Everton legend Duncan Ferguson was surprised by Frank Lampard's demise last season.
Ferguson worked with Lampard the previous season.
"Everything he [Lampard] did when I was there was excellent," he told the Liverpool Echo. "I wasn't there last season, but it surprises me that the club did not get results on the whole.
"But it is not just about Frank, but the players, how the team has not kicked on, because I thought they had a lot of good players there, and I thought they wouldn't be in the same position as they were the season before.
"It never worked out that way, and I think it was a surprise to us all because, if you think of when Everton were fighting relegation the season before, the recruitment drive would have boosted the club into a better position in the league.
"I'm sure the wage bill is by far higher than where they are in the league. Their wage bill is probably in the top 10 in the league."