EVERTON v WATFORD Everton must let slip the new Dogs of War’

Blues hero Barry Horne on what needs fixing at Goodison Park The pressure is

BARRY HORNE has urged Everton to tap into the way Wales beat the odds at Euro 2016 in a bid to claw their way out of trouble.

The 55- year- old was one of Everton’s famous trio of midfield battler’s nicknamed the ‘Dogs of War’ by Blues boss Joe Royle in the 1990s when they won the FA Cup.

It is a tag that stuck with Horne (right, and as a player) – and the former Wales star believes the current Toffees side struggling in the Premier League drop zone are crying out for a similar mentality in a season that is spiralling downhill.

He said: “That type of defiance and fight would be welcomed in any team, and any side that has success will look back and say they had a great team spirit. I was with lads from the successful 1985 Everton team recently and they say they had that kind of mentality in the dressing room – and a decade later we certainly had it too.

“People say the game has changed beyond all recognition from those days and I concede myself that the game is very different to when we were playing.

“But there’s still a place for the kind of performances that earned us that tag from Joe. The problem is you can’t get that kind of attitude and desire off the shelf.

“You can’t buy hunger and fire like t hat. You can’t manufacture players to produce it – it has to be inside you.

“The Wales lads that went to the Euros and surprised everyone had that desire and spirit. They were saying, ‘We might not be the best team in terms of ability, but our spirit is better than anyone’s’ – and look how far it took them. “It’s not about soundbites from me or the present day players that will turn this around. But if you