Frank Lampard said he is aware results need to improve but that finding positives amid Everton's struggle for form is a key part of his job.
The Blues boss has been keen to highlight parts of his side's performances he has been pleased with in the aftermath of disappointing defeats either side of the World Cup break. But he explained he was not "Mr Positive, bouncing around the building" - he just believes focusing on good points is a crucial part of his job and necessary to drive performances forward.
His comments came with Everton going through a difficult time on and off the pitch as the club prepares for another relegation battle and fan discontent surrounds the club's hierarchy.
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Asked how he deals with the noise around the club, Lampard explained: "I don’t read it and I don’t listen to it. I know some people might say that and you might not believe them but I read minimal, because I am human and I might react to certain things. I don’t think it’s important. I have to be positive because I have to see the positives and drive the positives, drive training and preparation for the game.
"I can flip – when we’re doing well I can look for the negatives if I’m not careful. It’s not that I’m Mr Positive bouncing around the building. I understand things have to improve and we have to get results – it’s Everton Football Club. But I’m pretty good at staying positive."
Lampard said his priority is always the preparation for the next game. This weekend that is against Southampton, one of just two sides below an Everton squad that is six without a win in the league. With the club's hierarchy the subject of fan discontent, fears of another relegation fight and frustration over a lack of transfer activity so far this month, Goodison Park is currently in the eye of the storm. The situation is even more fraught following the intervention of majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri, who released a statement on Wednesday night which he then followed with a surprise interview on Talksport. While he has been criticised for some of his comments, one clear theme was his backing for Lampard despite recent form.
Last week Lampard said he did not seek public reassurances over his position and re-iterated that point ahead of the Southampton game. He also said he knew he could take nothing for granted despite having received the backing of Mr Moshiri. Lampard, who has spoken with Mr Moshiri this week, said: "I’ve been in this game a long time. I left Chelsea having beaten Luton in the FA Cup and while preparing for the next game. It’s the job. I don’t get carried away when it’s the other way around. I don’t win a game or two and expect a new contract. You just have to work."
Asked whether he thought he might benefit from the club learning from recent history and deciding to give a manager time to perform, he added: "I don’t know. For modern managers in this game you know it’s a fluid world when you come into it. Sometimes things align for you as a manager and the timing is right. Other times it is not quite right and it dictates things. Then you get called a bad manager and you show your worth elsewhere and are called a good manager. I’ve a lot of respect for all the managers I’ve followed here in recent years. For whatever reason it might not have worked. It’s not my time to talk about that. I followed Rafa Benitez who was a Champions League winner, Carlo Ancelotti who was a Champions League winner. Marco Silva and Roberto Martinez are managers who have got great pedigree and are doing well in their own ways, but it’s not my question to answer. That was a different period and we all work under slightly different conditions."
Everton are yet to make a move in the transfer window despite their objective having been clear for months. While Lampard believes there is some money to spend as he searches for more firepower, it is clear he is operating under financial constraints that are partly the consequence of the spending of some of those managers that Mr Moshiri employed before him. Lampard said he was "pretty aware" of the financial situation in the last January transfer window as he arrived at the club. With clubs around Everton turning to the market in their bid to escape trouble, Lampard acknowledged it was a difficult window to navigate and said: "I have just got to concentrate on my job. I have to concentrate on the squad I have got here because the lads are working hard and I don't want to be talking this squad down. I think we can do better and I think we should have got more points in different areas so far so we have to take that one ourselves, myself, in terms of whilst we have the squad here I can't be thinking 'why not that one I want that one'.
"Until they come in you work with the squad we have now. When we see in our good performances we have had this year - the Crystal Palace at home and you see Dominic flying and you see a lot of things happening that you like or you go to Manchester City and find that sort of performance - I think the question then becomes: 'Can you be consistent lads?' With the group I've got now those questions are probably the most important ones for me as a coach and the rest is what it is. It is where we are at now. Is it a challenge? Yeah, every Premier League job is a challenge, there is no hard or easy job in the Premier League, for me we all have our challenges in different ways."
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