Everton slump can be turned around if Ronald Koeman rebuilds unity among players and fans... but saying his men are 'scared' will only damage morale

• e-mail

The season began with such optimism. A European campaign beckoned, a club-record signing was finding his feet and a raft of new faces had arrived.

Sound familiar? You would be forgiven for thinking the above statement was penned with this season in mind but the campaign in question for Everton was 2005-06. At this point in time, those past events need to be recalled.

That was the year Everton had dreams of the big time and hoped to reach the Champions League group stages but were deprived in a play-off with Villarreal by a decision from Pierluigi Collina that, to this day, still defies belief.

Wayne Rooney and Everton laboured again this season in a home draw with Apollon Limassol

The poor start brings to mind memories of the difficult 2005-06 season at Goodison Park

A loss in Spain was the catalyst for an appalling sequence of results that left then manager David Moyes hollow. Even now, when you look back, it is scarcely believable they endured such a run of form and lived to tell the tale.

James Beattie, the striker in whom Moyes had pinned such faith, was permanently injured; a clutch of new faces, such as Per Kroldrup and Andy van der Meyde, failed to settle and they could barely score a goal after a bid to sign Robbie Keane failed.

Everton played 28 games in all competitions up to December 28, 2005. Remarkably, they lost 16, which led to first-flight exits from the UEFA Cup and League Cup to go with the Champions League misery. There were just six victories.

It was a horrible time but the reason you knew it wasn't terminal decline was the atmosphere around Bellefield, the club's old training base. There was a connection, a hunger, a group of players with points to prove.

You could see in Moyes' face how much of a physical and mental mark Everton's woeful results made. He was haunted but, crucially, chairman Bill Kenwright had faith and would not allow him to go under. Moyes, in turn, relayed that to his players.

Ronald Koeman is starting to come under pressure amid the series of poor results

David Moyes also felt the heat but the club stuck together and turned around its fortunes

Supporters shared his determination. Goodison Park can be unforgiving when things go wrong but the crowd was united with the team throughout and the song they sang for Moyes, about them not caring about his red hair, continued to be aired regularly.

So why go over old ground? It struck as Everton toiled against Apollon Limassol that the one thing crucially missing inside Goodison at present is a bond, the chemistry that makes them formidable.

This should concern Ronald Koeman. For the good work that went on last season, the rapport between manager and supporters has never built; a number have harboured suspicions this job is simply a port of call before he heads elsewhere.

Somehow, as much as working to improve results, Koeman has to work on building bridges with the fans and get them onside and understand what they want to see from an Everton team.

It was startling to hear him use words such as 'scared' and 'afraid' in his evaluation of the Limassol performance, his blunt phrases made for great copy but hardly did anything to repair morale.

Everton rebounded spectacularly back in 2006 - but can they do the same this season?

Koeman has spent money like no other manager in Everton history and if he thinks it is unrealistic for fans to harbour dreams after that outlay, it again shows that he is not fully in tune with those who turn up each week to provide their backing.

Everton are not in a predicament anywhere near as bad as the one that engulfed Moyes 12 years ago but the season has the potential to tail off miserably and dangerously if Koeman is not wise to the perils.

When you think of the ingredients that make Everton, one word leaps to mind: unity. It is that mix of fans, players and manager being together, all fighting for the cause.

Even when it was bleak in the autumn of 2005, it was there. As results and performances in the autumn of 2017 lurch, the recipe is missing. Koeman must pull out the stops to find it once more.

IT'S GOOD TO TALK, PHIL 

Philippe Coutinho has emerged from a topsy-turvy week for Liverpool with his reputation enhanced.

Two magical goals against Leicester City and Spartak Moscow put the gloss on a pair of excellent performances and the way he is playing shows why Liverpool's refusal to succumb to Barcelona's advances have not left a mark.

Coutinho has a swagger about him once again but the elusiveness that makes him so difficult to mark on the pitch has been extended to the mixed zones of stadiums after matches when requests have been made to speak to him.

Philippe Coutinho has not yet told his side of the summer transfer saga with Barcelona

So far, Coutinho has chosen to talk about Barcelona's pursuit to two Portuguese-speaking media outlets - once after he played against Burnley, the other in Moscow - but he has rebuffed all requests from local reporters.

He is by a nature a shy, quiet individual but it is to be hoped he has the confidence to speak soon. More than anything, it is Liverpool supporters who are hanging on his words.

MOMENT OF THE WEEK

This column looked at Steven Gerrard's start to life in management seven days ago and the latest instalment could not pass without relaying a story in the aftermath of the Under-18 Merseyside Derby.

Liverpool won that game 3-1 and Gerrard was engulfed by his delirious players after Curtis Jones, a player of some promise, gave them a 2-1 lead in the second half with a fine volley.

Steven Gerrard is embarking on his managerial career in Liverpool's youth set-up

It was after the match, though, that Gerrard caught the eye. Rather than take sanctuary from the pouring rain and head off to celebrate, he stayed out with young defender Anthony Glennon and gave him a one-to-one tutorial.

Attention to the smallest detail was the element that ensured Gerrard maximised his talent as a player. It is clearly going to be a similar story as a coach.