Everton manager David Moyes has insisted he wants to remain in charge after seeing his side crash out of the Uefa Cup.
A 2-1 defeat to Standard Liege saw Everton go out 4-3 on aggregate and prompted speculation about the future of Moyes, who has refused to sign a long-term contract offered by the club.
“We have had tough tests – all managers face difficult times, and I have had some,” Moyes said.
“Nobody has a divine right to win football games. You have to earn the right to do so.
“Managers can get into situations where it can be hard, and I have had it before. That’s your job.
“There’s no manager in football who thinks they have an easy ride, that’s for sure. That’s part of it. But I want to stay.”
Moyes was unhappy with the performance of referee Peter Sippel and in particular his refusal to send off Standard midfielder, Steven Defour, in the first half.
“I am thinking about the referee’s decision not to send off Defour, which I thought, on two occasions, was so poor,” said the Everton boss.
“In England you are not allowed to do what he did to referees. Maybe in Europe it’s different.
“Then there was a professional foul after it, which was maybe another yellow card.
“I think the crowd were very good for Standard. They influenced the referee – they did a very good job.
“If he (Defour) had been sent off it would have made a difference because he had the shot that led to their first goal.
“We were playing well against 11, so against 10 we would have had more space.
“I think it (a dismissal) would have made a big difference to the tie at that time.”
