Everton boss David Moyes has revealed he will sign a new long-term contract - possibly even before Sunday's Premier League game with Newcastle.
Moyes admits a delay on the deal may have unsettled his players, who have gone out of the Carling Cup and the Uefa Cup in the space of eight days.
He said: "I am here and I will sign a new contract with Everton shortly, maybe even before the weekend.
"It is with the lawyers now and we can talk more about it once it is done."
Moyes has been under increasing pressure after Everton's defeat by Blackburn in the Carling Cup and the exit against Standard Liege in the Uefa Cup first round on Thursday.
Standard Liege knocked Everton out after a 2-1 defeat in Belgium, following on from a 2-2 draw in the first leg at Goodison Park.
Moyes admitted he was going through a tough time after Everton's early-season struggles, saying: "There is no manager who thinks they have an easy ride. That's part of it. But I want to stay.
"Who says when you come into football management that every year you're going to have a good year?
"We have had tough tests - all managers face difficult times, and I have had some. No-one 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."
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The Scot also claimed a Defour challenge on Yakubu could have been a red card.
"You can't run up to a referee and do that in his face nowadays. I thought they were stricter in Europe," he said.
After being adjudged to have fouled Louis Saha, Defour was incensed and was seen screaming in the face of Sippel, and almost came into bodily contact with the official.
"I thought he should have been sent off for his reaction and then for him not to be sent off for the professional foul on Yakubu was unbelievable," Moyes added.
"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."
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