Mike Hughes, BBC Radio Merseyside
These are dark and difficult days for Everton. If their present Premier League position of second from bottom of the table, allied to one win in their last thirteen matches in all competitions isn’t bad enough, there’s also the matter of the off-the-field strife that’s currently enveloping the club.
The board of directors were told by their security advisors not to attend last Saturday’s home game with Southampton for safety reasons and fans held a post-match protest to highlight what they claim is the mismanagement of the club.
On the playing side, Saturday’s game at West Ham is another six pointer. They too are precariously positioned in the relegation zone. They too have a manager under pressure. For Frank Lampard and David Moyes the implications of losing this weekend’s massive match are patently clear.
If Everton’s recent record was replicated at Manchester City, even Pep Guardiola would be under serious pressure. Lampard did well to preserve the club’s top-flight status with that stomach churning, tumultuous victory against Crystal Palace last May. But the majority of the summer signing’s have yet to make enough of an impact.
The need for reinforcement’s at the top end of the pitch are clear and obvious. The benefits of recruiting a striker who can hit the ground running, in the way that Kevin Campbell did in the winter of 1999, can help to give Everton lift-off. That signing can’t come soon enough.
That might not help to solve the off the field situation. But for Everton, the team, the club and the supporters, avoiding relegation has to be the number-one priority.
Everyone in a position of prominence at Goodison has to share a responsibility for where the team is right now. No one can argue that an awful lot of money has been spent on signing players that have failed to deliver since Farhad Moshiri became the majority shareholder. Where the demarcation line is between various previous managers and directors of football who suggested bringing in the players isn’t clear. The burden of responsibility for that failing should be equally apportioned. But even under Carlo Ancelotti, who’s one of the most successful managers in modern football, Everton signed some players who didn’t live up to expectations. In the transfer market there aren’t any guarantees.
There’s still half of the season left to go. Twenty five points from nineteen matches would normally be enough for Everton to maintain their Premier League status. But to give themselves the best chance of reaching that target, they need to start winning football matches and they need to start winning them very quickly.
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January 18, 2023 at 11:54PM
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Everton: 'These are dark and difficult days' - bbc.com
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