
Sport
Share
Published 14:41 17 Sept 2018 BST
Explore more on these topics:
No one is prematurely judging the boss, nor condemning recent signings as flops, but there is a sense of dismay that is born of waiting so long for something good to happen that it starts to feel like you're hexed.
How else do you explain the laudable achievement of making West Ham look good. West Ham! In fairness, Sunday's visitors played well and took their chances, but the Toffees make far too many iffy teams look more than capable.
A major part of Everton's problem *is* their ever-changing cast. It doesn't lend itself to building anything, and just becomes a self-fulfilling clusterfuck. That said, shoddy recruitment is far more to blame than very necessary exits.
The current setup is not without good players and excellent potential, but it's such a mishmash of opposing visions and differing methods. It's like each new architect is adding their own extension to a shoddily maintained bungalow.
In a strong team, Cenk Tosun's hard work would be supplemented by the potency of a colleague; Gylfi Sigurdsson's rare technique would be allied with the speed and movement of others. As it is, Tosun looks impotent and Gylfi one-paced.
They live in a team in a permanent state of transition. It's depressing for the fans and a tad unfair on the younger players too. Novices are judged as part of a chaotic, disjointed whole. Of course they won't properly flourish.
The likes of Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Mason Holgate, and the struggling Jonjoe Kenny shouldn't be seen as part of the problem because they shouldn't be part of the answer. These are players to test and blood, not rely on.
A manager of Silva's nous will be acutely aware that his defence has no proper leader, his midfield has all the dynamism and urgency of a vegan at a barbecue, and the attack is as aimlessly offensive as a UKIP manifesto.
Alas he can only work with what he has inherited, with a few hasty add-ons of his own. It is part of his job to make it work and show incremental progress, but that isn't helped by the long-standing sense of ennui.
The fans in general are a patient lot - they have to be - but it must be frustrating. Every thread of optimism is quickly snatched away, and new dawns at Goodison are like buses - you're waiting for something that may never come.
That said, there are reasons to hopeful. Silva will studiously implement his own vision and remains in the fans' good books by simply not being Sam Allardyce. Richarlison is class, and both Yerry Mina and André Gomes are to come.
But it's hard to remain upbeat when the faces change and yet the story remains the same. The Goodison faithful deserve some kind of happy ending.

Sport

The 2026 World Cup viral moments live blog: Follow all of the action in our hub
The biggest sporting tournament in the world is here… The World Cup gives us unforgettable goals and iconic moments that live forever in football folklore. But alongside the sporting drama, every tournament also brings pure chaos. From fans stealing the spotlight to viral celebrations, social media meltdowns, and the random incidents that somehow become bigger […]
Sport
15h
Here’s why French fans riot – even when their team wins
It’s now an infamous tradition Following Paris Saint-Germain’s win in the Champions League final against Arsenal on Saturday, at least 780 people across France were arrested with more than 450 in custody, as football fans clashed with police. A person was found dead after an accident on Paris’s ring road, which rioters tried to block […]
Sport
1 day ago
WATCH: Comical moment footballer is run over by his own medical team
Sport