LUDICROUS gamble or an inspired decision? Only time will tell whether or not Bill Kenwright's move to axe Walter Smith last night is enough to save Everton from the drop.

But one thing's for sure, it has certainly added drama to what was already promising to be a nerve-jangling scramble for safety at the foot of the Premiership.

Smith, one of the true gentlemen of the game, has performed miracles on Merseyside over the last four years, keeping the Toffees in the top-flight on a pauper's budget.

While the red half of Liverpool have been splashing out money like it's gone out of fashion, Evertonians have had to suffer in silence while a string of top players have been sold on to keep the creditors at bay.

Like a true Scotsman, Smith has had to be prudent in the transfer market, desperately attempting to make a silk purse from a sow's ear.

But the situation finally caught up with him at the weekend when his rag-bag side were dumped unceremoniously out of the FA Cup at the hands of an equally poor Middlesbrough side.

Suddenly, the fans felt that was one defeat too many and they called for Smith's head -- a request Kenwright and his board of directors felt impossible to resist.

But what of the timing of their move and the possible consequences it could have for the Toffees' survival bid?

With nine games left, it seems crazy to swap horses now with so little time left.

Of course, the arrival of a new manager often provokes an instant reaction from a group of players who have forgotten how to win.

But to go for a rookie boss like David Moyes who has no experience of managing in the Premiership is potentially suicidal in my book at a time in the season when the order of the day should surely be stability.

Hopefully, Kenwright's trigger-happy reaction will play straight into the hands of Rovers and result in Everton's relegation.

Because, let's face it, they've been hanging on by a thread over the last couple of years and they might be better off starting again completely from scratch in the First Division.

One thing's for sure, though, nothing is likely to be straightforward over the next two months because I've got a feeling there will be plenty more twists and turns yet.