Earlier in the week, Everton fans were treated to the same old interviews they've heard countless times. Whenever backs are against the wall, you suppose there's only so much players can say when they're routinely put up to talk in the build-up to matches.
Mason Holgate and Alex Iwobi were the particular players in question in the days leading up to Sunday's trip to the London Stadium. They spoke of attitude, commitment, the club's dire situation and a desire to do better.
The response from fans? Well, they just wanted to see the effects on the pitch. Words mean nothing when you're involved in a scrap such as this one. It's the battling on the pitch that really counts, the ability to pull together and finally show any semblance of the quality Evertonians know the majority of these players have.
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Those are all very important qualities to possess, but Frank Lampard's side found out against West Ham that it's not the be-all-and-end-all. The fact is, for the majority of those who took to the pitch in royal blue on Sunday, you couldn't fault the work-rate or commitment that they showed for the cause.
In fact, that was arguably the best that Everton have actually played away from home in a long time. That in itself is an absolutely damning fact when you think about it though.
Because the ugly truth is that the result was, painfully, the same as it's ever been. And the flow of the match was just as frustratingly predictable as it has been in the past.
There's only so many times that the same points can be made by the same people, even in these post-match articles. If you're a regular reader, you probably know exactly what the next paragraphs are going to be about - because you've read it all before.
Holgate and Iwobi's quotes were all too familiar, the response from supporters could have been predicted well before the respective articles were shared on social media. If the result on the weekend didn't improve, then what did it matter?
You can talk about attitude, confidence, desire and fight all you want - but the fact of the matter is that Everton did not have the sheer quality to win this match. They were generally toothless going forward, and left gaping holes at the other end of the pitch.
It's an absolutely fatal combination for any side, and is indicative of a team in the kind of trouble Lampard's squad find themselves in right now. If they managed to regularly sort out one of those two general issues, they would find themselves in a much more healthy position in the Premier League table.
But, for whatever reason, it's just not clicking for them right now. Try as some players might, the same issues just keep cropping up and leaving Everton fans desperately worried about their team's immediate future.
After what was a strong start from the visitors at the London Stadium on Sunday afternoon, Holgate gave a silly free kick away just outside his own penalty area. Blues supporters, sat a fair distance behind that goal, probably would have known what was coming.
Of course Aaron Cresswell found the top corner with his strike. Of course it was the first direct free kick the hosts had scored in a long while. Why wouldn't it be?
This is the kind of luck Everton find themselves with this season, but it's not just down to bad fortune. You make your own luck in these scenarios too, and the visitors had again proven to be the architects of their own downfall.
Of course in that sense, you can't account for Donny van de Beek pulling up in the warm-up just minutes before kick off, or Nathan Patterson picking up a knock when it looked likely he was set to start. After days of specific preparation for this match, those are the kind of injury blows a manager absolutely doesn't need.
But, shortly after Holgate had earned himself something of a reprieve with his deflected strike to bring his side level, another costly error proved fatal to the visitors' hopes of getting a result. This time, after Michael Keane had stepped up out of defence and passed to Iwobi, the midfielder made one of his only mistakes in a generally strong performance to give the ball away.
West Ham ruthlessly capitalised on the space which was left in behind the defence, and that was that. In fact, that was the real difference between these two sides.
Of course, it doesn't help when your captain on the day is sent off for a truly ridiculous challenge on the edge of his own box, flying into a tackle he never looked like winning when on a yellow card. That was essentially the final nail in the coffin of Everton's performance.
Individual errors at the back aren't as costly if you look like you have the capability to score goals. Unfortunately, this Everton side do not.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin returned to the starting line-up on Sunday afternoon, but still looked a shadow of the player who was bagging goals left, right and centre for his side last season. His only real opportunity of the game, latching on to an Iwobi through ball, clipped the corner of the post and crossbar- at the beginning of the second half - but should have been put on target even if it was on his wrong foot.
Richarlison had an effort in the first period after latching onto a Jordan Pickford long ball, but he could only float his shot with the outside of his boot over the top of the bar. Everton had 13 shots on Sunday afternoon, but only managed to get two of them on target.
When getting to the final third, too many players seemed bereft of ideas. Crosses into the box were aimless, hit-and-hope attempts rather than being placed onto the heads of onrushing attackers. At least Everton did score on their travels on this occasion, for the first time since February 8th in the Premier League, but even those fleeting celebrations were not enough to make another long away trip worth it for these travelling supporters.
They were reminded before kick off by the stadium announcer that the Blues had the worst away record in the top division, but nobody needed to hear it. Six points away from home all season, only one win on their travels in the Premier League - and that was all the way back in August.
Oh, and just to make matters worse, arguably the most crucial away fixture of the campaign is right around the corner. Everton travel to Burnley on Wednesday night and they absolutely cannot get beat. It doesn't bear thinking about what happens if they do lose.
But, do be victorious against Sean Dyche's side, the Blues will need to cut out the errors that they keep making - which were still on display against the Hammers this weekend. Everton began Sunday's match well, controlled the ball nicely and progressed into the final third well especially when Iwobi found possession.
However, Cresswell's free kick left a sour taste in the mouth at another mistake being punished. The second half began with Everton desperately in need of some sliver of hope.
That was provided when a corner eventually was poked towards Holgate by Richarlison, with the centre-back's drilled effort being deflected into the bottom corner and sparking some long-awaited celebrations in that away end.
Those were short-lived when Michail Antonio was able to pounce on Iwobi's mistake in the middle of the park, finding himself in acres of free space as Everton attempted to push forward after being rejuvenated by their equaliser. Pickford did well to save the striker's attempt on goal, but was helpless as Jarrod Bowen was on hand to put the rebound into an empty net.
Everton's afternoon was compounded when Keane, already on a booking, made the decision to slide in on Antonio just outside his own box and scythe down his opponent when it never looked like he could win the ball. He'll now be suspended for the trip to face his old side in Burnley, having scored in the reverse fixture between the sides in September.
And so, Lampard will take his side on yet another away trip to Turf Moor on Wednesday. Everyone is sick of saying that something needs to change, because it's patently obvious.
But fans are similarly sick of seeing the same words before these games, before being "treated" to the same results every time a matchday comes around. It's not all about fight, heart and desire.
Everton need intelligence, concentration, creativity, pace and confidence alongside all of those attributes. That might not sound easy, but it's the very least the Blues fans expect from their sides.
