Gray says Lampard has 'not been good enough' at Everton
EXCLUSIVE: Andy Gray insists Frank Lampard ‘has NOT been good enough’ at Everton, as the former striker admits he has ‘never been more concerned’ about his old club as they fight to avoid shock relegation
- Everton are two points off safety with just six games remaining this season
- Andy Gray believes Frank Lampard has not done enough since his appointment
- The Toffees have taken just ten points in 12 games since Lampard’s arrival
- Gray was speaking on the Gary Newbon Sports Show with Jewson
Frank Lampard has ‘not been good enough’ since becoming Everton manager, according to the club’s former player and television pundit Andy Gray.
The Toffees are currently embroiled in a fierce relegation battle and are two points away from safety, with six games left to play.
Lampard replaced Rafael Benitez at the end of January and in that time, Everton have taken just ten points out of a possible 36.
Former Everton player Andy Gray insists Frank Lampard’s return ‘has not been good enough’
The television pundit was speaking on the Gary Newbon Sports Show with Jewson
Gray, currently a pundit for beIN Sports, told the Gary Newbon Sports Show with Jewson: ‘There’s a group of players there that are pretty much short of everything.
‘There’s some good players there but are they going to be good enough? I don’t know.
‘Frank knows that his return has not been good enough, no. If Everton had got five more draws with Frank Lampard they’d be well clear of relegation right now, that’s the difference.
‘I think maybe we’ve tried to think we’re better than we actually are and we’ve tried to think we can play football from the back all the time. No you can’t.’
The Toffees are languishing inside the relegation zone with six games remaining this season
Since arriving at the end of January, Lampard’s side have taken just three wins out of 12
Gray, pointed out the success of Newcastle manager Eddie Howe and the fact that Burnley’s interim coach Mike Jackson has led the Clarets to two straight victories – which has moved them ahead of the Toffees.
He said: ‘There’s Mike Jackson going to Burnley, he’s got six points out of six. Frank would kill for that now.
‘Look at Eddie Howe, he turned that around very quickly at Newcastle from being in the bottom three to the top half of the league.
‘So it can be done, so Frank’s not blameless. There’s a lot of things going against him, you lose your top goalscorer and (Dominic) Calvert-Lewin’s hardly kicked a football for nine months.
‘We should still be good enough to cope without one player and we’re not. There’s a group of players who are pretty much short of everything.
‘There’s some good players but are they going to be good enough I don’t know. Frank knows his return has not been good enough.’
Gray also fears that Burnley’s experience of relegation battles will benefit their survival hopes
He pointed out the success of interim Burnley boss Mike Jackson and Newcastle’s Eddie Howe
Gray admitted that he had previously felt there would always be ‘three teams worse’ than Everton who would go down.
However, following their 2-0 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield, he is beginning to question if that’s the case.
He said: ‘I thought for the first time (against Liverpool) I saw some fight, some organisation, some desire, some passion. All the things that sometimes we take for granted but don’t often see in a side in the bottom three.
‘Burnley have it in spades, we know Sean Dyche’s teams, although he’s not there, have it in spades and they’ve been around the block a few times. They know how to do this and how to deal with it – we don’t and that’s my one worry about this.
‘We’re not really sure how to deal with it and how to deal with the pressure which is unique in itself.
‘I just have to believe there are a clutch of games, Watford, at Brentford and Crystal Palace – two of them are at home, that we should, if we deserve to stay up, get enough points.
‘But, am I filled with unbelievable confidence? No I’m not. I’d love to sit here and say I am but I’m not.
Lampard’s side could be five points off safety by the time he welcomes his beloved Chelsea
Everton could play in the second tier of English football for the first time since 1954
Gray played for Everton from 1983 to 1985 in which he made 49 appearances for the club
‘Burnley got two back-to-back wins in four days. That’s an amazing achievement when you’re down the bottom of the league. Six points in four days and that really rocked Everton, that did.
‘But we showed a bit of passion in the local derby, can’t score a goal that’s another worry and when you’re struggling for points you need someone to score goals – we don’t have anybody at the moment.
‘So I am concerned, more concerned than I have ever been since I left the club in 1985.’
Everton could be five points off safety by the time they play Chelsea on Sunday, with Burnley playing Watford a day prior.
Though the focus of the battle is on Everton and Burnley, Gray also insisted that Leeds are ‘not out of the woods yet,’ with the West Yorkshire side just five points clear of the bottom three.
Share this article
Source: Read Full Article