Tony Cottee: 'It's very sad to watch Everton in this state'

After moving to Merseyside from East London, it quickly became apparent to Tony Cottee about the role of the fans at Everton. It is why he looked at the protests at Goodison Park this week with a heavy heart.

Frustrated supporters, worried at the descent of the club this season believe it will drop even further should untried coach Vitor Pereira take charge of the team. Cottee would agree with them, arguing that Frank Lampard should be in place, possibly with Duncan Ferguson as assistant.  

The urgency of the situation is not lost on Cottee. The club are close to being entangled in a relegation battle and it needs people who understand the club, which Lampard has from his career playing against Everton.  

“It’s very sad. It’s hard for me to see it and hard for the fans to take it in,” said Cottee. “But it tells you everything about the club that these fans are protesting against the potential manager, not the current manager. They know their football. They are passionate but understand what makes Everton football club tick.

“Bringing in a manager with no experience of the Premier League is absolute madness. It is the only word I can think of because you need someone with at least a little bit of experience. There is no time for him to go through the process of learning it.

“He may or may not be a good manager, I don’t know. But he has four months to keep the club in the Premier League because that is the cold hard reality. Surely the club should be looking at someone like Frank Lampard.

“He’ll get immediate respect from the players because of what he achieved as a player. He has also managed one of the biggest clubs in the country in Chelsea and was a bit unfortunate to be sacked. I don’t see past him and don’t see the