Under-rated Everton players — Take your pick

Gary Ablett was another good player who took a lot of stick but could easily play at either CB or LB. Height, decent technique and the odd goal thrown in too! I especially remember his winner in our first victory of the season against West Ham in the 94/95 season.

Tony Grant looked like he would go on to have an excellent career as a true footballing midfielder but injury put paid to that. I think it was that animal Kevin Ball who effectively ended his top flight career in a game against Sunderland in Nov '96. Got beat 1-3, btw.

Matt Jackson another one of my childhood favourites who played a massive part in the only trophy I've ever seen us win. Ridiculous that he was constantly left out in favour of Earl Barrett.

Earl Barrett, ffs, he was awful!

Kilbane? Old Zinedine chipped in with a few decent goals, the R.O.I produced decent wide men.

Ozzie was definitely underrated, that lad had two good feet and could thread a defence splitting pass. I thought he partnered Arteta well especially when our Son of Santander dropped back to be playmaker.

Always enjoyed watching Bracewell, a player who doesn't tend to get the recognition his performances for us deserves.

Paul Power was an astute siging along with Nigel Martyn.

Certainly agree on Harper and Richardson. A couple who were not with us long (and probably too late in their careers) were Richard Gough and Nigel Martyn.

Also disappointed that we only had Landon Donovan for a couple of short loan spells and Peter Beardsley for not long enough.

Currently gaining a reputation at Brighton in a Director position in the coaching system.

Andy, I think other clubs would have wanted Cottee, Speed, Lukaku and Richarlison.

Looking forward to your next article “Players we should never have signed”!

And when played in his correct specialist position, he was very good (just perhaps not the cross between Stevie G and Kevin De Bruyne that some fans were expecting). Indeed, we are crying out for a player like him right now.

Scott Gemmill joined the same month as Super Kevin Campbell on loan and I'd argue he contributed plenty in our battle to avoid the drop. He also scored a sweet half-volley against Newcastle (I think) with the outside of his foot that I can't footage of.

Not saying he was a world-beater or without flaws but definitely underrated by the faithful.

Found it! Forgive the potatocam from 1999 but I think it is also Gemmill's quick feet that set Hutchinson off for Campbell's first goal.

Hutchinson, was he underrated? Not by me, I thought we should never have sold him when we did.

That guy was the backbone of Moyes turning us from perennial relegation battlers into a Top 6 outfit. He was tall, strong and had electric pace (something we'd lacked at the back for an age).

His legacy was tarnished by a few errors in his latter years but honestly, I think a prime Yobo is up there with the best centre-backs we've had in the last 20 years. Hugely under-rated player.

Kevin had an eye for goal, worked prodigiously for the team, and went on to win trophies with Arsenal and Aston Villa. He was a player who would have been a regular for us in the late eighties and early nineties when Kevin Sheedy faded out of the picture.

They largely reinforce the extent of our demise under the latterly incredibly wealthy shyster who managed our decline, in plain sight to way too many Toffees who adored him throughout... sigh again.

Anyway, trying to join in with the hugely admirable Danny's positivism, I'd cite Brian McBride (4 goals in a mere 8 games) – our American players always having had a thoroughly professional attitude as far as I'm concerned.

I think Gemmill was overshadowed by his ex-Forest pal Campbell. But I remember he made an impact at the time as my RS mates were convinced a “rich club” would snap up Gemmill.

Phil Neville, everyone mentions his last couple of seasons where he was over the hill, but when he arrived, he brought leadership and professionalism to a squad devoid of either. He was instrumental in turning a relegation dodging squad into a European competition challenging one.

Little Leon all day long for me.

I fail to see how any of the following were under-rated:

Duncan McKenzie (absolutely adored). Mike Pejic, John Bailey, Joe Parkinson, Tommy Gravesen, Paul Bracewell (FFS), Louis Saha, Anders Limpar, Pat Nevin, Stuart McCall, Gareth Barry, Tony Cottee, Nigel Martyn, Richard Gough, Peter Beardsley, Gary Lineker Andy mate (?). Gary Speed, Richarlison (?), Stephen Naismith, Lee Carsley was not under-rated he was highly valued by everyone I knew, Don Hutchinson, Derek Mountfield (FFS)

These lads, in my opinion, were not around long enough or were not good enough or did not do enough to be considered:

Paul Pointon, Wayne Clarke. Tony Grant, Matt Jackson, Kevin Kilbane (marginal decision), Landon Donovan (FFS), Brian McBride (FFS), Darron Gibson (!), Phil Neville (although he was ace at clapping).

