An afternoon of raw emotion and a club re-born

This was Goodison Park at its best — no-one has any great affinity with Frank apart from maybe thinking he was a great player — but the raw emotion, hope, faith which poured out for what was, let's face it, otherwise a low-key 4th round cup-tie against a very ordinary Brentford, was quite remarkable — and it will stay with me forever.

EVERTON 4 - 1 BRENTFORD

Up at 5:50 am, out with the dogs to quickly “pump ship” then spent 10 minutes scraping thick ice off the car before my 45 minutes up the M5 to join up with the West Country Blues coach. We had the best part of 50 on board and what a smooth journey it was, reaching the Grand Old Lady well before 1 pm.

I needed some food but, first of all, made my way to “The Dark House” to meet up with George McKane for a beer. What a charismatic man George is and I made a mental note to allow more time next time that I arrange to see him — thanks, George, and you keep going with those marvellous pre-match posts!

The queues for food outside Goodison Park were huge and it struck me that, for such a sizeable ground, there really isn't much available in the way of food. I gave up and grabbed a steak pie inside the ground which was surprisingly good and it did the job.

The players came out to warm up and it was immediately apparent that this was a much more serious warm-up than usual, with a focus on pressing and passing at speed. It looked like Frank's entire coaching team was out there supervising and this was very different to the normal warm-up which always reminded me of what a bunch of lads would do in a local league match — token and not bristling with serious intent.

The team selected did not fill me with confidence: too many full-backs and centre-halves and I was disappointed to see no sign of Dobbin or Onyango on the bench. Perhaps Frank wanted to give his senior players a chance to show that they did really want to play for the club — whatever the reasons, he was right!

The team received a rousing welcome from the crowd but then… enter Frank!

I am nearly 67, and have been going to Goodison since I was 7; I have witnessed the idol status afforded to Young and Ball… but never have I heard such an ovation as the one given to Frank. You could literally smell the desperation in the crowd, taste the hope. The only occasion which came near for me was when the team came out for the Coventry game in 1998.

I have to confess to having to fight back a tear or two at the ovation we all gave Frank and the pressure he must have felt to give us all a win must have been huge from that moment. He looked absolutely thrilled with it and what a change to the somewhat indifferent reception given to his predecessor.

This was Goodison Park at its best — no-one has any great affinity with Frank apart from maybe thinking he was a great player — but the raw emotion, hope, faith which poured out for what was, let's face it, otherwise a low-key 4th round cup-tie against a very ordinary Brentford, was quite remarkable — and it will stay with me forever. For those of you who were not there, don't be fooled by the TV — this was very, very special.

Moving on (as I am feeling emotional again!!) — players who were awful for Benitez, players who didn't really look bothered under Benitez — or indeed under Ancelotti, gave everything they had on that pitch.

Yes, there were still a couple of defensive lapses, especially after we scored our second and we switched off until we gave them the penalty, but there was a return to form from Holgate who had an excellent match and looked much better from the moment Mina came on. What a difference Yerry makes in both boxes — very underrated.

Mykolenko was getting more involved, Allan was superb, as were Gray and Gordon, but the big surprise was the possible rebirth of Gomes. He was sharp, he tackled, his close control and tight turns away from opponents, he was back to his best and he also put in a rasping drive which was just too close to the keeper.

Maybe the sight of our two new midfielders inspired him. Donny was resplendent in suit and a very trendy full-length trenchcoat whilst Dele opted for the street look of beanie, hoodie, ripped jeans and trainers — if Frank really is going to fine players for how they dress, then Dele will be out of pocket this morning!!

Even the much-maligned Iwobi looked very sharp in his late cameo and the top professional that is Townsend found time for another goal, very cleverly shaping to curl with his left foot before whipping it sharply to the near post — a really clever goal.

My ratings

Pickford: distribution suspect and almost a flap with Keane; 6
Coleman: a steady game; 6
Mykolenko: improving; 6
Keane: scares the crap out of me; 5
Mina: rock steady and fine goal; 7
Holgate: best game in 2 years; 8
Allan: best game for the club? 9
Gomes: industrious, got stuck in and very skilful; 8
Gordon: what a player we have here; 8½
Gray: gets stuck in, bags of skill, pace to burn; 8
Richarlison: worked like a dog and deserved his goal; 7
Subs: all were decent with an excellent goal from Andros Townsend.

So where do the new boys get in and where does Calvert-Lewin get in when he is fit, not to mention Doucoure? These will be nice problems for Frank to have. I can't see Dele playing on Tuesday though Donny may start.

I have always thought that Richarlison and Calvert-Lewin do not combine as a duo and it will be interesting to see what Frank thinks. With Gray so good and Gordon surely undroppable (what a marvellous young player he is developing into), Frank will have a big decision to make because, if he only plays one of the,m then the other may look to move on? These are of course problems which the more successful clubs have and so we should welcome the prospect but we need to get out of trouble first.

This performance has shown what the players can do but we have had such false dawns before. Frank and his team of assistants need to get stuck into them quickly and either ensure that this is merely the foundations on which to build, or identify the players who won't sustain it and ship them out of the picture.

A clear run home getting in the house at 10:45 pm in good time to watch the highlights on MotD — Leon Osman is looking very assured on TV now!

My thanks to Ron, Mike and all the West Country Blues team for another safe day and a pretty happy coach home!

Now for Newcastle!!

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