Understated heroes who have made huge contributions to EFC.

[Bluerover]

I liked the very unsexy Jim McDonagh and Imre Varadi in the early 80s.

My best mate hated them.

 

[Rob17896]

Dozing off this lazy Sunday in the sun got me thinking,1969-70,Tommy Jackson,Sandy Brown(bit before my time!!)mid 80's loads though, Pointon,Adams,Langley,Mimms,Wilkinson, Harper and Richardson obviously,the other lads were great for us in 1986-87 in the light of a horrendous injury list in the first half of the season in particular which kept us hanging in until our major players returned,any I've ommited?was going to say Paul power but he became a fixture

The Toffeegirl

 

[The_La]

Paul Rideout.

 

[Papa Shango]

I think that's a bit of a myth personally. That accusation could be aimed at him if we were winners in the lead up to him arriving, but we were far from it.

In the 10 years before he arrived: 13th, 17th, 15th, 6th, 15th, 17th, 14th, 13th, 16th, 15th* (* he took over with a couple of months to go)
In the next 10 years under him: 7th, 17th, 4th, 11th, 6th, 5th, 5th, 8th, 7th, 7th

The losers mentality set in long before Moyes arrived and part of his mentality was as a result of having one of the poorest owners in the league financing us and because he took over a club who had one solitary top 6 finish in the 10 years before he arrived. He didn't join a winning club at the time he took over.

They are decent league positions on general no arguing that. But that's all they are.

I honestly think if he was managing for 100 years he would still never win a trophy.

 

[macdog]

Alex Nyarko, for one of the great Everton memories.

 

[davids]

Fred Pickering 56 goals in 97 matches. Back in the days when it wasn't unusual for us to break transfer records.

 

[TraffordBlue]

They are decent league positions on general no arguing that. But that's all they are.

I honestly think if he was managing for 100 years he would still never win a trophy.

When taking in to account the club he came in to though, and the resources available to him, he had a far harder task in achieving those decent league positions than say Martinez, Koeman and now Silva. He didn't inherit a Leighton Baines, Romelu Lukaku or Theo Walcott like those 3 have. He inherited a squad that had finished higher than 12th just once in the previous 10 seasons and had the likes of Simonsen, Pistone and Scott Gemmill to work with.

He came in, steered us away from any relegation threat to have us competing with the top 6 regularly. Something we have struggled to do since he's gone, except for that one season under Martinez who took us from 6th to 5th (albeit through excellent management of the side during that season).

 

[Tel001]

Big fan of Pienaar as a player. Kinda glad he's is long gone - it would have been horrible watching such a natural footballer get strangled under Allardyce's tenure.

He didn't have strength, pace, height or power, he was just pure intelligence . Loved him at Ajax and remeber being made up when we got him from Dortmund ? Really classy , clever player that glided past players faster than himself to create space and a cracking eye for a pass.

 

[Tel001]

...Mike Trebilcock. He wasn’t around these parts too long but two goals in an FA Cup Final was plenty enough. Thanks, Mike.

Met him in darwin Australia a couple of years ago while playing footy. We were waiting for the game before ours to finish and he was the manager, my uncle said he was round these parts when I first arrived, noticed an old man in the dougout with "Trebs" on the back of it so thought I'd say hi, he stopped watching his team play and talked to me and my bro for about 15 mins , really nice fella, believe he's gone now tho, back to uk I think

 

[Tel001]

Good pick, matt jackson funnily enough contributed alot to that cup win. A winner against derby i think in the early rounds, the opener against spurs at elland road and a good bit of play for the build up to the goal in the final

Jackson scored a screamer in earlier rounds to equalise against Bristol city I think .

 

[royalblue66]

Met him in darwin Australia a couple of years ago while playing footy. We were waiting for the game before ours to finish and he was the manager, my uncle said he was round these parts when I first arrived, noticed an old man in the dougout with "Trebs" on the back of it so thought I'd say hi, he stopped watching his team play and talked to me and my bro for about 15 mins , really nice fella, believe he's gone now tho, back to uk I think

Am I right in thinking Shagger is out there ?

 

[Tel001]

I kind of think the reverse.

Don't get me wrong I think he did a very good job here generally. However I feel like he has left us with a loser mentality. Yeah we were crap before he arrived but we don't even bother to dream any more.

I honestly can't think of another manager that could have came in and done what Moyes did in the conditions he had to work under. We literally didn't sign a perminent player for 2-3 years. He took us from relagation fodder to the edge of the CL and for a couple of years I think we were just a "lukaku" away from being a very very good side

 

[Tel001]

Am I right in thinking Shagger is out there ?

Shagger? Rooney?

 

[Daveysgingerlovechild]

He didn't have strength, pace, height or power, he was just pure intelligence . Loved him at Ajax and remeber being made up when we got him from Dortmund ? Really classy , clever player that glided past players faster than himself to create space and a cracking eye for a pass.

That's exactly it. Wasn't a slouch over the first 10yds, but not Walcott for sure. It was speed of thought, technique and movement.

Can we clone him?

 

[royalblue66]

Shagger? Rooney?

Stephens, the one and only Shagger.