Kevin Richardson, Leon Osman, Scott Gemmill, Joseph Yobo were all, in my opinion, under-rated. Should Mick Buckley be on that list and maybe Alan Harper?

It's just my opinion(s).

I was gutted when Mountfield got replaced by Dave Watson and it took me a while to warm to the latter as did quite a few supporters.

'"gutted when Mountfield got replaced by Dave Watson and it took me a while to warm to the latter as did quite a few supporters"

Me included. Bt that was at the time a silly looking choice that morphed over time into a good one - but by then, of course Degsy was gone - but, I could be wrong, I don't think that DM was under-rated.

Remember, Danny, 14 April 1984, 117th minute, Highbury, Reidy free kick chipped in, Degsy header flick on, Inchy, blue chaos, Wembley.

I suppose Martin Dobson was highly rated by Toffees, but he surely was good enough for England at the time. I always like Buckley, Goodlass and Telfer.

As for Pejic, he was highly sought-after and we paid big money to Stoke at the time. He was compact and very solid.

Is Bruce Rioch worth a mention? I saw him hit a few cannon balls at Goodison.

Pickford
Sidibe
Neville
Yobo
Unsworth
Onana
Collins
Sigurdsson
Iwobi
Barmby
Calvert-Lewin

Not a bad side, that.

Doing great with Atalanta.

We probably didn't get to see the best of him or perhaps he wasn't that good - but we'll always have those semi-final goals.

I think I read somewhere that Joe Royle said that we sold Amokachi because he was too good to be kept on without a guarantee of first team football as we had Rideout and Ferguson.

Tom Davies - still feel there's a player in there somewhere ?

What happened to him??

Here's a subs bench...

Myhre
Jackson
Jacobsen
Ablett
Stones
Osman
Gibson
Gordon
Eto'o

He was about to get hooked but seemingly ignored the instructions and stayed on the pitch.

The rest is history!!

On that note I think Leon Osman is probably the most under appreciated player we have had in recent times.

Personally I also truly believe that Davy Klaasen would have grown into, and contributed to, the team if he had been given the same amount of time as some players since.

Lee Carsley, like Gana Gueye, was underrated. Both of them were/are Hoovers.

Ian is correct – Niels Nkounkou now plays for Frankfurt. He took time to settle, but has shone since January now and contributed 3 goals and 3 assists, meaning 7 additional points for Frankfurt.

Also like Lookman and to some extent Nikola Vlašić – it was obvious he had potential but wasn't able to fulfill that for the Toffees. Big Pity on all 3. Loved Brian McBride and Landon Donovan too.

Ray @55, I can't disagree with that.

Mark, Klaassen is a good shout. Played in the Champions League and a talented player. Unfortunately played in a poor Everton team. He done well at Ajax and Werder Bremen and is at Inter Milan.

Not a bad football CV considering how much criticism he got during his time at Goodison.

Then again, we hounded John Stones.

Yes the Latchford transfer fee was rated at £350,000 but it was a vastly inflated price, I think £185,000 was paid in cash with Howard Kendall and Archie Styles priced at the rest of that figure to make up the £350,000 quoted price.

Latchford walked on water for loads of Everton fans he was over-hyped for me, off the field he was a very genuine fella, me and Tony had a good long chat to him at Villa Park long after he had retired, he loved his time at Everton.

Sandro was a flop but the type of player well worth taking a punt on. The RS had signed Coutinho for a relatively low fee but they also signed a Spanish striker for a low fee who flopped.

If you don't take a chance you don't succeed but whilst we had the funds we just paid over the odds for a lot of journeymen with no sell-on value.

Stinking bad luck for Tony Kay, and like now the club is in shit creek, but with belief and resolve can survive to a better place, very soon.

I always enjoyed the contributions of (the late) Harold Matthews and Ken Buckley's “From My Seat” match reviews conveyed the match day experience like no other (chapeau though to Paul Traill's version – also one I look forward to).

Of the modern players, I thought Warzycha and Jelavic more than held their own early doors but both faded after promising first seasons at the club.

