Everton owner Farhad Moshiri admitted that their ex-manager’s dismissal was due to fan backlash.
The pressured billionaire fired five bosses — Roberto Martinez, Ronald Koeman, Sam Allardyce, Marco Silva and Rafael Benitez — during his nearly seven-year tenure.
But he claims that each of them has been affected by the growing negativity from fans.
“We made some of the decisions we made with the fans,” he told talkSPORT.
“Former (former) managers who left were primarily driven by fans, not me.”
Moshiri, who supported Frank Lampard in an open letter published Wednesday, reaffirmed that support, adding: “You have to stay with the manager to run the system, the players he’s bought. I have a lot of trust in Frank to get this right.
Moshiri has been criticized by fans for a lack of communication and failure to lead the club from above, which is threatened with relegation.
A sit-in is taking place after Saturday’s game against fellow challengers Southampton.
While Moshiri acknowledges the fans’ right to protest, he disagrees with their arguments.
“I put my money where my mouth is and that’s the most a team owner can do,” said Moshiri, who has invested more than £500m in the team since 2016.
“I think protest is a democratic right for everyone, but the most important thing is to support the team.
“I think they[senior board members]have been there for a long time, some new appointments but they’ve been around for a long time, they’re dedicated, they’re locals and it’s very important to keep a club with Liverpool roots in Liverpool.
“They are the roots of the club”
Moshiri also made public for the first time the cost of the club’s new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock, which is currently under construction.
“Building a £760m stadium that is one of the best in the country is a huge challenge for a club, so I think the fans have to acknowledge that they are going through a transformation and working extremely hard.
“I’ve made occasional additions to the board to support when needed, and I’ll do it again, but you can’t just make hasty decisions.
“We have two big games on Saturday and on the 21st (at West Ham) and that’s our only focus.”