Gordon thriving off Lampard's trust

Let's hope we can get him tied down to a long contract because he has a very bright future.

Playing under Benitez must have been soul-destroying. I totally get why Digne went " fuck off you outdated bell-end!" Playing and training under Frank must be worth coming to work for.

think it's great we've broken the old blue boys network. Fresh blood, fresh ideas, a proper fucking coaching staff, finally. Now sort out our youngsters so we have more talent coming through and ask Unsworth what he's doing, politely of course.

I see Brands is back in clog land, best place for that idiot. Moise Kean... what the fuck!!

I just hope he has good people around him to keep him focused and not some gobshite agent looking to make a few Bob.

He's always come across as someone with the determination and will to match his natural talents. His social media is one of a young lad posting videos of him in the gym during the summer break, rather than one at parties and beach holidays.

When he struggled at a poor Preston on loan, quite a few were quick to write him off. Then he played a few games early on in the season and looked a little shaky, and many were quick to write him off as another example of Everton's failing academy. Another who'll never be anything.

The hastiness of some fans to write off young talent, just cause they don't immediately play like Rooney, really doesn't help.

But Gordon just kept going, pushing for his chances and has shown what can happen if you show patience and persevere with young players.

For some, Gordon's Everton career would have ended after his 10th game. Luckily, it was not and he could be a very important player going forward. And hopefully the first in a line a new academy graduates that can define a new era for us Blues.

If anything, his attitude and commitment is a great example to the likes of Dobbin, Onyango, Branthwaite and others in the academy of what is possible if they want it.

have had one or two on here asking if I've seen him since Lampard was appointed and what his views are on Frank. Well, now we know... but, when I see him again, I will try and get more information. Have also seen Seamus in the park in the past, so I would like to see him again and get his views.

I see that Demarai Gray could be available for this weekend, as could Mykolenko. If both are available, then it's going to be a very difficult team selection for Frank to make.

Branthwaite should be next. He really could be a magnificent player with just another 10 games under his belt.

Patterson too hopefully.

This week, I'm feeling similar about Iwobi: as good as he was on Saturday, I'd bring Gray back.

I also feel Mykolenko gives us more balance on the left, but would be sorry to see Kenny dropped. I suppose these decisions are what managers are paid £6+million a year for, but does Frank stick or twist?

I hope Lampard and his staff are tactical geniuses, because I've been very impressed with the calm way, he seems to have dealt with his players since the Newcastle game, and if his greatest gift is giving confidence to players, then Frank Lampard will hopefully become a great success.

I'm enjoying watching Gordon, he's got many talents, with my favourite being the way he takes the ball with his back to his opponent, and effortlessly turns inside, leaving them standing!

On another subject (didn't know what thread) but well done to Michael and Lyndon; the photos right across the home page are brilliant and reflect a real positive feeling.

Also the barometer has now been set with Saturday's performance, no more lacklustre displays, no matter who we are playing !

Let Mykolenko, Branthwaite, Patterson get a good chance to play regularly, they will surely bring succour to the fans and erase bad memories of poor performances.

Let's hope Frank carries on and shows his genius tactics for the betterment of the team.

Iwobi, my countryman we want more of your commitment and discipline both off and on the field.

Still lot's of competition for places with Gray to come back along with the experience of Alli and Townsend.

What a different player Iwobi looked on Saturday.

If they can keep it up then they may have a good shot at Southampton of getting a result as long as there are no more injuries like the Barcodes game.

But I think he's prospered because he's bright as demonstrated by this interview. During Lockdown 1 he took the opportunity to move into a house with mates who were personal trainers and beefed up so that, once he returned during Restart, he was a different specimen and got game time.

He's also benefited from not being expected to be Rooney Mk II since he was 16. There's be no hype and where he plays doesn't have a precedent whereas Barkley was always being saddled as the next Rooney because he played centrally.

Unlike Barkley, he has a football brain. Barkley is undoubtedly a unique talent but his decision making is what has held him back. He hesitates or loses concentration or is over elaborate. Gordon seems to look to go direct and attack in a pragmatic manner. He does the sensible stuff very well.

