A Boy's Own treasure!

I just had to write about a great piece of Everton Memorabilia that I just picked up on Ebay. I am certainly not a collector in the David France league - who is? But I do keep an eye out for things on particular interest. And this is absolutely lovely.

It is a collection of all the Home and Away Programmes from the 1961-1962 Season. This was of course the season before we won the title with Roy Vernon and Co.

But what makes the collection so wonderful is that it has been so carefully catalogued by the hand of someone who was probably no more than about 10 years old. When you think of it he is now in his 60s! I was 5 years old at that time. Nobody outside of Liverpool or Hamburg had heard of the Beatles, John F Kennedy was a new, young President and the idea of a man setting foot on the moon was science fiction.

All of the scores have been meticulously recorded on a separate page, and the whole collection is placed within the pages of an old hard back exercise book. I just read through it with the same level of excitement with which was gathered all those years ago.

There are some fascinating games too. For the 18th October 1961 there is the Liverpool Floodlit Cup game against Liverpool. Of course there was no league derby then as they were languishing in another place!

There is a fascinating FA Cup 3rd Round Tie against Kings Lynn -

And how about a mid season friendly against Dynamo PS of Kiev -

But to be honest every page is a gem. The condition is hardly mint but that just adds to the charm. It isn't going to re-sell for a fortune but I intend to keep it in the family for my Blue grandkids to enjoy!

For the record; this was Harry Catterick's first full season in charge. We finished 4th in the First Division that was won by Ipswich Town managed by one Alf Ramsey. Top scorer was Roy Vernon followed by Alex Young!

Tim Howard for President

The USA seems to have gone football – real football – mad over the last three weeks.

This hasn’t gone down well in some quarters. Conservative columnist Ann Coulter went as far as to say that her country’s newly found enthusiasm for the beautiful game was a sign of moral decay –

http://www.anncoulter.com/columns/2014-06-25.html

She showed her immense wisdom on the subject by going on to say – ‘There are no heroes, no losers, no accountability, and no child's fragile self-esteem is bruised.’ 

I wonder whether she brought to herself to watch last night’s epic encounter between USA and Belgium. Although the USA lost, they were all heroes. None more so than our own Tim Howard. At one point he was keeping Belgium at bay single handed. His sixteen saves in one game is a record for any World Cup. 

His performance has drawn unique praise from the American media –

http://www.mlssoccer.com/worldcup/2014/news/article/2014/07/01/world-cup-usmnt-goalkeeper-tim-howard-sets-world-cup-record-16-saves-vs-belg

The Americans also turned to Twitter to show their admiration.

NBA commentator David Aldridge tweeted –

‘That was incredible. Proud of that US Team and in awe of Tim Howard’.

NFL ‘insider’ Adam Shefter weighed in with –

‘Belgium has been relentless but Tim Howard has been flawless’.

But the best tweet of all came from NBC Weatherman John Morales –

‘Regardless of the outcome…@TimHowardGK for President’.

In a brilliant piece of internet mischief someone changed the Wikipedia entry for Secretary of Defence of United States of America to a biography page about our hero. Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales, whilst not wanting to approve such acts of vandalism called the move 'exquisite' - 

http://ftw.usatoday.com/2014/07/tim-howard-wikipedia-united-states-secretary-of-defense

Some fans have even called for Washington Airport to be renamed in his honour -

http://www.politico.com/story/2014/07/tim-howard-airport-white-house-petition-world-cup-108510.html

Now it was a great performance but that is pushing it a bit far! Imagine if USA had won...

Of course we Evertonians already knew how good he was but it is good to bask in his reflected glory. The individual performance of the world cup from our own Tim Howard. And this after Tim Cahill – still ours at heart - scored the goal of the tournament against Holland.

My only worry is that Barcelona will have taken notice! Or worse still that he will be persuaded to go for the White House. 

Of course Tim was not the only Blue hero last night. Kevin Mirallas was a massive influence when he came on. Lukaku made one and scored one, after a poor World Cup until now. Who knows where his future lies? But for now, he’s one of ours.

