Everton's start to the season has been nothing short of diabolical, having endured a rough run of Premier League results despite having easier fixtures on paper.
It seems that the rallying calls have come much earlier this campaign, with summer signing Ashley Young speaking to the fans: "Stay with us. Keep backing us like they are, like they do. Everton fans are fantastic week in, week out, whether we are at home or away. It is down to us as players on the pitch to go and keep them coming back and put points on the board."
Sean Dyche is all too familiar with these kinds of words, as he claimed at the end of last term: "The fans have been with us all the way, but they have backed what we have. It is a joyous occasion, but we need solid thinking going forward, we are going to have to build and I need them to understand that, it is a work in progress."
However, it is becoming increasingly hard to support a side that has just one point in the league thus far, as their profligacy once again proves to be a key issue.
The Toffees have scored just twice in five games, both of which came in one match, despite raining down 13.4 shots per game. By far the most frustrating figure is that, on average, they are missing a whopping 2.2 big chances per game, having amassed an expected goals tally of 2.73 and 1.34 in their 1-0 home defeats to Fulham and Wolverhampton Wanderers, via Sofascore.
Although Beto and Dominic Calvert-Lewin will seek to finish those chances further up the pitch, given both are seemingly available now, it is certain that the former Burnley boss would love to have some additional goals from midfield to help edge his team out in the tight contests they continue to lose.
What is Everton's worst-ever transfer decision?
When it comes to pinpointing the worst transfer decisions in the club's long history, there are arguably too many to count.
It could be as simple as failing to replace Romelu Lukaku after sanctioning his £75m sale in 2017, or as big as spending £25m on Yannick Bolasie only to see his career ravaged by injuries. The same could be said for Jean-Philippe Gbamin, although there are others such as Michael Keane, Ben Godfrey Neal Maupay and more who are still tied to them despite consistently torrid displays.
However, when viewing the current team, it has already been clearly laid out that a lack of goals remains their main issue.
Last season saw their top scorer notch just seven goals in the Premier League, with Abdoulaye Doucoure emerging to net some important additional ones too as he finished on five strikes. So, to view John Lundstram, who has proven himself to be a workmanlike goal threat from defensive midfield, it must be frustrating to realise that Roberto Martinez was happy to sanction his exit back in 2015.
The 29-year-old would rise from such devastation though, joining Sheffield United where he would become a mainstay as they earned promotion to the top flight.
Then, in that miraculous first year back, his five goals and three assists saw him lauded by many. Even swapping Bramall Lane for Ibrox has not seen him slow down, as he integrated himself with ease once again before playing a vital role in their similarly exceptional Europa League run.
TNT Sports pundit Kenny Miller was full of praise for the Liverpool-born enforcer in the run-up to their final with Eintracht Frankfurt, as he noted: "He's been absolutely key. He's a monster in the middle of the park for Rangers. He's really developed into a top player for the football club and so important."
To think that, with vital strikes against giants such as RB Leipzig and Borussia Dortmund, he was once deemed surplus to requirements at Goodison Park is somewhat puzzling. What Dyche wouldn't do for his services nowadays. Allowing his exit is not nearly the club's worst-ever transfer decision, but it was also far from a good one.
How much did Everton let John Lundstram leave for?
Inexplicably, the Merseyside outfit failed to secure any kind of fee when Lundstram left, with the midfielder having yet to make a single senior appearance despite being at the club since 2002.
Oxford United would profit from this blunder, snagging his services for nothing before flipping him to Sheffield United for a cool £700k.
He would go on to play 120 times for the Blades, with his value increasing with each passing year since departing Goodison Park.
What was John Lundstram's market value at Everton?
In July 2013, which marked the first time that Transfermarkt offered a valuation for the 5 foot 11 general, they offered a diminutive valuation for a man who admittedly had done little to earn much more.
Just €300k (£260k) was placed on his head, which whilst largely insignificant for a club of their stature, should have been enough to warrant earning more from his exit than nothing.
€7.5m (£6.5m)
24% decrease
€10m (£8.6m)
405% increase
€2m (£1.7m)
292% increase
€500k (£433k)
66% increase
€300k (£260k)
N/A
What made this even more frustrating was watching his value grow over his spells with the Blades and the Gers, which truly exacerbated Martinez's questionable decision.
What is John Lundstram's market value now?
Unsurprisingly, Lundstram's value peaked during his tenure under Chris Wilder, where his goalscoring from deep shocked much of the division to earn him the €10m (£8.6m) figure noted.
A legend of that club, Billy Sharp, was quick to praise him during that period: "He’s got all the attributes. He runs so much in a game, he provides assists and goals. He’s a real menace to other teams and a great player to have. He gives us a lot of energy and he got an assist as well, which is important."
However, since joining Rangers that has declined slightly, likely due to the decrease in quality of the Scottish Premiership, and his age. Despite that, the €7.5m (£6.5m) value still marks a 2400% increase from that first number noted whilst he was at Everton.
How much does John Lundstram earn?
Lundstram has come a long way from the young scouser seeking a breakthrough at his boyhood club, and therefore has seen a salary increase to align with his ever-growing pedigree.
Earning a mere £3.1k-per-week whilst in his home city, he would have to take a small cut before moving up to £25k-per-week when he moved to Sheffield.
This has since levelled out to a more appropriate £22k-per-week, with Rangers paying a decidedly small sum for someone with such quality, who boasts plenty of experience.
