Roberto Martinez has filled some pretty big shoes very well to guide Everton to a Champions League qualifying position halfway through his first season in charge.
Taking over from David Moyes, who left Goodison Park after 10 years to succeed Sir Alex Ferguson at Old Trafford, the former Wigan Athletic manager has introduced a more fluid playing style in which attacking stars such as Romelu Lukaku and Ross Barkley have flourished.
Here, Sports Mole looks back on how Martinez has overseen their transition into genuine top-four contenders.
August
An eye-catching strike from Barkley was the pick of four goals in a 2-2 opening-day draw at Norwich City, and they were also restricted to single points in their next two Premier League games of the campaign as West Bromwich Albion and Cardiff City held them to goalless stalemates.
A stuttering start under their new boss continued when they needed extra time to bypass League One Stevenage in the Capital One Cup, with Marouane Fellaini scoring a winning goal which turned out to be one of his last contributions for the club before his £27m move to Manchester United.
September
Another Red Devils target, Leighton Baines, remained on Merseyside, though, on a deadline day which proved that Martinez was as shrewd in the transfer market as he was tactically with the season-long loan coups of Gareth Barry and Lukaku.
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James McCarthy was also signed in a £12m deal from Wigan, and he made his debut as the Toffees recorded their first top-flight win under Martinez with a 1-0 triumph over Lukaku's parent club Chelsea, with Steven Naismith bagging the winner.
The importance of keeping hold of Baines was evident when the England full-back scored two sensational free kicks in a 3-2 victory at West Ham United, where Lukaku netted the winner with a late header.
The Belgian striker demonstrated why Martinez described him as the final piece in his jigsaw by netting another two goals as Everton withstood a second-half Newcastle United comeback to win 3-2 in response to being knocked out of the Capital One Cup at the hands of Fulham.
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October
Manchester City ended Everton's unbeaten start to the Premier League season as they lost 3-1 at fortress Eastlands, but a victory by the same scoreline over Hull City upon their return from the international break kickstarted another run without defeat which lasted 10 games.
Tim Howard ended 2013 as the goalkeeper with the most top-flight clean sheets in the calendar year, and he kept one of his 13 shutouts in a 2-0 away success over Aston Villa during which he saved an early Christian Benteke penalty.
November
November was a rewind to the start of the season for the Toffees as they had to make do with a share of the spoils for three matches on the bounce, the first two of which were 0-0 draws with Tottenham Hotspur and Crystal Palace respectively.
A 3-3 thriller with Liverpool was much more eventful, though, as Lukaku scored a brace to add to Kevin Mirallas's earlier effort as Everton twice came from behind against their Merseyside rivals, before conceding a late equaliser to Daniel Sturridge.
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Their assault on the top four then began with the 4-0 thumping of Stoke City, as they showed that they have depth at full-back when, in the absence of Baines, both Seamus Coleman and Bryan Oviedo scored, as did talented Barcelona loanee Gerard Deulofeu.
December
Oviedo was again on the scoresheet as Everton got one over on their former manager with a 1-0 win over Manchester United in Moyes's first match against the Toffees since he left them to take the helm at the English champions.
Another strong performance against title-chasing opposition followed as Barkley shone in a 1-1 draw at Arsenal, although it was another of their young stars, Deulofeu, who scored the equaliser four minutes after Mesut Ozil's 80th-minute opener.
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Victory over Fulham saw them move into the Champions League places for the first time in the season, as Coleman began a purple patch in front of goal which demonstrates Everton's more attacking style of play this term with the second in a 4-1 success.
The Republic of Ireland right-back fired in a stunning opener against Swansea City, but his effort was overshadowed by an even better strike from Barkley, whose late free kick earned them maximum points at the Liberty Stadium.
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Howard's first-half dismissal against Sunderland allowed the bottom-of-the-table Black Cats to become the first team to beat Everton at Goodison Park throughout 2013 courtesy of a Sung-Yong Ki penalty.
However, an individual Coleman effort and first goal from Lukaku in five games in a 2-1 victory over Southampton ensured that the Toffees supporters would have the pride of Merseyside by ending the year above fierce rivals Liverpool in the Premier League table.
Joe Fish
