228 appearances, 13 goals

Howard Kendall was famed for his transfer clairvoyance, and few signings eclipse the purchase of Peter Reid. Although he was a player whose career had been pebble-dashed with injury, the tenacious Reid came to symbolise a team that could mix brutal steel with a velvet touch. In the seminal second-leg game against Bayern Munich, Reid, lying prone with a huge gash on his shin from a Lothar Matthaus tackle, ran to the touchline and instead of leaving to repair his wound, thrust a wet sponge down his sock and carried on. His actions set the tone for the rest of the game. Reid and his huge, growling midfield engine not only won the League Championship with Everton but won himself the PFA footballer of the year in 1985.