Though Sean Dyche acknowledges that the patient and devoted Everton supporters deserve more, he maintains that he has always made an effort to be honest with them about the difficulties he encounters as the Blues manager.

Everton would have been 10 points clear of the relegation zone going into tonight’s rescheduled match against Luton Town at Bournemouth, based on their on-field performances this season. However, their six-point deduction—which was lowered from the original 10 points on appeal, making it the largest sporting sanction in English top flight history at the time—has them anxiously looking over their shoulders.Although Dyche says he’s “amazed” by the fact that his team hasn’t won in any of their last 11 Premier League games considering how they’ve performed in those contests, the 52-year-old admits that the hordes of Evertonians deserve better as he looks to use the club’s Portuguese training camp this week to help turn around their fortunes.

“I’ve never questioned the fans: good, bad, or indifferent, I don’t think actually I ever have because you know I was a fan when I was a kid,” Dyche said on Everton’s YouTube page. Unbelievably, I would support my local team, Kettering Town, but I don’t mind at all because I think everyone has the freedom to express their opinions.”In general, we’ve done our share, and they’ve definitely done their share. They (the Everton team) occasionally face questions; that’s just a part of what it means to be a football player, manager, supporter, and player.

“I have no issues with that at all since, in general, the fans here have been incredible and they still are; they come from all over. The most memorable one for me was the FA Cup (third round) at Crystal Palace; it was incredible. Four thousand people attended.

“Wow, I haven’t seen that for that kind of game very often in my life. I’ve played football for a long time. Is it not the case that the fans deserve even greater respect?

Perhaps within the last several years. However, we are not finished; we are still a work in progress.

“I’ve attempted to let the fans know that we are bound by reality. When I first arrived, I believed that the underlying message was to “just tell us the truth,” as the club put it, rather than to me.

“I’ve made an effort to tell the truth in all of my business dealings. At the end of the day, I’m trying to say: “Look, you wanted the truth, I think we’ve done some work to get to a more truthful position, not just in our words but in the way the team is performing, wearing the shirt with pride, the work ethic, the belief in what they’re doing, I think we’ve come some way with that.” I know from playing football that you can’t always please everyone.