Misfits, Mysteries and Nearly-Men — Luke Garbutt

Who, if I remember correctly, basically censured him, gave him a new £30,000 contract, then sent him out on loan, aka, banishment.

Coulda been a contender.

I'm sure all clubs could create their own similar list but, every time I read one of these articles, it really does hammer home how much money has been thrown away on huge contracts for players who never made it.

I know there are complicated human factors at play here and hindsight is indeed a wonderful thing but we do seem to specialise in awarding big contracts to individuals who we hope will deliver and yet, for whatever reason/reasons, don't.

If I was Farhad and I read ToffeeWeb, it would certainly encourage me to keep my wallet closed.

If we were (and we are) looking for a reasonably priced replacement at left-back from a lower league, I reckon we'd look at him. Yes, he's 25 but he's had the experience & knows what it's like to have to perform, week-in & week-out. I'd bring him back and give him another go. It would cost us nothing other than his wages. If it works, great. If it doesn't, no harm done. Just don't give him a bloody 5-year contract.

As for comparisons with other clubs I haven't done or seen any proper analysis. Ancecdotally I would say we do okay.

If you want to cheer yourself up, watch "Sunderland 'till I die" on Netflix. In Season 1, they had about 8 ex-Everton players... and (plot spoiler) it didn't end well. Now that is a club in massive hole, which but for the grace of God.

To my eyes, he was always a step slow, a bit thick and less than intense about his work, like your best mate on your Sunday league team who never yells at the ref or gets too upset when you lose.

The left foot may have been Premier League quality, but the rest of him has always seemed League One level to me.

Goes to show you more than just a good left foot (or good right foot) to make it at the highest level.

We've seen many a potentially good player over the years fall by the wayside because they never bought into the work ethic side of sport.

His agent let his contract run down, neatly getting a fabulous new deal off the club, if Derek @(1) is correct a five year deal at 㿊,000 per week makes him a millionaire at the moment.

He had some talent which resulted in Everton paying 𧾦,000 for him at 17 and Leeds Utd thought they had been robbed!! It was the other way round.

I watched him only a couple of years ago going through the motions for our U23s side, no desire to try and prove himself, none whatsoever. I'd put him under the heading “Too much, too soon”.

Maybe, now, he realises he could have done better, not financially, if he had been more committed to his career, maybe it's too late. If it is he can sit back and count his money, it might be a good conciliation for him. I'd have more regrets if I was him.

His route to the first team was never clear. We therefore should have sold him while his stock was high and picked up a replacement from the lower leagues, Scotland or our own youth team. Otherwise, the motivation dwindles and we end up with someone on the payroll on a downward trajectory.

Facing similar issues now with Baningime, Bowler, Adeniran and a few others.

I'm in the "too much, too soon" camp!

The trouble is it is not about that initial purple patch, that adrenaline fuelled first dozen games , with the wind in the sails and the euphoric adulation over the top. We have to learn that big long term contracts need to be based on proven high level consistency.

Take DCL, he has been consistent for a long time, even with the pressure of the Koeman episode. This season he has improved again, Holgate has been consistent this season too and improved, both deserved a decent long term contract.

I think in the past we have been a bit too trigger happy in awarding massive contracts like Luke's. More thought on how to structure improved contracts for young players needs to be given. Incremental and performance based deals maybe. If one or two decide to leave because they want more, so be it.

But then you only have to look at some of the players who have fallen by the wayside who also featured in that game...Will Keane, Connor Whickham, Jordan Slew, Thomas Ince, Saido Berahino - the list goes on. Some have made jobbing careers, like Shelvey. Others, like Ter-Stegen for Germany and Wilfred Zaha have fulfilled their potential.

Garbutt seems to be yet another example of bad luck, a lack of opportunity, injury, too much too soon – you name it. It's interesting that Galloway had a similar moment in the spotlight that quickly came to naught too.

I thought he was going to make it and he had that big physique and athleticism but then I watched him when he went back to the U23s and he was woeful. No concentration and no motivation.

To make it in the Premier League, you need to be at the top of your game consistently.

Dave's right IMO, lack of hunger for excellence may have been the biggest contributor to Garbutt's failure.

With Galloway it was different. He seemed a fine prospect until the league caught on that he was easy to beat to his right. Could only tackle with his left. Got smoked in a few games, then got hurt, and his confidence crashed and burned, never to return.

Adam #14, spot on, you watch youth tournaments and the talent is dazzling, but you never know who's going to make it. I remember watching the world U-17s when the second-best player in the tournament (behind some tiny kid from Argentina named Lionel something) was a 14-year-old Yank named Freddy Adu, who had a hat trick in one game. He later played in three U-20 World Cups and the Olympics with the U-23s. Seemed a guaranteed US star for the future. And then... pfffft. Nothing. Washed out in MLS, at Blackpool, and in lower divisions all over Europe -- Poland, Serbia, Finland, Turkey. Finally dropped from a US minor league club at age 28 and hasn't played since.

I think you have hit the nail on the head regarding Youth Development at Everton. When young players who are loaned out, they appear in most cases to be forgotten about and there appears no real development plan or mentoring.

What's more, quite a few young players appear to seek loans out, maybe even questioning their futures at Everton. Without monitored clear objectives regarding a loan out, it looks like a way of reducing the wages bill. It's a risky move for young players to try to wing it on their own, advised by their agent.

