"I see plenty of old faces, mine included." And with that, those first words uttered in public since his appointment, David Moyes' second spell at Everton truly began.

He is right. As he held aloft a Royal Blue jersey so the photographers could get their big photo, a sea of faces looked back. Eighteen reporters were among them, all sitting patiently under the glare of nine cameras and the crews that manned them, leaving little space in the Finch Farm media room.

Many of those faces were familiar to Moyes, but for all the smiles at a return that just feels right, the friendliness was calmed by an atmosphere of respect. The 61-year-old kept the press waiting, but the hushed tones that descended on the aisles when his approach could be heard spoke volumes. Moyes may have to prove himself to new owners at Everton, as well as a new generation of supporters. But there are few in these parts who do not recognise the immense job he once did at the club, a role that all will hope he can repeat as he works to rekindle the flame that burned so intensely all those years ago but which has been snuffed out by the chaos of the intervening years of his absence.

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The message was clear - Everton are a different club to the one he left nearly 12 years ago. And he, too, has changed. But for all that the club and manager's paths may have diverged, a connection remained. Each left an imprint on each other.

There is an extent to which a reunion felt inevitable. Moyes had come close previously, but a deal had never quite got over the line. Now it has, and while there was a chill in the air and a few mounds of snow in the packed Finch Farm car park, in the media room there was a cosy sense of familiarity at the bond that has now been re-forged.

The man in the gaze of the cameras may have changed, but the messaging of Moyes echoed some of that of the final days of Sean Dyche. Like the friend he has replaced, Moyes was keen to stress that winning games was the priority, the challenge, the ultimate factor upon which he will be judged. And he too spoke of needing more from Everton's strikers. There is hope, Moyes revealed, that transfer business is possible this month, but he was not shy about stressing that the players already at the club have a responsibility to deliver.

What did change was the tone, however. Moyes spoke of delivering "a bit of fun, a bit of laughter" in his first training session on Monday and the importance of positive morale during what will be a challenging period. There was levity amid the reverence.

But what felt most symbolic was how, in a press conference in which much of the focus was on the past and Moyes' reflections upon it, the new manager's desire was instead to look at the future.

Doing so provided him with the opportunity to chart a pathway of optimism. Moyes recognised the coming months will not be easy, but he did not speak about a fight for survival. He spoke of his ambition to get enough wins, as quickly as possible, to give him the chance to start the rebuild Everton so desperately need as soon as he can. He spoke of winning games and climbing the table, the ambition and potential of the new ownership and the excitement of the stadium move planned for the summer. Moyes spoke not of obstacles that stand in the way of progress but of the potential that could be realised if the right man is at the helm.

He said he would be "forever grateful" at getting a second chance to manage Everton. If he can deliver a fraction of what he did previously, it will be Everton who, once again, will be forever grateful for the return of a kindred spirit who knows better than anyone how to make Goodison sing.