What if... England hadn't been banned from Europe

, 21 June, 16comments  |  Jump to most recent
Miguel Delaney looks back at the era of the post-Heysel ban on English clubs in European competition between 1985 and 1991 and wonders how the likes of Everton and Liverpool might have fared had they still been allowed to compete.
Probably England's best chance of the whole period of winning another European Cup. As such, Everton can feel aggrieved. The previous season, Kendall's wonderfully balanced side had won two trophies. They scored 88 goals in 42 league games and collected 90 points - some of the finest totals in English history.

They carried that form into the 1985-86 campaign, hitting 87 goals and accumulating 86 points - but a resurgent Liverpool had just a little too much in the league. The all-action Andy Gray had been replaced up front by poacher Gary Lineker, and it is likely that the English forward's subtlety would have better suited the tactical minimalism of mid-80s European football. Given the premium on goalscoring opportunities, his predatory instincts could well have been perfect.

» Read the full article at ESPNFC



Reader Comments (16)

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Colin Glassar
1 Posted 22/06/2013 at 13:58:01
Still gutted after all these years. All my dreams dashed in an hour of madness.
Chris Hannon
2 Posted 22/06/2013 at 14:56:47
I wasn't even born, but what pisses me off is that they have no guilt or remorse over it to this day; did they after it happened and when the ban was in place?
Colin Glassar
3 Posted 22/06/2013 at 15:33:26
No they didn't, Chris, in fact they had a giant Steua Bucharest flag at Anfield the following season, celebrating the fact that we weren't in the European Cup that season.
Mark Frere
4 Posted 22/06/2013 at 15:12:59
Them mindless thugs have a lot to answer to, don't they? Let's not forget, the people who lost their lives on that tragic night was the biggest tragedy, not our exclusion to play in the European Cup the season after.

There's no doubt though, we had a great opportunity to establish our club as a global brand and become the dominant force in Europe, I believe we were the best team in Europe at the time. I'm sure Kendall would of added even more quality players to the 1985 team if we would of had the chance to play in Europe.

This was our chance to emulate the RS achievements in the years before Heysel. Imagine, we could of been the power house of European and domestic football going into the PL era.

I never thought Gary Lineker was a great signing for Everton, yes he scored plenty of goals, but Everton had to change the way they played to suit Lineker's game and even Kendall admitted it was detrimental to Everton.

I like to dream and think we would of had a history nearly as impressive as the shite accross the park if it wasn't for Heysel. Still, it wasn't just Heysel that got England banned, it was more the straw that broke the camels back.

Barry Rathbone
5 Posted 22/06/2013 at 15:10:46
Football spectating had been turning into a warzone through the 70s, the jocks had invaded Wembley (literally) and English fans had developed a reputation akin to the devil incarnate. Something like Heysel was inevitable, as was the swingeing retribution.

I've never seriously gone along with the blame game against Liverpool or the powers that be – English football was a cesspit that needed sorting.

Our fall from grace was hardly unexpected – we have a history of fizzling out like a spent firework – the ban and it's effects have become a convenient excuse.

All clubs faced the same challenge and we were at the top of the tree, but history and massive fanbase means nothing if you're run like the local rotary club.

"Forward planning" to keep ahead of the game requires some foresight and professionalism – not a chance.

I don't think the ban mattered a jot.

Patrick Murphy
6 Posted 22/06/2013 at 15:39:50
I might be wrong but when England played the Republic at Wembley on the anniversary of the event last month, - I don't remember anything being said about it. I'll file it under the usual reasons along with Jonathon Pearce's unbelievable I paraphrase but the jist of it is 'How can Suarez miss 25 games for Ajax and Liverpool for incidents that happened off the pitch" said whilst he was commentating on the Nigeria v Uruguay game. Now maybe I'm a bit thick but I could have sworn that at least 2 of the incidents took place inside the stadium whilst the game was ongoing, I'm uncertain about the events whilst he was playing for Ajax, but hey what have facts got to do with anything. During the same game another Dark Side supporter to add to the collection Efan Ekokou moaned that a twiiter vote they had asking if Ratboy would leave resulted in 67% yes against 33% was probably influenced by Man U fans and Evertonians, see it's always our fault or Man U's.

