Something of a David Moyes throwback

I will be very happy to sing ‘1-0 to the Everton'!

So yes, it's similar. We even have a gigantic Belgian in midfield.

And this is just the start.

Much to be optimistic about as we move towards the BMD era.

A solid defense and strong midfield are really important especially given how impotent we are in front of goal throughout the team.

Note for Michael/ Lyndon: when I log in my "return to where you left off" selection is not working??

Patterson – 8, good cover when West Ham got through.

Tarkowski – 8, cleared absolutely everything.

Coady – 7, the odd mistake but shovelled one away brilliantly in the first half. Unusual for an on loan player being captain, but a natural talker is a big step forward.

Mykolenko – 7, neat and tidy; I just wish he would get forward more. Been spoilt by Baines and Digne, but always in position.

Gana – 8, for me, he was mopping up trouble by intercepting and tackling. He's a ratter and I am glad to have him back.

Onana – 6. I thought he was okay, but struggled to add too much against Rice. A couple of iffy passes, and could do more at attacking set-pieces; he will have better games.

Iwobi – 8.5, worked hard, passed well and set up the winner. His ability to work between the lines is a game changer with this new work rate.

Gordon – 6, Just didn't get going, and added another yellow card when he didn't need to.

Gray – 8, nice and busy with some good delivery in. Calvert-Lewin gets a tap-in with some of that delivery. One of his better games, and think shades MotM over Iwobi.

Maupay – 7.5. Good goal and busy enough.

Subs – not much to write home about, to be honest. McNeil looks very one-paced for an attacking role. A bit like Iwobi, I don't think he's quick enough or productive enough for a front 3 role.

I also agree with your comment regarding McNeil. My lad has raved about him for a couple of years, in particular regarding his technique and sweet left foot. My own opinion was that he was a little one-paced and lacked that extra yard to be a top-drawer Premier League player.

However, I think he is probably better suited to playing a little deeper as you say, in a midfield 3 or 4 where his lack of pace will be less exposed and he can use his left foot and passing range to greater effect?

Ambition sidelined for Premier League existence and praying for Gordon to be another Rooney golden egg for the financials.

Hopefully it doesn't last a decade this time.

Your summary is what I watched. West Ham settled better early on, we grew into the game and they inevitably came at us in search of an equaliser. A good end to end game in my opinion.

Barry. I'm agreeing with you way too often. Stop it.

As for Gordon being the next Rooney, that's utterly laughable, he's nowhere near as talented.

Reports that Lampard could be the next England manager as soon as the World Cup is over doesn't make good reading; heaven help us if that rumour has any legs. We need 5 years of stability.

West Ham are finding the Moyes glass ceiling. After a reasonable last season, they are finding pushing on has evaporated. I know how their fans feel only too well.

I think Paul's ratings are spot on.

I'm hoping it is lazy and obvious journalism Trevor. I think Southgate will leave after the World Cup, so the speculation will start. I see Gerrard is linked as well. Let's hope it leans that way.

Lampard has connected with Everton and without getting carried away, is building something. Gerrard seems to have come into Villa, pissed a few players off with his ego and not really connected with the supporters from what I've seen. If his dream job isn't on yet and he see's something else, I could see him jumping.

Is it 1st October yet? International breaks. I hate them.

Aww, come on, mate – just enjoy a win, will you?

Definition of Ambition: A strong desire to do or achieve something. It's hardly been sidelined... I believe Frank has it in spades.

I think he's putting together a team that is ambitious. Instead of the players we had in recent seasons whose only ambitions was to get the biggest, longest contract they could and put their feet up.

Imo, it's more ambitious to try and build a young hungry team for the long term.

Lampard is a completely different character to Moyes. We may have to pass through Moyes territory for a season, but that'll be it.

I think Frank has taken a pragmatic approach to curing the soft centre which has for too long crippled us by draining the confidence of the entire team. Get the fundamentals right and you have a platform upon which to build.

I get why you see comparisons to Davey Moyes's team, but I'm seeing and hoping for something better. Davey Moyes arrived in the nick of time. We were absolutely certain for the drop until he intervened. He did make us so much harder to beat, but he seemed to just leave it there. <>Yeah, we stayed harder to beat for the best part of a decade, but he seemed reluctant or incapable of taking the next step. Worse still was he never developed a plan B. When plan A went out of the window, the floodgates would often open..

On another match thread, I said I saw a likeness to what George Graham did at Arsenal. Like Graham, Frank has been part of a very successful set-up. Like Graham, he is clearly an intelligent guy and like Graham, he has surrounded himself with people who have achieved success through solid foundation.

