David Moyes admits being Sunderland boss is more difficult than he thought it would be – but he is still up for the fight.
The Black Cats are bottom of the table and still without a league win, six matches into the Premier League campaign.
They face West Brom at home on Saturday in what former Everton and Man United boss Moyes says is a “massive game”.
The Scot is rumoured to be unhappy at the state he has found Sunderland in after succeeding Sam Allardyce in July, and with not being able to attract more players to Wearside in the summer transfer window.
He says the “revolving door” at the club has to stop and, a year to the week since their former Holland boss Dick Advocaat quit to set the stage for Allardyce's arrival, insists he is in it for the long haul.
Former Everton boss Moyes said: “I still want the job. I still want to make it the best I can possibly do. When I came in, I wanted an exciting challenge and that hasn’t changed. It’s more difficult than I thought to begin with, I will say that.
“This club can’t get a period of stability or identity, where players can come and say, ‘I’m here for a project’. It just feels like a revolving door – and that needs to stop somewhere.
“The main things supporters notice, however, are what happens on the pitch – and I want to get that right as quickly as possible. I’m governed a little by transfer windows and by money to spend. So I’d like to be able to change things a lot quicker, but it’s not that easy.”
Moyes has regularly admitted he is in a relegation battle, but was criticised for being too downbeat.
He explained: “Yeah, it could be interpreted like that. But honest is all I can be. I think people would rather you tell them the truth, than untruths.
In pictures — Sunderland lose to Palace from 2-0 up after an hour:
“Maybe I could say, ‘We’re going to be challenging near the top of the league!’ But now you would be asking me why we’re not.
"My style is to be as open and honest as I can be.
“We need to try to keep our heads a little bit. I want to stop the revolving door. If they keep the revolving door going, somewhere someone is going to have to say, ‘Stop this’.
“There needs to be a period of stability somewhere along the line.”
Sunderland will be without Adnan Januzaj, Lee Cattermole, Steven Pienaar and Victor Anichebe, who are all injured.