Everton hero Anders Limpar has warned Sean Dyche and his current crop it could take five years to return to the Premier League if they are relegated this season.
With two games remaining, safety is still in hand for the Blues as they are one point above Leeds United who occupy 18th position in the standings. Leicester City and Nottingham Forest also have to be factored in and it will be two from those four who follow Southampton into the Championship.
Dyche and his Everton players take on Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux on Saturday afternoon (3pm), before a final day showdown vs Bournemouth at Goodison Park (Sunday, May 28 at 4.30pm). While things are shaping up for a tense finale, the Blues could actually rubber-stamp top-flight status this weekend if results go their way, but there is enough fear lingering - according to Limpar.
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He exclusively told Ladbrokes Fanzone: "Everton have been in a bad state for a few years now, and it's so bad that the board can't even attend games because of all the threats they're getting from the supporters; a group who are among the best in the country, might I add.
"They've been fighting relegation for two years now. I'm not sure if they'll avoid the drop this season."
Limpar, 57, added: "Those fans are so passionate. I look at it like this; in London, football, it's a business and an interest, but in Liverpool, or anywhere else up north for that matter, it's passion - it's their life and it's different, the passion is different. For a fan in London football means the world. For a fan in Liverpool, it means life."
Having initially touched down in the Premier League with Arsenal coming up 23 years ago, Limpar signed for Everton in March 1994 and went on to make 74 appearances for the club. In that time, the Swedish midfielder scored five goals and provided eight assists - as well as winning the FA Cup in 1995.
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He continued: "If you look at the history books, there aren't many teams who go down and then go straight back up. I'd predict it would probably take Everton at least five years to get back up again, when you think of all of the top players who'd obviously leave.
"Then you'd have to rely on the academy players, because the club won't want to spend any more money. It would be absolutely devastating for a club like Everton if they go down.
"It's hard to get straight back into the Premier League; the Championship is such a difficult division to get out of. You'll sometimes see sides drop down into League One before they return to the Premier League, because you don't have the players, you don't have the money."
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