Depending on your vintage, you've experienced your share of shocking results in your time as an Evertonian. For this writer, I was too green to comprehend the shocking nature of the 3-0 defeat to Oxford that cost the Toffees the title in 1986; my baptism was the FA Cup Final that followed, a cruel reversal of fortune that left me in tears but also began the long process of steeling my Blue heart against the almost relentless Merseyside derby pain to come.

Through the 1990s, parts of the early 2000s and, of course, through the myriad managerial tenures that followed David Moyes, we Blues have had more false dawns than any fanbase should have to endure and, along the way, some excruciating results, usually a gut punch of reality just when we dared believe things were on the up.

The 2009 FA Cup Final that got off to a dream start but ended in agony; Sylvain Distin's back-pass at Wembley in 2012; the 3-3 draws at Bournemouth and Chelsea under Roberto Martinez; the 3-2 loss to Crystal Palace in 2014 that effectively ended our hopes of qualifying for the Champions League; the self-inflicted 3-2 home defeat to West Ham two years later under the Catalan when, instead of protecting a slender lead when reduced to 10 men, he threw on Oumar Niasse; and more recently, of course, that awful 5-2 home reverse at the hands of Watford when Rafael Benitez's side surrendered a 2-1 lead and conceded four times in 13 minutes... a turn of events so harrowing, Farhad Moshiri hasn't been back in the directors box at Goodison Park since. And who could forget that ghastly night at Turf Moor against Dyche's own Burnley, another 3-2 loss from a leading position that felt like a nail in Everton's coffin that season.

All were awful in their own right but personally, I don't think a result has hit me as hard as the 3-2 defeat to Bournemouth. In isolation, even though it made Premier League history in that never before had a team led 2-0 as late as the 87th minute and ended up losing, it wasn't much worse than some of those mentioned above. But in the context of the last three years of near-constant worry and stress over the possibility of relegation, the 13-match winless run of last season, the 6-0 mauling by Chelsea, the heavy losses with which Everton began this season, and the seemingly transformative performance over 85 or so minutes that preceded the collapse against the Cherries, it felt like a sledgehammer to the solar plexus.

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It left you with a hollow feeling of futility; the worst way to go into a two-week hiatus when nothing tangible can be put right. It leaves the Club rooted to the bottom of the table, with back-to-back away games to come after the international break, and it's conceivable that Everton could be winless in the League by the time an enterprising Crystal Palace come to town at the end of the month.

That staggering implosion also set a deeply worrying precedent, not only for future teams traveling to Goodison and how they may prey on the mental and structural weaknesses of Everton's defence, but it has sowed yet more seeds of doubt in both the players and the supporters that the team is ever going to be able to hold on to a lead, no matter how substantial. We cannot take the risk of another 13-game sequence without a win.

Finally, it has further eroded confidence in Sean Dyche who must shoulder as much blame as his players for the way three points were thrown away against Bournemouth for a couple of massively flawed substitutions and galling failure to stop the capituilation as it was unravelling. It made emphatic mockery of his commitment to "defend the V" and was a stark reminder that stopping the cross is fundamental to defending in the Premier league

If you're searching for positives, last season stands as a precedent if you retain faith that the manager can once again rally his players, stabilise their mentality and shore up a defence that has shipped 10 goals in the first three games of the league campaign.

Heading into the first pause for internationals a year ago, the Toffees had a solitary point from four games and lost to Arsenal when the season resumed. One of those streaks of similar results that Dyche is becoming known for at Goodison then followed as Everton won eight of their next 12 matches. A similar run would, of course, do wonders for supporter morale but it would require a repeat of some of last season's biggest results, namely home wins over Newcastle and Chelsea and victories away at Nottingham Forest and West Ham.

Then there is the highly anticipated return of Jarrad Branthwaite - it can't come quickly enough - although there is some unease at the lack of firm updates from Dyche on his progress. Arguably Everton's most important outfield player, the young centre-half should bring some badly-needed solidity at the back.

Finally, of course, there is the attacking display that put the Blues into what should have been an unassailable lead last Saturday, especially that of Tim Iroegbunam, before he visibly tired, and Iliman Ndiaye. The latter is the kind of footballer we Evertonians have been longing to see in our colours; he was a delight to watch and a driving, creative, magical force in the attack. He will, no doubt, be targeted by opposition teams as his legend grows and it will be up to the rest of the team to exploit the resulting space.

As we emerge from the wreckage of Saturday and the dust settles, doubts and fear will, naturally, hang heavy in the air. Dyche has been here before and, again, we have to hope he can turn the tide again even if the fear that he might not gnaws at the gut. If there is a further positive angle it's that it's early enough in the season that things can be corrected without us being left behind at the bottom. Saturday was a body blow but nothing terminal.

However, the margin for further error will quickly narrow and supporter patience will be in short supply. Dyche and his players will need to find answers quickly; the good thing is that enough of the pieces appear to be in place for them to do that.

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