Frank Lampard sacked by Everton, Marcelo Bielsa under consideration as replacement with club 19th in Premier League

He was in talks to succeed Scott Parker as Bournemouth manager before the World Cup, but the role was ultimately given to caretaker boss Gary O’Neil instead.

“It’s my job to work and focus and keep my head down,” Lampard told Sky Sports. “I’ve got absolute confidence in how I want to coach. And if they are difficult conditions at the minute, for a lot of different reasons that I’m very aware of, then that’s it. I just have to do my job and it’s not for me to make too many diversions around it rather than talk about what I can affect and that’s the players, trying to get the right results.”

Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson told Soccer Saturday that he did not believe Lampard had lost the commitment of the players – but questioned the quality of the players at Lampard’s disposal.

“They’re not not trying for Lampard, it’s nothing to do with that,” said Merson. “Sometimes you look at players and think, ‘they’re just waiting for the manager to go and then they’ll start running around again’. They work hard. But they’re just not up to it at the moment.

“They keep on losing to all the teams around them, that’s the worry. They’ve lost to Wolves, Southampton and West Ham in three of their last five games.”

Who could take over at Goodison Park?

“There are a lot of managers in the game at the moment who wouldn’t want to go to Everton because of the size of the task and the damage it could do to their reputation if they were to go there and it didn’t work out.

“The club are talking to a number of candidates. People like Marcelo Bielsa, who has been mentioned. Sean Dyche is someone Everton like a lot. I don’t know if he would want to take on a job the size of Everton. Another name mentioned to me is Thomas Frank, the Brentford manager.

“I’ve been told there are people at Everton who are big admirers of him, but people at the club aren’t sure if he would be happy to leave Brentford and work for Everton.

“One thing mentioned to me is that Everton may look to someone until the end of the season, on an interim basis. Because they just need someone to go in there and keep them up.

“A lot of the time when you see managers sacked, the club already have someone else lined up. But is it them talking to a number of candidates because they haven’t made up their mind, or because the people they’re talking to need some convincing to come to Goodison Park?

“Ultimately, Farhad Moshiri will be the man to make that final decision.”

Carra: Everton ‘worst-run club in country’

Sky Sports’ Jamie Carragher:

“Nobody knows a football club better than their own supporters. There were no banners against Frank Lampard, they were against Farhad Moshiri and the board. I have said Everton are the worst-run club in the country. That wasn’t a flippant remark as an ex-Liverpool player, I’m saying it as an ex-Everton fan.

“When I made that comment, Everton got in touch with me and I admired it, being on the front foot to defend your club. But I didn’t think I was wrong then and I’m not wrong now. Moshiri doesn’t know what he’s doing but he’s got a lot of money.

“The same sorts of players are getting brought in, managers are getting changed left, right and centre. Why does every Everton manager fail? Lampard, Champions League-winning managers like Benitez and Ancelotti, Silva, Koeman has been around the world. So when a club fails, you have to look at the top. It’s a mess.”

‘A change needed to be made’

Sky Sports News reporter Vinny O’Connor:

“It’s been a case of results ultimately deciding Frank Lampard’s fate.

“There were painful defeats at home to Wolves and Southampton, fellow strugglers around Everton in the table. The fact that they weren’t able to get maximum points from those games set alarm bells ringing at the club.

“The Crystal Palace game in October was highlighted as the blueprint of how Everton want to play but they’ve not been able to repeat that kind of form since then. One bright spot was the equaliser from Demarai Gray against Manchester City at the Etihad.

“Everton are not getting a return on the over £500m they’ve invested in recruitment. Richarlison was sold in the summer and the replacements have not been at the same level.

“When Lampard came in, there was a lot of respect for him from the Evertonians and the media here on Merseyside because of how he dealt with things and that they were successful in beating relegation last season. Everton have not been able to build on that and find themselves in another relegation battle.

“The fans will say a change is needed to be made to give Everton the best opportunity to stay in the Premier League.”