People (especially Spurs fans) dubbed Arsenal "boring" but, although they were solid as a rock, they played some fantastic stuff. His players were well versed in game management, but Graham let his defenders defend and his attackers attack.

Frank has been cautious too. He has gone to some lengths to strengthen his defence and midfield, but there is a subtle difference to what he is doing. He is not asking his attackers to do his defenders' work for them. He wants them to attack, with the knowledge that they can trust the guys behind them. He does of course still need to find the right striker.

I have a dream that we will soon be hearing the Kop singing "Boring, boring, Everton". Just as the jealous win-fuck-all Spurs fans used to sing about Arsenal. Frank's starting position is nowhere near as good as Graham's was, it will take more time.

In the meantime, I'll just keep walking around the house singing "One-nil to the Everton!"

Exactly. We had a good side under Moyes but he was unable to get to the next level, for whatever reasons, that's another argument.

I'd take the fight and effort Moyes sides had over the weak, crumbling sides we've had to put up with over the last few years.

If we build from a solid base, which it's looking like we have with this settling defence and midfield it's a good foundation for the future.

Previous managers have tried to run before they could walk. You can't have a side with a defence and midfield like we've had and expect to do well, even if we had a world class front line which we haven't and haven't since Lukaku.

So far under Lampard, I think he is way more negative in his approach than I expected. The 5 at the back of last season nearly saw us relegated, and despite good signings in the defence and midfield, we still look like a team with few ideas in the final third.

We have only managed to score 1 goal in any game and, to be honest, in most games have never looked like ever scoring 2 or 3. I think many thought Lampard would look to integrate some of our youngsters into the team, but despite lacking forwards he chose to send both Simms and Dobbin out on loan.

For most of the games this season, we have been far inferior to the opposition in possession stats and goal chances, that includes Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa – two teams who I think will struggle this year. On Sunday, he subbed his front 3 which is quite unusual for someone who wants to see front foot football.

To sum up some good signings in Tarkowski and Coady, probably Gueye is the most important, and under the tutelage of Ashley Cole the improvement in Mykolenko and Patterson is there for all to see. But, now he has a solid base, I want to see midfielders joining forwards in the box, and sometimes seeing midfield players run past the forwards – something I have rarely seen since Lampard took over. Strange when you consider how prolific he was for Chelsea.

I know this seems like a really negative post, but I want Frank to succeed, as changing managers every 18 months hasn't worked, but I just think he needs to improve our goal output and make us a lot more attractive to watch than we have been so far under his stewardship.

The defence is stronger. Both full-backs aren't offering much in the way of going forward but are making us stronger at the back.

In Gueye, Onana and Iwobi, we have energy and agression.

We have options to play different formations. Lampard will know we need goals in the team. He also knows that it takes time to improve a Premier League football team.

Last season, he was looking for answers; this season, he has stabilised the defence. Next year we may have a couple of new strikers that add goals.

Unless he is bankrolled like Man City or Chelsea, don't be expecting too much too soon.

We suffered 11 years of Moyes and his "knife to a gunfight". There is no way on earth that Lampard is cut from the same cloth.

Being pragmatic at home to a half-decent team and getting a win is better than playing on the front foot and getting stuffed. Real Madrid played like that last season and didn't do to badly.

But he's been successful in relative terms at a well run modest club. He may wish to take the next step in club management.

Southgate seemed to make the coaching move into international football early and progress through the ranks with England. Maybe they'll follow that model again, but I don't follow England enough to know who is waiting in the wings as a potential successor.

All unfounded theory at the moment though.

George Graham is a better comparison than Moyes. I think you are correct in the way Everton will develop. I can even see an Adam Smith type role developing for Calvert-Lewin in such a set-up.

It will be interesting when Everton play Arteta's Arsenal. Graham's defence has long gone under Wenger and the dry spell that is helping them a lot will be gone also when the fixture is rescheduled.

I do think that Frank will have more midfielders running beyond the attacking line, once he gets the midfield more settled. Defensively the coaching of Cole seems to be paying dividends, an area I thought Frank was leaving too exposed.

Maupay can finish and pass. He also gets into good positions. If only McNeil was stronger in his play, it would make a big difference. I am sure they are working on that.

Gray is getting more confident and Gordon will hopefully come round from the shock treatment he got during the Transfer Window.

I think the FA may well promote from within again, like when appointing Southgate.

Carsley would be a good bet if you can find any of the arteta money down the back of the couch.

It's been over a week since anyone mentioned the Arteta money, so things must be looking up for Everton.

"The Wealth of Formations"