What Frank Lampard did in his press conference gives Everton fans hope

It was something of a stern-faced Frank Lampard who faced the media after Everton's defeat to Southampton.

Of course it was. He'd just seen his side lose in disappointing circumstances to say the least, evaporating the good feeling they had garnered with a fantastic display against Leeds United a week previously.

The former Chelsea and Derby County manager has developed a little bit of a reputation during his short time in management so far.

Tell a quick joke, crack a smile and then switch seamlessly into a more serious point. We've all seen the clips, we've all seen the memes.

But this time around it was a much more straight-laced approach all-round from Lampard, who read the situation perfectly once again.

Because what's really endeared him to Everton supporters during his tenure so far has been the things he has said - and the way in which he has said them.

Both of the defeats Lampard has overseen so far as Blues boss have been dismal. Performance levels were miles away from where they needed to be.

Evertonians have been used to seeing that throughout the last few months unfortunately - and their manager is acutely aware of that fact.

Even after the rousing victories over Brentford and Leeds, Lampard was keen to keep a lid on the celebrations despite clearly being delighted with his players.

Riding the line of giving his squad confidence and keeping them aware they still find themselves in a dire situation is a tough one, but it's something the new man is excelling at so far.

Of course, the defeat to Southampton this weekend is disappointing. Lampard admitted he wasn't happy with his team, particularly being concerned about how their heads dropped after the hosts took the lead.

That might have been an eye-opening