Gordon is feeling Everton’s pain
DISGUST is too strong a word for Anthony Gordon’s assessment on Everton’s plight right now — but it’s not far off.
Growing up next to Goodison Park, the 21-year-old forward feels the current crisis more than most. The early Frank Lampard-bounce has disappeared with the club losing their past three league games without scoring.
They face Wolves at Goodison today in deep relegation trouble, while off the field they can’t now work with former commercial partner Alisher Usmanov, who has had his assets frozen.
Gordon’s focus is on the pitch, with Monday’s 5-0 defeat at Tottenham still fresh in the mind.
‘It was the lowest I’ve felt all season,’ he admits. ‘We weren’t aggressive enough — but it’s not one thing, it’s many things. A team of our calibre should not be experiencing this.
‘The manager wasn’t happy as you’d expect. He is a serial winner. We have had plenty of meetings but keep making the same mistakes.
‘We have no time for that any more. I won’t lie and say I don’t look at the table. We are very aware of the position we are in. It is our fault we are there.’ They are impassioned words from the young winger, whose form has remained impressive amidst the overall malaise.
He understands Everton’s history. Founder members of the The Football League in 1888, they have been in top-flight football for a total of 119 seasons — the most of any club in the country.
Along with Liverpool, Spurs, Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal, they are in the elite group of Premier League everpresents — last suffering relegation in 1951.
They have lost 15 of 25 league games this season under Rafa Benitez and now Lampard. Poor defensively, they have also missed the attacking input of Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who hasn’t scored since August in an injury-hit campaign.
‘I’m not worried about relegation because I see day in, day out how good we can be,’ says Gordon. ‘If we get certain things right, all the worry will disappear. The manager knows what is required. We need to stick together and show a bit of character to be honest.’