Everton legend Peter Reid has slammed the club’s 4-0 drubbing at the hands of Liverpool as a ‘shambles’.
Roberto Martinez’s side were downed by two late first-half goals at Anfield before Ramiro Funes Mori’s sending off for an X-rated challenge on Divock Origi saw the Blues punished further by their hosts.
Reid, a member of Howard’s all-conquering 1985 side at Goodison Park, was summarising the 226th Merseyside derby for BBC Radio Five Live and refused to hold back in his assertion of his former club.
He said: “Things have happened during the game and it’s ten men, but at the moment the Blues are a shambles.”
“It’s a really poor challenge [from Ramiro Funes Mori], you can’t condone anything like that,” added Reid.
“All that about pulling your badge and kissing your badge and all that, he should have thought of the badge when he was playing in the game and defended properly.
“That’s outrageous. You want your team to compete but that is an absolutely scandalous tackle and I just hope he’s alright [Divock Origi].”
The former midfielder was joined in commentary by ex-Everton midfielder Kevin Kilbane, who also tore into Martinez’s players following an awful second half capitulation.
“Everton’s defence are just running around chasing the ball,” said Kilbane.
“There are five or six lads running after the ball, it’s like kids in the playground running after the football.
“They’re all over the place, defensively, nobody is getting hold of them.
“James McCarthy, he does have a bit of a voice, he’s got to try and get hold of Everton’s back four.
“The midfield in front of them with Tom Cleverley and Steven Pienaar, they look all over the place as well. Everton, it’s such a poor night for them all round.”