However, having put all that behind him and secured his place as Everton number one, he is heaping praise on the fans who supported him through those rough times.
He said: "I think the fans have been brilliant. Obviously things didn't go great for me in the first game but other than that they have got behind me. A fan even came up to the car going home after the game saying 'don't worry just get on with it' and that's great."
This is probably quite a marked change from his time at Arsenal, where he played so little he became the forgotten man of Highbury.