Everton are paralyzed with fear as things turn bad after Southampton defeat at Goodison Park

The most revealing moment came at the final whistle. For a few moments, the anger was shelved on the board and redirected to the players.

“You’re not fit to wear the shirt!” Gwladys Street was raging. Few terraces in football fret with the same ferocity as Everton’s and there was no holding back. They waved their arms, grimaced and repeated the depth of their feelings to Frank Lampard’s team.

Southampton, deserved winners, remain at the foot of the Premier League but this was the day it felt like Everton had hit rock bottom. The force of the crash landing makes one wonder if the situation is recoverable.

Everton fans vented their frustration at Goodison Park after yet another defeat at the weekend

Knowing where to begin with this demoralizing story is a challenge. Never before has this club issued a statement explaining directors have been told to stay away for fears for their safety, never before has there been an episode where manager Denise Barrett-Baxendale is toasted by a male fan should have been a topical game.

So many fights break out that the toxicity becomes a distraction. Certainly every focus now must be on the team and the realization that if nothing changes, Everton will be relegated.

That’s what happens when it gets worse year after year. Sunday was six years since Pep Guardiola first joined Goodison, beating Manchester City 4-0. A look at Everton’s starting line-up that day is certainly thought-provoking.

Frank Lampard’s side didn’t know what to do as fans chanted: “You’re not fit to wear the shirt.”

Ronald Koeman played 3-5-2, as did Lampard against Southampton. But Koeman had Leighton Baines as one of his full-backs, Ross Barkley and Gareth Barry in midfield and Romelu Lukaku up front. A youthfully exuberant Tom Davies ran all over Yaya Toure. It was the kind of win that made you believe Everton would be a coming force, but the mismanagement that followed leaves them teetering on the precipice with the odds of them plummeting.

They stayed ahead on 39 points last season, reaching that mark after scoring 20 points in the second half of the campaign after Lampard joined on January 31. Her current tally of 15 is the lowest ever at this point.

Would you support them to get 24 points from now until May? No chance. That awful mix of not being able to keep clean sheets and failing to score has sent them into a maelstrom and Lampard will know his position is increasingly at risk as a result.

There were empty seats in the directors’ box during the game after safety concerns were raised

Too many of his summer signings are yet to pay off, and the same goes for managers before him. Too many new faces have arrived and weren’t an upgrade for the ones they replaced.

This is a time for character and determination, but as those chants rained down it was impossible not to overlook how terrified those in blue were. Many didn’t know what to do, either looked down or shrank, not wanting to face the criticism.

Things later got nasty when several players were chased by fans in their cars. Videos emerged of berating Anthony Gordon, whose stupid foul allowed James Ward-Prowse to score his second goal, and confronting Yerry Mina, the defender who remained on the bench.

None of this will have made the prospect of playing at Goodison more palatable to those who can’t handle the intensity and expectation of it. It’s hard to see how things will suddenly change ahead of Arsenal’s visit early next month.

Lampard’s side are now 19th in the Premier League and heading towards relegation

“Any negativity we felt might pop up,” said Southampton manager Nathan Jones, relishing a week in which three wins have changed the landscape for his club. “We scored a goal right after half-time and that was the turning point.”

That was it absolutely, Ward-Prowse’s clever feet offsetting Amadou Onana’s towering header. Everton stayed flat, paralyzed with fear, and Southampton withstood an air attack.

After that, Saints owner Dragan Solak was in the tunnel congratulating his players and staff. It’s a long road, but they felt united, and that’s what it takes more than anything to get out of trouble.

When Solak saw Lampard, the two exchanged polite words, Solak telling him “it’s a brutal sport”. This is certainly a brutal situation for Everton that appears to be entirely of their own making.