Patrick Murphy
7 Posted 22/06/2013 at 15:50:21
Barry I agree that it was perhaps inevitable that a ban was forthcoming but it was pretty hard for us to take as a club and as supporters, especially when we had just taken part in a fantastic experience in Rotterdam and had partied without any trouble and the previous year had take part in the "Merseyside Final" which again was a joyous occasion result notwithstanding.

I'm afraid if the roles had been reversed we wouldn't have gotten off so lightly either in terms of the ban - or by the media who would have attached that event to us at every given opportunity not to mention the Dark Side's supporters who would have campaigned to get us a permanent ban and relegated.

Colin Glassar
8 Posted 22/06/2013 at 16:07:23
Once again our board, at the time, decided it wasn't worth investing in the squad once the ban kicked in and it's been downhill (or stagnation) ever since. The rs should be forever condemned for their actions, and attitude, but our own 5th column (the board) is just as much to blame for our subsequent decline.
Chris Hannon
9 Posted 22/06/2013 at 16:18:06
Cheers Colin, yeah I've seen that flag, doesn't surprise me really, nor does it that it's bypassed every year!
Steve Cotes
10 Posted 22/06/2013 at 16:07:21
Barry Rathbone, I can't agree with your thoughts, IMHO the ban killed Everton.

Yes, football was a cesspit but it had been for years, it's just typical of our luck, just as we had a team capable of conquering Europe events once again conspire against us. (Weren't we champions just before both World Wars).

You blame inept management of the club, but would Kendall, Lineaker, Steven & Stevens had all left if we were allowed in Europe??? I seem to remember that's the excuse they all gave at the time.

This was our moment and it was cruelly taken away. I for one grew up with the RS being rammed down my throat, this was our moment and I for one will never forgive them. Not so much for what happened, it was going to happen to someone, but for the mere fact they've never taken any responsibility for it! When was the last time anyone held a minutes silence for the 39? Oh sorry, I almost forgot 'it was Chelsea' 'it was the wall' 'it was to protect a 12 year old getting beaten up' (notice he was on his own - yeah right!!) & the best of all 'they should have stood'.

But let's get back to the point. IMHO we would have won the European Cup in 1986? (Did you see the final it was a joke?). That can only have a positive effect on the club. No matter what happened after that, we could have always claimed we were once the kings of Europe.

It's too late now, I don't think I'll ever see it during my lifetime - that's just part of being a blue.

Bitter?? You bet! JFT39...

Roger Trenwith
11 Posted 22/06/2013 at 17:16:42
@Steve 491 - Agree almost 100%, although there's no way any of us can say with certainty "we would have won the European Cup in 1986". There can be little doubt however that the players who left and ultimately Kendall would have stayed but for the ban, and we would have created a much stronger platform going into the PL era.
Btw - I love that "JFT39" sign off. We should use that in every forum where we spot a Red!
PS - Can't wait for the new season - exciting times ahead! COYB
Ross Edwards
12 Posted 22/06/2013 at 19:00:58
If English clubs hadn't been banned from Europe, we wouldn't have had arguably the two worst European Cup Finals in history: Barca v Steua Bucharest in '86, and Benfica v PSV in '88.

We would have had Howie a bit longer, and the nucleus of the '85 title winning squad a bit longer, plus Gary Lineker.

Ross Edwards
13 Posted 22/06/2013 at 19:03:41
Also, we might not have had David Moyes, or Walter Smith, or Mike Walker...
Barry Rathbone
14 Posted 22/06/2013 at 18:57:06
Steve 391, personnel come and go all the time and we won the league when Lineker left (arguably because we were a tad predictable with him).

We didn't cope as well as other clubs despite players choosing Goodison before Anfield, OT and anywhere else in that era.

We had the money but also the likes of Philip Carter (bluffer in chief) running the shop... nobody to blame but ourselves.

Derek Thomas
15 Posted 23/06/2013 at 07:48:27
We'll never know, but our much banged on upon history tells us we don't, for however many reasons, do dynasties.... but it would've been nice to have had the chance to find out one way or the other.

JFT39

David Pearl
16 Posted 23/06/2013 at 15:11:43
100% this killed Everton. On top of the players we lost, Bracewell's injury and Harvey didn't replace our right side properly. Slipped down and out. Villa given the first spot when the ban was lifted. How much money did the ban cost us? How many trophies? Evertonians have every right to be bitter. If we were close to the top when the Premier League began then perhaps we would of been qualifying for the CL with all the money from it. We were robbed.

The next decisive issue in our history... the Kings Dock fiasco.


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