in the bottom three amid a host of problems - both on and off the pitch.
Dyche's methods helped Burnley punch above their weight for years and he's now looking for answers from the Everton squad. The piece of paper had three questions with answers remaining anonymous - yet two players opted not to take part in the questionnaire, reports the Daily Mail.
The new Toffees boss has said: "It was just feedback on where it is all at - what is your opinion of it and just trying to be as open ended as possible. By giving a question, you can sometimes guide people to a place. It wasn't about that - it was dead short, as simple as possible. They had an option as well. You don't have to fill it in, you are not under any obligation and I definitely don't want your names on it.
"I just want feedback, honest feedback, anything you want that you think is relevant. Often, when I have done this before, similar themes come back and I said: 'Right - that is what we have to look at.' There were only two out of the whole group who didn't respond and I will do a similar thing with the staff as well.
"I haven't done that yet, we have been cramming a lot in! The thing with 360 degree feedback, as they call it in the business world, is that you have to be ready for the feedback. It is not always great but you have to be open minded. That is all it was. A kind of business crossover, switchover that I had learnt about in business and why they do it."
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Dyche's first game in charge will be Saturday's lunchtime kick-off against league leaders Arsenal, who have only tasted defeat once this season. Everton's last win came in October and they are in desperate need of a pick me up.
The new man at the helm believes the squad "just needs pointing in the right direction" and has wasted no time in upping the intensity in training. He's put on 11 vs 11 games so that he can assess the squad's fitness ahead of their survival bid in the second half of the season.
Dyche will be working without any deadline day arrival, but seems unconcerned. "You have to have alignment," he claimed. "You need the finance in place but the things that get overlooked is they have to be better than what we have here. I've never been one for signing players for the sake of signing them and never see them again. There are good players here - believe me."
