Everton - the club where Premier League fifth means failure

On the day that Everton FC equalled their best ever Premier League points tally of 61 with four games of the season still remaining, there were no wild Celebrations, and manager David Moyes wasn't drizzled in effusive praise.

instead, this achievement was glumly shrugged off – because sitting above the Toffees, two points ahead with a game in hand, and a hearty goal difference 10 better than their blue rivals – sit Liverpool; making Everton’s success taste a lot like failure.

At Birmingham yesterday, Everton were left staring at yet another missed chance to rekindle the fight for fourth place. Both injuries and the inevitable loss of form after Everton's exit from the UEFA cup have meant that they have had a rotten end to this season, marked by an inexplicable inertia that makes the current Everton side look barely related to the Goodison battlers of earlier this season.

It isn't the myopic refereeing in the Merseyside derby at Goodison, or Andy Johnson's disallowed goal at Blackburn which should be keeping us awake late at night, and our injuries shouldn't torment us either. What frustrates the most right now is the carousel of 'easy' fixtures that we have frittered away; the draw at Birmingham, sits with the other recent stalemate against West Ham – and the loss to Fulham. If we had won these three games we wouldn’t be in this situation, desperately scrabbling to stay close to Liverpool.