Everton's four-game unbeaten run in the Premier League came to an end on Sunday when they were beaten by Nottingham Forest. Goals from Chris Wood and Morgan Gibbs-White in either half helped the East Midlands outfit continue their remarkable ascent under Nuno Espirito Santo.

For the Blues, however, the defeat leaves them just two points above the drop zone. It was also another afternoon in which their problems in front of goal were laid bare, as Sean Dyche’s side registered just two shots on target.

Next up is a difficult away game against Bournemouth on Saturday. And with Sunday’s defeat and the trip to the Vitality Stadium in mind, our Blues jury has returned to have their say on what is going on at Goodison Park.

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Daniel Smith - Sean Dyche facing defining January

Well, Sunday was one way to come down to earth with a bump. After three positive results and performances, what we witnessed at the weekend was extremely worrying.

Not for the first time this season, we looked clueless going forward. We could still have been playing now and wouldn’t have properly tested Matz Sels, let alone scored.

Sunday’s game felt like one in which all our problems were laid bare for all to see. We were hopeless going forward, and the minute we went behind, you knew it was game over.

However, what really worried me was what happened 24 hours later and over 200 miles away from Goodison Park. Ipswich Town’s 2-0 win over Chelsea was one that no one saw coming.

That looked certain, even after Chelsea’s surprise defeat to Fulham on Boxing Day, to be an away banker. But how wrong so many of us were.

All of a sudden, with one win, Ipswich have equalled the amount of points we claimed from the draws against Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City. And, as a result, are now breathing down our necks.

I’m not going to lie; that win on Monday has made me extremely nervous for Everton. For a while now, all the talk has been about Southampton, Leicester City and Ipswich all looking doomed, with the expectation that all three will be playing in the Sky Bet Championship next season.

But all of a sudden Ipswich look like they might be about to make things interesting, which is not good news for us Blues. Make no mistake about it: January is a big month for Sean Dyche and one that could define whether The Friedkin Group starts to look for a new manager.

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Paul McParlan - Decision Time?

The Christmas period was an accurate example of what Sean Dyche has brought to Everton: three battling draws against teams in the top four, with the side displaying defensive resilience and tactical organisation to emerge unbeaten from this difficult run of games.

The cheers that greeted the home draw with Chelsea showed how much the fans appreciated the determination displayed to earn a valuable point. There are different expectations when playing any of the so-called Big Six outfits. A gritty, battling, defensive performance can be justified in these circumstances.

A 0-0 draw is viewed as a positive result. Nevertheless, there are many occasions when fans expect Everton to entertain and go for the win, and last Sunday was one of those.

All the limitations of Sean Dyche’s approach were exposed against Nottingham Forest. The defence was cut open by two rapid counter attacks and Everton failed to lay a glove on their opponents. It was a depressing experience watching a string of aimless high balls being launched by Jordan Pickford, which simply gave possession back to the opposition.

Everton’s wide players struggled again, with Jack Harrison and Vitalii Mykolenko, in particular, failing to deliver accurate crosses and constantly losing the ball. When Dwight McNeil is absent, the Blues lose their key creative player. Without him, we struggle to unlock defences or take advantage of set pieces. In a side that has struggled to score all season, his three goals and three assists make him our most valuable player. And nobody can deliver a corner like him!

Everton have found the net in only three of their 12 Premier League games. Our top marksman in that period is Craig Dawson of Wolverhampton Wanderers with two own goals, which underlines how inept our strikers are.

At Goodison Park, we have failed to hit the target in five of our nine matches here. This is our final farewell to the Old Lady; we should be creating memories to last a lifetime and pass on to future generations. The only memory I am recalling is the team being booed off after another depressing display. Are we not entertained? Certainly not!

We travel to AFC Bournemouth on Saturday, to a stadium where we have never won a Premier League game. A defeat here, combined with results elsewhere, could see Everton in the bottom three by Monday. With teams around us, such as Ipswich Town and Wolverhampton Wanderers, finding form, this is not where we expected to be.

The Friedkin Group has stated their bold ambitions for the club and have sold a vision of a brighter future for Everton. Relegation was not part of their plan. Nevertheless, if they view ‘Dycheball’ as the way forward, they must find the resources to back him. However, if we lose at AFC Bournemouth, they might be forced to make a change straight away and give a new coach sufficient time to make an impact.

Championship football at our new stadium? No thanks.