From My Seat: Man City (H)

That is a brilliant piece of pithy-ness! Great work, Ken.

His overall showing v City was magnificent I thought, full of hard work and putting it about for the team. Took his goal superbly.

It was great to see so many smiles on the pitch, this is one game to hang our season on because there is real belief from go to whoa! COYB.

Hope they bottle that team spirit – it's what the mid-80s team had in spades.

Davies was incredible and is definitely going to get time while Gana is away, however, I could see him bombing down the wing (as he did today) when Gana returns and Schneiderlin is playing regularly.

Today seemed to be a pivotal moment when the future took the front seat and showed that we are heading in the right direction and Koeman's plan can work!

Thanks for a great report as usual. I get to see every game live on the telly, but it is always great to read about the walk- up to the ground and the atmosphere that you so eloquently describe.

COYB

Why oh why can't we play like this more often? The fire in their bellies should never disappear even if we are playing badly. Great performance, slick football, tenacious tackling, quality goals. When this happens, Goodison Park is the best place on the planet, the old lady rocks.

Feet on the ground time; We still played some sloppy casual passes, I'd like to see some little dinks over defenders instead of the on the ground slide-rule passes that keep getting intercepted. More of the same, Blue Boys.

If as you suggest, Ken, Koeman is responsible for the improvement from the previous game at what passes for Maine Road these days, then more power to his elbow. Oh, and the kids.

Davies deserved MotM with a very mature performance. I also thought Robles had a good game too.

I am savouring the result from yesterday, honest. But I just want to see a couple of decent performances in a row before I start dreaming again.

Stones – best game for Everton.

Barry has to use his nous and experience which has served him well. Is it me, or does Barkley seem a lot fitter as well?

So many fans were calling for Koeman to be sacked not too long ago, seems a bit of a joke after yesterday.

Amazing what effect a couple of new faces in and old faces out can have on a club. With the likes of Holgate, Davies and now Lookman, Koeman has also brought the average age down some and added much needed energy and enthusiasm.

Just imagine when Gana is back and Schneiderlin match fit! Proper midfield shaping up. Can see Barry slowly stepping down over the next month or two, after Gana is back. Also no need for McCarthy really so £15-20M in the bank for him would do nicely.

Then, when Gana returns, Koeman will have great midfield choices – with Davies certainly featuring as an attacking, not just a defensive, option.

Ken Buckley - a wordsmith much loved in this parish.

Gana, Schneiderlin and Davies are keepers. Barry is fine for now but the end will suddenly come. Gibson... the end has come (shame because he was a good player). So that means we keep either Besic of McCarthy or replace one of them and let them both go.

We also still have Liam Walsh in the U23s who could yet break into the side alongside his old mucker Davies (and was higher rated than Davies a couple of years ago).

Personally I think both Besic and McCarthy will likely leave – McCarthy over the summer... Besic may hang on another year as we can't move him on until he gets back from his awful injury. Hopefully by then Walsh is looking the part and if not then I can see us going back to the transfer market.

I think the last week has shown that Koeman is the boss. Even Mirallas worked his socks off yesterday, and Lukaku was closing Stones down better than previously.

I'm sure there will be more ups and downs between now and the end of the season, because we are not the finished article by any stretch. But it seems after yesterday that we are all finally pulling in the same direction – fans, manager and players – and that is absolutely what we need.

COYMB

Lukaku seems to have also taken Lookman under his wing too. Let's hope they both keep setting good examples for the even younger lads.

Two months ago we had lost 5-0 to Chelsea, drew at home to Swansea and lost 1-0 away to Southampton. Many of us looked at the fixtures for December and thought possible defeats at home to Man Utd, Arsenal, Liverpool and away defeat to Leicester with maybe a win over Watford and Hull.

Then after we beat Leicester away we probably thought we would beat them at home in the FA cup as well but wrong again and now we've hammered Man City 4-0 at home.

Also, who would have expected Koeman to dropped Jags & Barry so much and brought in so many young lads as he has of late. It's just disappointing that we are no longer in any cups as it would have given us something to look forward to.

As it is I really can't see us catching Man Utd or whoever is in 6th place but hopefully the teams who win the two cups finish in the top 6 so 7th place will be enough to get us into the Europa League qualifying round, like West Ham last season.

Just makes you feel so happy to be a Blue.

I thought Mirallas was outstanding and a superb finish for the second, and after a bit of criticism both Funes Mori and Williams managed a very skillful, pacey and clinical throng of attacking players very well indeed.

Great stuff!

If Koeman can get them playing positively with quick passing, players running at defenders, getting early ball and players into the box while staying compact when we need to defend, there is no reason why we cannot start beating the likes of Palace and Stoke.

If however we revert to safe, slow and sideways passing in front of the opposition, our results will probably be as disappointing as they were in the autumn. With Davies, Holgate and Lookman now in the squad, surely we have the energy and ambition not to let that happen.

I know it was only one game yesterday, but if and it is a big if, Everton can carry on playing with the energy and movement of the game they played against City then we can certainly catch them.

Anyway it was great to see Goodison Park rocking, rolling, cheering and singing Everton to a great performance and victory yesterday.

