REID MY LIPS EVERTON SHOULD BE FIGHTING FOR PLACE IN TOP 4

Toffees’ legend Peter Reid agrees with Mourinho, his beloved Blues should play like the big club they are

AS the midfield general in Howard Kendall’s great Everton side of the mid80s, Peter Reid never accepted second-best.

It was an attitude which helped carry Everton to two league titles, the European Cup Winners’ Cup, the FA Cup and to within a whisker of the domestic Double in 1985.

Thirty years on from those ‘glory glory’ days when silverware was commonplace, Reid claims Everton should still be aiming high.

He disagrees with current Goodison boss Ronald Koeman, who angrily rejected Jose Mourinho’s claims that Everton should be challenging for the top four after splashing out £150million in the summer.

Reid, 61, has been disappointed by Everton under Koeman and feels they should play like the big club they are. “Everton should be looking to compete with the top four,” he said.

“I was at the Manchester United game a few weeks back and, looking at them, I didn’t think Everton went out there with any sort of confidence. They sat back.

“You should be competing against these teams and giving them a game. Over the last few years, if you look at Everton against the top six, we’ve been nowhere. We haven’t played well enough, especially away from home.

“Everton should be looking to go to places like Chelsea and Manchester United and win games. It is doable. Look at Sean Dyche and Burnley – they have gone to Chelsea, Tottenham, Liverpool and Everton this season and got results.”

Instead of challenging for the top four, Everton are languishing near the bottom of the Premier League on the back of a run of just four points from six games.

And they are faring as badly in Europe as the hapless Brexit chief David Davis. Reid has welcomed majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri’s public backing of Koeman but says the Dutchman knows he must start winning – and soon.

“As a football club, Everton have always had that little bit of class and I’m sure the manager will get time,” he said.

“People have been calling for his head. I’m not one of them but there’s got to be an improvement.

“The players know that, the manager knows that, and certainly the fans know that. It’s results that matter and it’s up to him to get results or the pressure mounts.”

Everton have been booed off at the end of their last two games at Goodison Park and Reid claims the fans are fully entitled to vent their frustrations.

He says it is up to Koeman’s expensively-assembled squad to give them something to cheer by working hard to end their current rut.

“Listen, the fans pay their money,” said the Scouser. “If they boo at the end of games, I’d accept that. The fans have a part to play by getting behind the side but the team have got to give them something.

“That’s a priority. If Evertonians are at games and they see their team having a go, they’ll get behind them.

“You can get beat in football matches but have a go.

“For me, Everton haven’t been having a go hard enough.

“There’s a lack of pace, desire and confidence. It’s the responsibility of the manager, coaching staff, and players to sort it out. It’s only through hard work and rolling your sleeves up that you get out of situations like this.

“On paper they are all good players but you don’t win anything on paper. They’ve got to do it out there on the pitch.

“They’ve got to get back to basics, roll their sleeves up, and work hard to sort this out.”