EXCLUSIVE
Worrying
Everton have ‘no character to get them out of tough spot’ with Liverpool, Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal still to play in fight to avoid relegation from Premier League
Everton's situation is looking extremely bleak as they face a mountainous task to secure their Premier League status.
For the first time in more than half a century, the Toffees could be relegated, and fans, plus former players are not confident about their chances of staying up.
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The Goodison Park side have been playing football in England's top for 68 years.
A club that has a proud history, and passionate support, it's remarkable to see how far they have fallen in recent times.
Since February 2016, when Farhad Moshiri became the majority owner, Everton have spent more than £500million on transfers, and it has brought no success.
Their downfall is astonishing to say the least, and the fans will be furious as to what is happening, especially as neighbours Liverpool are flying high and could be about to set an unprecedented achievement by winning the quadruple.
With nine games left of the season, Everton's top flight stay is looking far from certain, especially after their dramatic loss to relegation rivals Burnley on Wednesday night.
And speaking on Breakfast before the game, former player Leon Osman discussed the worrying times on the blue half of Merseyside.
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“The money Everton have put in, you expect the club to making forward steps,” he said.
“Not finding the club languishing at the bottom of the Premier League, struggling for points, struggling for form, struggling for any kind of performance really, so it's a very worrying time for the club.
“I think that’s been a criticism of this team all season, you’re looking round and you’re wondering who are the characters? Who are the leaders?
“You saw the way Alex Iwobi give the ball away [in the defeat to West Ham] just as they got themselves back into the game, and Everton, defensively, are so exposed.
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“You’re already falling behind in games, then you’re wondering who's got the character to get on the ball and try and make things happen.
“And for the majority of this season that’s fell on the shoulders of young Anthony Gordon, which is incredible to say for a guy who’s just broken into the team, really young in age, really young in career [and he’s] carried the fight of such a huge club of such history of characters."
It was these points that had Osman fearing a loss against Burnley considering Manchester United are next, with Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal still to play Everton.
“That’s the big concern [the run in] because Everton have been better at home under Frank Lampard, they’ve lost six of the eight Premier League games under him, but the two wins have come at home.
“But then you’re playing Manchester United, Leicester, Chelsea, Brentford and Palace who are no given because of the form they’re in compared to Everton.
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“I think if Everton are to stay up they need to find a bit more [than] they’ve shown, I think they need to cut out defensive errors, they need to get Dominic Calvert-Lewin scoring again.
“If they continue as they are doing in this fashion, they will go down no doubt, and there’s no doubt that Burnley and Watford will win two or three games between now and the end of the season, so Everton have to do that, too.”
After the defeat to Sean Dyche's team at Turf Moor, former defender Alan Stubbs revealed his fears for his beloved club.
“As an Everton fan, it’s desperate watching the team right now,” he told talkSPORT.
“[Burnley] was a game we couldn’t lose and after getting themselves into a really good position, they’ve done what they’ve done all season and they managed to somehow throw it away.
“It’s just not good enough, I don’t like criticising former players, but there’s so much wrong with Everton right now.
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“Players not good enough, they’re not showing enough fight, enough heart, enough hunger, enough desire, to look like they’re going to get themselves out of this mess."
Stubbs explained a change in the dugout is not the answer with Lampard only replacing the sacked Rafa Benitez in January.
“I don’t get changing the manager, we’ve done that too many times, and look where it’s got us, that’s not the answer," he continued.
“It’s the players, the buck has to stop at the players, 100 per cent, you cross the white line, you have a duty and a desire to be the best you possibly can.
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“Not to hide, not to shirk challenges, not to duck your head in shoulders and run away from adversity, it’s to stick your chest out and do something about it, and the players haven’t done it.
“We can look at last night’s game and you can point to the defending being awful, but the defending starts from the front as well.
“There’s too many of them not doing it, you look at the third goal [against Burnley], it comes from someone having a shot at the edge of our box.
“How many players do you see breaking their neck to run back?
“Yes there’s a mistake in the right-back position, and then there’s a mistake from [Ben] Godfrey for the goal, but there’s so many things where people can help [to clear the ball away].”
Read More on talkSPORT
Burnley boss Sean Dyche revealed he told his players at half-time that it doesn't look like Everton want to win, which is worrying considering what is to come, with the visit of United up next.
Everton vs Manchester United is live on talkSPORT at 12:30pm on 9 April
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