'Be braver with your words' - Seamus Coleman gave Sean…

'Be braver with your words' - Seamus Coleman gave Sean Dyche a blunt view of Everton problems

Seamus Coleman provided Sean Dyche with an honest assessment of the situation he was walking into when he took the Blues job, the new manager said.

Just like he did when Frank Lampard arrived almost 12 months earlier the club captain shared his views on the predicament at Finch Farm and where things may have been going wrong. His insight was valuable to Dyche, as it was to Lampard, who would later go on to hail his role as a captain and a person during Everton's survival fight last season.

Coleman produced a moment of magic to help Everton secure a crucial win over Leeds United but also excelled once again in his defensive duties. After the game, Dyche praised his bravery as a leader and the "edge" he has maintained through his playing career.

Dyche said Coleman spoke to him when he was appointed and suggested the players had let Lampard down. Reflecting on Coleman's appraisal, his new boss said: "With his experience you can be braver with your words and he is. He will give you an honest opinion if you ask him. With younger players it’s hard to speak openly. But I think he was just sharing a view an honest view and I think that honesty is commendable."

Coleman made his 401st appearance in Royal Blue against Leeds. In his later years he has had to overcome injuries and questions about his place in the team amid the club's recent struggles and Dyche said it was clear Coleman was stronger for having experienced the highs and lows of the game: “That’s how you learn about you as a person, not just as a professional. You can learn about the ups and downs, the ins and outs of a career. Very few players have a glorious career without ups and downs, and it kind of moulds you into who you are and builds an inner strength and he’s got the strength to play here, there’s no two ways about it...

"You’ve just seen him take on two of the in-form wingers in the Premier League. [Wilfried] Gnonto has been outstanding at times at Leeds and [Gabriel] Martinelli at Arsenal, people like that, and he’s just taken it on and gone ‘yeah, I’m ready”. And he looks like he’s playing with that edge, and I like that about players.

“It’s not about age, so long as they’re fit enough enough to deliver that edge it takes. You know that knowledge that he’s got in the game, adding the edge, and hopefully he’s enjoying what he’s now part of, and it’s a good recipe that. There’s no guarantees, he knows he’s got to keep working hard, but he knows how it’s done and that knowledge is important."

Dyche also believes Coleman is stronger due to the manner of his rise, his career beginning at Sligo Rovers before David Moyes took a chance on him and enticed him to Merseyside.

He said: "I admire all footballers, some have tough pathways, some have easy pathways - but it’s tough to be out there playing [for all of them]. It’s not an easy job. It’s an amazing job, but it doesn’t make it easy. So admiration comes in different ways. I just think he’s a very thorough professional and he’s been a joy since we came in. He comes in and trains properly and he demands too, but he demands in his own way, not screaming just demanding.

"He’s got a very good attitude to what the situation is, he’s been there, seen it before, in the ups and downs of his career and the level of Everton Football Club and he seems to have a level view of it all and he’s been terrific so far. But he knows it has to carry on. There are other players here who are chomping to get into the team, and that can only increase the demands on the team, and him as a player."

READ NEXT:

Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.

Already a member? Sign in here