Why Everton winning next fixture could actually be bad for Frank Lampard's future

Frank Lampard is damned if he does, and damned if he doesn't, with a loss to West Ham at the weekend only delving his future at Everton further in doubt.

It's not that long ago that Demarai Gray's brilliant strike against Manchester City earned Everton a draw with the Premier League champions.

However things have just gone bad to worse for Lampard's team ever since, losing the following three games, including crashing out of the FA Cup at the hands of Manchester United.

The mood around the team could be best summed up by one fan leaving the 4-1 home loss to Brighton early and getting in an Uber driven by another fan who'd left even earlier.

Things got even worse last weekend for the game against Southampton, with the board warned not to attend the game, due to fears over their safety.

After the Toffees went ahead, James Ward-Prowse scored twice, including a trademark free kick, to leave the hosts level on points at the bottom of the table with their opponents.

They next face West Ham on Saturday afternoon and you'd have thought the last thing that Lampard would need is another loss to a relegation rival.

However, according to the Telegraph, there's basically no good result for the manager, with a report that David Moyes is likely to be sacked if his side lose to Everton.

Should that happen then he would be favourite for the job at Goodison Park and still has admirers at the club, making it more likely that Lampard would eventually get sacked.

Lampard consoles his players after the defeat to Southampton. Image: Alamy

Moyes' side are on as few points as Everton and are in just as much trouble when it comes to the possibility of dropping down to the Championship.

The Scotsman is currently more likely to lose his job however, with Lampard having so far been backed in public by the owners.

Despite his current side's form this season, the fact that he managed to keep Everton up during his first spell at Goodison Park, as well as his first spell with the Hammers, makes Moyes an ideal candidate for the Merseysiders.

He even helped his sides reach European football, with his current team still in the Europa Conference League, having topped their group.

But he has spent pretty big, especially last summer, and hasn't been able to get the best out of his signings, leaving his job very insecure.

Moyes is struggling at West Ham. Image: Alamy

Everton's problems stretch much further than the pitch, with fans protesting against the owners and the board, following years of underachieving.

Previous managers have still had money to spend but Lampard has not been able to compete with the amount Moyes has had in east London, due to previous bad spending.

The protests following the loss to Southampton stretched beyond the ground however, with fans stopping Yerry Mina on the street to talk to him.

Youngster Anthony Gordon, who started at the academy, was barricaded in by fans and shouted at as he sat in his car trying to get home.