Sam Allardyce has said he is under no illusions he will lose his job as Everton manager should the team’s miserable form continue.

Pressure is mounting on Allardyce, who has been unable to sustain initial improvement at Goodison Park and received fierce criticism from supporters following last weekend’s loss at Burnley, Everton’s sixth consecutive away defeat. Allardyce’s team have won twice in 12 matches – his past nine results have yielded fewer points than the nine games that preceded Ronald Koeman’s sacking in October – and despite support from the major shareholder, Farhad Moshiri, the 63-year-old admits he will meet the same fate as the Dutchman unless results improve.

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“Whatever Farhad says is very positive but I am under no illusions about my position,” Allardyce said. “I have always said that managers stay in a job when they win football matches. I can’t continue to lose football matches. It is as simple as that. There is no point beating about the bush and saying you can have as much backing as you want. There is great backing from the owners but I have to win matches to reassure them that I am the right man for the job. While that support is there, it is my responsibility to alleviate the pressure on everybody – Farhad included – by winning football matches.”

Everton host in-form Brighton on Saturday in what Allardyce described as one of the most important fixtures of his brief tenure. He said: “It is one of those big moments again this season of having to turn the season around. The position we have allowed ourselves to get in has put us under enormous pressure to do that. It is a huge game, one of the biggest I’ve had in my short time here, I would say, with the pressure that has been heaped upon us all by the lack of away results.”

Allardyce is acutely aware of how hostile Goodison will be should the team underperform again on Saturday. “We all are,” he said. “We are absolutely aware of that and I’m sure the players are too. They have to draw on their experience to deliver under the pressure they’ve put themselves under. We have to live with that pressure. We have to get it right tactically and there is going to be frustration against a very good Brighton side who will be difficult to break down.”

Allardyce came in for further criticism from supporters when he appeared to smirk during a television interview following the Burnley defeat. He has denied doing so. “I don’t know what my facial expressions look like when I am answering questions to be honest with you,” he said. “My wife often tells me to stop doing this [fidgets with his face] and all I know is that I was thinking about the question and how to answer it. I think my answer reflected that I was extremely disappointed at the way we lost the game and how we performed in the second half.

“The big responsibility lies on you. This job, you go home and think about it all the time. You have to try and keep a clear mind and be focused on what you do. I really didn’t do anything like that [smirk] that I am particularly aware about.”