Richard Keys blasts Everton fans after what he saw inside Goodison Park v Man United
Richard Keys has reacted to the protests at Goodison Park by Everton fans as the Toffees continue their fight against the Premier League and the 10-point deduction.
It was understood that fans would arrive at Goodison Park early before Everton’s match against Manchester United, aiming to protest against the Premier League’s recent decision to dock the club 10 points due to a profit and regulations breach.
However, it seems that the protest is not exactly what some were expecting, with one journalist voicing his confusion at the lack of reaction that he saw on Sunday afternoon.
“What a shame the Goodison response to last week’s events wasn’t to create a rip-roaring atmosphere that would’ve inspired their own team and rattled United,” Keys said via his own blog on Monday (27 November). “I thought the demonstration was limp and set the wrong tone.
“Everton played the same way. I still believe that Dyche will get them out of trouble, but they can’t afford too many more performances like the one they gave on Sunday.”
A Toffees performance to chew on
Everton’s performance against Man United was disappointing, to say the least. Sean Dyche and his players will have felt hard-done-by after the first half, arguably being the better of the two sides after 45 minutes.
However, it was almost as if Everton forgot to re-emerge for the second half, as Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial condemned them to a 3-0 defeat.
With all the talk leading up to the game, it seemed as though the Everton fans wanted to create a cauldron-like atmosphere for the game to inspire the team after such horrible news about the punishment earlier this month.
Was it perhaps a case of Alejandro Garnacho’s Goal of the Season contender silencing the crowd just three minutes into the game? Potentially. But that was when Dyche’s men needed the support all the more.
Both players and fans went missing on Sunday, as Erik Ten Hag and his players cruised to an easy three points. As Keys said, Dyche is likely to lead this team to Premier League survival once more, with the docking of 10 points leaving them one spot about 20th-place Burnley.
If they continue to play like they did against United and feel sorry for themselves, it could be even more of a hopeless season after all.
In other Everton news, David Ornstein has offered his verdict on the outcome of the Toffees’ point deduction appeal.