An interview with Alex Young, the Golden Vision

Fascinating article, especially the bit about about the unofficial British Championship double header with Rangers in 1963. I'd never heard about that before. Can anyone give any memories? Did we take any to Glasgow?

I was there for the home leg Brian - was about 12 at the time. One thing I do remember was that Rangers brought thouands down with them and most were rotten drunk and equally aggressive. After a couple of bottles landed on my head, I lost interest in the (fairly dull) game.

Great article and interesting comments by the way.

Yes, a group went to Glasgow which felt like home with the stands looking like Goodison. I recall Andy Rankin saved a penalty. The home game was marred by the drunk Glaswegians fighting using bottles with each other and then Scousers, although it quietened down when a few hooks came out from late arriving dockers.

Celtic played The Dark Side a few years later and the game was stopped by an avalanche of bottles thrown on the pitch from Anfield Road end.

Alex Young did indeed just glide past players as though they were not there. The headed goal against Spurs on Easter Monday in 1963 was my fond memory of him. Vernon centred from left wing at Gwladys Street end and I saw Young smile as Vernon was about to kick it. Young was not that big but he could jump high and hang in the air and nod the ball into top right corner. We won 1-0, and I lost my voice and Spurs finished 2nd that year.

Very good article. Strange that Harry Catterick didn't particularly like him.

I was only born in '66 so obviously never saw him play. However, I'm interested in the history of our club and would be interested to find out if there is any footage available of Alex Young?

Good article. The first time I cried watching/playing sport was seeing Alex Young float about the pitch, score a beauty and barge George Best off the ball when we destroyed Man Utd in 1967 (my first season ticket for failing my 11+) and I swear his feet never actually touched the ground the whole match. The Ken Loach play and that game are both on You Tube Mike. Wonderful memories

Fergus, I was also at that Spurs game, and if my memory serves me well, Vernon centred from the right wing. Young was my favourite player and I adolised him.

One evening game my Dad, before the game, was telling me how Temple was better in his opinion. Well Alex scored a hat-trick and my Dad was suitably chastened.

This is my first post. I'm an old-arse who now lives a distance away.

I was at both games, I can honestly say that the Ibrox game was the only time that I was ever frightened at a football match, and perhaps even more so after we had slaughtered them. That was the first time that I ever heard the "Easy, easy" chant. Which proves that Scots knew no more about football then than they do now. By the way, Rangers have just equalised against East Stirlingshire — at home.

Been a supporter for over 60 years & imo he's our best ever

Brian Denton asked about the unofficial British Championship matches against Rangers. I remember, vividly, attending the return leg at Goodison.

I recall seeing (and hearing) marauding Rangers fans chanting, 'We are protestants.' I presume they were referring to the long standing myth at the time that Everton were a Catholic club.

The other memory I have concerns the constant rain of empty beer bottles that were thrown indiscriminately into the crowd from the Rangers fans at the front of the terracing of the old Goodison Road stand. There were a number of injuries caused by this action although none, thankfully, fatal.

As a person of no religious persuasion I found it difficult to fathom the depravity of such people. The descent of Rangers FC into oblivion provides me with the satisfaction of knowing that some of yobs who are still alive have survived to see the demise of their 'beloved' football club. The match itself I do not remember although Everton won the overall tie.

I also recall that our rivals from across the park also suffered some horrendous violence from Celtic fans during a European Cup Winners tie two years later.

However, we all loved our Scottish players, especially Alex Young.

Thanks Denis #014.
I'll check YouTube for "The Golden Vision".

Mike, my dad suggested I look up 'the golden vision' as Im too young to have seen him play and that it was a good watch. Its all on youtube in 10 min clpis. ( believe bbc4 also played it the other day ).
Harry Cross from brookie is the only actor I recognise, and I genuinely enjoyed watching it..

To be honest, Frank Wignall was Catterick's type of centre forward, but Young and Vernon were the greatest pairing I've ever seen for any club, they didn't weigh twenty stone between them, but the skill and accuracy was incredible.

I still think of them in their pomp as the greatest attackers ever. Vernon a stiletto and Young a teasing, tormenting ghost. Until the BBC play, he was known as the Golden Ghost on Merseyside.

When you are thirteen years of age its easy to idolize someone and not have much discrimination.

However, my memories of Alex Young playing for Everton are still vivid. He was a class apart at a time when there were many great players performing each week. He glided about the pitch with style and imagination. No one knew what he would do next. We would all strain across supporters on the terraces to see him when he was on the ball. You didn't want to miss a touch, a move, a shot or a header. All could be moments of perfection.

Thousands of grown men, hard scousers, in tears as he worked his magic at the Old Lady. And along with his ultimate skills went humility. No show-boating or gloating, even as he ripped great teams to shreds.

With Vernon he was an assassin and with Ball he was the elder statesman. I consider it a privilege to have seen him play and to stand on the terraces with 70, 000 people in homage to a true footballing legend. And a very nice man.

Alex Young is the most gifted footballer I have seen and I thank him for sharing it with us. COYB.

I agree with many of the comments here, Alex Young was, for me, the best footballer I have seen. I know Best, Charlton, Law, Dalglish etc., are the media darlings and so much more has been written and seen of them but Young brought so much pleasure with his sheer brilliance and artistry that, for me, he's top man. If Catterick hadn't been so anti-TV we would have more clips to enjoy and to appreciate just how good he was. I had the pleasure of meeting Young some years ago at a book-signing in the Church Hall at the ground. A more modest and humble person would be difficult to find. He was genuinly grateful for the compliments that came his way. Compare that with the arrogance displayed by the Balotelli's, Ronaldo's and Suarez of this world and it is easy to see why footballers are amongst the most disliked sportsmen on the planet.

I watched Ken Loach's "The Golden Vision" on You Tube last night.
I recommend it to anybody who has not seen it.

Though I was a little disappointed that there was not more footage of Alex Young, it was fascinating to see a bygone age of football, the city of Liverpool and of the Mighty Everton FC.

The film was very funny at times, gave a real insight into "the working man's sport" and contrasts starkly with the Sky,Twitter and bling era.

The terraced houses in black-and-white and working class banter reminded me of my own up-bringing in Bootle and Walton in the 1970s.

It had me singing along to "The Royal Blue Jersey" and proud (as always) to be an Evertonian.

Evertonians are born, not manufactured. We do not choose, we are chosen.

Fergus McCarthy & Mike Hughes, I also saw the goal against Spurs in 1963 it was for me the best goal I have seen at Goodison I have waited 50 years and never thought I would see that goal again on video but a miracle happened so if you go to www.itnsource.com/shotlist and type in Everton beat Spurs 1963 you will see this wonderful goal a true lost gem of Evertons History .

The Rangers game at Goodison saw thousands of drunken Rangers fans hardly able to stand up, the Police took hundreds of bottles and glasses from them they were put on the running track from the Street End to the Half way line along the Goodison Road. I was only a young lad and it was a scary night .