Lampard must finally axe £70k-p/w Everton liability, he's been shocking all season - opinion

After tasting his first defeat as Everton manager on Tuesday night, Frank Lampard will know full well the task ahead at Goodison Park this season.

The Toffees slumped to a hugely disappointing 3-1 defeat to Newcastle United at St James’ Park, and saw the Magpies close the gap on them to just one point, albeit with a game in hand.

Given their performances this campaign, it’s no real stretch to say that the Merseyside club do now find themselves in a real battle to avoid relegation this year – something surely unthinkable just a year ago when Carlo Ancelotti was in the dugout.

Lampard will be looking to make his mark on this Everton side as soon as possible, and one call he must surely make sooner rather than later, is axing club captain Seamus Coleman from the starting line-up.

The Everton ace hasn’t been at his best this campaign, with the veteran full-back actually committing nine errors that have directly led to goals – that’s the 16th worst in the entire division.

The Republic of Ireland international turned 33 last October, but continues to be a permanent fixture in this Everton team – he’s played 16 times in the Premier League, and only once in those appearances has he not completed the full 90 minutes.

The biggest criticism however, is not directly levelled at Coleman.

Given his age, it would be unfair to expect him deliver peak performances week-in and week-out, and the most frustrating thing for Toffees fans is surely just how long it has taken for the club to finally sign a new quality right-back to actually provide him with a bit of support.

The club did manage to do so in the transfer window just gone by, adding young defender Nathan Patterson to the ranks from Rangers.

He found himself an unused substitute in