I’m still man for Everton

ROBERTO Martinez has launched a staunch defence of his Everton reign and would be proud of his legacy if he had to leave the club.

Martinez said he was not worried over his future as he seeks to pierce the gloom that has engulfed Goodison Park by overcoming Chelsea in tomorrow’s FA Cup quarter- final.

Billionaire Farhad Moshiri will watch Everton live for the first time since buying a 49.9 per cent stake in the club and will judge for himself the mood on Merseyside as a diffcult campaign reaches a key juncture.

Saturday’s 3- 2 home defeat by West Ham, when 10- man Everton let a two- goal lead slip late on, further fuelled supporters’ discontent .

But Martinez, above, said : “It takes a brave journalist to defend a manager who has lost 3- 2 in the last 12 minutes . To say, ‘ No, no, with this man, look at the record of building up a football club and what he had to cope with’.

“The first season, 72 points. The second season, we went into Europe. This season, we reached the semi- finals of the League Cup. Consistently, this team is starting to cope with the expectations of doing something good in the cups. That’s diffi cult.

“As a manager, you cannot worry. The moment you worry for yourself, you are not a good manager.

“I’ve been managing for 10 years, seven of those consistently in the Premier League.

“I can speak from a good position to say what the pressure is in the Premier League, whether you’re fighting to win the FA Cup, or to avoid relegation, or to try to get into the top four .”