As a player he's already light years ahead of Barkley in all-round game awareness. He dwarfs him.

Hopefully he stays grounded (with his agent) and develops into a player that Champions League contenders want to sign.

Here's hoping.

I noticed that as well. He is a gem.

I know it's early days, but there is the strongest feeling for as long as I can remember, that at long last, Everton are going in the right direction, and not 'treading treacle' as we have had so many false dawns before.

The upcoming game against Southampton will tell us a lot more, in that can we repeat Saturday's effort and commitment? Against a side who themselves are in a rich vein of form, and proving to be well organised and dangerous if given opportunity.

Personally can't wait, but I suppose I will have to! :-)

Southampton will be much harder, we will visit a team with confidence and as an away team. Not easy at all. Hope Lampard notices this and puts a strong team out there (given the options he has, of course...). And doesn't take it lightly.

I was surprised against Newcastle he put so Many players that seemed “pushed” to get an injury (Mina, Allan, Coleman, etc) and that made me wonder.

Maybe he simply was testing his players and thought that losing that game wouldn't be so terrible. Maybe he has more confidence in his players' fitness than I do, or maybe he just wants to know them through his own experience, which sounds fair enough.

I like Lampard's style of management, I love looking at our bench and finally having interesting options for different kind of games.

But pleaaaaaase, Frank, don't push more of our players to the physical limit, we have no Michael Essiens here.

Just always leaving Anthony Gordon on the green grass will do.

COYB!

I feel, with Gordon, he also needed to score a goal to gain confidence. He was probably trying too hard to score his first, the longer it took, the harder it was becoming. Once his first went in, the shackles were off.

I agree with those who say he has the heads-up approach, the vision and awareness that Barkley lacks. Our skinny little kid is growing into a man, someone hopefully we can be proud of. He is not the only one I'm feeling positive about.

If he can master shooting hard and into the corners of the goal from the edge of the box like he has mastered the rest of his game, he will become a match-winner for us.

Osman was before Rooney (he played and scored in the 1998 FA Youth Cup Final) and Gordon is definitely a better player than Barkley. He's got more drive to win the ball and a much quicker footballing brain when he has it.

No manager or coach can take full credit for Anthony Gordon coming good. It was natural progression of the player's natural talent. Obviously Ancelotti saw enough to get him involved, Benitez was there when he was more ready, and Lampard will now benefit from it.

If anything, it is probably down to the Finch Farm coaches pointing out where he needed to improve. And yes, that's coming from someone who has been critical of our academy.

But most importantly, and almost irrelevant to who it came from, it's the player himself who deserves the credit. Natural progression of the talent, but hard work and effort behind it. You can be told what to do by anyone who know's their stuff. But unless you take it on board and implement it, you won't improve.

I never get too carried away, but I did say to the good lady last night that I have a niggling concern the hawks may circle over young Anthony come the summer or in the not too distant future. He's exactly the type of potential Man City would snap up for example. Let's just hope that's my paranoia.

Back to his points. Playing higher up the pitch. As much as I have a tear of joy in my eye hearing that, I almost despair because many of us have been screaming and banging our heads against the wall for years over the blatantly obvious.

We don't necessarily have the central defenders to do it perfectly, so as with Leeds, just go toe-to-toe; and we got off with a couple against them courtesy of the woodwork (do we still call it that?). Score more goals than we concede. The fundamental & simple aspect of winning football matches.

Rob Halligan; for once, a nice problem to have. We have discreetly added depth to the squad.

Final point: this manager was always going to promote youth. He demonstrated that at Chelsea, although perhaps he benefitted from inheritance of a system put in place that was coming to fruition. But he also came through what I consider one of the most productive youth systems over time in English football at West Ham.

Living in Spain, the term commonly used around here to describe Benitez would be gilipollas (dickhead). Actually, it wouldn't because they love him on the Costa Blanca.

And with the image of him after the Brentford defeat, when he walked towards our irate support, hands-on head.

No skulking away, no hiding. Small things which showed his character.

Another question for me to ask Anthony next time I see him in the park: “Would you ever leave Everton?”

