Huge Mood Change At Goodison Park As Frank Lampard Makes Dream Start

Everton fans at Goodison Park did something they had not done for a long time on Saturday.

They collectively gave their manager a powerful vocal endorsement.

Frank Lampard was greeted with booming cheers from all four corners of Goodison as he was presented to his new public before an FA Cup tie with Brentford.

And the mood around the stadium was even higher after Everton thrashed Brentford 4-1 in a game that ended with the "Super Frank" chant ringing around the ground.

Frank Lampard celebrates a goal in his first match as Everton manager

IMAGO/Peter Byrne

Negativity has been synonymous with Everton for well over a year. Since fans returned to the stadium, atmospheres at Goodison had been poisonous at times. 

Last season ended with Everton winning just three of their last 13 games - having started the campaign with seven straight victories.

Former manager Carlo Ancelotti then abandoned the sinking ship to rejoin Real Madrid, before all hell broke loose when Rafael Benitez was named as his replacement.

As an ex-Liverpool boss who had made derogatory comments about "small" Everton in the past, Benitez needed to get off to a dream start if he was to win fans around.

Instead, his time in the Everton dugout quickly became a nightmare. Not only was his football boring, his results dragged the club into a relegation battle.

It is worth mentioning that Benitez was not the sole target of angry fans for the duration of his ill-fated time with the Toffees.

Fans also rallied against the board for a perceived lack of ambition, but just seven wins in 22 games ultimately saw Benitez sacked in mid-January.

Benitez was never really welcome at Goodison. So his leaving was cause enough for some fans to throw a party. But then Everton's transfer business at the end of January turned it into a month truly worth celebrating.

Lampard recruited Dele Alli and Donny van de Beek on deadline day. Both players arrived with points to prove after falling out of favor at Tottenham and Manchester United respectively. But both had also shown in the past that when they have a manager who believes in them they can be among the best players in Europe.

Neither Dele nor Van de Beek were involved against Brentford, but both were warmly applauded after being introduced to the fans at half-time.

They will have enjoyed their ovations. They will also have enjoyed the way Lampard allowed his players on the pitch to perform with a level of attacking freedom that was in stark contrast to Benitez's unpopular tactics.

One cannot help but feel like Lampard is the perfect manager to get Dele and Donny firing again.

But on this occasion it was Demarai Gray, Richarlison and Andros Townsend who shone, with impressive supporting roles for Allan and Andre Gomes, as Everton started the Lampard era by making a strong positive statement.