FAN ARTICLES
Alan, Imre, Dave and Don
Comments (23) : But will this year be different? Because in '67, '81 and '91, we never went on to Wembley. Despair was just up the road.
The names Ian Storey-Moore, Tommy Hutchison and Stuart Slater will jog a few memories.
After knocking out the Reds in '67 we went to Nottingham Forest in the next round and, if I'm not mistaken, we took a 2-0 lead before crumbling as Storey-Moore scored a hat-trick. We were out. The irony was that, if memory serves me right, Forest were managed by Johnny Carey who had been sacked by John Moores to make way for Harry Catterick.
After knocking out the Reds in '81, we went to Southampton and beat them in a Goodison replay in the Eamonn O'Keefe game when the little fella we signed from non-league football scored the winner for us in extra-time. This was the night there could have been a disaster outside Goodison when the gates were shut before kick-off with thousands still outside, some of whom legged it round to the Enclosure entrance by the Church. That rectangle of space became a heaving mass of bodies. It was scary. In the 6th round we were drawn against Manchester City. It was a mean and moody affair and a young Kevin Ratcliffe was sent off, having been deemed to have butted Tommy Hutchison. We drew 2-2 and lost the replay.
After knocking out the Reds in '91, we were drawn away at West Ham. Our dreams were ripped apart by Stuart Slater, a super-starlet on his way to nowhere.
David Moyes has been here seven years, but he still hasn't experienced the fervour of Evertonians when the Blues are on a proper, good FA Cup run. It's something else. I love it when We Shall Not Be Moved is wheeled out. But whatever happened to the E-V-E-R-T-O-N, Everton, Everton song? And that 80s' mantra, Come On You Blues, Come On You Blues? The words aren't exactly hard to learn. Not like our 70s' song When You're Smiling.
Will 2009 be the year? More than anything, I'd like to see the Evertonians aged under 21 have a day out at Wembley. There are North Koreans who have had more joy than our young Blues.
I think you'll find both semis are being held at Wembley this year. That makes it one game easier to get to Wembley, and tickets for a semi will be easier to get than for the final.
Am I getting ahead of myself here? I remember this talk before, the thought that knock out Liverpool and it's an automatic bye to Wembley. So I've been pleased to read of a few of the players saying it's no good knocking Liverpool out if we don't progress further in the Cup. Well lads, it is good, it's very, very good, but I know what you mean and it's great that you intend to go further.
Villa will obviously be a tough game, possibly a grim one. I predict a draw and a win for us in the replay. Then obviously an away trip in the 6th Round - to Swansea or Fulham. Just you wait and see.
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I was absolutely gutted when Storey-Moore netted their third. For months later, every little RS on Scottie Rd seemed to want to call himself Storey-Moore.
Every game you played in. watched, or even walked passed, you would hear goals being scored by "I-AN-STOR-REE-MOORE" ? they were even gobshites back then. I obviously never met the man but I grew to hate the name.
A timely warning Mike, let's hope it's heeded.
Beyond that ? who knows? If we get past Villa and then draw either Arsenal, Chelsea or Man U, then go on to Wembley, no-one can say we don?t deserve to be there!
COYB!
In your book ?Der ball ist Rund? you told about the differences in the Gwladys Street and the Kop and the reason why many fans where attracted to the atmosphere of the Kop. This was something I have totally agreed with for your years, so my question then, if you remove the location argument to one side, now that Everton finally have the chance to design a great End Stand to rival the Kop, how much much of a wasted opportunity do you think it is that we have designed the worst type of End Stand for atmosphere?
On a pedantic note, Varadi?s goal was in the Park End-ask theshite fan who hit him with a pie! Incidentally, I was in the Queen?s that night having a meal with (my now) Mrs and Varadi was at the next table. It took enormous resolve on my part to leave him in peace ? perhaps that?s why my Mrs married me.
I well remember that Forest game... I was completely gutted. I can still recall the goal that Storey-Moore scored and even the goal celebrations that followed!
I couldn?t believe that 50 years later, almost to the day we would be playing them again at home in the same round of the cup! I think it sent Villa on their way to their post-Munich final against Utd. Just a coincidence really isn?t it? It certainly couldn?t happen again.... could it??!!
Football throws up these dates and coincidences quite a lot. When we played Liverpool at Anfield in the last round it was 28 years to the day (except this time we played on Sunday 25th for TV and not Sat 24th as in 1981) since we put them out.