To be fair, Anthony didn't say that the instructions were simple (or obvious), but that it was detail that has made the difference.

What's the old saying, "The devil is in the detail". In any area, this is what separates the best from the also-rans, and the genius from the ordinary. Let's hope it continues.

Ancelotti said he wasn't a magician. Well, magic is what a manager is paid millions of £ per year for. And like magic performed by magicians on the stage, it all comes down to detail and the expertise to execute it well.

Perhaps you could consider writing a series of articles for TW based on the players/staff you meet in Calderstones?

I've even got a title for you "A walk in the park with [insert name of player]".

Could be exactly what the site has been missing since Ken Buckley stopped writing his "From my Seat" articles.

Perhaps you could ask if his Mum knew Gary Jones? He looks a lot like him. Going back a bit but not all us old 'uns are senile enough to remember Gary. (According to Wiki he now runs a pub in Lark Lane.)

I wonder if this is because Lampard was playing 2 games a week, season-in and season-out, and winning everything in the process?

Surely you'll be super fit playing more often; he might think that it is all a load of shite about players playing ‘too much' football! I've always believed this to be bollocks personally as surely you just get sharper and need to train less?

It is interesting that Gordons finds an English Manager style easier to work with than a foreign manager's style. Lampard is combining training with play more, giving training focus and objectives. It seems that the players didn't buy into the methods of previous regimes.

He is tenacious and now looks a Premier League player, hope he keeps working hard and improving.

Good words for Mr Lampard too, let's hope for some decent results and a cup win to give the club a massive boost!

Football being a simple game is definitely a phrase that rings very true, but what is the next bit? Something about it being over-complicated by idiots!

It looks very obvious that Lampard is just trying to get the players to believe in themselves, and the more a player trains with intensity, the better chance you have of them doing things that just come naturally. Although it's very early days, of course.

In Martinez's first season, Barkley, along with Deulofeu, Stones and Lukaku, were 19 years old, one year younger than Gordon.

Barkley's freekick against Swansea, strike against City on the last day, his solo goal against Newcastle, and how he imposed himself during the 1-1 draw against Arsenal...

Gordon hasn't yet got that resume of highlights.

The issue with Barkley, is application and perhaps that lack of footballing nous. Gordon, while more limited, has learnt to be more focused on what he can bring to the team.

Hopefully, he can focus on what he's good at, be direct and do more pass-and-move... The ball he played into Van de Beek was indicative of some vision, and his attempted flick at Richarlison's shot at goal (which he got credited for), shows a guile, where he was probably trying to re-direct the ball, to throw off the keeper.

When Ancelotti brought him into the team, everything was new to him and with most young players they try and keep it simple and not be to adventurous when first selected for the first team. But, with each game under his belt, his confidence has grown and just as important the confidence of his teammates in him has grown.

I am sure he feels more empathy with Frank as he will have watched Frank both for Chelsea and England, also Frank had to battle to establish himself in the Chelsea side as well as the England team, so he will understand what Anthony needs to progress.

Frank has worked with some of the Worlds best coaches, and I am sure being the clever guy he is, will have learned something from each of them.

Also I think many forget that Guardiola took him to City for a few months and there aren't any better coaches in World football than Pep. So he has a lot to draw on to help not only the young players but also the seasoned players who will need a different type of guidance than a young player.

Yes, as you say, early days. I don't want to get ahead of myself, because of past raised expectations, but Lampard has impressed me for several reasons:

(1) He's very professional but direct in his communications, very clear, and comes across as a straight batter, no management bullshit.

(2) He looks very pleased to be at Everton, as if it's an honour for him, which of course it is.

(3) He's engaged with us supporters, which appears genuine, from the heart.

(4) He seems to have engaged with the players in a way that will hopefully in the long run make them run through a brick wall for him.

(5) He has us playing attacking football aggressively, as if it's entirely natural.

(6) It looks like the younger players will have more chance to thrive, which is reflected in what Anthony has said (and what Davies has said).

(7) I liked the way he spoke to Klopp after that Chelsea v Liverpool game – about time someone did so openly, which again is an indication of his passion together with being someone who won't be fucked around by bullshitters and cheats like Klopp.

