Manager Sam Allardyce has maintained that he is keen to remain in charge of Everton past the end of the current campaign.
Earlier this season, Allardyce was brought in as a replacement for Ronald Koeman and the former England boss initially put together a seven-match unbeaten streak at the start of his reign.
However, Everton have only won two of their last 12 games in all competitions, and the club's form has resulted in calls for another change to be made in the dugout.
Allardyce says that he remains focused on the Toffees' "long-term plan", however, and is determined to ride out what he acknowledges as a "tough" period.
At a press conference, Allardyce told reporters: "There's tough times and there's times when you have to draw in, close the doors and stay focused on what you want to achieve.
"It's very disappointing for everybody that we've slipped to where we have slipped to after the fantastic position we put ourselves in the early stages of me walking through the door.
"I came out of retirement because there's a long-term plan at Everton that I was excited to be a part of."
Everton currently sit in 11th place in the table, just seven points above the relegation zone.
Darren Plant
