BIG SAM’S BIG DRIFT

Fans turn on Allardyce as Everton decline continues

IT WAS not meant to be like this. Armed with longawaited financial muscle, this was supposed to be a breakthrough year for Everton. New faces, new era. The dream was sold to the punters. Buy your tickets, this will be a season to remember.

It has turned into one to forget. In late November the unthinkable threat of relegation led the club to do something their supporters, drunk on the dream, would have deemed unthinkable: appoint Sam Allardyce, the closest thing to a safe bet.

Sure enough, the Big Sam bounce was instant and four wins from five all but ended fears of the drop. But since then just two victories from 11 have followed. Away from home, in all competitions, it is six straight defeats. On their travels, they have been as entertaining as a wet weekend in Blackpool.

At Turf Moor, the venue of the latest surrender, the fed-up Merseyside contingent called for their manager’s head. Allardyce then raised anger levels further when appearing to smirk as he was questioned about the chants in a television interview.

He deserves some empathy for his response. A firefighter called in to extinguish the fire, he has done just that. But where from here? It is not lost on the man himself, who signed an 18-month contract in November. ‘It is drifting,’ Allardyce admitted. ‘It’s already drifting, there’s no doubt about that. It’s been drifting for some considerable time.’

The fans also deserve understanding. Their frustration is warranted — although Everton were better in the first half than previously during that run.

At the break, however, they only led by Cenk Tosun’s first goal for the club following a series of missed chances.

Sean Dyche, the Burnley boss, sent on big Chris Wood, switched to two up front and the home side were a different proposition.

Ashley Barnes fired an inevitable equaliser and Wood headed in the winner. To cap a miserable 45 minutes, Everton captain Ashley Williams walloped Barnes with a swinging arm and saw red. Broad-shouldered Allardyce put a brave face on the terrace angst. ‘I’ve been around long enough to know it comes your way sometimes,’ he said. ‘You have to be big enough to ride it out. ‘It’s not nice, it’s not what you want to hear, but you’ve got to accept the responsibility when you’re the number one. You take the good, the bad and the ugly. Whatever comes your way, you have to deal with it.’ What lies ahead is interesting. Safety can be virtually assured with wins over Brighton and Stoke City in their next two games. But then come Manchester City and Liverpool — and the threat of more unrest. Does Allardyce need the hassle? Perhaps a summer pay-off would be best for all parties. This win, Burnley’s first since December 12, means they have now hit the magical 40-point barrier with nine to play and sit seventh, top of the shop outside the big six. Can they take the prize of best of the rest? ‘It would be great,’ said ex-Leeds striker Wood. ‘But for now there’s nine games to go and a lot can happen in nine games.’ Allardyce and those Everton fans would certainly agree.

REX/SHUTTERSTOCK Blind fury: Sam Allardyce has riled fans UNITY. The word defines Everton, so much so that the title of their song for the 1995 FA Cup final was All Together Now. It is still played at Goodison to this day. They had no right to win at Wembley back then. Much of that season had been spent battling relegation but the players fought and scrapped and the fans roared them over the line against Manchester United. It was the standout example of what a club can achieve when unified. But unity is no longer in supply at this proud club. You saw that at Burnley. A united team would have seen the game out, having taken the lead; a united team wouldn’t have crumbled in the last 10 minutes to lose again. Farhad Moshiri, the major shareholder, has been at the club for two years now. The Iranian billionaire brought money and bold rhetoric but the one thing that made Everton special, the harmony that linked the team and the fans and the manager, has disappeared. The last 12 months have been appalling and the venom and invective that rained down on Sam Allardyce as he scuttled back to the dressing room will only worsen as the season meanders to a dispiriting end. This marriage of convenience must surely be annulled. Nothing functions as it should, nothing feels like Everton. Moshiri needs to understand this. His key appointments — and signings that followed for big fees and big contracts — have eroded trust. Supporters no longer see fearsome competitors who will give everything for them; they see too many people going through the motions. These fans have been affronted by aimlessness too many times this season. Unity is on the brink of becoming mutiny.