TOUGH AT THE TOP? THIS IS WAY BIGGER!

Lampard: This is my greatest challenge

FRANK LAMPARD believes the stakes are far higher in Everton’s desperate relegation battle than for any of his title triumphs.

The Everton boss admits there have been a couple of times in recent months “when sitting on my a**e and doing the bins” seemed like an attractive option.

Yet he says the consuming nature of trying to ensure the Blues’ survival is inspiring and energising him.

Asked, with his side standing a point above the drop zone with four games left, if the easier option would have been to wait for a job with less stress, he said: “Yeah, possibly I could have waited.

“I could have sat on my a**e and done the bins at home – that has actually seemed quite appealing a couple times in the last few months!

“When you live this experience of a relegation battle it so consumes you, and you so want to do the right thing because you understand what the stakes are.

“The stakes for this are bigger for me now than when I won the Premier League as a player because of what it means to the club.”

Everton visit Watford tonight knowing defeat could plunge them back into the mire, with little time to claw their way out of it.

And for Lampard, it is the thought of the lives who depend on him, his staff and his players, from fans to the thousands of people employed by the club, which makes it so massive.

“You know the economics of it are greater than winning the title as well, to a different degree, and individually you think about that,” he added.

“It’s the idea of what it means to the fans and the people who work here. It’s so important, and so there shouldn’t be any way with four games to go and one point out of the relegation zone, you think we are fine.

“We have spent the last two or three months with those feelings of what it means, so you can’t treat it like that now, and I have to ensure we understand that.”

For all the pressure, Lampard is adamant he is enjoying the job, and learning so much as he fights for survival.

Everton have won their last two matches, beating Chelsea and Leicester, where they won their first away match since August (left, Vitalii Mykolenko celebrating scoring).

And the former Chelsea boss said: “In this position, the players are questioned, the club is questioned, I’m questioned. And that’s the cutting-edge part of the job.

“So I’m having an incredible experience. Again I am not talking like it is done, we are in it still, but the idea of coming here and people wanting to challenge me, it’s a real motivation.

“It’s been an incredible challenge in a good way, which I’ve really enjoyed and will be valuable if we can get to where we want to be.”

Everton are without the injured Yerry Mina. But

Ben Godfrey and Donny van de Beek could return against Brentford on Sunday.