EVERTON manager David Moyes believes that the delay over his new contract being signed could be spreading uncertainty at the club after his side slumped to a 2-0 derby home defeat to Liverpool.

The man who arrived at Goodison Park in 2002 is now urging the board to resolve the situation.

Just three days after Moyes saw his team crash out of the Carling Cup against a Blackburn outfit shorn of several first team regulars, Everton suffered their third loss to their neighbours in less than a year. It was also their third consecutive home defeat in the Premier League leaving them without a point on their own territory so far this season.

Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina barely had a save to make as two Fernando Torres goals in the space of three minutes took the three points back across Stanley Park.

Moyes, who has been Everton’s manager for six-and-a-half years, is in the final season of his contract, but his new deal remains unsigned despite the Scot declaring on several occasions in recent weeks that he hoped to have some news regarding the situation soon.

The two-time LMA Manager of the Year is believed to have agreed a package which will give him a substantial pay increase as a reward for the major upturn in the club’s fortunes in recent seasons, with Everton having qualified for the UEFA Cup for the past two years.

However, Moyes claims that the ball is now in the court of the Goodison Park board.

Following a frustrating summer in the transfer market for the 45-year-old, whose side face a difficult trip to Belgian champions Standard Liege on Thursday if they’re to keep their European hopes alive, it is feared the uncertainty of the manager’s long-term future could be distracting the players from their jobs on the pitch.

Moyes said: “Possibly, yes, and it is something that needs to be addressed.

“I think both parties are aware that it has to be sorted and it has to be done and hopefully there will be some news soon.