Everton reporter notebook: Time has come for the club to put up, show up and speak up | Football News

As Everton went on an eight-game winless run following their FA Cup third-round exit at the hands of Manchester United, manager Frank Lampard walked onto the pitch at Old Trafford and addressed the 9,500 traveling supporters.

It was a show of defiance and unity, but Lampard knew he had entered a defining period.

Ending Everton’s 28-year wait for a trophy is not their top priority this year. The Merseyside club are once again hovering above the relegation zone.

With bottom of the table Southampton next at Goodison Park on Saturday then a trip to West Ham a week later, Sky Sports News journalist Alan Myers summed up the mood towards the period defined for the club…

A dead silence from those who hold the explanation

So here it is again.

Another relegation battle feared by long-suffering Everton fans, financial ruin and the silence of those who have an explanation for why the club find themselves in a position they are all too familiar with.

The word “unacceptable” is an often-used description of the team’s performance and it’s hard to argue with that with just one win in 12 games.

Manager Lampard is not immune to criticism either. He has been under pressure but has accepted that pressure in the professional and honorable manner that we have come to expect from him.

But, not acceptable it’s also a word that can be used when describing Everton’s lack of silverware for 28 years and, in particular, their disarray and poor performance over the last seven years.

The difference is that Lampard has stood up, faced questions and tried to explain why things went wrong, but he himself!

There is no explanation that matters or is organized independently of those at the top of the club for a very long time.

Fans want communication and accountability

The Everton supporters were really upset about what happened. Contrary to some beliefs – and in personal experience – it is not a difficult bunch to deal with.

They are excited, yes, but if not, they will be more concerned.

He’s not asking for much today – as the scene of absolute joy and relief after the Crystal Palace game last season proved – but he wants to communicate, he wants to be in charge and he wants to see someone in charge.

Last season’s close was the third close escape from the threat of relegation at a remaining Premier League club.

They have had seven permanent managers and two interim managers since Farhad Moshiri took charge of the club in 2016, his third director of football and has spent around £500m in that time to find 18th place in the Premier League.

That is unacceptable in anyone’s book.

But apart from a few internally produced “open letters to fans” and the odd program note, there has been no discussion, explanation or real understanding of what could be the cause of the continued decline of one of the great English football clubs, indeed the founding . members of the Football League and the Premier League.

Escape from relegation cannot be celebrated, cannot be a visible club.

No one at board level is immune to criticism

The owner and venue can’t be afraid of the fanbase. He couldn’t ignore the clamor for an explanation and not just hope it would go away with a few wins. It won’t!

In the end, the buck stops with majority shareholder Moshiri and no one knows how the club will behave or what pressure the hierarchy must put on its leadership.

But the board of directors, including chairman Bill Kenwright and CEO Denise Barrett-Baxedale also have responsibilities.

With every office position comes responsibilities and accountabilities.

He is responsible for the daily decisions, which contribute to the performance on the field, whoever starts.

Even though we hear suggestions from various quarters that it is Moshiri’s bad decisions that have caused so many problems in the last seven years, no one at the council level is immune to criticism and accountability.

Now is the time to stand up, put your head above the parapet and trust your gut and principles to give you an honest assessment of where the problem lies.

A new stadium is not enough to please fans

It is no longer accepted by the fans that they only concentrate on the positives, like the beautiful new stadium.

The fans have had enough. It had been too long and he was sick of the false dawn.

I have no doubt that the people in the board care for the club, but so do the fans, and so does Lampard, despite his relationship with him.

Now, the manager and the fans just listen, they just stand and count and they can’t go on.

There are generations of supporters who haven’t seen Everton win a trophy, and that wasn’t the case before 1996.

Add those who have not been to Goodison Park since October 2021. The time has come for someone or a place to put up, show and talk.

Everton face two crucial games against Southampton and West Ham – which define the season in January – but even six points from those two games will not calm, or correct the deeper problems and concerns Evertonians have.