Everton going backwards as key rivals keep improving

So, who is responsible for this mess and how can it be turned around?

While Rafa Benitez has made some important mistakes in terms of team selection and tactics in recent games, he has largely inherited this squad and so it would be unreasonable to blame him too much. Having said that he must find a proper balance to the side and address the massive defensive weaknesses that have been exposed once again in these past few weeks.

If Benitez is still in the job come January (and that isn’t certain at the moment) then he must have some money to try and strengthen this squad or I dread to think what the rest of the season will be, especially because given this club’s chronic bad luck, key players like Doucoure will almost certainly be injured again at some point.

But, even if Benitez can spend and bring in a couple of good additions and the season is stabalized, it’s very hard to see what kind of long-term strategy the club has.

What are Everton trying to acheive now, are they serious about trying to win something or qualify for Europe, it doesn’t seem so? Winning the title is now a complete pipe dream and I don’t think I’ll see those heady scenes I remember from back in 1985 and 87 ever again.

I honestly don’t know what is the goal is as the shotgun spending strategy under a succession of failed managers over the past five years hasn’t worked and has left the club massively in debt and without any real room for manuevre in the next few transfer windows, whoever is in the dugout.

There are also too many people in the club’s hierachy who don’t seem too bothered about success on the pitch. For example the current CEO has come from leading Everton In The Community.

The club’s charity arm does great work in the city and Merseyside generally, no one would deny that, but ultimately it’s a successful and competitive first team on the pitch that is fundamental to enabling that to continue. You have to ask are the club serious about football success anymore?

If the Blues are languishing in the Championship or end up doing something similar to what happened to Sunderland, then there won’t be any money for good works in the community.

This brings me onto the new stadium. This has been a central plank of Farhad Moshiri’s tenure to find a location and build a new ground to improve the economic sustainability of the club.

But again, if the Toffees are struggling either in the bottom half of the Premier League or have been relegated just before it opens (which would be typical of Everton!) then it will be a massive financial millstone around the club’s neck.