Frank Lampard has stressed he is not seeking any guarantees over his future as Everton manager and is ready to continue fronting up to challenges that come his way.
The Blues' boss has faced calls to leave his position from some supporters after a run of results which has seen the first-team claim only one victory from their previous ten Premier League fixtures. Brighton's 4-1 victory at Goodison Park marked a new low in the season, and matters were made worse on Wednesday evening when Nottingham Forest's win at Southampton pushed Everton into the bottom three.
Attention momentarily turns away from the top-flight this weekend as the Toffees travel to Old Trafford to take on Manchester United in the third round of the FA Cup, though this fixture is unlikely to put an end to talk over unhappiness of fans regarding the board and concern over the direction in which the team are headed under Lampard's stewardship.