If Everton are close to better future then one man deserves unique recognition

Everton FC correspondent Joe Thomas on the impact and influence still held by Seamus Coleman after his intervention sparked another important win last weekend

If Everton are close to better future then one man will deserve unique recognition they never seek

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The last manager to lead Everton to silverware was honoured at the club’s training ground this week with the road that runs through Finch Farm named after Joe Royle.

It was a nice tribute to the 75-year-old, who was present in Halewood on Thursday to unveil the sign commemorating the gesture ahead of Sean Dyche’s pre-Newcastle United press conference.

Spirits had improved at the complex, Dyche later acknowledged, off the back of his team’s first Premier League win of the season days earlier. The hope, understandably, is the morale-boost will carry Everton into another good result on Saturday evening.

One player who will not be involved under the lights at Goodison Park but who can bear some responsibility for the comeback against Crystal Palace that has inspired preparations for the weekend is Seamus Coleman.

Still unavailable due to a calf injury, he remains a focal point and several players revealed it was his words in the dressing room that helped transform Everton’s fortunes against Palace. The exact words he said may always be a mystery - much to the surprise of teammate Ashley Young, who later reflected his belief the whole stadium could have heard the club captain’s call to arms. But the result was crystal clear. Everton’s players entered the bowels of Goodison trailing but, nine minutes after their re-emergence had fought their way ahead.

Dyche, the latest manager to benefit from the talisman in the dressing room, has no problem conceding the floor to Coleman when he feels it is time to step in. He would be happy for more players to do it but understands he inherited a special personality.

He said ahead of the game with Newcastle United: “Seamus has always got the freedom, as have other players by the way, he's just from an older generation where he's seen it, and obviously with his experience here, he's always spoken to me about it. Does that concern me [he asks]? I say 'absolutely not'.

“I say: 'You say it as you see it.' Because I think that honest response to some situations is a natural occurrence and it should be. I want more players to be like that and to open up about how they are feeling. And I think that's an important process to go through. He is certainly like that. He knows the value he has here and he knows he has a lot of value with me as well.”

Coleman still dreams of helping Everton to a first trophy since Royle’s side lifted the FA Cup in 1995. At the age of 35, it is not controversial to suggest the breakthrough would need to come soon for him to enjoy it as a player.

But there should be little doubt the defender is as close to a modern legend as there can be at the club he loves so dearly. Last Saturday’s teamtalk made clear just how highly regarded he is by his squad and the coaching staff - that was a win that Everton desperately needed and looked worryingly unlikely as a smattering of boos greeted the half-time whistle.

It was just the latest crucial intervention from Coleman, heralded by Frank Lampard as “one of the best people I have met in football” after his role on and off the pitch in what became a remarkable escape from relegation on the penultimate match of that campaign.

Everton needed more crucial interventions as they went one game closer to the drop 12 months later and then suffered multiple crises last season. Against that backdrop it is quite stunning that, for all that Coleman has had to do, his words have not lost their impact.

His powers to make a difference on the pitch may have waned amid frustrations with injury - though there have been key moments on that front too, including his incredible match winner against Leeds United 18 months ago - but the power of his words remains a weapon that can be used to help Everton overcome rivals.

That influence remains because of what he is, and who he is, day in and day out, not just on a matchday when his team is staring into the abyss. On Tuesday night, as first team performance coach Jack Dowling pushed his body with a 26 hour running challenge for cancer charity Macmillan, Coleman was there, present in the dark, difficult early hours to support a colleague who had helped him in his own battles.

I have been privileged enough to see Coleman on and off the pitch, including in Dublin and Sligo in the summer as his contribution to Everton was marked with a poignant documentary released in the Irish capital and a return to the club that famously received just £60,000 for his services. There is no greater ambassador for Everton.

It is too early to discuss tributes to Coleman. He still has a role to play on the pitch. Hopefully he will live his dream and lead this club to silverware as a player. But however his career continues at Everton his time in Royal Blue will deserve recognition.

There is still work to do to get to the better future that feels tantalisingly close to this great club’s grasp. If and when Everton get there, it may be Jordan Pickford’s saves or the goals of Richarlison, Dominic Calvert-Lewin or Abdoulaye Doucoure that are the most vivid memories of the struggles Everton overcame to make it possible. But few, if any, will have been as pivotal as Coleman.

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