For me, yes Alan Ball. Best I’ve seen. He was burning out a bit by the time he went to Arsenal. As for keepers, Nev won us trophies. Pickford saved us from relegation. But as an influence on the team I’d take Neville Southall every day.

Tom, there is no doubt all the players you mention deserve to be included in any conversation about our greatest player. Of the players you mention I think Peter Reid was the closest match to Alan Ball. Given the overall strength of the 1984/85 group including the presence of top international players like Steven and Sheedy I can just about imagine that team winning the league title without Peter Reid. I don’t think there is any way the 1969/70 team would have done so without Alan Ball.

I was born in'62 but the family had moved into Lancashire by then and we soon made a further move to Belfast. We then moved to the Midlands and I always seemed to be just that bit far away from Goodison on a match day. I do envy those of you who were there in person to see the teams of the 60s and early 70s. I had to get myself to the game and thus had to be content with dreadful visits to the relatively accessible West Brom and the much-hated Wolves.

First match at Goodison was in '78 against Notts Forest, where we won with (I think) a Brian Kidd header.

To have a view on this, I think you need to have seen the players in the flesh and so my vote would have to go to Big Nev. Living in London for 3 years in the 80s, I hardly missed an away game, Cup or League and I saw that man make saves that defied imagination.