Realistically, few tears will have been shed behind the scenes at Goodison because an exit from that particular competition.

The league is the most pressing concern though, with an incredibly significant match against Aston Villa at Goodison on Saturday followed by a trip to West Ham that suddenly looks tricky to say the least.

And that’s before we even consider Old Trafford or, heaven preserve us, the looming derby.

Are we in a relegation battle then?

Maybe not just yet, but by throwing away so many points against the weak teams then we are certainly laying the groundwork for one.

Whether the responsibility for this situation lies partially or totally with the board, the playing staff, the manager or merely the fickle hand of fate is hard to say, and at the moment it doesn’t really matter.

What’s important is halting the slide, and the only ones who can do that is the players who are fit for selection.

They have to get back to basics, stop feeling sorry for themselves and start doing the things that have earned them so much praise in the past.

And with a Martin O’Neill team in town this weekend they will certainly never get a better chance to show that they still have that stomach for a fight.