Eaves has scored 20 goals in 45 games or thereabouts, which by any standard is not a bad return. At home especially, he's playing in a shit team with very few chances made for him and yet he's pilloried for not making himself 'available'. Games are won and lost primarily in midfield and we have a midfield that barely functions.
In order for the midfield to create chances two things need to happen:
a) the strikers need to make a run behind the defense and
b) the midfield need to play the through ball.
The problem is that our most advanced player, Eaves, tends to run sideways and wide into non-dangerous areas and is rarely in a position to get on the end of any through balls. And then his strike partners like Hanlan and List tend to play slightly deeper so that although they have the pace to outrun the average defender, they are often giving them 5 meters head start on chasing any balls over the top. The sort of positions that Hanlan and List take up are such that upon receiving the ball, they need to dribble past a couple of players in order to be in a shooting position.
If you look at the highlights of Eaves's goals, he only receives the ball once he is in or around the edge of the penalty area. If Eaves is outside the area then he won't be in a position where the rest of the team can create for him.
Long story short, the midfield can't create chances if the strikers aren't running into positions where they can convert any chances made.
The problem is yesterday especially, Eaves played with all the attributes that you would accuse Wilkinson of with Eaves playing with a lack of energy, regularly being easily outmuscled (by defenders smaller than him) and regularly flapping his arms and whinging that he was fouled whenever a defender touched him. The chance he did get yesterday was a tame header on the edge of the 6 yard box straight at the keeper.