Whatever Happened to… What’s his name?

You've done far too good a job with that synopsis. It's so painfully pathetic and such an indictment of our club's imbecilic recruitment that you don't know whether to laugh or cry at such crass incompetence.

Episodes Two through Ten should be real ball-busters!

Strangely, Steve Walsh's brother, Mick Walsh proved to be a flop after we signed him for a large fee, at the time, from Blackpool. A striker who scored once, I think, in 30 games.

Not to mention the centre-half who couldn't head a ball, signed by Moyes for £4M or £5M, I forget his name.

I do remember Gareth Farrelly who Kendall signed from Aston Villa, he wasn't much cop but will be remembered for his goal against Coventry City which helped to save us from relegation.

>As will Mick Madar the Frenchman whose goals helped us to stay up.

I couldn't leave Backoftheecho out of near useless list either along with Billyletdown the Russian signed by Moyes, and Joe Royle's signing Clause bleedin' Thomson (sic).

Those are just for starters!!

Claus the Mouse on the other hand was a total liability. Apparently he scored a goal for us but I must have missed it. My main recollection of him is watching him play with his socks after giving away a penalty to Newcastle.

And what became of Royston Drenthe?

Chances are we ruined him.

He has actually become the player to have played for the most La Liga clubs with 8 different teams.

To be fair, he scored a couple of goals. I was at the friendly vs Sevilla at Goodison when he scored in the first minute. Good finish. He also scored one in a Europa League match.

So it wasn't all bad!

It's far easier to name the good signings in recent times with the likes of Lukaku, Deulofeu, McCarthy, Barry, Pickford, Richarlison, Branthwaite, Tarkowski. It's slim pickings. So depressing.

Did anyone see them both in the same room at the same time? Hmmmm.

Was actually only at the club 4 years but it seemed like longer. Never played a league match but only ever appeared in pre-season before shipped out on loan again.

Shani Tarashaj, Joao Silva. Two others who were here for multiple seasons but only popped up in the off season, never playing a league match.

Tarashaj had a 4 1⁄2-year deal, did we have anyone on a longer contract who never played?

I recall in Walsh's first pre-season, he took a few scouts over to Italy and returned after a week in the sun empty handed!
Our list of totally inadequate players shows one of the reasons why we are in such trouble.

Also, a few years back when we had five players in the England youth team that won the World Cup – Calvert-Lewin, Walsh, Dowell, Kenny and another whose name escapes me but did ok ayon loan to lower division clubs. Calvert-Lewin apart how come we failed to turn these lads into first team players?

Also Ledson who was a year or two older but showed great promise but was never given a chance? Were these lads ruined by spending ridiculous sums on poor players who then blocked the way for the youngsters?

It really is a catalogue of disaster at every level of the club.

I sorta kept track of Drenthe just because... I don't know, perverse curiosity.

Anyway, his last real club was Sparta Rotterdam about 5 years ago. Then he bumped along through a couple of amateur clubs in Spain and Holland, declaring bankruptcy along the way, and finally retired at age 36 last fall.

Francisco Junior appears on U18 team sheet the first time it appeared on a Grand Old Team thread August 2013 along with other names who might be familiar — Kenny, Browning, Kennedy, Grant (that's not Tony), Hope, Lundstram, Long, with Ledson on the bench.

Who was that South American we had that also suposedly had an inability to head a ball but scored the majority of his national sides goals with his head?

Peter #5, I also remember Bilyetdanov (?) having some good games, he reminded me of Duncan Mackenzie, but he always seemed to be on a different wavelength to the rest of the team except for Osman who was the only one that could figure out what he was going to do with the ball.

I meant to put Bily in Danny's Underated thread but got busy.

Any one remember that guy we 'signed' when he shook hands on the deal with Chairman Bill and then went to sign a contract with someone else?

Billyletdown scored two or three outstanding goals which most people who saw him remember, I think they hold onto those goals and forget the rest of him, he hardly got above walking pace and was easily forgettable to me like the Spanish kid Moyes had on loan Fernandez (?) he scored a beaut against Man.Unt, we lost 5-2 at home, he scored another good goal and fans were raving about him but he was another who played in patches and he a stinker v Bolton away when he was played on the wing but looked totally disinterested in playing, I don't know where he finished up.

I wasn't fussy on Duncan McKenzie but he was at least entertaining during games not sure Billyletdown ever entertained but I did enjoy the few goals he scored, now Osman I appreciated, a good football brain who scored some excellent goals for the Blues and assisted quite a few and was always involved all over the field, a team player.

A few fans have recalled that Keeley game in the Derby always detrimental about his performance and I have told the story I have told here, Glen Keeley didn't deserve that criticism, in fact I think a few players got dropped after that 5-0 drubbing including Neville Southall and one of the full backs who never played for Everton again, I think he was sold not long after that defeat.

Gosling's agent was right onto that move which meant that Gosling became a free agent by the summer and Gosling signed for Newcastle costing Everton around £3M and Soft lad nothing, so much for Soft lads football knowledge.

No, definitely not Gosling, it was a South American, or maybe Portuguese lad. Attended the game as Kenwight's guest, shook hands on the deal post-match and I think he signed for Spurs.

The other South American that supposedly couldn't head a ball was with us until a couple of seasons ago.

Incidentally, Krøldrup only ever scored 3 goals with his head (out of 8 total) but one I remember was for the team he joined after leaving us.