As 'Hey Jude' rang around the Brentford Community Stadium on Sunday afternoon, one particular lyric perfectly summed up the dismal situation Everton currently find themselves in.
'Take a sad song and make it better' came through the loud speaker as the Toffees' players trudged over to their supporters after a 1-0 loss to the Bees, a result which extended their winless run to seven matches over two long and frustrating months for the fans.
In that moment, the away end was livid at their underperforming stars - who came over to applaud them for making the long journey for Merseyside - but Rafa Benitez's players were met with a barrage of abuse.
Rafa Benitez is feeling the heat as Everton boss after a seventh game without a win at Brentford
Seamus Coleman (left) apologised to livid Everton fans following their latest defeat
Ben Godfrey was on his haunches, boyhood Blue Anthony Gordon looked forlorn and had to be consoled by captain Seamus Coleman, who raised his hand in apology to the fans. The word 'crisis' doesn't even cover it.
A promising start to this Premier League season has turned into a nightmare for the Toffees. Just 65 days ago, Everton were fifth in the Premier League table and one point behind leaders Liverpool.
That was after a 2-0 win over Norwich on September 25, which is now the date of Everton's most recent victory. Seven games later and Benitez's side have slipped down the table to near the relegation zone.
Had Burnley beaten Tottenham on Sunday before their game was called off, the gap between Everton and the bottom three would have been just three points.
Everton's last victory came on September 25 and the Toffees are sliding towards the drop zone
Former Liverpool boss Benitez was meant to be the difference-maker for the Toffees to end a run of three seasons without European football and a quarter of a century without a trophy.
Now the Spaniard looks set to be the latest manager to flop at Goodison Park and while there is time to rectify his problems, the last seven games show very few signs that Benitez can get the Toffees unstuck, especially with a tough run of games to come.
Everton need to get back to winning ways but their next fixture is against in-form rivals Liverpool, while they also face Arsenal, Chelsea and Leicester before the New Year.
Ahead of a midweek Merseyside derby that could become toxic should Liverpool run riot, Sportsmail takes a look at how Benitez's dream start at Goodison has quickly turned into a nightmare.
FRUGAL SUMMER BITES BACK
The root of Benitez's problems go back to the most recent transfer window, with just £1.7million shelled out by the Toffees and four of their five summer signings being free transfers.
Everton were forced to cut back on spending after the Covid pandemic contributed to a club record loss of £139.9million, but wasted money on signings is even more to blame for the Toffees' frugal summer.
A poor summer window saw Everton spend just £1.7m on Demarai Gray (left) and four free transfers
The Toffees have shelled out around £450m on new players in the last four years and the mixed displays of those new acquisitions have come back to haunt the club.
While signings such as Ben Godfrey, Jordan Pickford, Yerry Mina and Richarlison have worked out well, the likes of Moise Kean, Gylfi Sigurdsson and Davy Klaassen have been costly for the club.
The sheer amount of money spent by Everton in recent years now means they have to cut back on spending due to the Premier League's Financial Fair Play rules. Sportsmail revealed earlier this month that the Toffees still need to make £35m to conform with those financial regulations.
These issues meant Benitez had little room to work with in the market and as a result his squad was left short in several areas.
A weak squad has left Benitez (left) with very little wiggle room in terms of depth and tactics
Before the season started, Everton supporters felt the club needed at least another full-back, winger and striker in order to be covered across the board, but they were left disappointed by the club's lack of business.
Summer signings Asmir Begovic and 37-year-old Andy Lonergan are back-up goalkeepers and their influence on this season will be limited, while Salomon Rondon also arrived as a clear second, or even third choice forward.
Andros Townsend started the season brightly with three goals in his first seven games but is now without a goal in 520 minutes of football. Against Brentford on Sunday, the winger gave away possession 15 times and conceded the penalty for the west Londoners' winner.
New signing Townsend (above) had a poor game at Brentford, conceding the winning penalty
Venezuelan striker Rondon (second left) is yet to score in nine league games in an Everton shirt
Venezuelan striker Rondon was meant to be the experienced figure to cover for Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison, but the 32-year-old has yet to score in his nine Premier League appearances this season.