It's about time we had a manager with these combined attributes, subject to (as you say Tony) it being early days.

It's been one of the few positives of our terrible money-wasting over the past few years, because I'd much rather see players come through the system – especially local lads – than buy them in ready-made.

RIght now, I feel more connected to our team and coaching staff than I have since the Moyes era.

What could be better than doing it with Everton for Anthony Gordon ? I am obviously looking ahead, as I think we will just fall short of Champion's League qualification this time round by a mere 50 points or so. :-)

He doesn't strike me as a lad who is a golddigger or mercenary, and let's face it there are no shortage of them around. Jack Grealish springs to mind, being interviewed some time ago proclaiming his love for his boyhood club Villa, that he always supported, then realised his dream, by actually going on to play for them!

That was until he got a bit of fame, and/but fortune wasn't enough, and that loyalty thing flew out of the window when Man City came calling. Now was it the lure of Euro Involvement that made him defect, or did he get too big for his boots, or did the Golden Calf worshipping prove too strong? A fantastic player admittedly, but since moving, has not featured that often for Man City. (?)

Mind you, comparing Jack 'the Lad' Grealish to Anthony is like the proverbial 'chalk and cheese' analogy, and as I alluded before, I think he is a very level headed local lad. Couldn't quite conjure up the picture of Jack Grealish taking his girlfried/wife and dog in the park, even with a diamond-studded collar and Muzzle.

Even to bump into you, Rob! :-)

For me, Rooney was the more naturally gifted player, but by 28, Ronaldo was superior and had become one of the world's greats, continuously competing with Messi for the Ballon d'Or, because he worked harder to get there. Rooney rested on his laurels.

Given what he achieved in the game that's harsh, but he could have been up there. Maybe like Barkley, albeit at a different level? Although I always thought Barkley wasn't coached properly, to be honest.

Barkley probably was more naturally gifted at the same age, but where is he now? When he should be at his peak, he is on the bench mostly. Loaned out to a club that stopped using him and seemingly being offered out in January with no takers.

We also have to take into account that players develop and improve at different stages, just like any walk of life.

Anthony is coming along nicely.

Earlier in the season, I was of the opinion that he was too lightweight & lacked the drive to really make it at Everton. Over the last 3 months or so, I have witnessed his development into a nailed on starter, culminating in his best all round performance of the season on Saturday.

I believe that currently he is better utilised on the right-hand side in this team. This is due to his ability to go past people on the outside & deliver and to also cut inside and drive into the box, as witnessed against Leeds.

In this regard he is very reminiscent of Tricky Trevor Steven & if he can continue to develop further we may see him move into an attacking central midfield role, something akin to Kevin de Bruyne. High praise I know, but he really does have that potential.

Keep it up, Anthony lad, the Goodison faithful are right behind you “Oh Anthony Gordon”.

What I would say is his progress in 6 months has been extraordinary, from Preston flop to our first name on the team sheet.

He has a special style, graceful on the ball yet strong and direct. His crossing is improving and, with that, I hope as will his finishing, there could be plenty of goals in this lad in the future and lately most of what we do that is good, comes through him in some way.

Agree with other comments, I love the way he drives forward with the ball. To cap it all off, he's one of us, I hope a new contract is being drawn up as we speak, he's earned it.

Steve @50 is right, each player is different and will develop at different stages of their footballing career. Rooney was ready-made at 16, but you don't get many of them.

I keep saying it about Gordon. Aside from his natural ability on the ball, he has great ability to change pace. Not raw pace, and I'm not suggesting he's a slouch. Just an ability to change pace quickly to buy yards and give him the advantage on the defender. That comes from his feet. He is a very good footballer, comfortable on the ball.

However, he is essentially an instinctive player for whom coaching doesn't seem to have really improved him and, let's face it, he's played for some decent coaches. He also seems to have lost some of the explosive power that characterised his early career, not sure if that is conditioning or his natural build.

Gordon is a lot slighter, but plays in the modern style. Works very hard, moves the ball quickly in possession, and seems to possess that footballing intelligence to pick the right option which for me was always Barkley's limitation.

