Former Everton manager Ronald Koeman has said the club's fans expect too much and accused them of "living in the past".
The Barcelona boss managed the Toffees from 2016 to 2017 after a successful spell at Southampton and, in an interview with Alan Shearer in The Athletic, Koeman, explained why Everton were a challenge to manage.
"It was difficult, that period, because Everton are a club, and also the fans, who expect sometimes too much," he said.
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"I think sometimes they are still living in the past about the great seasons that they had at Everton."
Koeman's debut 2016-17 season with Everton was positive with the club finishing seventh and qualifying for the Europa League.
The club spent around £150 million on new recruits the following summer but somehow failed to buy a striker to replace Romelu Lukaku, sold to Manchester United for £75 million, and struggled. Koeman was sacked in October with Everton in the relegation zone.
"My first season was a really good one, Romelu Lukaku scored 25 league goals and we had great home games against Manchester City, who we beat 4-0," Koeman told The Athletic.
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"But to do the next step, that's the most difficult one. We spent a lot of money, we signed Jordan Pickford, we signed Michael Keane, we signed Gylfi Sigurdsson and some more players but the big miss was that we did not have a striker like Lukaku. That was really painful.
"We were close to signing Olivier Giroud at that time. Finally, we started with Dominic Calvert-Lewin as the No 9. At that time, he was too young, but if you see him playing now, he's really a good player and I like him."
Five different managers have taken charge of Everton since Koeman departed. David Unsworth and Duncan Ferguson in a caretaker capacity, plus Sam Allardyce, Marco Silva and current boss Carlo Ancelotti.
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Koeman went on to be Dutch national team boss before accepting the Barcelona job at the start of this season and dealing with a host of problems, including a discontented Lionel Messi and financial issues behind the scenes.
It's unlikely Everton supporters will enjoy the portrait of them as a fanbase with expectations above their station.
The club are historically one of the most successful in England with nine top-flight league titles, behind only Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal. But their last title win came in 1987 and the club have struggled to compete with their traditional rivals in the Premier League era.
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Does Barca manager Koeman have a point about Everton fans living in the past? Or is that more reflective of his own failures at the club? Let us know in the comments.
All imagery: PA Images
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