Richardson: Blame players, not Strachan

'People might say it is Gordon's fault because he bought them. But that's not the reason we lost against Everton and are so near the foot of the table. The players we have at this club are all capable of performing to a much higher standard.

'Let them be honest about it, look at their reflections this morning and ask themselves if they truly earned their corn against Everton.'

Strachan, whom Sportsmail understands came close to quitting after last week's 3-1 loss at Newcastle, knows he cannot afford any more displays like this.

David Thompson, a £3m purchase from Liverpool last summer, was one of the few home players to emerge with respectability against an Everton side missing 13 regulars, and he admitted a climate of fear is enveloping Highfield Road.

He said: 'Conceding two goals early on destroys your confidence, especially when you're near the bottom, and it's tough mentally.

'You're frightened to try things in case they lead to a goal for the other side. I've never been in this position before and it gets to you.'

Strachan refused to talk about the protests, which included chants of 'Sack the board!' during the game as well as around 100 fans staying behind for more than half-an-hour after the final whistle to call for him to leave.

As football demonstrations go, it was fairly tame but the crowd had made their point.

Boos were echoing around High-field Road as early as the 31st minute, when Everton captain Kevin Campbell stroked the ball into an empty net to give the visitors - without a Premiership win in seven games before Saturday - a scarcely believable 3-0 lead.

The damage had been done in the opening 14 minutes, when the impressive Scot Gemmill took advantage of a huge gap in the Coventry defence to score and then Danny Cadamarteri rounded off a flowing move with a clinical finish under £8m-rated goalkeeper Chris Kirkland.

It was all so comfortable that Lee Carsley's penalty four minutes from time had 'consolation' written all over it.

Michael Ball, who admitted on Friday that Everton's days as one of the League 'big boys' were a thing of the past, was imperious at centre back while Campbell, captain for the first time, and Cadamarteri dovetailed up front.

Everton had not won here since 1993 and with the likes of Paul Gascoigne, Duncan Ferguson, Francis Jeffers, Thomas Gravesen and David Weir missing, the style of their win was all the more impressive.

Even during the first half, as they brushed Coventry aside, Niclas Alexandersson and Alec Cleland both went off with fresh injuries, while Gascoigne faces a second operation which will keep him out for another month.

The former England midfielder, who underwent a hernia operation after damaging a thigh in the home defeat by Aston Villa on November 5, has suffered a similar injury in training.

'Paul is to have another operation,' said Goodison manager Walter Smith. 'In making his comeback in training the other day, he did exactly the same thing as he did against Villa.

'He slipped when kicking the ball and he has the same injury again. He will have to go in to get it looked at and it will be a minimum of three weeks before he is back.'