Barkley: Captaincy a dream come true

Big thing here for me is what RK is doing with certain players.

I might be reading into something that isn't there, but for me he's been elevating Ross with talk of him being a man and not a boy. He's done a similar thing with Mirallas, telling people he has talent and needs to deliver. Also Deulofeu being told about fitness, and being deployed as a striker, as well as the fact he can play both left and right.

He's telling these players who clearly have loads of ability, that he expects them to become main stay top draw players THIS SEASON.

Great management.

I wish he would be more appreciated by the crowd - he plays a tough position: creativity. He actually scored a decent number last season + assists and only tailed off (I believe) because he had such a terrible manager

Ross Barkley, true blue - stay and fulfil your obvious talent

Very astute management by RK, naming him as skip (knowing how highly valued that honour would be to a lifelong Blue), signalling how highly he rates and trusts Ross, elevating him to a position of such importance and influence.

Check, check and check.

Ross (based on the club's official site radio broadcast in the absence of any tv stream) responded well and played well, scoring a peach which he celebrated in quiet dignity with a tribute to the recently passed scout who discovered him.

Check, check and check.

It's these seemingly small things that many associated with Everton get right time and time again that makes me so proud to be a Blue.

Similarly, with each passing day, in his words and actions, Koeman in many small ways, continues to impress and demonstrate that we are in very good hands with this manager.

Making Ross captain is a statement that the lad has the talent and now needs to stop with the potential nonsense and prove he's the real deal by taking responsibility.

Great management.

How can making Barkley captain tonight be considered a 'bad move'. Even leaving to one side the compassionate grounds behind the choice, did it not pay off? The player himself obviously appreciated it, put in a good, goal scoring, performance and the ambition to captain Everton 'one day' will simply be replaced by the ambition to captain Everton 'again'. The manager will also have learnt a lot about Barkley's willingness and potential to step up and accept more responsibility as a key member of the team, rather than just coast along under the promising kid mantle.

After damn near a decade of having to put up with the team being led out by the flipper footed Phil Neville feigning passion for the cause, it was just nice to once again witness a proper Evertonian and a proper footballer full of pride at being given the honour of wearing the armband at Goodison tonight.

Great management, great gestures all around, great to have a real Evertonian as captain.

Good to know that this great club is suddenly doing the little things right again.

A nice touch from Ross, all the young lads owe the man a lot. An unknown who probably never earned big money, but did it for the love of football and played a vital part.

The other side of the coin was if not Ross last night, then who? Too soon for Williams, where as the rest don't strike me as captain material.

I don't think he quite did that with his performance last night. Too many arracking movements stalled at his feet, perhaps he was trying too hard. I would love to see a top class attacking midfielder alongside him to guide him, and provide that bit of craft currently missing from the team.

Having said all that it was nice to see him wearing the captain's armband and hopefully the added responsibility will help him make that last step to the greatness he seems to have been forever tipped for

Job done last night-well done boys.

Keep the faith.

Congratulations Ross - well deserved praise lad. You had to put up with a lot of shit last season - a lot of it on here.

In my view, a combination of the two managerial inepts - Hodgson and Martinez - between them wrecked your confidence and confused the hell out of you, respectively.

You've always cared and borne the weight of blue expectation heavier than others did and , in my humble opinion, Martinez's reign affected you more than most.

Time to put all that behind you and get back to the sort of performances we know you are capable of - against Man City at Goodison in 2014 sticks in my recent mind - we lost 3-2 eventually, but you tore the arse out of them at times that day.

Well done again young man - blue class.

He needs to buckle down, work hard and be all he can be. If he doesn't, I cannot see this new regime tolerating anything less. IMO he needs to get busier and I'd also like to see him introduce a little bit of aggression into his game, à la Liam Walsh.

Barkley wasn't great but you can see an improvement in him since the start of this season; he wants to have a look at the arrogance of Bolasie, who knows and believes how good he is.

Ross has got to believe how good he can become. We keep saying this; hopefully it will eventually get through to him. Little by little, he is getting there.

Also I think it was a great move by RK making him captain and giving him more responsibility,it did seem to galvanise Ross more and he was certainly more vocal too. Well done Ross keep it up, maybe you can become the player we all want you to be.

I was nearly in tears when he gave his after match interview, as you could see how much Sid meant to him, and what being made captain of Everton meant to him as well.

It must have been special and emotional night for him to lead HIS team out at Goodison, but for me he used the emotion and responsibility very well, and played well on the night, albeit against fairly weak opposition.

He does need to kick on and fulfil his potential, but in Koeman, we now have a manager that I trust and believe will get the best of Ross (and the rest of our team).

Is it any wonder that he has looked shocking at times considering the managerial geniuses he was working with in Bobby and Woy!?!

I know in my own profession, my productivity, drive and commitment piss off into the sunset and I “go through the motions” when I have to deal with incompetent whoppers as my managers on a daily basis, so I can see how Ross may have been affected negatively!

He's becoming a senior player, far from a kid with potential. Time to show it, Ross.

Don't get me wrong, I don't see giving the captaincy to a true blue Evertonian as a bad move and he clearly did put in a captain's performance motivated by receiving the armband.

The point I was making was why waste it on a nothing game only to take it back the following week (presuming that's what he does) when Barkley, as someone we presumably want to keep at the club, can now tick that off his 'ambitions while still at Everton' list.

Does that make sense? My thinking was to hold back the honour until a time when perhaps it was contractually more beneficial or when we needed to arrest a spell of bad form for example. Cynical I know but that's the job of the manager in my opinion, to manipulate circumstances to Everton's best advantage.

Hope that clarifies it wasn't a moan per se.

He is still improving and we have yet to see the best of him and when Koeman says he is a talent, that is a much more meaningful praise than, for example, he has talent. I agree with him, Ross is a genuine talent by any standard and if he gave any hint of wanting to leave I'd say the bidding would be fierce.

Ross dedicated the game to the passing of a loved mentor, most footballers would have dedicated it to "me, me, me". I'm very proud that we can develop and keep players of this calibre

It has always given me great pleasure to see Irish lads do well at Everton. Not because of national pride but because it could have been me and I love it for them. Ross being captain last night made me feel really good, really good. I can't explain why but it just did. And he did just great. Well done, RK.

Listening to him (RB) giving the after-match interview, it gave me a really warm feeling. I think he represents very well what I would like to think is the true Everton Spirit. His family must be so proud.

Ronald Koeman, in handing the Captain's armband, has formally ended Ross' apprenticeship.

Now, our:
"Diamond called Ross Barkley"

He made you Captain of the Blues,
Koeman expects the best from you,
Show him you're a Toffee through and through!

Go!
Go!
Go Barkley!
Show us what you're made of Rossy!
Make us proud!
Barkley shoot the whole world down!

Top scorer already this season and loads of chances created – he laid two gilt chances on for Rom last night... one an open goal, quality delivery.

He is Ace – he is one of us and he has the potential to become even better and through that attract lots of other top stars who are in awe of him. I just loved it early on when he went on one of his runs and took out a couple of defenders, putting one on his arse then laying to Rom.

As well as his work rate, I can see his first-time pass and touch improving as well this season.. Guys, he is knuckling down and he is producing right now – no potential – he led us through this fixture and scored the effective winner with that free kick.

I just love this time at Everton! COYB's!!!