Thursday 5 March 2015 12:24, UK
Everton captain Phil Jagielka says the players must take their share of the responsibility for the team’s current poor run that has seen them win just one of their last 12 Premier League matches.
Wednesday's 2-0 defeat at Stoke left the Toffees in 14th place, just six points above the relegation zone with 10 games to go, although 18th-placed QPR have a match in hand.
This latest loss saw the pressure increase on Everton boss Roberto Martinez with "#MartinezOut" trending in the UK on Twitter in the aftermath – despite fans in the away end at the Britannia Stadium showing their support for him and the team at half-time.
Bookmakers have also cut their odds on the Spaniard being the next Premier League manager to leave, but Jagielka insists the Everton squad must also take the blame.
"The fans were great (against Stoke). It has been a difficult season to watch us because the performances have not been as good as last season," he said.
"They are going to vent their frustrations, it is normally the manager that gets it as he is head of the food chain.
"But we as players know we need to buck our ideas up, start performing better and take pressure off him, pressure off ourselves and start getting some more points."
Everton have performed much better in the Europa League this season – they face Dynamo Kiev in the last 16 – but Jagielka concedes their focus now has to be moving clear of the Premier League's basement battle.
"We know we need to concentrate on our league form," he added. "We have 10 games left now and need to pull our finger out and start picking up points."
