Frank Lampard said he had nothing to hide behind as he continues his work to try and take Everton forward.
He said the reality of the situation he inherited was clear when he arrived on Merseyside and that remains the case now, almost 12 months on, explaining: "I came here with my eyes wide open."
He accepted he was under pressure to deliver progress to the Blues - and that it was a different kind of pressure to that which he was under last season. But he added there were also times when his position was surrounded by speculation during that battle too.
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Results on Wednesday night mean Everton are now in the bottom three as they head into an FA Cup tie with Manchester United. The club's 4-1 defeat to Brighton and Hove Albion on Tuesday was its third consecutive loss at Goodison Park and led to shock and fear in the stands as Lampard's side conceded three goals in six second-half minutes that drove home the severity of the relegation threat.
Lampard remains in post for the trip to Old Trafford on Friday night. Ahead of it, he explained he was well aware he faced a difficult task when he arrived at Everton. He said: "I came here with my eyes wide open. I understand that. I am a big boy. I do not fear anything.
"In terms of the reality, that was clear last year. We were in a relegation fight when I got here. Then there is a reality in the summer when Richarlison moves on and we start to rebuild the squad. You can’t replace those goals unless you go to certain levels and we were not able to get there. That is the reality for me. I can be blunt about it. I don’t need to hide behind anything.
"When it is like that you have to fight to get every ounce from everything to get the time to improve. The reality is clear. People talk about Everton and say they have never gone down for years and they should never go down. That is not the case anymore. We have to be real, show it and do it, like we did in the run-in last season. We have to do that now.”
Having had almost 12 months at the club, and a summer transfer window in which he was able to make some changes to the playing squad, Lampard acknowledged the pressure on him was different to some of the more concerning moments of last season, when Everton confirmed Premier League survival in the penultimate game of a campaign he joined around the halfway stage.
But, he added: “I remember sitting here last season and seeing on Sky News my job was under threat after Burnley. I remember that. I came here with my eyes open. Does it look different this season? Yes, because you start a season, have a pre-season, bring in a few players.
"But does the Premier League look different around us, too? Yes. Nottingham Forest have come up and spent £150 million. I do not want to pick on them as an individual club, but my broader point is everyone is trying to improve in their own way.
"We are trying to fight and improve in our way with, at times, different perimeters to everyone else. I feel I can say these things because I need to say them. I just need to work and not worry what the pressure is or the opinions I can’t control.”
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