But the night belonged to our beloved keeper even in defeat.

The premier league watch out.

We are after you and we now have a future President in our ranks!

Everton - my part in their downfall

We have all been there before. A last gasp equalizer gives the third best team in Cyprus, Apollon Limassol, a precious point against Everton, and we all start to look for answers. How did this happen? Whose fault was it? The manager? The players? Or was it me??

All football fans like to think that they play a part in the success of their team. And that is never truer than with me and Everton. How often is the fantastic support called the extra man? We have all been at games when the ground is rocking and the crowd lifts the team to glory. A certain night involving Bayern Munich comes to mind.

But we also have to hold our hands up and acknowledge those moments when we have been responsible for misery and defeat. I have to confess that I felt that much of the gloom in the 1990s was down to me.

Now we all have our superstitions; the lucky or unlucky scarf. I got one for Christmas in 2013. I wore it for the defeat to Sunderland on Boxing Day and feel nervous about wearing it again…just in case.

But none of this comes near to the damage I have caused by listening to Everton on the radio. The 90s was particularly dark decade.

This is more than just superstition. It is scientifically proven. I think the story began back in the 1960s when I was glued to the radio as we lost 3 – 2 to Nottingham Forest in the 6^th Round of the Cup. Much as I willed us to win it all seemed to go wrong. Then we come to the 1990s.

In January 1996 we were away to Stockport County – an easy game if ever there was one. Me and my son were listening to the game and we were edging to a nervy 2 – 1 win. Then with two minutes to go they equalised. We turned off the radio in disgust. Then, during the one minute it took to get downstairs and check the teletext (remember that?) Ebbrell banged in the winner. Coincidence? Maybe. But almost the same thing happened again in November that year. We were losing the derby at Anfield and seemed to be going nowhere. The radio went off with 10 minutes to go. We checked teletext again and Gary Speed had equalised with 8 minutes left. Now you have to admit that is spooky.

By now I was beginning to avoid this dangerous pastime. But in November 1997 I was caught off guard. 2 – 1 up away to Blackburn with a few minutes left. One of my sons asked me for a lift to Crosby Village which is less than 5 minutes drive. I recklessly switched on the radio in the car. Before we had left our road Blackburn had equalised. Then the penny dropped but before I could switch the radio off, they had got the winner. A miserable 2 – 3 defeat and it was all down to me!!

So this is why I will never listen to Everton under any circumstances. I even think it might be possible for me to walk past a radio and cause us to concede a couple of goals. Listening online is a place to which I will not go!

We all need to do our part for our great team. So if ever I reach an age when I have forgotten this lesson, and you see me listening to a game, you have my permission to take the radio from me and throw it out of the window.

In the meantime, the new away shirt that I wore on Thursday night will stay in the wardrobe this afternoon. 

Goodison - The First Time

I was 11 when I went to my first match at Goodison. For someone brought up in Anfield in the 1960s that makes me a relatively late starter. My mum and dad and brother were all reds. For some reason that never did much for me (born not made?).

Like many of my generation I became obsessed with football following the 1966 World Cup. I can still remember the Brazilian fans in Stanley Park challenging us to a kick about. I was so star struck it might as well have been Pele himself. My uncle Bill was a great Blue – he was at Wembley in 1933 when we won the cup – Dixie Dean and all. But what changed a passing interest in Everton to an all consuming passion was the arrival of one Alan Ball, fresh from that famous win. His two goals in a 3 – 1 win over Liverpool sealed my fate. I was blue for life and he was the idol whose pictures covered my bedroom wall for the next 5 years!

I had met Iggy on the bus travelling from Anfield to school in Wavertree. He was a veteran blue. He had been going to games for at least a year or so. And so it was that, on 12^th November 1966 we went together to the home game against Arsenal. The first thing I remember is that he had the biggest rattle you have ever seen, two or three times the size of the one in the picture.

