Good afternoon. Welcome to Goodison for our game against Burnley.

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas.

Today is very special for me as it is my first match as manager of Everton Football Club. I know I have joined one of the great clubs of this country. I played football in an era when Everton had one of Europe’s best teams.

The name of Everton carries significant weight across the continent, so when I learned of a potential opportunity to manage this club I immediately wanted to know more.

I spoke to Mr Moshiri, the Chairman Mr Kenwright and Everton’s Board and the huge ambition which exists at this club quickly became obvious.

There is a united desire for Everton to consistently figure at the top end of the Premier League and be competitive in European football.

The ultimate goal is to win honours and we have a clear vision for how we want the Club to reach our targets.

It is not going to happen overnight, we have ground to make up and a lot of work to do.

You Evertonians have an enormous part to play in what we are trying to achieve.

I was in the Main Stand to watch Saturday’s match against Arsenal and when I felt that special atmosphere, the unique sounds and intensity created in this stadium, memories flooded back of coming here when I managed Chelsea.

In my first season I brought Chelsea to Goodison top of the league. Everton were halfway in the table but guys like John Terry, Frank Lampard and Ashley Cole said to expect one of our toughest nights of the season.

They were proved right. It felt like playing against one, big family, joining together.

If you stay with this team how you always do – and it was extraordinary the way you got behind Duncan Ferguson, a legend here who will teach me more about Everton – then we will have another big weapon in our armoury.

I met some Evertonians before the Arsenal game and I could feel their warmth but also see in their eyes how much this club means to them.

The welcome I received from everybody, the fans and staff and players, confirmed what I thought: this is a club where people give themselves to the team, there is mutual respect and Everton doing well on the pitch matters more than individual objectives.

There is a good squad here, international footballers with a lot of talent and capacity to achieve important things. It was encouraging, too, to see young players comfortable with the responsibility of filling key positions through the middle of the side against Arsenal.

It is my job to improve all these players, to help them individually and give them the tools to grow stronger collectively, and in time to add further quality to our squad.

We welcome Sean Dyche, the staff, players and fans of Burnley.

I have great admiration for the work Sean is doing with his club. In my time away from England, he twice brought Burnley into the Premier League and has established them in this division.

They will provide a big test for my first Everton match, a typical Premier League challenge in some ways with lots of tackles and physicality – but Burnley is a team with some high-quality individuals, too, and we have to be clever and concentrated in our work to stop those players hurting us.

In addition to our opponents, we have to combat some tiredness in our legs after a lot of matches in a short period.

This is how it is in England, though, unique and a genuine examination of your ability and character. My first experiences with the players on the training ground have been only positive and they have shown me how much they want to be involved in this match.

I am looking forward to having you on my side and your incredible support will fill our team with energy today.

I hope this is the first of many matches we enjoy together.

Enjoy the game,