Imagine how it has felt to be Dominic Calvert-Lewin. The man who was best placed to do something about the team's struggles was unable to influence things as he had been doing.
He has scored 32 goals in two years in the premier league, making him a club talisman at 24. After scoring in the first three games of the season, he suffered the first major muscle injury of his career.
By the time he came back in January he was no longer optimistic.
The results not being great made me want to return and help the team but I think I set unrealistic expectations of myself.
I see it as a privilege to have that expectation on my shoulders because I was not in that position before. Nobody expects me more than myself. I think I can make a difference.
I have to get fit and sharp for the games in the premier league. You don't realize how long it takes to have out. Everyone else is up to speed when you come back in the middle of a season. I underestimated how difficult it would be.
The arrival of Frank is lifting the spirits.
I came back into the team when the team was going through a rough patch, but now there is a buzz with the new manager. It can be hard to shake off an atmosphere that is hard to shake off when things go wrong. I think it was necessary.
I feel refreshed now and focused on what I can control.
There is a skip in his step. It is easy to be with Calvert-Lewin. There is nothing ordinary about him. He showed up at New York Fashion Week two years ago. He appeared on Monday Night Football. He does things his own way.
My family said I didn't look nervous, but I remember the bright lights. I had done interviews before, but they didn't prepare me. I was fine after talking. It was a new experience for me to be comfortable being uncomfortable.
When the goals were flowing, the approach to life of Calvert-Lewin was described as refreshing. The story starts to shift when the team is struggling and he is injured. It doesn't make it right that people will say things.
You have to keep the mind active. People don't realize that. I was doing Monday Night Football and they said I should focus on my rehabilitation, but I couldn't have focused on it more. You need outlets if you end up in a sticky situation.
His time on social media is being reduced. He doesn't have the app on his phone. He restricts himself to one hour a day on social media. He explains that he wants to protect his peace and that social media can mess with that.
At the start of my time atEverton, I had some difficult times. I'm a product of my environment. I have a thicker skin to be who I am and do what I want to do. I think I have a structure around me. I do not listen to the noise.
I used to deal with criticism by saying, "I am going to prove you wrong." That motivated me instead of debilitating me. That is the advice I would give any young player, try to see criticism as motivation and always believe in yourself.
No one should doubt Calvert-Lewin's motivation. When injured, there was treatment twice a day. It is about attention to detail and he has his own nutritionist as well as one supplied by the club. There is nothing left to do.
He had to change his diet while he was out of action. Getting over the mental hurdle of striking the ball again was one of the challenges. The game itself remains an obsession.
Football made me who I am now. It has been my biggest learning experience. It might have kept me out of trouble when I was younger, but it also gave me a purpose.
I used to tell my mother that football training started at 4pm because the earlier I could get there the better. I used to kick the ball against the wall before training. I was happy if I had the ball at my feet.
He wants to improve even though he is an international goal scorer.
I can always improve my left foot. There is more to it than just playing a game. It's about fine tuning now. You need to analyse your game. I think about how I can be as effective as possible.
I think a lot about my movement and how I might be able to exploit this particular back four or that back five. Why am I moving there? There are many aspects of my game that I can improve on. I want to get better.
I am at the beginning of where I want to go and there is so much left to prove. I want to be able to look back on my career in 10 to 15 years and have no regrets that I didn't work hard enough or invest in myself.
The hope is that his manager can help.
During the 2006 World Cup, he draped an England flag from his window because he could see his house from the playground.
He remembers that he got the flag and closed the window so he could point it out to his friends.
He was a favorite of mine and I watched him score every week. I was a goal scorer until I was 17. I thought I was going to be that player for a long time.
I ended up being a centre-forward but I am excited to learn from him. His aura is huge. You can't teach it, but you know when someone has it. He has fresh ideas. I am looking forward to learning from him.
He wants to start winning games with his club. The long-term goal for Dominic Calvert-Lewin is to become a centre-forward for England in the World Cup.
I want to be in the England squad and I want to play. I believe I can do that, but only if I take care of what's in front of me. It means scoring goals and playing well. Let's see where that takes me if I can do that.
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