Peter Reid has called on Everton's owners to back manager David Moyes in the transfer market, identifying a right-back and a centre-forward as priority positions. The 70-year-old from Huyton, who won two League Championships, an FA Cup and the European Cup-Winners' Cup with Everton after signing from Bolton Wanderers for £60,000 in 1982, was described by Howard Kendall as the club's most important signing since the Second World War.
Assessing Moyes' recruitment so far this summer, Reid told the ECHO: "I think when you play for a club like Everton, you've got to have that ambition. I just hope the club back the manager, because I think we need a right-back and a centre-forward if I'm honest."
Reid's transfer wishlist
Reid pointed to the scale of spending elsewhere in the league, noting Elliot Anderson's £116million move to Manchester City. He praised James Garner's performances in Everton's two games against Nottingham Forest last season, saying: "I've got to say, in the two Everton games against Nottingham Forest last season, I thought James Garner did brilliant. So, we've got a top player there, but we need more and the manager needs help."
He also backed a move for Brentford's Christian Norgaard, saying: "I remember seeing Christian Norgaard at Brentford when I was doing a bit for Wigan and he was always steady, read it well, and kept it. He's an experienced one with Idrissa Gueye going and he'll give us a bit of stability in there and he can pass it."
Reid added: "Personally, I'd also get Jack Grealish back too. I think he's a really good footballer."
Charity screening and community work
Reid was speaking as he and former team-mate Graeme Sharp joined older participants at one of Everton in the Community's Stand Together sessions, a programme designed to tackle social isolation and provide opportunities for people to connect, build friendships and improve their wellbeing at the Blue Base on Salop Street. The session included an interactive drumming activity and a question and answer session with the two Everton legends.
Reid is now looking forward to a charity screening of Everton, Howard's Way at Hill Dickinson Stadium on Bank Holiday Monday (August 31), with entry on a pay-what-you-want basis and all donations going to Everton in the Community.
Reflections on Bayern Munich and the new stadium
Reid features in the film with his old Blues team-mates, and reflecting on it, he focused on the 3-1 comeback win over Bayern Munich in the European Cup-Winners' Cup semi-final, widely regarded as Goodison Park's greatest night. He said: "The film is good, I've got to say, I've watched it a couple of times. I watched it with my grandson, and he couldn't believe the physicality of the game then. He kept looking at me."
He added: "Obviously, nowadays, you couldn't do tackles like that. You just use your brain, but then it was a lot more physical. If someone went after one of your players, as a team you got retribution. That's the way it was, and it showed opposing teams that you were going to be hard to play against."
On the atmosphere at the Bayern game, Reid said: "The atmosphere at the Bayern Munich game is the best I've been in, and I've played all over the world in some great stadiums. Bayern were a real good side. They had the likes of Lothar Matthaus, Klaus Augenthaler, Soren Lerby and Dieter Hoeness. The crowd were part and parcel of us getting the result. They drove us on and we drove them on and that's what football was like then."
Reid is pleased with the way Blues supporters have transferred their passion to the new 52,769-capacity stadium on the Mersey waterfront. He said: "It's a different game now as I've said but the passion is still there. I love the atmosphere at Hill Dickinson Stadium too as the Evertonians have brought that with them from Goodison Park. We saw that when Jack Grealish scored the stoppage-time winner against Crystal Palace and then the 3-0 win over Chelsea. Players drive crowds as well as crowds driving players."
He added: "Goodison Park was great but now we've got to embrace this new stadium. We've got to win something though. We saw that last year with Newcastle United winning a first trophy since 1969, we've somehow got to do that for our fans and compete to get in Europe. We did that last year and after the Chelsea game I thought we were bang on. But we fell away and we've got to keep it going to the end."
Reid also spoke about the need to harness the crowd's energy: "If you get on the front foot and get the crowd going, they can harness the power of the stadium. There are certain games, if you're playing against the likes of the Arsenal or Manchester United and they can hit you on the break, you can't go gung-ho, but there's nothing wrong with getting after them all over the park when they've got the ball."
Drive-in cinema and fundraising
The Everton, Howard's Way showing will be the climax of three nights of drive-in cinema at Hill Dickinson Stadium across the Bank Holiday weekend. Saturday, August 29 sees Finding Nemo at 6pm and Mamma Mia at 9pm; Sunday, August 30 has Grease at 6pm and Back to the Future at 9pm, with those screenings £30 per vehicle or £10 per person without a vehicle in a dedicated lawn area. Everton, Howard's Way is at 7.30pm on Monday, August 31 with entry on a pay-what-you-want basis.
Sue Gregory, chief executive of Everton in the Community, told the ECHO: "The club are looking at Hill Dickinson Stadium being a 365 days a year venue so they are doing their own drive-in cinema across the Bank Holiday weekend. Then we wanted to reflect upon the power of Howard's Way to raise money for Everton in the Community."
She added: "When the film was originally released, some of the proceeds went to Everton in the Community and helped us to open up our People's Place mental health and wellbeing hub. We've had thousands of people come through there and saved at least 40 lives that could have been lost. It was a chance for us to reignite that message and ask people to join us again as we need to sustain the work we're doing for mental health screening. What could be a more perfect way than a showing of Howard's Way, that helped us lay those foundations in the first place?"
Gregory said: "It's a new concept and you can imagine the backdrop of the waterfront and the amazing stadium, so it's really exciting for the city. We're operating on a pay-what-you-want basis with donations to Everton in the Community, but we want people to dig deep if they can and remember what this is all about. We've been using Everton's influence and reach within the community for so many years, it's a nice to remember what we do and Everton are recognising that as well."
Reid concluded: "There are a lot of people out there who aren't as fortunate as us. Anything we can do to bring in a few quid for charity is great. I'm going to do the Great North Run for the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation in September – I must be crackers! It's what you try and do though."
Places must be booked in advance with further details available through the ticket link here.
