EVERTON (4-5-1)
Nash
Coleman
Hibbert (76' Mustafi)
Duffy
Bidwell
Rodwell (8' Akpan)
Forshaw
Baxter
Osman (81' Craig)
Agard
Yakubu
Subs not used
Howard
Nsiala
Garbutt
Mcaleny

Your aren't alone in prematurely over-rating some of our players Ajay. I think of some of my own early assessments (e.g. Rodwell, Barkley). For me, as the great man Dr Johnson said, it always the triumph of hope over experience as far as all things Everton are concerned.

Also was very slow, and I assume a lot slower now.

Denny was reputed to be good and Stinky Gerrard was sniffing around start of last season re a move to Rangers. No idea whether he's any good but Onyango seems to have overtaken him.

Feeney might turn himself into a Shane Duffy type if he gets about 100 games under his belt in the Championship. Hope he does.

In fact, much as I love transfers, I really hope football comes back a bit more humble from this present experience and remembers the point of being a club is to represent a community and give the local lads a chance to play (like Bilbao). If that means pumping money into the youth team and putting up with Schneiderlin and Walcott, then so be it.

Made for life, money takes over from desire, which equates to "I made it fucking big-time, even if I wasted most of my talent, because I didn't need to work harder, once they gave me that big fat juicy contact."

As for Mirallas. I remember an individual goal against Spurs the type of which we never score. However, turned out he was a very selfish player without the numbers to back it up.

Fingers crossed for Gordon. Hornby also seems like he has something about him, whether it's with us or a level or two below, who knows?

I have seen Hornby and Gordon playing for the Under-23s. Nothing Hornby has produced at that level suggests he has what it takes to cut the mustard in the Premier League. He is way below the level of Calvert-Lewin who, according to some, is not up to it. I would not write Gordon off just yet but, in his two brief first-team appearances, he has looked lightweight. In the Under-23s, he has hardly made an irrefutable case for promotion to the first team.

Personally I thought Forshaw was bang average that night, if that. Didn't see any future for him at all so he surprised me being one of those to work his way back up the league ladder.

Other than quibbling over the nationality of Per Kroldrup, my only complaint is that I think the way Mirallas's career petered out seems to taint your recollection, Michael.

At some point, Mirallas was very good for us. Certainly far more effective than to just dismiss him as an Iwobi. I also recall at some point, possibly season two under Martinez, he was the ONLY player on form, up until his ridiculous penalty incident at least.

The frustration with Kevin was that he proved several times he could up his game against the big boys (very few in blue could claim that these last few decades) but lost form against nobodies. An enigma all right, but one who scored his share of stonkers.

Apart from that an interesting article, although Mirallas played well in his first two seasons and scored memorable goals of the highest quality against Stoke, Spurs and Villa as I recall. Went downhill after being given a ridiculous contract extension by Martinez.

Martinez really lost the plot in his last season giving out those crazy long contracts to Besic and Mirallas and then signing Niasse.

I think Vlasic will come back to haunt us, maybe Lookman will too, but overall it’s amazing to think how many players have basically failed at Everton in the last 3 years. Well over 20, maybe 30. And just a few successes. Recruitment needs to improve.

Surrounded by ear-splitting boom boxes and miked up sideline coaches screaming instructions, it is no wonder the lads lose the individuality that brought them to the club in the first place.

Years ago, I attended seminars hosted by top coaches from many and various sports. One of the main things I learned was the futility of shouting instructions at players while they were under pressure.

All-in-all, not a recommendation for the recruitment side of things.

The video I referred to in my previous letter was on the club's official page. I was disappointed to note the players I guess were mid to late teens and would already have had about 10 years of professional coaching.

If they still require that kind of raucous advice or to be motivated in such a manner, the entire lot, along with the coaches, need to be replaced.

Sad to say his career took a sharp detour. He was a starter at Leeds in a new position, DM, before suffering a hip injury last September. It did not heal and he finally had surgery in the US last month. If he can recover, he could be back in the Prem -- Leeds was leading the Championship before everything shut down.

Paul Traill, hope you are well, enjoyed that trip. Learnt a few new songs.

Everton flop Vlasic is a star of the Russian Premier League

Apologies for my error on the nationality of Per Krøldrup. Thanks for the correction.

Oumar was Russian player of the season 2015 so I can't find too much regret about Nikola hitting form there. I am pleased for him and he is talented, it would be interesting to see how he wound fare now in the Premier League.

Robert 8, interestingly says is Iwobi a better player than him? Who would you have in the squad now between the two of them? It's not clear cut.