Favourites aren't always the best, Part 4

I could have sworn Rob Sawyer had done one of his brilliant historical pieces on Peter Farrell but all my searches of TW are coming up with nothing.

However, I am certain of the first date you give for his death. I remember writing it in the Season Diary for March 1999 that I kept on here before we had our full-blown news tracking service.

My Glaswegian Dad met my old dear in Liverpool in '54 and became a big Everton fan. He used to wax lyrical to me about Tommy Eglington, Peter Farrell, Dave Hickson, Tommy Ring et al so it's great to read the deeper history you recount. When Collins signed he was ecstatic.

Please keep 'em coming! Thanks.

My own choice at #4 would be Jimmy Gabriel. The young Gabriel in the early 1960s was a stirring sight, like a galleon moving up the middle of the field with the ball, his fair hair flying. A hard man was Jimmy.

Captain of Everton and Wales, had he been English the papers would have raved about him and he'd been a permanent fixture.

He was such a pacey player and one of the reasons Kendall could play such a high line with his defence, his speed of recovery and on the turn was second to none.

Kevin led by example and I doubt we'll ever again see a more successful Captain, unfortunately.

I may be wrong but I think John Sr stated in his initial posting that he would be naming two wing-halves and a centre-half, the old line-up Numbers 4, 5 and 6. This would rather place Kevin Radcliffe as a candidate for the #5 slot – albeit he was playing in a time of different formations.

I don't believe that a right half from the "old" days could ever be construed as today's centre-back. The wing half was usually a box-to-box player in today's vernacular.

I think this could become a thread in itself! I always think of the Number 5 as the true centre-half so, in our case, TG Jones, Brian Labone, later Mountfield and Watson. I would never have put Ratcliffe down as an out-and-out centre-half. I seem to remember he first got in the team at right-back?

You mentioned Gabriel. Admittedly he wore the Number 4 shirt but if you remember the 62-63 team, I think the nearest to a box-to-box player we had was Dennis Stevens, who came in more or less to replace Collins. Dennis sometimes usually wore 8 if I remember correctly.

I seem to remember Harris playing alongside Labone wearing the Number 6 shirt, Hurst wearing Number 10... so even then it was a bit confusing.

Later, we had Kendall in 4 and Ball in, well he had a few! Saw him play in 6, 7 and 8!

Yes, I think now we've got the easy bit done, goalie and full backs, the fun will start!!

My own favourite would probably have been Jimmy Gabriel, but I'm loving your nostalgic dive into the Everton of my youth.

I always thought Ball played in Number 8, but you were right about him wearing the Number 7 shirt a few times in his first two seasons with Everton.

However, I can't find any indication that Ball wore the Number 6 shirt for Everton (Arsenal? Southampton??)

And if he was good enough to rate higher in your affections than Jimmy Gabriel and Howard Kendall (both of whom I saw many times, Howard being my favourite) then he must have been a very good player and character.

Thanks as usual John.

They went on to win the cup that season, 1981 I think. Ratcliffe went on to be one of our finest centre-backs and captains ever, so maybe there's hope for Cuco Martina... ha, ha.

On numbering of positions, left wing half was usually No 6 (Colin Harvey for example), whilst No 8 was inside right (Alan Ball's usual number).

On the formation, he's gone with the old 2-3-5

11 10 9 8 7
6 5 4
3 2
1

So 2 and 3 are defenders, rather than the modern fullbacks. The centre-half (5) is a defensive midfielder, and the wing halves (4 and 6) operate as central midfielders who pull wide onto the wings to defend against the wingers.

Read the excellent "Inverting the Pyramid" for the story of how we go from the 2-3-5 (pyramid) to the 4-4-2 to the modern 4-2-3-1.

As I described in my article, he was a hard-working inspirational member of the team. I have no doubt that some older supporters (for instance, Dave and Rick) will be able to jog my memory, I believe that it's a two-way thing, and that my article will trigger long dormant memories for others.

Hi Terry (#4), Although I didn't attend the Maine Road semi-final I do recall the twice-taken free-kick, I have mentioned (once or twice) that I am from an Evertonian family and my uncles filled me in with their version of events.

Hi Don (#2), As Terry has pointed out, Bobby Collins was an inside forward, so I was unable to consider him in the wing half position.

Hi John (#4), the Number 4 and 6 were the right and left half-backs; their prime function was to mark the opposing inside forwards. The Number 5 was the centre-half, and his responsibility was to take care of the threat posed by the centre-forward. The full-backs, Numbers 2 and 3, marked the opposition wingers.

The Number 5 (until the 1920s) was what we now call a midfielder, and was often referred to as 'the pivot'. Herbert Chapman at Arsenal employed Herbie "Policeman" Roberts, as the first stopper centre-half .

Hi Steve (#13), You will see from my reply to John, that we didn't quite see it as you describe it. We as supporters saw the half-backs and inside-forwards sharing both attacking and defensive duties, depending on which side of the pitch the play was on.

I wouldn't say that set-up is what actually happened years ago.

Full backs (2 and 3) played alongside the centre-half (5). Three out-and-out defenders in the main. Numbers 4 and 6 would maybe the modern defensive midfielder and another midfielder or defender. Numbers 7 and 11 wide men; 9 obviously main striker; 8 and 10 the other striker and a midfielder.

