Great turn around by the lads and good response by RK early on. This is the first game I've been able to watch this season and I must say that I was really impressed with young Holgate. Gueye too!. Still not a fan of Barkley, though.
COYB

1. Solid management team in place?
Absolutely! We seem to have not panicked and held out for the men we wanted regardless of costs/difficulties.

2. Squad improvement?
Yes - Gueye looks good, Stekelenberg is a fine option (if not quite first place), Williams exactly the sort of leadership needed at the back and Bolassie an exciting attacking option. I'm pretty sure it's not over yet either and if the rumours about a Hart loan, Kone contract come to fruition plus we add another striker this could prove to have been one of our very best transfer windows.
On the flip side of course you also need to make sure you're pruning the squad of those surplus to requirements or potentially problematic. That too appears to be in process with Niasse and McGeady left in no uncertainty there isn't a future here, the Stones situation resolved pretty amazingly (I know opinion is divided but for me despite the ball-playing confidence I'm really not sure he is going to ever cut it as a top-level defender) and others let out on loan (the only things I disagree with really is the Gibson contract, Garbutt left on loan (must be something going on with his attitude because he looked great when he'd played before) and the fact A. Kone is still being considered as a first team option.

3. Tactical development?
Without doubt. This is the most satisfying thing for me not just because we've blasted a hole in the tippy tappy nonsense but that we have already in game 2 proved able to try different tactics (e.g. 3 man back-line) and crucially change them on the fly when they don't work, something Martinez and to a lesser extent Moyes both struggled with.

4. Improved Player Fitness/Attitude?
Getting there! We may only be at 70% at game one (80% now?) but this admission alone speaks volumes for what was allowed to happen under RM where much of Moyes 10 years of solid work on fitness and team unity was basically frittered away in a couple of Martinez seasons.

5. Honest, comprehensible communications?
Praise the lord. We seem to have a manager that actually watches the same matches we do and isn't afraid to be realistic whether it's about the chances of players staying/going or performance issues.

6. Results?
Ultimately it's the scores on the board that matter in the end and although it is super early, I think it's hard to be unhappy with a draw against a decent Spurs team and a win vs tricky and defensively tight Baggies on their patch.

Report card from me reads B+ overall.
Still super early days and room for improvement - we need to push these other signings over the line, find a new home for Niasse and McGeady and continue with performances/results against Stoke and Sunderland - but the right attitude and a very encouraging start that deserves a pat on the back.

Due to the changes at the club this is a short transfer window for us. If we can't get a top player in, and with January being a tricky window, if push came to shove I'd be happy with something like Charlie Austin in. Knows the division, leads the line, knows where the net is, to get through the season. But we need something. Hopefully Walsh and Koeman can identify the player they want and we get it done.

Thank God Martinez was sacked. Not only was Niasse a total dud, but even if he hadn't have been totally useless, the type of player he was/is meant that he wouldn't even have been effective cover for Rom anyway, as he seems more of a support act/wide striker, so we still wouldn't have had direct Lukaku cover anyway. Clown. Manager not the player who I actually feel sorry for.

We need to sort that out. Mason Holgate may have solved the right back depth issue. I think we need to sort the options in mid, but other than that we are looking in reasonable shape for a good run at the European places now we havd someone professional in charge.

Finally, I can't see Koeman having Funes Mori. If we can get him off to Spain for no loss at some point in the next couple of windows that would be great.

Unfortunately Deulofeu proving to be little more than a bit-part winger. He's been given the chance to prove himself so can't complain when he's moved aside. RK is utterly ruthless and has shown he will replace anybody if another option exists. The future's good, in fact it's very good.

Those days are now over I would like to think.
No more championship quality journeymen for me.

Nice slight of hand Eric however the immediate words before those you shadily lifted from mid-sentence were:

"Due to the changes at the club this is a short transfer window for us. If we can't get a top player in, and with January being a tricky window, if push came to shove I'd be happy with something like Charlie Austin in."

Thats if we strike out on someone of better quality. Plus Austin is better than you make out.

Btw, is that our Adam Forshaw playing for Middlesbrough? He's having a cracking game. Poor old ginger looks doomed already.

Absolute twat and not that good either.

http://www.markpitman1.com/2016/08/21/win-win-williams-wales/

12 months from now Coyb

Shouldn't really feel like that I know, but Moyes, showed his true colours, once he got behind the desk at United, and it will always be the reason, I want the false fucker to fail!

Hart
L Kone
Ghezzal
Gabbiadini/Chicarito/Slimini/Haller

Which leaves us very very competitive:

Hart / Steklenberg // Hewelt

Coleman / Holgate // Browning
Kone / Jagielka // Pennington
Williams / FunesMori // Galloway
Baines / Oviedo // Garbutt

Idrissa / McCarthy // Gibson (Besic)
Barry / Davies // Cleverley

Deulofeu / Lennon // Tarashaj
Barkley / Ghezzal // Dowell
Mirallas / Bolasie // Grant

Lukaku / Chicarito // Kone (replace with a youngster ASAP)

Keep the faith.