Neville Southall begs Everton fans to get behind Frank Lampard’s struggling side insisting that supporters against Newcastle will be the ‘most important they have EVER been’ with the Toffees fighting to avoid relegation
- Everton face Newcastle in a crucial game in their bid to avoid relegation
- The Toffees are in a poor run of form in which they have lost their last four games
- They are 17th in the table but only ahead of Watford on goal difference
- Neville Southall has begged Everton fans to get behind the struggling club
Everton legend Neville Southall has begged fans to get behind the Toffees tonight for their Premier League clash with Newcastle.
Frank Lampard’s side are fighting to avoid relegation and are 17th in the table but only ahead of Watford on goal difference.
It is a crucially important game for the club with some difficult fixtures coming up after the international break.
Frank Lampard’s side are in a battle to avoid relegation and are only out of the bottom three on goal difference
Neville Southall has urged Everton fans to get behind the team for the visit of Newcastle
Southall, who played in goal for Everton from 1981 to 1998, has insisted that their supporters have never been more important for a match.
In a video on social media, he says: ‘Hi all Evertonians, Everton’s my club, my passion, my life.
‘We need to get behind the lads tonight and really give it to Newcastle.
‘We’ve got to get behind our players if they make a mistake we’ve got to cheer, we’ve got to make it so hard for Newcastle.
‘Fans tonight are the most important they have ever been. This is a battle to get us out of relegation.
‘Everton needs you, they need you tonight, they need you to be patient, brave and more or less, you’ve got to be loud. Up the f****** Toffees.’
The creeping sense of gloom deepened with Sunday’s 1-0 home defeat by Wolves – a result which prompted Lampard to express surprise at the ‘instant negativity’ which can follow setbacks at Goodison Park – and he wants to see a different mood this week.
Southall is an Everton legend who played in goal from the years of 1981 to 1998
During his pre-match press conference on Wednesday, Lampard said: ‘I think if you walk around in fear of (relegation) happening there’s a good chance you’re adding to the chances it may happen,’ he said.
‘It’s not the time for lies or to change the story. We know where we’re at. But we’ve also seen this club stay up on the last day of the season a couple of times. It’s nothing that’s absolutely new.
‘Nerves creep in, that’s human nature, but for us it’s not about what might be but what we can action, what we can deal with, and that’s the 12 games in front of us.’
The manager also rejected Jamie Carragher’s assertion on Monday Night Football that Everton’s players had been an ‘absolute disgrace’ while challenging them to answer their critics.
Struggling Everton have a tricky run of games coming up after the international break
‘Tomorrow we’re expecting everyone together fighting,’ he said.
‘Every game is so important, there are 12 of them left and they’re massive. At Goodison we want to be together. I want the players to start well, we have to engage the fans and when we do that together we’re a force.
‘It’s the players’ job to answer on the pitch. You look at the Tottenham game (a 5-0 defeat), I didn’t like the game at all. I wouldn’t use that language, but I didn’t like it at all. We have to accept people have opinions, we have to get together and answer it on the pitch.’