A sticky time for Toffees
SEAN DYCHE has told Eddie Howe he should try stepping into his shoes at Everton if he really wants to feel the pinch.
Newcastle boss Howe has been cursing his luck over injuries in the build-up to hosting the Toffees at St James’ Park tonight.
Howe’s fear is that a ruptured knee ligament suffered by skipper Jamaal Lascelles against West Ham last Saturday will further undermine their hopes of a top-six finish.
But Dyche, who is fighting a relegation battle against the backdrop of a possible second points deduction, a stalled takeover, and a massive annual loss of £89m, reckons Howe should be counting his petro-dollar blessings.
“There was a lot of noise about their injuries but I keep looking at their team and it looks pretty decent to me,” said Dyche, whose side have not won in the league since December.
“I don’t know how many squad players they’ve got but they look pretty handy whenever I see them.”
If Everton fail to win for a 13th successive time, it will be their worst run in the Premier League – eclipsing their 12-match winless streak in 1994.
“Runs come and go, there is noise around runs, but I have had good runs, I have had indifferent runs, I have had record-breaking runs, it means absolutely nothing,” said Dyche.
Newcastle’s crazy 4-3 comeback win over West Ham means they are just one point behind the Hammers in the battle for the top seven.
Howe, who could start Saturday’s match-winner Harvey Barnes tonight, said: “There was always that feeling that the season was alive but you have to win games and the more you don’t win, the more the season slips away.
“Europe? We’re not going to rule anything out because I believe that you try to win every game.
“That is what we’re trying to do and we’ll see what happens.”