Everton board 'will not tolerate' continuation of wretched form, says Kevin Kilbane

Everton's board will not "tolerate" their side's struggles for much longer according to former midfielder Kevin Kilbane, who believes some sections of the Goodison Park fanbase have "made it clear" that they want Ronald Koeman to be relieved of his duties on Merseyside.

The Toffees needed a 90th-minute Wayne Rooney penalty to salvage a point against newly promoted Brighton and Hove Albion on Sunday (15 October). They showed no tangible signs of an upturn in form as their dreadful start to the season continued.

Kilbane, who helped Everton qualify for the Champions League during his four-year spell at Goodison Park, is far from enamoured with the displays served up by Koeman's men. He says the Dutchman needs to find a solution to his side's many woes quickly in order to save his job, starting against Lyon in the Europa League on Thursday.

"Watching Everton – fifth bottom of the league with eight points from eight games – is disappointing at the moment and some fans have already made it clear they think his time is up," Kilbane told BBC Sport.

"If performances stay the same and Everton find themselves deeper in relegation trouble then, given they spent £140m [€158m] over the summer, their struggles will not be tolerated at board level either."

Much was made of Everton's summer spending spree, which saw eight new first-team players arrive at Goodison Park, but the glaring omission from the Toffees' recruitment drive was a replacement for Romelu Lukaku.

It's fair to say that Everton are suffering without the Belgium international's attacking prowess but, Kilbane believes the absence of Lukaku is just one of a number of problems facing his former side at present, with an over-reliance on club captain Phil Jagielka and a lack of drive from the engine room also proving detrimental.

"It is obvious Everton need a centre-forward, but their failure to replace Romelu Lukaku is far from their only issue," Kilbane said.

"Phil Jagielka has long been their go-to defender but he has had injury problems and I am not sure how much longer they can rely on him to be the man to hold their backline together.

"When they attack they lack ball-carriers, particularly in the wide positions, that could help them be more incisive in possession. At the moment they are far too pedestrian."