Ronald Koeman has been backed to succeed at Everton by club legends Joe Royle and Graeme Sharpe despite a recent blip in form.
A strong start to the Dutchman's first season in charge of Everton saw the Merseyside team win 13 points from their opening five, but his fortunes quickly took a turn for the worse after slipping to defeats against Bournemouth, Burnley and a heavy 5-0 loss to current League leaders Chelsea.
The Toffees currently sit in seventh position in the Barclays Premier League table with the gap between them and the top four distancing by the week.
However, Joe Royle - who guided Everton to FA Cup glory in 1995 - has backed the current boss put the current struggles behind him and "wouldn't rule him out" of winning a cup to end the club's 21-year drought.
Royle feels Koeman can "overcome this small hiccup"
The introduction of their new manager saw Everton have a "terrific start" of the season, according to Royle, which has undoubtedly kept them "right at the top" amongst the Premier League's elites.
Although the 67-year-old does not "believe the squad is ready for an assault on the League title" just yet, he has hope from what he has seen.
Royle, now working with Everton's youth teams alongside David Unsworth, believes that the Dutchman will "be lining up some signings for the new year" in an effort to overcome the "small hiccup" Everton are currently undergoing.
Graeme Sharpe urges fans to be patient
Gathering only five points from the previous five played, it is understandable why fans are growing uneasy - yet Graeme Sharpe believes that Koeman "just needs time" to adapt to his new squad.
From over 10 seasons at the club, Sharpe managed to accumulate 111 goals, and has worked with the Blues for a number of years following his retirement from professional football.
The new majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri, along with Bill Kenwright will, expectedly, be patient with Koeman, with the former Southampton man "knowing what a big job is".
Similarly, to Royle, Sharpe believes it will be "difficult to compete at the top" without spending the amount of money others around Everton are spending, but the Blues simply have to "hang on in there" and give Koeman time to succeed.