Undoubtedly, there is still a gulf between the top teams and where we are at present, but the road to recovery at Everton was never going to be a quick fix. We are still pressing all the right buttons to try and fast-forward that process.
We want to be compet itive and regularly challenge the best teams in the league. Our aim is to give you supporters belief and good reasons to be positive for the future.
“Absolutely, there's the effort that has to go into the midweek games and the Sundays, or whatever day you're playing.
“It's a huge effort for any club, so it gives us a little bit more time and maybe this year it'll be helpful.
“There is another side to having regular games. There are some players who you can't play often enough and you could give them game time, more often. I think that is helpful. But I'm looking at some of the results last night, I'm looking at Larnaca beating Crystal Palace, Villa against Go Ahead Eagles [Unai Emery’s side lost 2-1 in the Netherlands]. The European games are really tough."
Jarrad's injury had full healed and he was back in full training, but he still felt a bit of discomfort. After seeing a specialist again it was decided the best thing to do was to have a small operation.
We hope he won't be out for too long because obviously he is a hugely important member of our team, and to be without him for such a long period was not what we expected. We wish him well and hope for a speedy recovery.