Frank Lampard has moved to assure Everton supporters that he is holding a number of honest conversations with his players about the prospect of relegation - and admitted there is a fear factor at the club.
The Blues are facing a battle to avoid the drop following an horrendous run of results that has seen them slip to just one place above the relegation zone. Only goal difference is currently keeping Everton above Watford in the Premier League table.
Lampard enjoyed a winning start to life as Everton boss, but since the FA Cup win over Brentford, the Blues have tasted victory just once. That coming against Leeds United at Goodison Park last month.
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And speaking ahead of his side’s clash with Newcastle United, Lampard moved to assure supporters that he is telling his side plenty of home truths - despite the fact he continues to remain upbeat and positive when addressing the media.
“Yeah in simple terms it is because it is real,” Lampard responded when asked if he had warned his side about the dangers of relegation.
“I think it was real when I came here, we had a tough run of games and as I have said before the idea we would flick a switch and move clearly up the table for me was not the reality of the Premier League.
“We were 16th or 17th for a reason, whatever that is, football reasons generally. So yeah I have been very open on the home truths there. Also on performance, yeah. I will say it again, it is not always something for me to come out and dissect the players out loud.
“But behind the scenes every manager is the same. It is your job to call things out and to talk about them. As I say at times, I haven’t been able to change the team because certain players have been missing, but sometimes if you make mistakes consistently you will come out of the team. That's the job.
“I hope people aren’t taking my positivity. I try to be as honest as I can, but taking that as things don’t get said behind the scenes they certainly do.”
While Lampard has also revealed that he sensed a fear factor around the club from the minute he joined. However, the former Chelsea midfielder believes it is down to the players to step up and turn things around.
He said: “It is clearly a big issue here. I am not native to that. From the minute I came here from the period before I came when I was watching from the outside I sensed it.
“There is a fear factor of what may be when the club is not winning games, and it has been up and down now for a few years to whatever degree. Part of my job is to try and help that and solve that. That comes with some communication to the players, to the staff and to the building.
“Every person who is involved can affect it positively because sometimes in games things get tough. You can be a cheerleader all week. Come Saturday if things get tough and players don’t rise to that it means nothing. So a lot of that responsibility is on the players.”
Lampard has also explained why he has opted to deliberately protect his players and why he sees it as his job to support them through these tough times.
“It is deliberate because as much as it is not easy to say this to you lot, there is things you shouldn’t say and that is maybe a bit of protection,” he responded when asked about his 'arm around the shoulder' management style.
“I try to find a balance of giving belief. I don’t want to sit here and keep talking about belief for the next 12 games and we don’t get the result because people will go: 'Stop giving them belief and tell them what to do'.
“My job is to try and find the balance between that. So as much as I will sit here and talk about belief and confidence, that is one thing, doing your job you work through the week at on the pitch on a Saturday is another thing.
“And I am not soft and supportive on that and the players know that and the players have to sense that. Maybe what you are hearing from me to yourself is not exactly the story of what goes on in the week.
“But I think it is part of my job to support them. I have been here five weeks or six weeks and I think it is important to me and the players that I support them because I have come into this and I want to find a way out.
“For me to be openly talking about things that go in the week would be the wrong thing. If the players make mistakes, some mistakes can happen in football. It is a game of mistakes.
“But some things that we work on in terms of repetitive things that don't go right are things we need to get better. That is a fact.”