If you want to see sporting potential have look at 6-year-old Arat Hosseini on YouTube. He's now on the RS Academy's books. Phenomenal.

Garbutt at least contributed some little thing along the way.

As terrible a signing as Niasse was, you can actually point out where some of his goals led to points gained.

Neither was the complete bust Besic was and remains. And he's getting one more year's wages.

Ray, he's already taller than Messi.

The U23s can win the league again, happy days!!

ps: Garbutt has never been good enough!!

He stuck around at the end for a good 10 mins to talk about what was going on behind the scenes with Roberto as, despite two semi-finals that season, the wheels were coming off and, even though he was out on loan, he knew enough to confirm it wasn't a happy camp under unravelling leadership.

No huge shock there but what did surprise and disappoint was that he said he hadn't once heard that season from either the manager or Joe Royle who had been brought back in a loan-player liaison role.

So, out on loan, big fat contract, generally positive showings for the first team and nobody from Everton even bothering to stay in touch?!

Obviously his hunger to make it still has to be there but other factors are often involved too and I certainly hope we've shaped up in that department under Brands – but who knows.

I thought Galloway was going to fill out, get stronger and move into central defence, and had actually forgotten about him till Lyndon mentioned him, but I'm sure he will also be another multi-millionaire?

Someone mentioned Sheedy, I was looking at his goals-to-games ratio on something earlier, and it was a goal just over every three games, but Kevin was a proper footballer, he absolutely brilliant.

The first was extending the contracts of certain player's who were well past their 'sell-by' date. Hibbert was given yet another 3/4 year contract near the end of his career, and ended up starting four games in three season's, and then complained to the press about his shoddy treatment by the club, when he wasn't told he was being released at the end of the season.

Dear old Uncle Bill then extended Martinez's existing contract at the end of his first 12 months in charge (after an impressive first season), it came back to bite the club in the arse big time, when they sacked him with something like 3 years of his existing contract still to run.

We have a 'soft centre', hopefully the new regime will eradicate this eventually.

If the figures quoted about Luke Garbutt's contract are correct he will have been paid almost £8m for 5 years of not very productive football.

Not his fault, I know, but it's insane.

We had let his contract run down and then he suddenly played a few games and looked very good. Rumour has it that Liverpool we're going to get him on a free. We had a choice at the time, offer a decent contract or let the natural successor to Baines leave for nothing and go to Liverpool. We did the right thing at the time, unfortunately it didn't work out.

I'd rather a 30k a week gamble on Garbutt that £100k plus on each of Walcott, Sigurdsson, Schneiderlin, Mina, Pickford and Bernard. (I like Bernard, but not at 120k a week)

We have 7 players on £100k plus a week, and arguably our best 3 players from this season aren't there.

They heard it from family that read it in The Daily Mail.

Shoddy treatment indeed, and you question his right to have a moan about it?

The club should re-name as 'Soft Touch Everon FC' !

Not sure when it was last updated, but it makes for some embarrassing reading.

A commendation goes to the first to name the Brazilian's co-top earner !

He stole a living from the club the last few years, a poor player who was simply a 'steady Eddie', and the reason the club settled for mediocrity employing him.

Having been made redundant three times in my working life, I don't have an awful lot of sympathy for players who can retire as multi-millionaires in their mid-30s, but still get upset if they are not given the news 'officially' by their employers.

Isn't that what agents are for, to find these things out as the contracts run down?

Chris Coleman when Managing at Sunderland was often baffled by Evertons lack of interest and contact with Everton Loanees at Sunderland. He was quite vocal about it regarding Galloway and Browning.

Isn't it true that Hibbert didn't have an agent? I know the Neville brothers never used an agent preferring to do their own negotiations but I think Hibbert was the same. Anyone throw any light on this?

They've long gone I know, but today it was announced that Everton's player salaries were running at 85% of the club's income, the highest in the Premier league.

That's simply not sustainable.

Kenwright at the first AGM that Moshiri attended at the Philarmonlc Hall said, about Moshiri “ He is the man who keeps giving” Yes he was and plenty at Everton kept taking, average players were given fantastic contracts and salaries that didn't match there ability.

Nobody pulled Mr. Moshiri to one side and told him to put a hold on his money and have a look at what was going on. He was taken for a ride by people who should have looked after him, instead they jumped on the gravy train.

I hope Mr. Moshiri has looked back and learned something from those wasted millions and had a good look at the people who let him waste them.

When you were made redundant did you read about it in The Echo? Or did your boss just ask 'what the fcuk are you doing here?' when you turned up for work one morning?

We've got little chance of making any impact at all on the top 6 until these previous decisions have been expunged and we can reenergise the squad with younger hungry quality players. This process could still take another two years.

Marcel Brands has been brought in to arrest this grave and amateur situation, but it isn't easy. It will take time to repair the spellbinding ineptitude of the scouting and recruiting regime that went before him.

It should be easy to structure deals that have trigger points to extend deals and give salary rises based on appearances and other merit points.

Poor old Tony, sounds like he's the 'victim'. At least he can spend his retirement counting his millions, unlike most of us.

By the way, he never struck me as the 'sensitive' type.