Royal Blue: The Holy Trinity, the need for European football, and a Goodison send-off

Moments before Dave Prentice, Adam Jones and Chris Beesley were set to record the latest Royal Blue podcast, there was an impromptu visitor to the ECHO - none other than David France, the man who created the Everton Former Players Foundation and Everton Heritage Society, and who assembled the finest collection of Blues memorabilia in the world. Naturally, we invited him on to the pod, which fittingly starts with a discussion over the 'Holy Trinity' statue that will be unveiled before the final home game of the season against Burnley on Friday. David, who is over from America for the match and the ceremony, tells a great anecdote about the great Alan Ball, Howard Kendall and Colin Harvey while Adam and Chris explain what the legendary trio mean to them. Adam also explains why the atmosphere should be as good as it was for the draw with Liverpool and wins over Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United, before talk turns to why the club needs European football, if not this season then definitely next. Given it is the last home game, the panel then get reflective, with David pulling no punches on how he views the campaign. That said, he does believe Marco Silva is building a strong side. His only fear, however, is that players such as Idrissa Gueye will be tempted elsewhere. But with the Blues finishing the season strongly, the podcasts ends on a similar note, with words of praise for the likes of Bernard and the young players coming through the ranks. And there is also time for our usual predictions - including a unique one from David. Enjoy.