Sam Allardyce takes pop at Everton fans after Southampton draw

Sam Allardyce expressed his disappointment at the Everton fans failing to acknowledge the efforts of the players this season following Saturday’s draw with Southampton.

The majority of the home support chose to leave Goodison Park rather than stay and clap the players during their ‘lap of appreciation’.

During the game, which saw Tom Davies score a 96th minute equaliser to secure a 1-1 draw, Evertonians once again chanted for Allardyce to leave.

Boos then rang round at the final whistle despite the late leveller and Allardyce chose not to remerge for the lap of the appreciation that took place in front of a half-empty stadium.

Allardyce later insisted he didn’t return to the pitch due to his media commitments.

The Toffees boss also criticised the fans for failing to fully acknowledge the efforts of the players for hauling the club away from danger:

“You’ve got to forgive these players, they’ve worked hard to get the club out of trouble. But there doesn’t seem to be any credit.

“It’s a shame for the effort they’ve put in, they’ve done a magnificent job.

It doesn’t seem to be accounted for in any stretch of the imagination. 16 points in 8 games. There seems to be no recognition. It’s rather sad.”

Reflecting on the game itself, Allardyce admitted his team got lucky after struggling to impose themselves on a Saints side battling against relegation.

“When you don’t play well, you get boos. Where don’t you get them? You get them anywhere you don’t play well. I thought we were terrible. We couldn’t pass to each other.

“It was not good enough. I think that my concern that was without a number of players it was a test for those that filled the spots and unfortunately they struggled to do that.

“What we did do is change it around as much as we could and got the reward of a point. On the balance of play we didn’t deserve it.”