Everton fans are a group that does not demand much in terms of success but expects the world when it comes to effort levels.
They want a team they can be proud of, who fights for the badge and will leave everything out on the pitch.
Under David Moyes, that was a prerequisite. Since then, those values have been somewhat lost.
However, in their desperation to recapture that stability, they have perhaps hounded a few star men away from Goodison Park…
Everton fans need to lay off Amadou Onana
And the same could now be occurring with Amadou Onana, who has become a particular lightning rod for criticism in recent months.
The Belgian maestro, whilst being known to drift in and out of games, is undoubtedly one of the club’s best players.
Given Manchester United have shown interest in him of late too, that notion is further reaffirmed.
However, because of his towering physicality and impressive technical skillset, as well as a domineering yet cheerful personality, fans can become somewhat hostile towards him if he does not live up to expectations.
They may want to be wary of forcing out such a key asset in a hurry though…
John Stones and Romelu Lukaku were criticised too
Although neither were actively forced out of the club by the fans, there was a huge element of scrutiny in both Romelu Lukaku and John Stones’ games.
The former, for all his goalscoring supremacy, was often accused of going missing in big matches. That is, despite having scored five times against Liverpool and Manchester City, four against Arsenal and three against both Manchester United and Chelsea.
That was all mostly playing for a vastly inferior Everton side.
Although his conduct whilst out on international breaks was far from perfect, he did little on the pitch to earn the scrutiny he would get for his performances. The Toffees would kill for a goalscorer like him today.
Then, moving on to Stones, and it was clear from early on that he was destined for big things.
His desperation to always play out from the back made him the perfect modern-day centre-back, and yet Goodison Park simply could not deal with the anxiety his football induced.
Getting on his back on so many occasions, even today that nervousness remains when the side is put under the slightest bit of pressure.
Then, inevitably scrutinised when he made a mistake, it’s no wonder he too moved on.
Fans have missed both of these stars since they departed, and will likely one day miss Onana too.
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