It took both hands to operate it and it was so loud… It would certainly merit action by the noise abatement society. It was probably a lethal weapon that wouldn't get past the turnstile these days.

As we did the short walk along Priory Road I began to get that feeling of sickness in my stomach that I sometimes still get as the ground gets closer. We paid our 5 shillings and then we were inside Goodison Park. I was spellbound. I had never seen anything like it. We were in the Paddock and stood in the corner near the Park End where the wall was low enough for a couple of 11 year olds to see. In those days the Goodison Road Terrace was massive and seemed like a sea of blue and white. To my right was the Gladys Street end. I remember thinking that, one day, I would be big enough to stand there.

What stood out were the colours, the smells (!) and the music. I saw the Seekers in May this year (they are getting on a bit now) and I could barely control the emotion as they sang – We Shall Not be Moved. And of course there was the Z Cars theme. I was as if I had been translated to another world, like Dorothy and Toto.

But the most abiding memory was during the first half. The ball went out play right in front of us. Who came over for the ball? Golden Vision himself - Alex Young. 

He was no  more than a few inches away from us. With his blond curls and piercing eyes he was like a Greek god. In fact, a few years later, I was in Florence and saw Michelangelo’s David. All I could think of was the features of Alex Young on that first day I saw him. Of course I wouldn’t assume to make any other comparison with the famous sculpture but you get my meaning!

I don’t know whether another memorable moment actually happened or whether memory has elaborated. Did Alan Ball really sit on the ball momentarily whilst surrounded by Arsenal defenders? Probably not but the day was so unreal I would have believed anything.

I cannot remember anything about the game itself. It ended 0 – 0 – something that was to be a feature of Arsenal games in years to come. But it didn’t really matter. This was the start of something that has lasted a lifetime.

Even now, if I am in the Main Stand I look across to that little corner of the old paddock and still remember the excitement of that day. 

Let the unbridled optimism begin

So here is the first post of my new Everton blog.

It may be the middle of June.

The World Cup may just be warming up.

But for most football fans this is the day that the build up to the new season begins. It is the day when the new Premier league fixtures are published. It is the day that sees the start of my wildest optimism. Every year I look down the list of games and am convinced that there is no team in the Premier League, that Everton cannot beat - 

http://www.evertonfc.com/match/premier-league-football-fixtures.html

This will be the season that we march relentlessly to the title leaving all others trailing in our wake.

And looking at the games there have been some great moments of glory over the years. 

We open on 16^th August against newly promoted Leicester City. I was at Goodison Park in November 1968 when we put 7 past them. I was standing in the raised section of the Gladys Street end with my gang on schoolmates. For about 5 seasons we stood in the same spot just by the Boys' Pen! I was just going down with flu and was off sick for a week after the game. But what a day it was. Joe Royle got a hat-trick with one from Alan Ball. The theme from The Good, The Bad and the Ugly topped the charts.

We follow that game up with Arsenal at home on 23^rd August – who remembers the 6 – 1 hammering we gave them in November 1985, less than a year after we beat Man Utd 5 – 0. We play them at home in April.

Then there is the game at home to Stoke City on Boxing Day. I was there in October 1969 when the eventual champions beat them 6 – 2 with Royle and Ball on target again. Interestingly, that was also the day I bought Abbey Road.

The nostalgia keeps on coming. 

In April and May we host Southampton and then Sunderland. We have put 7 past both of them in my time. In fact we banged 8 past the Saints in 1972 with 4 more from Royle - what a striker he was.

So you get my point. We have beaten all of these teams over the years. All we have to do is do it all during one season and the world is ours, with possibly a world record goal difference.

Now you might say that this is unrealistic, blind optimism from an old git who should know better. 

But I bet there are fans across the country who have similar dreams. It is the hope that keeps us going through the rest of the summer while we have to entertain ourselves with cricket, Wimbledon and, this year, the world cup..

Roll on August. Watch out world. Everton are coming!