FanView: Why Burnley Red Card Could Spell the End of Ashley Williams' Everton Career

Ashley Williams may want to remember what he says in interviews before he goes around swinging his arms and being red carded again.

Back in November following his Europa League 'red mist' episode against Lyon, the Everton centre-back declared that it was always imperative for footballers to be a 'bit mindful' of getting too emotional on the pitch.

Williams said at the time: “Because of the environment you are in, if you didn’t keep a check on it and control it a little bit it would probably go over the top. And that’s not me.

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“You need to be a bit mindful of where you are at emotionally on the day. It’s something I have thought about many a time - to try and control it."

But control it he did not last Saturday when, in the final moments of the Toffees' 2-1 defeat to Burnley, Williams swung an elbow at Ashley Barnes and was sent for an early bath by the referee.

Unable to heed his own advice, the 33-year-old may have banged in the final nail of the coffin that could be his Everton career as a result.

Williams has been a shadow of his former self for Everton throughout the current campaign, and has drawn fierce criticism for the manner of most of his displays on the Goodison terraces.

With his legs no longer able to keep pace with the trickiest forwards in the Premier League, rash decisions over what passes to make and his frustrated on-field persona, it's little wonder that Evertonians have turned on the Wales international.

True, it isn't the type of public criticism that others have come in for this season - current Blues boss Sam Allardyce anyone? - but Williams has been battered time and again on social media as Everton fans grow tired of his poor performances.

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It is form made all the more annoying by his mini-renaissance when Allardyce initially took over in late November, with Williams being part of a regular defence that kept five clean sheets in seven matches.

It proved to be a honeymoon period for both Allardyce and Williams, however, with the latter reverting to type and putting in extremely poor displays since.

With his contract due to expire in just over a year's time, the chances of Williams being handed fresh terms are looking extremely slim and it could be high time for Everton to try and cash in on him while they can.

“You don’t want to lose yourself in the emotion of the game,” the former Swansea captain has gone on record to say.

It might have been a throwaway comment to make at the time, but Williams will surely pay for not keeping his head - in the short and potentially the long term with Everton.