I bet you typed out your report, Ken, with a huge grin on your face; I had one on mine reading it.

Michael Kenwright - 9
Lyndon Lloyd - 9
Ken Buckley - 9
Paul Traill - 9

Just watched the Davies goal for the 1,000th time. On the edge of my seat anxiously willing it to go in.

A great result yesterday and what a joy to see one of the local lads making an impact. Hopefully by the end of the season, another member of under-age brigade will make a breakthrough into the first team.

It should be interesting to see who occupies the midfield slots at Palace next weekend!

Let's keep the top six honest for the rest of the season and put a major gap between ourselves and the 8th placed team.

Outstanding game, and with all the hullabaloo about the youngster (and rightly so), his experience shone.

One more point – did you see the state of Bainsey's legs? I've never seen him moan or cut out of a challenge.

This team, along with more signings this window and summer window, has got the potential to challenge top 6 next season. Koeman will get it right.

For me it was probably the finest moment at Goodison since Wayne Rooney's goal against Arsenal.

I am the luvvie's spawn incarnate.

I will go as far as to say that Gueye's last few games have seen him drop-off his early-season form. perhaps his imminent mission for his nation was on his mind, or else he was a bit frazzled from his workload.

However, I think that, as long as Davies is strong enough, I would have him on the teamsheet before anyone else at the moment. Quite a compliment for one so young.

Not like back in the early eighties on pre-season tours. Bunking trains all over Europe was the order of the day. Some great times.

Michael, I like to think I've got thick skin, but hats off to yer there mate, the way you have just took that off Brent!

I would like to mention the 3-5-2 formation which seems to suit Seamus and Bainesy who I thought both had a brilliant game. It gives us defensive solidity and a much greater attacking threat. To see Bainsey throwing challenges in in their half was a joy to watch.

A special mention for Ross too who threw a few sliding tackles in and was chasing down much more than usual. So much for the naysayers who said Koeman is destroying and demotivating players.

My sincere apologies, Bill. Michael!! Michael!!

All players and staff need a sincere thank you, for the effort during the week prior to the game, plus the game itself, for knuckling down after the previous weeks collapse with no response, to provide such a good performance. .

The two things that stood out for me that makes me proud to be a supporter (from 1953) was Lukaku carrying the young Sunderland boy out as mascot, and the same player going to the touchline to give encouragement to the young player Lookman before he got on.

These are just small instances that other people may not notice, but to me it shows what makes Everton that much better than other clubs.

That said we were not good at all before the goal... The game could have been lost before super kev got on the end of Davies through ball to pull it back to Lukaku.

I'm pleased we won, but improvement is needed. We played like an early Moyes team with linderoth and carsley.

Link

May he take the right route, be well advised and (above all) be lucky with injury.

Lookman, too, a very self-possessed young man, no false modesty, and to take that goal required nerve.

So many fans were calling for Koeman to be sacked not too long ago, seems a bit of a joke after yesterday.

Is that necessary?

That same squad beat City 4-0. So which is it? How could a squad that is so terrible that we should not be expecting them to beat Norwich is able to be celebrated for beating City?

Maybe, just maybe, those of us saying that Koeman should have been getting more out of these players were right?

Just look at Barkley –it seems obvious to me we are seeing a different Barkley now to what we were a couple of months back, he's much more aggressive now, tackling and closing down.

So it takes time for the players to adapt and change their style. We are beginning to see the impact of Koeman's management, but it's just the beginning. Too many fans were way to quick to judge Koeman, he isn't a miracle worker, and they simply ignored the reality that he can't change things in a few months.

So I think it's unrealistic to expect Koeman to have come in and within just a few weeks suddenly transformed the current players, Barkley being the prime example for me. Judge him in a year's time is my thinking.

More talent to come from our batch of youngsters. David the ideal link for their next step.

Next season will be a defining time for our club.

If you are correct about Unsworth being promoted to first team duties, it would leave a large hole in the development of the youngsters which has been very successful, so far, in helping those youngsters be ready for the first team when they have been chosen.

David Unsworth, believes that his young side may have six or seven or even eight players who are capable of forging a career at Everton. That's an unbelievable claim, but who are we to argue with his assessment. His young charges won another match earlier tonight and now lead the league by four points. If Unsworth is correct and we do have that calibre of players in the junior side and the money to buy in talent, the future could be very bright for the club – let's hope so anyway.

U23s Win

A link to his interview on Talksport earlier today.

Unsy

What makes you think David Unsworth will be promoted?

I hope David Unsworth is correct with his assessment of the talent coming through the ranks at Everton, I'd slow down a bit if I was him, or maybe he has been misquoted.

If he is right, Everton's future will be better than The Busby Babes of the fifties or Fergies Fledglings of the nineties, so we are all in for a terrific few years in the near future.

He has less defensive work to do safe in the knowledge the back 3 (instead of 4) are covered by a midfield 4. Yes, Davies does a lot of his leg-work, but it's the system that free's Ross to do more attacking, and less defending rather than Davies per se.

Hopefully better than when Harvey stepped up Darracott and Lyons after Howard left in '87!