[MEMORANDUM REGARDING PRESENT PLAYING STAFF OF EVERTON F. C. AS ANALYSED BY CHIEF COACH IAN C. BUCHAN. 11th Sept. 1956.] I am pleased and grateful of being given this opportunity of preparing this special report on playing staff for the consideration of the Chairman and Directors of this Club. I consider that the quality of the present playing staff is not high enough to maintain a respectable position in the 1st. Division. I consider at this present minute there are two courses open, which this Board may decide to take, and I shall attempt to outline them and analyse in an objective fashion, the implications of each. (1) The present strength, having been found to be deficient, must be augmented by experienced players of a recognised high standard. I know that this is a matter which is much more easily said than done, however, I feel that if you and your colleagues Mr. Chairman, decide to pursue this policy that such players may be induced to join us. I consider that the positions in which we are particularly deficient at the moment are both inside forward positions and if this Board decree that we shall enter the market for players in these positions then I suggest only players of the very highest calibre e.g. Haynes (Fulham) Atyeo (Bristol City) Wilshaw (Wolves) Quixall (Sheffield Wed.) Wyllie (Notts County) Jezzard (Fulham) should be the men whom we consider. In other words, men who are recognised specialists in the inside forward play and most of whom are at the zenith of their career. Regardless of whether this policy is adopted or not, I think we must look very carefully and searchingly at the list of professional playing staff who are presently employed by the Everton F. C., and which I list below. 31 Full time professional. 14 Part time professional. 7 Forces. Total 52. and it is proposed to increase this further within the course of the next few weeks, by the addition of several other part-time professionals. I consider this to be an unnecessary high total and feel that without detriment to the resources available to this Club we could considerably reduce this number by dispensing with the services of several players whom we feel are no longer essential to the success of Everton, however I fully realise that this is a matter for the decision of the Board and feel now that I have done my duty to the Club by reporting this fact to the Board. The other course which I feel is open to you is to pursue the policy of Youth and to stand or fall by the results achieved, in the main, by the younger members of the playing staff. It is my personal opinion that most of the young men are collectively too inexperienced to retrieve us from our present dangerous position; however by pursuing this policy to its bitter end we shall have given them; one essential factor which is at present lacking:- experience and I think, ultimately these are the men who are going to restore Everton to its rightful place in the Football world. That, then is the position as I see it at the present time and I should like to conclude on a personal note with a few observations of my own. There have been many suggestions and ideas forwarded as causative factors for our failure on the field this season e.g. (1) Many of the players are too old. (2) The Directorial Sub-Committee are incapable of fielding our best side. (3) The present system of training is too arduous. (4) The appointment of a Manager is essential to success. (5) The recent American Trip was too long and exhaustive. While I am prepared to accept that some of these factors may be contributory, the one basic essential reason is that our present material is inadequate in quality to meet the demands of first division opposition and that is the problem which we now have to tackle. Personally I favour the latter course of introducing the younger players to the senior side at the earliest opportunity and giving them the essential experience of which they are presently deficient and thus declaring redundant many of the older players who have served you so well in the past. By this method, although we may have a very lean season we shall have found our way out of the wood and the green fields of opportunity and success will lie at the feet of men who are young and virile enough to take full advantage of this.