As Everton fans, we all sing the anthems, ?It's a grand old team to play for, ? and, ?If you know your history, ? but how well do you really know the players of the past? The first volume featured interviews with fifty former Everton players who have lived the boyhood dream; gracing the famous Goodison turf in the royal blue jersey. This edition contains interviews with fifty more former players, some who are very well known, and others less so. Some could count their total games on one hand. But, one thing they all have in common, is their pride in wearing the royal blue jersey and playing at Goodison Park.
Being a founder member of the Football League and one of the oldest club's in the world, Everton Football Club has one of the richest, and most colourful histories in football. This book sets out to showcase some of the strange but true tales which this great club has been involved in.
Do you still curse yourself over the day you met your hero; when instead of asking him the one question that's been nagging you for years, you couldn't utter a word because you were suddenly (and uncharacteristically) struck dumb? Well, curse no more. Still Talking Blue is a unique collection of interviews that will answer everything you wanted to know about your Everton heroes and with none of the unnecessary waffle - because it only asks the relevant questions, as submitted by the fans. Collated via the Internet, disenfranchised Evertonions scattered across the globe proudly display their astounding recall of bygone events and trivia. From Iceland to South Africa, Australia to Israel, long-suffering Bluenoses are finally given the opportunity to ask questions of their heroes and they do so with panache. The book contains in-depth interviews spanning the decades from the '50s, when shorts were long and Dave Hickson's quiff was the envy of Hollywood, right through to Dave Watson's final days at the club. Join us as we endeavour to track down John Bailey's 'big hat' and Gordon West's handbag, and move seamlessly on to more pressing topics such as Kevin Ratcliffe's biggest regret, Mick Lyon's worst injury and Alan Harper's favourite goal. So, if you lie awake at night wondering just what went wrong in the '68 Cup Final, whether Jimmy Gabriel still has his white trench coat, if Barry Horne really does like The Cocteau Twins or how Dave Hickson has managed to hang on to his hair, then unfurrow your brow because the answers all lie within these pages. No Evertonion should be expected to survive without this book.
This book features interviews with fifty former Everton players who have lived my boyhood dream to grace the famous Goodison turf in the royal blue jersey. My writing days began as a hobby back in 2012 when I submitted articles and match reports for a couple of Everton websites under the pseudonym, 'Blue Echo'. Inside this first edition of 'Blue Echo' interviews, these players tell their own story of their time at Everton. I sincerely hope one of your favourite players is included, and that you enjoy reading their stories. We as fans know what the club motto Nil Satis Nisi Optimum means to us. These interviews highlight exactly what being at Everton means to the players, too.
In 1960, the wealthy owner of the Merseyside-based Littlewoods corporation, John Moores, took control of Everton Football Club, setting in motion a chain of events that still affect the game in this country today. Everton had enjoyed success before Moores's takeover but things would never be the same again from the moment he walked through Goodison's doors. Although big clubs had spent money before, none had done so with such naked short-term ambition and a ruthlessness to succeed that sent shockwaves through the previously stagnant world of English football. The new owner's ruthless streak was personified by his first major move, sacking the popular Johnny Carey in the back of a London taxi in April 1961. Everton would finish that 1960/61 season in fifth place, their highest position since World War Two, but the Irishman's affable nature cost him his job. In his place Moores wanted a man in his own image to lead the club forward and he soon found him: Harry Catterick. Catterick was little over 40 years old, and had been an Everton player himself only ten years before. But as a boss he exuded an aura that demanded respect and obedience from his players. It was a characteristic that won him few fans but plenty of trophies, and across the decade Everton reasserted themselves as one of English football's powerhouses, winning two league titles and an FA Cup. Catterick's ability to nurture young products of the club's youth set-up such as Colin Harvey and Joe Royle was trumped only by his mastery of the transfer market, allowing him to sign the great Howard Kendall from Preston North End and World Cup winner Alan Ball from under his rivals' noses. Harvey, Kendall and Ball would soon form the club's greatest midfield trio, and their brilliance would underpin the 1969/70 title win, a victory for free-flowing football in an era of cynicism. That trophy would be Everton's last major honour for 14 years. In Money Can't Buy Us Love, Everton's official statistician Gavin Buckland tells the tale of how Moores and manager Harry Catterick took the so-called 'Mersey Millionaires' to the summit of English football, in the context of the major cultural changes of the time. The book provides a forensic character study of both Catterick and Moores, and also delves into the archives to provide a definitive account of the incidents that rocked the club in a fruitful but turbulent decade, including allegations of doping in the 1962/63 campaign, the 1964 match-fixing scandal which signalled the end of Tony Kay's career and the shock sale of Alan Ball. Money Can't Buy Us Love offers fascinating insight into how strong personalities can take a team to the very top, but can also cause in its ultimate downfall.
The School of Hard Knox chronicles the life and career of one of the most admired and respected coaches ever to grace Scottish football, Archie Knox. After his early days at Forfar Athletic, Archie became a key ally for Alex Ferguson at Aberdeen and Manchester United. Together they won the Scottish league title, Scottish Cup and, of course, on a never to be forgotten night in Gothenburg in 1983, they led the Dons to European Cup Winners' Cup glory against the mighty Real Madrid. FA Cup success followed with United as Archie played a vital role in resurrecting the fortunes of a sleeping giant at Old Trafford. On his return to Scotland, he assisted Walter Smith – a one-time teammate at Dundee United – to historic triumphs at Rangers. They clinched Nine in a Row, won the Treble and came within 90 minutes of reaching the first-ever Champions League final. After moving to Everton, Archie also had spells with the Scotland national team as well as Motherwell and an emotional return to Aberdeen with Craig Brown. From Willie Miller and Alex McLeish, Bryan Robson and Ryan Giggs, Paul Gascoigne and Brian Laudrup, Archie has worked with some of the greatest players ever to grace British football. Through his own words and those who witnessed his wit, his work and his wisdom, this is the untold story of a remarkable career.
In 1948 AS Roma launched an audacious bid to make Everton's elegant Welsh international centre half T. G. Jones one of the first foreigners to play in Serie A. Jones, who was dubbed The Prince of Centre-Halves by his adoring fans, bestrode the First Division in an age of uncompromising defensive 'stoppers'. A forerunner of football immortals like Bobby Moore and Franz Beckenbauer, he was, according to Dixie Dean, 'the best all-round player' he had ever seen. The Eternal City seemed a fitting stage for this most stylish of players. And yet the move faltered at the twelfth hour and Jones returned to Everton, where, unappreciated by the club's management, his playing career petered out to a disappointing conclusion. A decade later his countryman John Charles found adulation in Italy as Il Gigante Buono and Jones was forever left pondering what might have been. Jones, however, had left his own indelible mark on British football in the 1930s and 1940s. With a blend of defensive brilliance, skill and playmaking ability, his regal style won him admirers across the land. To his fans he truly was 'The Uncrowned Prince of Wales.' In this, Jones's centenary year, author Rob Sawyer, uncovers the true story of this enigmatic football legend. Utilising a mixture of archive material and interviews with those who knew Jones and saw him play, Sawyer paints a compelling picture of a brilliant footballer and outspoken and complicated man. Rebel, pioneer and football genius this is the definitive story of one of the game's forgotten heroes.
