Don Hutchison calls for Everton board action after Wolves snatch victory to heap pressure on Frank Lampard
Don Hutchison has dismissed questions about Frank Lampard’s Everton job and called on the board to buy him a reliable striker.
The Toffees lost to bottom-placed Wolves at Goodison Park on Boxing Day (26 December) as an inability to take chances saw them lose their early lead and concede a crushing Rayan Ait-Nouri winner in the 95th minute.
The manner of the defeat inevitably turned attentions to the manager’s job security, but after a day where Neal Maupay struggled to lead the line and Anthony Gordon passed up some inviting chances former Everton midfielder Hutchison wants help for Lampard not the sack.
Responding to a question about the manager’s future on his personal Twitter account he said: “I believe instead of sacking Lampard back him in the January window and buy him a proper centre forward. DCL is never fit.”
He had previously responded to another by saying: “The board have got to buy Frank a proper no9! Everton need goals…”
End product
It wasn’t a great game on Merseyside in the first league action since the World Cup break but Lampard’s side had done enough to win.
Finding the net had been a major difficulty prior to the six-week lay-off so the fact that Mina had broken the deadlock early should have been a key boost.
A combination of sloppy play from Julen Lopetegui’s men and some sharp build up from the likes of Idrissa Gueye and Vitalii Mykolenko provided openings to add to the scoreline but time and again the finishing touches weren’t there.
Calvert-Lewin himself has hardly been lethal over the past year, but his struggles to maintain fitness have robbed him of any continuity.
Since Richarlison was sold Lampard hasn’t had anyone in his line up who would be backed to find the net more often than not, so whatever the manager’s failings may or may not be he is always going to fighting an uphill battle.
Both goals conceded were sloppy but the overall performance did at least show an improvement on the pair of losses at Bournemouth, where Everton never looked like getting anything.
Granted, against the worst team in the league coming into the game that is the least fans should expect to see, but any manager would struggle if his players can’t find the net so Farhad Moshiri needs to work out which part isn’t working before he takes action.