Stan Collymore worries for Frank Lampard at Everton amid Alisher Usmanov development
Stan Collymore admits he’s worrying for Frank Lampard at Everton after owner Farhad Moshiri lost Alisher Usmanov’s funding.
The Russian-Uzbek billionaire has been sanctioned and therefore cannot agree any new business deals with long-time associate Moshiri, who has already had to cut ties with multiple sponsors.
Everton’s position in the Premier League is a major worry while the Blus’ 4-0 defeat away at Crystal Palace in the FA Cup on Sunday suggests the team’s performances are still not getting anything near better.
Writing in the Mirror on 22 March [page 51], Collymore said: “Everton’s heavy defeat by Crystal Palace was shocking and they are in trouble – major trouble.”
Collymore added: “I can’t help but being worried for manager Frank Lampard and everyone connected with a club I’ve always been fond of.
“The Blues were already in a difficult situation when Lampard arrived and losing the backing of Alisher Usmanov won’t have helped.
“After the FA Cup game on Sunday, Lampard as if his players had the right mentality. I’m not sure they do.
“And my worry is that he and those around him on his staff – Ashley Cole, in particular – have only ever been used to winnig.
“They don’t know about battling at the bottom end of a table and the question now is: What has Lampard got within him to be ruthless?”
Complete and utter mess
Everton are the Premier League’s crisis club right now.
Over the years, we’ve all thought of the Blues as a club that’s well-run and stable in the Premier League but this season, what’s going on off and on the pitch show that’s nowhere near the case anymore.
While we won our last Premier League match, relegation is still a massive possibility and the defeat at Selhurst Park on Sunday suggests this squad of players is still among the worst in the top-flight.
And then if you ignore the mayhem on the pitch right now, there’s absolute carnage going on behind the scenes at Goodison Park due to Usmanov’s sanctioning, the Financial Fair Play tightrope being walked and the fact that there’s been an oversight regarding relegation clauses in contracts.
If we go down, we fear that this once-great football club will sink into a financial black hole.
If we stay up, we can only hope that Moshiri finds new investors or – better still – sells up and gets as far away from Merseyside as possible.
Moshiri has been an absolute stain on the history of this club so far.
In other Everton news, this Blues star may have just saved £70million for under-fire owner Moshiri.
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