TONY CASCARINO PREDICTS DOOM AND GLOOM FOR EVERTON F.C. IN THE TIMES

Thank Heavens for Tony Cascarino - the Times' (irony-free) 'incisive voice of experience' because we can save ourselves worrying about Everton's future now.

Big Tone has seen it! He's seen it, and...well, it's shit.

We're going to slide into mid-table mediocrity while 'bigger' clubs like City, Villa and Spurs leapfrog us, and even Sunderland and 'perhaps Birmingham City' (get.a.grip) will become our superiors.

Blah blah blah. Yes Tony, we've heard this all before. The sentiment has been repeated at some point during the two previous campaigns and we've still finished fifth in both and reached a cup semi-final and an F.A. Cup final.

Wait until we get our injured players back and Moyes (who should quit now to save his reputation according to the oracle) will make you look dafter than usual.

Yes, we're in a stinking run of form and being brushed aside home and away by Benfica wasn't nice.

But we're missing the creative core of our side in Arteta and Pienaar and I'd argue we're missing Osman's threat too.

Equally, despite a lot of Blues wanting to deny it, we miss Joleon Lescott and his distribution from the back.

Distin is a better defender but can't bring it out in the same way Lescott did.

Billy needs time, simple as that, so writing off the Russian is as silly as the people who wrote Pienaar off when he first arrived.

Yes, we might not make the top six this season. Yes it's tough to swallow but we probably won't progress beyond the last 32 of the Europa League.

And yes, there's every chance an F.A. Cup run might be beyond us.

But when our injury list shortens and we get that slick, fast-moving Arteta-propelled football flowing again we WILL start winning games again.

Having said all that, last night was no fun. Too many players were hiding. Yakubu misinterpreted leading the forward line as playing on the left wing, and the central midfield was crying out for a bit of leadership and snap.

I don't think, however, that Benfica we're any better than the Fiorentina side that a fully fit Everton beat 2-1 at Goodison in a previous campaign.

We have to hope the players are wounded enough (and sufficiently bolstered by the addition of Neill and Heitinga) to get something at the Boleyn Ground.