Lampard’s time at Everton might be running out

After the Boxing Day defeat to Wolves Everton manager Frank Lampard hinted that the fans late frustration contributed to the 2-1 loss at Goodison Park.

Everton desperately needed three points on Monday. And yet, despite taking the lead the Toffees’ couldn’t add to it in spite of several gilt-edged chances to do so and then allowed a last-minute winner in injury time to the Premier League’s bottom side.

It is disturbing to hear the manager saying the fears that it was almost inevitable that this Blues’ team would find a way to lose as they have so many times, was a contributing factor in defeat. We’ve been hear so many times before and of course, it happened again on Monday afternoon.

This club’s long-suffering supporters have been a key reason behind so many important results over the years.

The ‘Goodison factor’ was key to Everton surviving last season, especially last season’s 3-2 comeback win over Crystal Palace that ensured survival in the Premier League.

Lampard has worked hard to build a good relationship with the hard-pressed supporters who pay a small fortune to watch the dross that gets served up in front of them so often.

It looks to me like he has just lost a considerable number of those fans now. Whenever this has happened in the past, the manager has always ultimately paid the price.

Apart from these at best ill-judged comments, I am also becoming increasingly worried about his tactics and playing style recently.

Against Wolves, Lampard’s team went ahead early and then became increasingly passive knocking the ball around in their half instead of showing aggresion and pressing their opponents to take full advantage of the momentum that goal had created.

Then Wolves got a corner and predictably scored to get themselves back into the match, something they didn’t deserve at that point.

This kind of possession football Lampard seems to be trying to instill, is fine if you have the players who are able to play their way out successfully and who can effectively link defence and midfield and play quick incisive passes forward. Everton simply don’t have enough of those players.

With time running out and the game still there to be won, the Blues’ were still playing the ball around at the back and not showing enough urgency to try and find a winner.

That resulted in James Tarkowski playing a long pass forward to Patterson that the Scot didn’t use well and so gave possession back to Wolves who then went back up the pitch and scored their second goal.

The Toffees’ have been at their best recently (which is not very often mind) when they press and play with consistent aggression such as in this season’s last victory over Palace way back in October.

I wasn’t sure last January about Lampard’s appointment as he didn’t seem a natural fit for this club. But, like most Evertonians I obviously wanted him to succeed and anything seemed better than the slow death by a thousand cuts that the Benitez era ended in.

However, it’s not working and once again time is running out to turn things around. There is a critical transfer window around the corner, but can we trust Lampard to get it right in terms of the signings he wants to make?

Obviously, another managerial change certainly isn’t what this club and team ideally needs after so much upheaval on the touchline, season after season. And, given this board’s track record would you have any hope they will finally get it right?

But, there doesn’t seem as though there is anything else that can possibly be done short-term to try and prevent the seemingly inevitable relegation that I fear is going to be the ultimate outcome of this campaign if things carry on as they are.