"A good tackle is just as good as taking three people on and passing them. It is a skill you need to learn and a good tackle is as good as a good free kick."

1994-99, 105 apps, 4 goals

Everton’s 57th best player (and Bournmouth’s 9th) is another one like Tony Kay who never came anywhere near to fulfilling his potential. Whereas Kay’s career was halted by draconian punishment, Parkinson’s was curtailed by injury – a cartilage tear that “despite operation after operation kept ripping”.

Joe ran himself into the ground for Everton, and by playing through serious injury and making do on pain killing injections he put his career on the line for our club. It is interesting reading interviews with Parkinson; the poster boy for the “Dogs of War”, he was someone who was proud of his tough tackling, regarding it as a skill which he had mastered. Parkinson played his last game of professional football when he was 26 and retired in 1999. Joe he left behind his FA Cup winning performance against Man Utd and a series of midfield tackles which must still make the recipients wince.

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