Sam Allardyce believes Everton have captured their fans’ hearts and minds this season.
Saturday’s encounter with Southampton sees the Blues looking to sign off with a win in their final home game of the current campaign.
Allardyce could finish his first season at the Goodison Park help with a top-half finish in the Premier League, having won four of his last seven games.
And the one-time England manager is confident that the results have helped win over supporters that were initially unconvinced by his appointment.
It’s a volatile world in the Premier League. It increases as the money increases, the pressure increases, and then there’s criticism you have to accept,” said Allardyce.
“Whether the criticism is fair or not is something you can’t let affect you.
“It’s an entertainment game, you’re trying to capture hearts and minds.
“I think, particularly from a home point of view, that we’ve achieved that, not just with the results, but the way we’ve played and the way we’ve beaten teams.
“Whether the criticism is fair or not, it’s something you can’t let affect you.
“You have to stay internally within the bounds of what you want to achieve and focus on that, and try and make everybody happy.”
Asked how he planned to win over any unswayed fans, he replied: “Keep winning and playing better. A small minority gets a lot of voice in our game.”