Bobby Mimms was a great understudy keeping 6 clean sheets out of 8 in the run-in but had the huge shadow of big Nev hanging over him and unfairly blamed for costing Everton the double.

Tony Marsh, Conor Rohrer and Tony J Willams.

No longer regulars for whatever reason... miss those guys.

I'm gonna add another one that will make people laugh, but I thought Segundo Castillo was quality and would have been well worth keeping at the end of his loan. Ecuador's occasional captain and key to their two successful World Cup qualifying campaigns.

Always got a lot of stick but was consistent and I remember when he went to Fulham managed to whip in a lot of dangerous crosses when he played against us.

Hibbert and Osman of course, always got a lot of stick also.

Carsley was highly rated by Gravesen at least who when he went to Real Madrid said something along the lines of Real having made a mistake and it was really Carsley that they thought they were signing.

Came with a good goalscoring reputation then his start was marred by a sending off and injury and never lived up to expectations.

Then when he dropped down to the Championship found his scoring boots and commented that it's easy to score when you have proper service. Something that is still blighting us years later.

Beattie, Andy Johnson, Jelavic. We've ruined many a promising striker by making them chase the corner flag!!

In terms of posters, I used to love Ken's "from my seat" posts.

And despite locking horns and having a bit of a fallout, I do miss Darren's posts. Even if we didn't always agree, we made friends. I hope he is well.

Adrian Heath in his prime was part of the best centre forward duo at the time alongside Sharp until he got done by Marwood, who got some "treatment" by Peter Reid.

I don't think he fully recovered, but did score one of my favourite goals in front of the Gwladys Street. Partly because of Sheedy stopping play and then looping a ball over the confused Norwich defence for Adrian to run onto it and volley it into the net.

Ferguson and Rideout in attack, Limpar and Kanchelskis on the wings, then a midfield of one of the underrated players Parkinson, Stuart, and Tony Grant who had it all but somehow never made the big time, Ebrell and Horne to give the dogs of war, Hinchcliffe left side of defence, Matt Jackson right back, with the likes of Watson, Ablett and Unsworth patrolling the centre back berths, how that team struggled I will never know.

Hinchcliffe, great left peg, cut a sullen figure, looked like he didn't want to play for us and it shows in his commentary.

Marcus Bent, unbelievable engine, harshly treated when we signed Beattie.

Bob the Pole, good all-round game, wasn't Trevor Steven.

Carl Tiler, did a job under similar situations we are in now.

Kevin Langley, proper dog but won a title with us.

Neil Adams, problem was he wasn't Trevor Steven.

Leon Osman, takes the crown for me, the season after Cahill left, he was our best player by a mile and topped it off with an England cap. Over 300 starts for the Blues in the Premier League is some going.

He never got an England cap and is not mentioned with the same consistency as players like Reid, Grey, Steven, Stevens etc. all brilliant players no doubt.

Players that came before him - such as Mckenzie for example - who is considered a legend and indeed he was a great player, well - people often wax lyrical about the likes of him - he played a fraction of the games that Heath did and had the fraction of the impact, but seemingly gets more praise.

That's why I think he was underrated.

I think he suffered from not really have a defined role as either a midfield player or attacker; hence, why I said he was a modern player in a different time. Nowadays he would have had a more defined role.

I was not so endearing but I don't think I ever got over that 85 cup-winning goal!!

Great player. It was just a shame injury blighted his career.

Yes, Norman did well and I think his scoring was in double figures, a giant of a player with Man Utd. Injuries and maybe drinking altered his career, that's why we got him – we would never been able to buy a fit Norman Whiteside – or a Saha.

We managed to get a few from Man Utd who did a job but only average after they came to Everton, and that includes Phil Neville and Tim Howard, who was always an average keeper with mistakes in him.

I can't think of the player who was a decent player and a very good passer of the ball but couldn't go past a pub.

He was a unit as well.

Oh and an honourable mention to Norman Whiteside, who like Danny, ruined my childhood with that goal in the cup final. I always hated him for that.

That player was Darren Gibson, injuries took their toll on him as well.

I seem to remember that none of us were impressed with the signings of Paul Power and Richard Gough who both represented the blues with fine contributions.

Honorable mention for Doddy as an ex ToffeeWebber who drew much attention because of his love for Kenwright.

Morrissey in particular: fast, skilful, hard and capable of crossing the ball, he gets in my squad of my favourite Everton players that I have seen.