There is a packed edition of the Official Matchday Programme for the FA Cup tie against Brentford, including in-depth interviews with new manager Frank Lampard and majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri, notes from CEO Denise Barrett-Baxendale, a chat with young forward Lewis Dobbin and a former player interview with David Henen.

Pick up a copy, priced £3.50, around the ground at Goodison Park or, alternatively, click here to order a copy online now.

Welcome to Goodison Park for what has been an eagerly anticipated afternoon.

Goodison Park and the FA Cup is always a heady cocktail - but today’s visit of Brentford in the fourth round of this season’s competition promises to be an even more passionate and emotive occasion than it would otherwise have been.

We will have our new manager, Frank Lampard, striding out of the tunnel to the strains of Z-Cars for the first time.

We will have the manager’s meticulously assembled and enormously knowledgeable backroom team alongside him for the first time.

And we will have exciting new signings like Dele and Donny van de Beek watching on from the stands, experiencing the atmosphere they will soon be playing in front of as Evertonians.

The appointment of Frank Lampard as our new manager was the culmination of an extensive recruitment process.

A legend of the Premier League and, indeed, the English game, it has been clear throughout our meetings and discussions that there are still some great moments to be written in his footballing story. As a coach, he has demonstrated to us that his vision, ambition and footballing principles are clearly aligned with our own.

He proved at both Derby County and Chelsea that, as a manager, he is willing to make difficult decisions, give youth an opportunity to shine and build dynamic and exciting teams.

As a coach, he is modern, astute and forward-thinking – but with a philosophy built on the traditions of endeavour, camaraderie and bravery that complement Everton’s DNA.

Frank fits everything we are looking for as we build for the future - and as we seek to immediately improve our form and results in the second half of our season.

Having interviewed several candidates as part of a tiered and cohesive recruitment process, Frank was the clear choice to take the helm. We know Evertonians will give him their full backing.

And, of course, we are so pleased he is now on our side -  after he broke our hearts at Wembley in 2009 and, as older fans will remember, his father did the same at Elland Road in 1980!

They were FA Cup occasions we prefer not to dwell upon. Hopefully today will be an occasion to remember.

The passion of our fanbase is what makes Everton such a special club - such an envied and storied club. Having said that, we are acutely aware that results over the past six years have not reflected the investment made in the Club or the support you have given us.

Indeed, it was the acute appreciation of that fact which led us to initiate the strategic football review earlier this season. That review has enabled key lessons to be identified and used to inform the football strategy now being laid out for our future. Our focus remains on returning Everton to the Club’s rightful place at the top of the English game.

We are united in that vision and Frank fits the profile we wanted for our club moving forward. He will fit perfectly into the structure of our football operation - a structure that has been mapped as part of our ongoing strategic review.

The appointment of Frank and his backroom team – and the signings he has made – has already created a buzz of positivity around the Club.

That feeling has also been reflected in some excellent work from our commercial teams, with a renewed drive to deliver more partnerships and boost revenues, and also maintain the excellent progress being made on the stadium. I look forward to sharing more details in these areas in future programme notes.

We are excited about the future, delighted to have Frank as our new manager – and optimistic that we can reach the last 16 of the FA Cup and quickly start to climb the Premier League table.

Warmest wishes,
Denise