FORGET about standing still; Everton are in serious danger of going backwards.

Marouane Fellaini’s last-gasp equaliser may have spared their blushes against the Premier League’s bottom club but there was little to celebrate at Goodison Park on Saturday.

Another desperately disappointing home display merely served to reinforce fears that Everton are in the process of being overtaken by lesser names with more cash to splash.

After the optimism generated by back-to-back wins over Tottenham Hotspur and Scunthorpe United and a battling draw at Anfield, this was a reality check.

It was a point Everton scarcely deserved against a side who have won just once on their travels since the opening day of last season.

The squad is clearly in need of being freshened up, but there isn’t the money for manager David Moyes to carry out the necessary improvements.

Of course after nine years, Moyes is used to the tough financial constraints but it doesn’t make it any easier to stomach while the likes of Aston Villa, Sunderland and Stoke City get their chequebooks out.

The Everton manager craves a striker before the transfer window shuts next week but with only the funds to complete a loan signing he faces a monumental task to bring in someone of sufficient quality to make a difference.

The need for more firepower is pressing. It spoke volumes that as Everton chased the game in the second-half on Saturday, he withdrew both Jermaine Beckford and Victor Anichebe.

It was only when the impressive Fellaini was pushed further forward alongside substitute Louis Saha that the hosts gave the Hammers anything to worry about.

The departure of Steven Pienaar to Tottenham and the continued absence of Tim Cahill due to the Asian Cup was keenly felt as for the best part of 80 minutes Everton were toothless.

They needed a sweet strike from substitute Diniyar Bilyaletdinov to belatedly cancel out Jonathan Spector’s opener and then benefited from Frederic Piquionne’s bizarre dismissal after the Frenchman had nodded West Ham back in front. Prior to Saturday’s game Moyes had expressed his concern that Everton would be caught “standing still” if they failed to invest in new talent.

His current crop spent most of the opening half doing exactly that as they allowed the Londoners to dominate.