If you swapped around Everton’s home and away results, would ANYONE be questioning the manager?

Well, they shouldn’t be, but then even the Blues, one of the most loyal but long-suffering major fanbases in football are not immune to the ridiculous lack of patience displayed by some in a modern world that has become used to getting things instantly. Everton’s 3-2 win over Newcastle United at St James’ Park took them to the magical ‘40-point’ milestone which was long considered the threshold a team needs to achieve to avoid relegation.

In truth, no Premier League side has actually needed 40 points to stay up since 2010/11, and prior to that, the only occasions when teams with 40 points or more went down came in 1996/97; 1997/98 (when Howard Kendall’s Everton were spared the drop on goal difference at Bolton Wanderers’ expense) and 2002/03. Nevertheless, getting to this mark – or not as the case may be – has sadly become a watershed moment for the Blues in recent years.

In 2021/22 when Everton posted the joint lowest points total in their history (39), or the following year 2022/23 when they dropped that figure further (36),...