Sam Allardyce says Everton have captured hearts and minds
Friday 4 May 2018 13:12, UK
Sam Allardyce believes his side have captured the hearts and minds of Everton fans with their recent home performances ahead of the visit of Southampton on Saturday.
The Everton manager has been credited for steering the Toffees clear of relegation, but has come under criticism from some fans for the style of football his side play.
Allardyce has guided Everton to four wins in their last seven Premier League games and is pleased with the quality of performance they have produced in that period.
He said: "It's an entertainment game, you're trying to capture hearts and minds."
"I think, particularly from a home point of view, that we've achieved that, not just with the results, but the way we've played and the way we've beaten teams.
Trending
- Papers: Gravenberch set to stay at Liverpool amid Real Madrid links
- Nunez and Elliott strike as Liverpool battle past Southampton
- Gabriel Jesus is back! Hat-trick for Arsenal striker sinks Palace
- Man Utd latest: Rashford has not travelled for Carabao Cup tie - reports
- Transfer Centre LIVE! 'Saudi could offer Rashford way out of Man Utd'
- Southampton 1-2 Liverpool - free match highlights and rate the players
- Perez leaves Red Bull seat as 2025 exit confirmed
- Football news: Mbappe scores as Real Madrid win Intercontinental Cup
- Vasseur: Convincing Hamilton to join Ferrari not difficult at all
- Nervy Aspinall comes through Worlds opener as Kist hits nine-darter
"Whether the criticism is fair or not, it's something you can't let affect you.
"You have to stay internally within the bounds of what you want to achieve and focus on that, and try and make everybody happy."
Not all fans have been pleased, with some supporters unveiling banners voicing their disapproval during Everton's back-to-back victories over Newcastle and Huddersfield.
When asked how to win over the fans that continue to doubt him, Allardyce's response was straightforward: "Keep winning and playing better. A small minority gets a lot of voice in our game."
Despite some negative voices, the former England manager said he happy to be back in management, explaining that pressure is simply part and parcel of the job.
He said: "I always enjoy the job. I wouldn't come back into football if I didn't enjoy this job.
"Pressures and all, it's all a part of what I missed when I wasn't in a manager's job and I like the pressure.
"I like the feeling of a challenge week in and week out and you always meet the challenge head on and move forward with your own philosophy."
When asked about Everton's opponents at the weekend, Allardyce expressed his surprise at Southampton's predicament, in the relegation zone with three games to play and one point from safety.
He said: "I'm surprised to see them in the bottom three. At the start of the season you wouldn't have expected Southampton to be in this position.
"We'll have a very difficult game tomorrow because we're facing a team that will be fighting tooth and nail to try and get a result against us and we've got to try and stop that."
