Sam Allardyce provided a much-needed stabilising effect when he took over at Everton in November, steering the Toffees clear of relegation bother after a torrid start to the season under Ronald Koeman.

But results have taken a downturn in recent weeks, winning just two of their last eleven across all competitions, and the one-time England gaffer's pragmatic mindset feels like a poor fit for a club that has ambitions to break into the Champions League spots.

So, is it time to give Allardyce his marching orders, should a change come in the summer or does the former West Ham and Bolton boss deserve more time to truly make his mark on an imbalanced squad? Football FanCast lay out three solutions to Allardyce's future at Goodison Park...

Solution A - Sack Allardyce now

Seven points clear of relegation but miles away from the top six and also out of the cups, Everton's season is essentially over at this point, so why not make the change now? Assuming the club's preferred replacement is available, it will allow them an extra handful of games to truly imprint their methods amongst the squad and evaluate which players do and don't fit into their philosophy.

That might inspire a higher level of performance out of the players for the rest of the season too, knowing they need to impress the new manager even if it won't make much difference to the club's final standing at the end of May.

And while it may create some instability in the short-term, it will allow Everton to head into the summer window knowing who will be in charge at the start of next season, which will inevitably have some impact on the club's transfer policy.

Solution B - Sack Allardyce at the end of the season

Some Toffees fans would argue the last thing the club needs right now is more turmoil, especially when it's self-imposed, and sacking Allardyce would certainly cause a fair amount of turbulence amongst the ranks at Goodison Park, with a new coaching team needed and an underperforming squad asked to undertake new ideas from a fourth manager this season (David Unsworth included).

Although Everton only need a few more points to get to the right side of the 40-point barrier, a disappointing final standing after hiring a new manager would create unnecessary negativity heading into next term; it makes far more sense to let Allardyce absorb the criticisms of this season and allow the next manager to start with a clean slate in the summer.

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Likewise, more managers will be available in the summer when clubs are more open to agreeing compensation packages because they have time to bring in a replacement. If Everton were to sack Allardyce right now, former Watford boss Marco Silva and Shakhtar's Paulo Fonseca are essentially their only realistic options.

Solution C - Keep Allardyce on for next season

For all the concerns over recent results and style of play, there's only so much Allardyce can do with the poorly-assembled squad at his disposal. It lacks quality and vital balance in key departments; the fact Cuco Martina is being relied upon on his less favoured defensive flanks speaks volumes about where this Everton team is at right now, while the Wayne Rooney and Gylfi Sigurdsson conundrum still lacks an obvious solution.

Allardyce is one of English football's shrewdest recruiters and after a full summer transfer window we could see Everton start to look like a real Allardyce team, balancing out style with efficiency, and results would naturally improve.

The lingering concern, however, is how little faith the fans appear to have in Allardyce; if Everton don't start next season strongly, the pressure will be on right away and the club could soon find themselves in a similar mess to this season, where the campaign is effectively a write-off after an early sacking.

So, Everton fans, how would you address Allardyce's future at the club? Let us know by voting below...