'I find it hard to say' - Everton legend's emotional claim over survival hopes

Exasperated Everton legend Trevor Steven displayed great emotion in his voice as he predicted that the Blues will suffer relegation for the first time since 1951. Everton have spent a record 119 seasons in the top flight of English football – 11 more than nearest challengers Aston Villa – but with just nine games remaining of the current campaign they are just one point above the drop zone after their 3-2 defeat to Burnley.

Steven was a leading player at Goodison Park during the club’s most-successful era, winning two League Championships, an FA Cup and European Cup-Winners’ Cup after his £300,000 transfer from Burnley to Everton in 1983 but after watching two of his former sides face each other at Turf Moor, he fears the worst for Frank Lampard’s side. The 58-year-old former England international told SiriusXM FC : “I find it hard to say it, but the way Everton are at this moment in time, they’re going down. Their fixture list is pretty bad. Even the last game of the season, and this is one of those that could go to the last day of the season, is at Arsenal and Arsenal could well be trying to get a result to get top four.

“This is not good. I feel that Burnley will gain massively from last night’s efforts. At this moment in time, I’m sad to say it, it looks like Everton will be joining Norwich and Watford.”