 Hello and welcome to ToffeeTV. I'm delighted to be joined by one of the Lea Kazdi. Lea, thanks so much for your time. Just here talking about your Everton career. You're obviously here in the American Toilet Hotel here in Dublin. Many Evertonians have sold out the place to come and see you, packed. 100%. Just talk to us about your Everton career. You were assigned by Walter Smith. I think you were one of Walter Smith's last couple of signs. What was it like kind of coming to the tail end of his era and then kind of coming into the David Moyes era? Well, like you said there, I think when I signed, I signed on the same day as David Genola. And I think maybe I've played two or three games under him under Walter Smith. I think the financial situation at Everton was not what it is now. And obviously we were in a tough position in terms of getting players in and getting them out. So Walter Smith had obviously done a good job. But I think they obviously thought that we needed fresh blood. I really liked Walter Smith. I thought he was a good guy. And I was a bit gutted that I didn't get a chance to play a few more games with him. But he played under David Moyes. Obviously changed the fortunes of the club. Turned around a really average team into a team that was pushing for Europe most seasons. So I loved the fact that I played for Everton. It was a great time of my career. It seemed to be a lot of players that were playing under David Moyes' era seemed to say the same thing. When he came in, it wasn't long until the prodigy Wayne Rooney was discovered. What was it like with him? Did you know he was going to go on to be amazing? Could you see it in training? You could see it in training. You could see that he was an excellent prospect. At that age, 15, when he was training with us, I don't think anyone could have seen it. And they would be lying if they said they thought he was going to be the England's best goal scorer ever. And Manchester United's great records and transfer records and all these things. But he had outstanding ability. He had a great attitude. He loved playing for Everton and had all their matches together. The mentality he's got, the bravery, absolute fearless at 15-16, he was always going to have a great career. I think he's a little fearless. I remember that moment against West Bram. I think it was Darren Moore. He put his hands on the chips against him. Even now, you probably wouldn't see that from someone that age. No, definitely not. And I think Wayne training with us at 15-16 would be knocking around like Joseph Giovo. Joseph Giovo was a really strong player. Big lad. And Wayne could definitely handle his body weight. He was very strong, very quick. Great balance. It didn't surprise us that he did. Yeah, well obviously Wayne kind of went on to bigger things for his career. Tim Cahill or Tim Cahill, some you may call. But he came in, Tim Milliam from Millwall. And you know, that season, we were tipped to go down. Yeah, we were tipped. You know, everyone was saying everything bad about us. It was just Tim and Marcus Bant. I think we're the only two players left. Yeah. And you know, we're kind of looking at that going, all right, we've lost our best player, Wayne, because he was doing it in the Euros at that point, wasn't it? Yeah, yeah. So we lost him. I think a lot of people, I think a doom and gloom. What was the galvanized that squad that season? Because you just don't believe, and it was a great season for yourself as well. I think obviously Wayne getting sold and the manager telling us when we were away on pre-season in Houston that basically Tim and Marcus were coming in and that was it. No one was going. This was the squad. And I think there's about 18 of us. When you think about the size of the squads nowadays, like 30 and 32, you know, it really brought the whole club together. And obviously the results and the performances really galvanized. Not only the squad, but the fans as well, really got back beyond the team. Yeah, it was such an amazing, there's just so many hollows from that season, which would be during their sales going against Liverpool. I know that must have been one of your hollows to your career. And that picture, that picture is iconic, the one with all you guys on top of you and Tim with the hand of that. What memories does that bring back for you? Just that picture alone? I think that that, I mean obviously I'm not in that picture. You can see one of my boots. That's what you can see. But the fact that I think it just, it just shows you, like if you look at that team, like none of them players really roll off the tongue in terms of the names, but like, you know, for every man, like they love playing for Everton. They're passionate about playing for Everton. They didn't want to lose, you know, that spirit, you know, that sort of, that sort of, you know, is the biggest positive from that season. David Moyer's got absolutely everything out of that squad. Absolutely. And it was obviously the big way against, Man United were a big dunk squad, the goal as well. I think we had to beat them in 10 years and so on. Some huge, huge, huge games. But Thomas Graverson was obviously on midfield, I come up to January. Is he as mad as everybody makes out to be, or is that an exaggeration? No, I think they're probably underestimated. Maddie Walsh, to be fair. He was a great lad, like a good friend of mine, but like absolutely nuts, like a crazy guy. But I love him, he was like, we had a great partnership. We love playing