Leon Osman would like to see Frank Lampard given the time to turn things around at Everton - but acknowledges results and performances need to improve.
Speaking ahead of his side’s trip to Manchester United on Friday, Lampard outlined the stark reality of the situation in which he and Everton find themselves in. The Blues are battling to avoid the drop for the second successive season.
Following a 4-1 defeat at the hands of Brighton & Hove Albion last week, speculation was rife that Lampard’s position as manager was under threat. In the eyes of the bookmakers, the former Chelsea boss was the overriding favourite to be the next Premier League manager to be sacked.
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However, Lampard remained in charge for Friday’s FA Cup tie against United, and following the 3-1 defeat, Blues supporters showed their appreciation towards their manager and his players. And although acknowledging Everton’s board have a 'big decision to make' in regards to Lampard’s future, Osman believes history shows sacking managers often brings Everton back to the same position they initially found themselves in.
“When you are suffering the results that we are and losing at home heavily, like we did, the manager is always going to be under pressure,” he told the ECHO. “I don’t think the manager is under any illusions of that.
"But I hope it is something that he can turn around, I really do feel we have fallen away from what brought us success at the end of last season, getting the ball forward in and around the striker.
“I do think we have become easy to play against and that is a concern, but I do hope he is still in the job within the next few months.”
Osman then continued saying: “I think we have shown that changing the manager brings us back to the same position, doesn't it? We might bring in a firefighter for a few months and then find ourselves needing another one not long after it.
“It is a big decision to make, and there is no doubt about that. But I was fortunate enough to be at the club and work a long time under David Moyes, who did come under some really tricky periods and did fight with relegation in that time.
“But he was afforded the time to turn things around so you hope that if a manager is given enough time he can do that.
“But performances, and certainly results, have to improve because at the moment Everton have found themselves in the bottom three and it is definitely not where we want to be.”
Boos and shouts of 'sack the board' rang out around Goodison during the second half and following the full-time whistle against Brighton. More shouts of 'sack the board' were heard during Friday’s game at Old Trafford, and although Osman understands fans’ frustrations, he believes supporters need to come together and get behind Lampard and his side like they did last season.
“There is no getting away from the frustration that all Evertonians felt. The reaction is understandable, I suppose, but we all have to get behind the manager,” he told the ECHO.
“We all have to get behind the team and we are first and foremost supporters. So we need to support the team best we can.
“Sometimes that means just getting your head down and cheering regardless. We showed how effective that can be at the end of last season. Hopefully it doesn't come to that. But we need to find an effective way of performing on the field to get results.”
Leon Osman was speaking to the Liverpool ECHO at the launch of the William Hill’s new shop in Liverpool Central.
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