Sam Allardyce ready to win over the Everton fans

Sam Allardyce insists he is ready to win over supporters who have questioned his appointment as Everton manager.

Allardyce held his first press conference on Friday afternoon since his signing an 18-month contract at Goodison Park.

A number of Toffees are unhappy at Allardyce’s arrival, with some questioning the club’s ambition by appointing a manager with a reputation for direct football and relegation firefighting.

Those concerns were put to Allardyce by the gathered journalists at Finch Farm, with the 62-year-old saying:

"Everybody has to win over the fans.

"Whatever perception the fans have of me there’s nothing I can do about that.”

Allardyce was also keen to play down his reputation as a long-ball merchant.

There’s no denying some of his sides in the past have taken a physical direct approach, but the former England boss insists his style of play is shaped by the players at his disposal.

"With the players we have available my job is to allow the players to play to their strengths. I’ve never played the same way at any club I managed.

"Each club has had a different philosophy. All I’ve tried to do is live to that. Luckily enough for me I’ve managed to leave each club in a far better position than when I took over."

When asked about his ambition for Everton, Allardyce was keen to stress his desire to do more than simply keep the team away from the relegation spots.

The 63-year-old says he is ready to stay beyond his initial 18-month deal and lift the club back towards the top of the table.

However, he also appreciates the need to get the basics right initially to try and dig the team out of the hole it finds itself in.

“The club's in a difficult place at the moment which nobody expected and because nobody expected it it's probably why they've asked me to bring a bit of stability.

“This time I want more than that, much more than that. I want to see the club grow and I want it to live along to the ambition its had recently.

“They finished seventh last season and everybody expected that it would be a good season this time, that hasn't happened for whatever reason. It's my job to steer them back in the right direction and back into the European places, FA Cup final.

“The first and foremost is to get back to winning ways, get them playing as good as they played on Wednesday night consistently.”