together, like, we were, you know, there weren't many partnerships. They might have been better than us, but they never, we never got out for once, like never. Ying and Yang. Ying and Yang. Yeah, but like, do you still keep in touch with them? Yeah, I still speak to them every now and then, yeah, Christmas and birthdays and that. Does he still have this mad Vegas look that everybody speaks to? I don't think so. I think that was a bit exaggerated. That was a bit exaggerated. Really? I don't think it was 90 million. I'm not sure. I don't know. I've not got any of it anyway. Speaking of maybe exaggerations, do you think Real Madrid saw in the wrong with Fielder? No, 100% not. No, he's like anyone that's seen Thomas at close quarters, you know, the skill that he had, the drive that he had, the wake of dribble, the wake of play, if anything, what Real Madrid was playing in the wrong position, you know, he wasn't a defensive midfielder, by any means. That was an mistake that was made, not the wrong person. What do you think his best decision would have been? He would have been an attacking midfielder. Like, you know, if you think about when we took him out of the team, we replaced him. We replaced Thomas with Mikael. Mikael, I doubt it, yeah. So, you know, that kind of player, you know, Thomas wasn't a tackleer one bit. You know, Thomas was a very skillful dribbler, driver, scores goals, creates goals, you know, tackling wasn't a strength of his. Yeah, I think that is a misconception, because like, growing up, I would have thought that he would have been like yourself, a tough tackle midfielder. You look at Thomas and he's got that kind of body frame where, but no, he was the opposite to that. Totally, but from kind of that whole area, you know, we went and had great days in Europe and something like that. There's the Villareal stuff that's been widely documented, the referee and something like that. But what was your favourite moment of all that time? Probably finishing fourth that season, playing against Beaton Newcastle on the Saturday and then watching the game on the Sunday. Wasn't that when Moisey got interviewed after the game? I'm not sure what he did. About finishing fourth? Okay. And he was at home popping up the thing of champagne? I don't know. I don't know. Well, I think it is, because I remember at the score, I think it was Andy Gray at the time, we were speaking to him about it and he was just there in the light and it was such a good time to be in Mauritania. You go back to previous summer to what it was, to what it was then. For me, it was the equivalent of the Leicester win in the league. It was massive at the time. I think we all watched the Liverpool game in our houses and then we got the text message saying, meeting back in Liverpool. So I had to drive back from Birmingham up to Liverpool and I got in the bar on Sunday. I got back in Spurton the other Tuesday and then we played Arsenal on Wednesday, got beat six now, was it six and seven now? We weren't talking about that. So we're in a great ending, but what a three days. Yeah, absolutely. We won't say that he was around the bend that week. No, we won't say that. I think the defence were. Well, maybe. Maybe, yeah. Well then, just in regards to Everton now, what do you think of the situation with them? Just in regards to the players they've brought in and the direction the club's going in now, considering from where you're as well, there's a lack of money at the time and now look at where we have the money. I think we're in a really good position. I think, you know, like everything when you're trying to change the style of play and the direction and what you want to play in, you know, there's always going to be a period of, you know, sometimes it's going to look a bit scruffy, sometimes it's going to look great. You know, speaking today, we've just beat West Ham there, great performance, a lot of positives all over the pitch. And these new signings, new players. Can I just say, he didn't take his eye off the game once now. These new players, they need time. They need time, you know, when you start a new job, regardless of whether you're a football or not, you need time to settle in. Yeah, I think that's true as well, because you look at what Pep did before the season last. We were even back in 4-0, you know. He needed time, Klopp needed time at Liverpool. And so on, you know. So I totally agree with you in that sense. Do you think Michael Service the right man to take us forward on some idea? From my own opinion, I would give him more time. Yeah, definitely, yeah. I think, you know, regardless of what manager you bring in, they're all going to need time. Everyone needs time. Yeah. And then just lastly, what are you doing with yourself now? I'm coaching the England under 21. So we've had to do Freud and Tim Dittman. Luckily enough to work with the locks of Dom and John Jo and Tom Davis and Kieran. So I've got four Everton lads there which are all doing really well. And you know, to be fair to you, as an Irish man, he's doing quite well in that regard, bringing the players' trio to Garret's house here. It's our fair play to you. I just want to say from my own personal point of view, thank you so much for your time. No problem. Guys, if you're watching, don't forget to subscribe to ToffyTV. Don't forget to load this video. And let us know your thoughts in the comments. Huge shout out again to Lee for his time. Absolute gentlemen. Best of luck with this Q&A now. Cheers. Thank you so much.