We did also play Villa at Goodison in the Cup on a Sunday in February 9 years ago and lost 2-1, although that year it was the Quarter Final becausde they played the 3rd Round before Christmas for some reason and we met on Feb 20th.
That defeat after a couple of Tommy Myhre mistakes still rankles as we?d have been playing Championship side Bolton in the Semi?s and would surely have played Chelsea in the last ever Final at old Wembley. On the other hand it hastened Smith?s departure and that is something that has turned out to be a great thing with the coming of the Moyesiah!
But just checked Forest website and it says Carey was manager.
Varadi scored in the Park End? You guys may be right. By 1981 I?d started pre-match drinking. But I have this abiding memory of standing in the Enclosure and Varadi wheeling away after scoring in the second half at the Enclosure side of the Street End. Certainly remember for days after, Blues going into the pub and asking for a Varadi and Coke.
Derek,
Glad you enjoyed Der Ball Ist Rund: Everton In Europe. Didn?t have the marketing power I would have liked behind it, but I modestly reckon it is one of the best Everton books, partly because it covers a thread of Everton history that is often overlooked and it looks at some issues in a fresh way. I like to think there is some humour in there too.
I certainly see March 1971 as the turning point in our history. We should have trounced Panathinaikos at Goodison in 1971 and gone through to the European Cup semi-finals and it was our fault that we didn?t.
Der Ball Ist Rund however points out that it had been arranged for the Greeks to go all the way from their hotel in Liverpool city centre to Southport for training and they were unhappy about that, then Shankly offered them Melwood! Then we lost the FA Cup semi to the Reds and the balance of power has been in their favour ever since, certainly in outsiders? eyes.
As for the Kop/uncovered Street End issue, they ended up stealing a march on us there. As for The End in Kirkby, I have not really looked at the proposed design due to a lack of enthusiasm for the move there. Regards atmosphere in the future, I see the biggest problem as keeping our gates above 30,000 due to so many games being on TV and internet, plus the price of admission and increasing levels of unemployment. We need a great Cup run to inspire and rejuvenate the Everton fanbase and counter such negative factors. I will be interested to see what the gate is on Sunday, given it is on TV. 32,500?
BTW, we did once knock out Liverpool and go on to win the FA Cup, but that was before Wembley was built. The year was 1906. Perhaps John Shearon can tell us if some of those players were on the boat to South America in 1909. They?ll make a film out of that one day.
I can recall shopping in Croydon as kid and in the Whitgift centre seeing final score on the TV rental shop the 2-1 scoreline. I could not believe it! I remember the commentator on Match of the Day or The Big Match saying when Liverpool scored their only goal ?is this going to be October all over again?. Everton had been 2 up in the October 1980 derby only for Pool to equalize. They didn?t luckily in that game. The Man City replay was sickening as Everton got drubbed 3-1.
The Aston Villa quater final of 2000 was a good game. Everton were quite strong at that point under Smith and were unlucky to loose.
I actually have a soft spot for Aston Villa, they are a side who I feel resemble Everton in their history and achievements and Premier League league attainments generally. I don?t want them to win ? but I want a tight honorable 3-2 win for Everton to balance things up. *If * Villa do win, then I want them to win the cup, and stop the sky 3s plans. (Heskey is a doubt for Villa as his achilles is hurt after the international vs Spain.)
Nice article and the book is a very good read. Thanks for sending down the extra copies ? they were well received by fellow Blues here. Drinking pre-match is not always a good thing ? Tottenham away this season, Mike, will bring back one or two memories - Ian MacDonald is such a bad influence ? senior and junior.
Thanks again, Mike, for a good article and a great book. I have a feeling that I will be back home in May to watch the Cup Final. See you then.
Adie, Brisbane, Australia.
My best memory is the Luton semi-final when Sheedy hit it through a crowd of bodies to equalize, and Mountfield getting the winner, black eye and all.
West ham have got the better of us in the last two F.A cup meetings, both at pivotal stages, and it would be great to beat that lot in the next round, but Gareth may have other ideas on that.
Whoever it is, we owe them both. Remember who put us out in 2002?
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1 Posted 13/02/2009 at 02:49:46
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This game is just as big as the Liverpool game... plenty at stake; would hate for us to lose... but I can see us winning this one... 2-0. Then who knows !! A good draw in the next round.
Can't really see us getting any higher than 6th in the EPL this season. So would be great to get the semis at least of the FA Cup.