Everton must get back to basics and don't mention the 'R' word

Arsenal was down to Joleon Lescott, Burnley was a blip, we never win at Fulham, and we just never took our chances against the negative Stoke and Wolves.

That was how we've been trying to reassure ourselves anyway.

The truth is though, Everton have had as easy a Premier League start as anyone could reasonably expect and they have blown it.

Amidst the rubble of this past week, that is the real worry.

After all, it will only take a win at home against BATE to secure qualification to the next round of the Europa League, something even this shellshocked Everton should be capable of, and a Carling Cup tie at White Hart Lane always had 'knocked out' written all over it.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Realistically, few tears will have been shed behind the scenes at Goodison because an exit from that particular competition.

The league is the most pressing concern though, with an incredibly significant match against Aston Villa at Goodison on Saturday followed by a trip to West Ham that suddenly looks tricky to say the least.

And that's before we even consider Old Trafford or, heaven preserve us, the looming derby.

Are we in a relegation battle then?

Maybe not just yet, but by throwing away so many points against the weak teams then we are certainly laying the groundwork for one.

Whether the responsibility for this situation lies partially or totally with the board, the playing staff, the manager or merely the fickle hand of fate is hard to say, and at the moment it doesn't really matter.

What's important is halting the slide, and the only ones who can do that is the players who are fit for selection.

They have to get back to basics, stop feeling sorry for themselves and start doing the things that have earned them so much praise in the past.

And with a Martin O'Neill team in town this weekend they will certainly never get a better chance to show that they still have that stomach for a fight.