Early days but let's hope he keeps progressing because he has bags of potential.

What I really meant is that I thought he lacked the drive and presence to dominate and go past people. That has clearly changed and he now does that for fun as you say with a deft change of pace etc.

I was also a fan of Leon and always thought he was wasted out wide for us. His best position and best performances for Everton were off the main striker IMO. However, during that time, we also had a certain Tim Cahill who was first choice in that position.

Turning back to Anthony, long may his improvement continue and I believe he is in the best of hands with this manager.

Barkley may be a better footballer, natural talent wise, but he never showed the heart that Gordon has so far in his career.

https://www.evertonfc.com/video/2478911/everton-duo-reveal-who-would-fare-best-in-nfl?

One of the most exciting players I can recall watching in the 60's, tricky and lightning quick. I can only assume he never got an England cap because for us, he didn't really have a set position, more of a free role, and that likely didn't fit with Alf Ramsey wanted his team set up.

The guy on the other side of the pitch, Johnny M wasn't too bad either, albeit more of a line hugger!

Not comparing him to Foden of Man City, who is exceptional, but, when he broke into City's team, it was very noticeable that the senior players never trusted him enough to give him the ball and that lasted for quite a while. Now Foden helps to run the machine that is City along with the master, De Bruyne.

Anthony is now getting that trust and using it to the advantage of the whole team; long may the improvement continue.

Agree with all that you said. It feels like the manager and new coaches have brought in a fresh and positive approach that appears to have been bought into by every player in the squad. Let's hope it can translate to better away performances as well.

Also I couldn't resist translating what Lucas Digne possibly, or hopefully said to the FSW:

"Va te faire foutre de la cloche obsolète!"

I think I might have wanted to make space for Banks, Moore and Charlton but I take your point about the midfield. Peters Bell and Mullery were good players but I think our two were their equal and of course you have the benefit of them being a strong collective.

Anthony in a flash took the full back on and knocked the ball down the line. My immediate reaction was ‘no Anthony! that's not on ‘. But his timing and pace over those 10 yards took him past the defender and he pinged his cross in from a great deep position. Takes a bit of class and natural talent to be able to do it. When you've got talent like that it is clear that such moves are repeatable and will cause havoc for opposition defences for the next 10 years.

His all round game and physical strength is very good and still improving. I think he is an intelligent, natural footballer and other players will appreciate his presence.

I don't think anyone is prematurely going over the top about him, it's just a fair reflection of what we're seeing on the pitch week after week. He's a young player that is consistently good, and that consistency is probably the biggest marker of all.

Like some others, up until the beginning of this season I just couldn't see a Premier League player in Anthony. Sure he had skills but without strength of body and mind (character) and stamina in abundance, a player is destined to become an also ran amongst elites. The Premier League is relentless and I just didn't think Anthony had enough of the full package to succeed. He didn't look like he 'believed' he belonged - that's such an important attribute for anyone in life, not just in football.

However the change in him this season is remarkable. He now looks like the (almost) full package and stands a great chance of making it long term in the Premier League. To do that he needs to keep working hard, listening to the right people and never to believe that he's 'made it'. Hopefully he has the right people round him, not only at the club, but also in his personal life.

As I say, I'm very happy that I appear to have been proven wrong and happy to acknowledge it.

I'm still to be proven wrong about a certain Italian striker though that I made my mind up about after his first substitute appearance!

Now where's my stick of Glam Rock?

Dale, George will be made up having a Car Model named after him.

To get back on topic - let's hope Frank and the squad can Get It On against Soton on Saturday. Perhaps someone could slip a Mickey Finn in to the Saints' drinks bottles?

As somebody mentioned he does seem to have picked up some of Gray's silky skills this season and it's great to watch him just glide by defenders as goes directly into the box.

I really believe that Tom Davies will also benefit from Lampard and his staff's positivity and coaching. Tom is an outstandingly talented player who has been short changed by the club. He was never allowed to develop correctly after being pressed into the team as a boy. There is a great player in there and it is not to late for Tom to show it.