Peter Reid has expressed his delight at seeing Harrison Armstrong in Everton's midfield and believes supporters at Hill Dickinson Stadium share that feeling after The Friedkin Group reversed their original "strange" decision to sell the home-grown talent.
Evertonians were shocked on the morning of August 29 to learn that Nottingham Forest were pushing ahead with a £40million deal for the teenage midfielder. Had Armstrong not accepted manager David Moyes' request to play in the Blues' game at Bournemouth that day, a move to the City Ground could have been completed.
Armstrong, the only Scouser in the first-team squad, has been with Everton since the age of five and showed professionalism and maturity to play 87 minutes in the 1-1 draw at the Vitality Stadium. Fans who made the 520-mile round trip from Merseyside to Dorset threatened to riot if the Academy graduate was sold, prompting the club's owners to perform a dramatic U-turn the next day and pull the plug on the deal, with chairman Dan Friedkin understood to have personally stepped in to make the final decision.
Reid's Verdict on Armstrong and Midfield Depth
The 19-year-old has now started all five of the Blues' Premier League games this term and played the full 90 minutes of their 4-0 Carabao Cup win at Preston North End, where he spent the first half of last season on loan.
Reid, speaking to the ECHO, said: "Without going into the politics of the football club, because you don't know everything, but I thought it was a strange decision to think about letting him go. I've seen a lot of potential in Harrison, and I watched him when he was at Preston on loan last season and he was a different class in the Championship.
"He's done brilliantly on the park. All credit to him, he's got his head up and he's done well. I love seeing the local lads in the side and the youngsters coming through. Without being parochial, I think that it's good and Evertonians especially can identify with that, they love it.
"There have been some good young Scouse players who have come through the ranks over the years like Wayne Rooney and Ross Barkley, but we couldn't hold on to them. Listen, I've been a manager and if you're having to sell your better players, it's not good for the club. Over the years, Everton have had to do that but hopefully now with the decision of Armstrong staying, he can sign a new deal, and it can be the start of a new outlook."
Summer signing Christian Norgaard, who has yet to feature in a competitive match since his move from Arsenal on August 5, finally made his debut in the 3-3 draw against Blackburn Rovers in a behind-closed-doors game at Hill Dickinson Stadium last Friday, giving Moyes a surfeit of options in central midfield. Reid just wishes that was the case in other areas too.
He said: "I think it's good that we've got that competition for places now in central midfield. I wish it was like that all over the park because we haven't got that in the full-back areas or up front.
"I know it's different now to my day as a player with squad rotation, but if you're playing well it's going to be hard for any manager to leave you out. To be fair, James Garner wasn't fit at the start of the season but he's getting up to speed now, so it's looking good in the middle of the park for Everton.
"Hayden Hackney is smashing, he's done well too. I lived up in the North East when I was manager of Sunderland and I know a few Middlesbrough fans and they speak very highly of him, so it bodes well."
Positive Signs and Manchester City Verdict
After three weeks without a fixture because of the extended international break, the Blues resume action at Hull City on Sunday, going into the game unbeaten in seven matches in all competitions this term.
Reid, who won two League Championships, an FA Cup and European Cup-Winners' Cup with Everton following his £60,000 signing from Bolton Wanderers in 1982, believes there are plenty of positive signs from what he has seen.
The Huyton-born star said: "You can't knock the results that Everton have had so far this season. I thought the determination in the fightback when Manchester United scored late on showed character – and what a finish to get something out of the game.
"That shows you the attitude and the desire not to get beat. If you've got that, you've got a chance. Jarrad Branthwaite has been outstanding. He's got a calm assurance about him and is a good player.
"Also, Tyler Dibling looks to have come on when we've seen him this season. I loved the pass that he did against Wolves but also the fact that he chased back and won the ball, and I thought 'wow'.
"Last season it looked as though it was too big for him but to be fair, the young players are looking like they're handling it now at Everton and that's a major plus for the club."
Although another of Reid's former clubs, Manchester City, where he was both a player and manager, are currently top of the Premier League, they have been found guilty of breaking 114 financial rules. The Etihad Stadium outfit have been found guilty of all charges relating to breaches of Premier League financial rules between the 2009/10 and 2017/18 seasons, with an independent commission finding that the club arranged "sham contracts" as well as "relying on sham agreements to artificially inflate the club's revenues and reduce its costs," as part of a scheme to disguise secret funding of more than £830million.
Reid said: "It looks as though City are in trouble. Everton have been there and got punished.
"The rules were changed after the Abu Dhabi crew bought the club, which is something I find hard to come to terms with, but it looks like there will be some punishment, because they're the rules. You've got to swallow your pill."
Promoting Football Safety App
The 70-year-old has joined former Liverpool pair Emile Heskey and Paul Stewart plus Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Alison Bender as part of an elite squad to promote Football Safety App. The move comes as clubs and authorities continue to look for faster, more discreet ways for supporters, staff and players to report abuse in and around grounds as well as online.
The FSA has been designed to tackle all forms of abuse around sport by allowing users to report incidents, suspicious behaviour or areas of concern instantly to a 24-hour control room, where reports are received, logged and acted on responsibly.
Reid said: "The 1970s and 80s were a bit lively. Anyone who knows me knows that I was an aggressive player on the pitch. I got a lot of stick and I gave it back. Back in the day, I was spat on and suffered verbal abuse.
"Over the years, the game has changed and behaviour at grounds has got a lot better. But I've seen abuse of black players, which is why I got involved in supporting 'Show Racism the Red Card' and why I have now become an ambassador for the FSA.
"That behaviour is just not acceptable in the modern game. Families are going to matches and they shouldn't be hearing bad language. Football, and sport in general, should be safe and enjoyable to watch and to be part of.
"The majority of matches are not too bad; it is social media that is one of the biggest problems now. In a modern world, an app like this is the future. Everyone has a phone in their hand, and the app makes it easy to report any form of abuse as you hear it. It is discreet, easy to use… I'm all for it to help make the games safer for supporters and players and everyone in it."
Since its launch, the technology has been welcomed for its practical, data-driven approach to safeguarding and its aim of creating a football environment where everyone can participate safely, free from abuse. The app is free to download and use, and the team behind it is continuing to work with clubs, leagues and supporter groups to expand its use across the sport.
