| Undoubtedly one of the most gifted players of his generation, Peter
Beardsley also had an unusual claim to fame. He not only played for both
Merseyside clubs, but was adored by both sets of fans. A likeable
fellow off the field and a gentleman on it, when he was on fire nobody
could touch him. The biggest regret that Everton fans would have, was
that his stay at Goodison was far too short. He was bought from
Liverpool in the summer of 1991 for £1million and was at Everton for
only two seasons. In that time he impressed with his tireless workrate
and sublime skill and ended his first season as the Blues top scorer.
When home town club Newcastle came in with a bid of £1, 500, 000 in the
summer of 1993 it was at a time when Everton had dire financial problems
and the offer was seen as too good to resist for a player of his age,
especially as the Toffeemen were making a profit on the deal. One of the
highlights of his Everton career, at a time when there was very little
to smile about at Everton, was a goal against Liverpool in what was to
be the start of a great decade of results for the Blues over their
Merseyside rivals. But it was not his goalscoring that impressed the
most. His ability to read the game and pick out inch perfect passes thus
creating goalscoring opportunities for his team mates was second to
none. His superb close control saw him able to walk the ball through
opposition defences at will. His overall contribution to the team he
played in was immeasurable and he proved pound for pound one of
Everton's most shrewd acquisitions. (M.S.) |