As is the case today, even then it was a bit "flexible" – John Hurst, for example, played alongside Brian Labone and would sometimes wear Number 10.

Alex Young wore 9, but sometimes 7 or 8 when Royle came in. A bit depended on who was fit to play and that.

At least we got 1-11 – not this crap numbering system we have now!!

I'm awaiting with great interest your choice at 6, or left-half, as my own two all-time Everton favourites played there with great distinction: Colin Harvey and, all too briefly, Tony Kay.

I would never be able to leave either of them out but then again nor could I omit Peter Farrell, Jimmy Gabriel or Howard Kendall, and that's without even starting on the inside forwards!! I'd be a Koeman and pick a team of midfielders!

I was at Oldham the night we came up... unforgettable, especially as Liverpool went down the same season – heaven! Or as near as I will get to it on earth. And they stayed down for eight years – a bit more of Heaven.

I remember Peter playing inside left at Anfield and scoring in the first minute; unfortunately we lost 3-1. Peter used to write a column in the Liverpool Echo and after we lost 3-1 to Sheffield Wednesday in a cup game, he congratulated the Everton fans for the support we gave the team during and after the game. He said the Wednesday captain, another Irish international, had told we were unbelievable even in defeat. He asked Peter, ''What are they like when you win?"

I am not sure but I think Peter and Eggo (Eglington) played at Anfield in the final of the Liverpool Senior Cup versus Everton when we won 8-5.

Loved those days of long ago... money was secondary to most players and they seemed to be more genuine and definitely more approachable than a lot of today's players. Certainly people like Peter Farrell will never be forgotten by fans like me and John and anyone who saw them.

My favourite time was the 62-63 team. It was a far more flexible system then, if you could actually call it a system.

The last game of that season was against Fulham, great game, fantastic atmosphere and bloody noisy.

That game if I remember we lined up with the 2 full backs either side of Labone. Young and Vernon up top.
Temple and Scott were out wide, wingers.
The other 3 "midfielders were extremely flexible. If Stevens and Kay were up attacking Gabriel would stay back. If Gabriel found himself with the ball going forward Kay or Stevens would hang back.

I suppose looking back it could finish up as multiple systems in the one game though I doubt at the time it was planned as such. 3-5-2, 4-4-2 sometimes 3-3-4

I think maybe those days although the coach and manager set the team up in a certain way possibly the players and supporters didn't count to much on it finishing that way ! Certainly more entertaining !

I have not done a piece on Peter Farrell for TW thus far – maybe one for the future though.

Lovely item, John, by the way – I am enjoying this series.

The reality is that WM ended in the 50s when England was ripped apart by Hungary. I was 14 years old when our football mad teacher smuggled into class a radio for us to hear commentary of the game.

The classroom listened in stunned silence as mighty England was handed the mother of all hidings by Puskas and his magical Magyars.
At the start big tough Harry Johnson our centre half wearing No 5 rolled up his sleeves and prepared for battle. Then he was surprised to see his traditional main opponent wearing Hungary's No 9 shirt deep in his own half and getting plenty of ball touches.

A confused Harry figured that if the bugger wouldn't come near him perhaps he ought to go to him. Our key defender deserted his defensive role for chasing shadows in the opposing half of the field. Therein lay the seeds not only of destruction in that game but also of traditional tactics for ever.

Thanks John, keep them coming, fascinating series.

That said, there is also an uncorroborated record on the Ancestry website with a photo giving his year of death as being 1999!

Who's who of Everton ' have his date of birth as August 16th 1922, and his death simply 2001.

'Everton a complete record 1878-1985', from which I took some information, had Peter moving to Tranmere Rovers in October 1957 at the age of 33.
1922 to 1957 is 35 years in any language. I failed to spot this when I wrote the article, and I'm surprised that no one picked up on it.

The only thing we can be certain of, is that Peter is no longer with us.

I would also state that Billy Bingham started the season as outside right before Harry Catterick almost snatched the pen out of Alex Scott's hand as he was about to sign for Spurs and bring him to Goodison Park.

Hi Dave [29,] you are right on both counts, I was at Turf Moor when Ray Veall made his debut in a 3-1 win for the Blues. Alex Scott was on his way to Spurs when Harry Catterick moved in to seal the deal.

Returning to the day Ray Veall made his bow, it was the day Blackpool beat Liverpool at Anfield, I worked at that time for Pelling Stanley Green, "John West Salmon" in Walter Street, just off the dock road.

A couple of days before the Liverpool game, a Liverpool supporter was reading his newspaper and he said to me, "Look at what this kid's saying, the Kop won't frighten me".

The kid was Alan Ball, and it didn't frighten him then, nor did it when he visited with Everton and Arsenal.

My main memories are not specific but of how he would regularly turn a match, just when needed, collecting the ball in our half and with determination and skill carry forward at pace towards the opposition box releasing a shot or pass that inspired the crowd and team mates by his example and changed the game into our favor. Great captain – they did not get paid much then either.

A memory from that snowy season. For some reason my Dad drove us across the Pennines on a frigid Tuesday night to attend the 3rd round delayed cup tie at Barnsley! I don't know why I went, I was 17 so should have been at school! Just as well we won!

Alex Scott was signed during the frigid spell in '63 when few games were being played. Billy Bingham played the first half of the season at #7.

You're correct in saying Alex Scott was signed during the 'big freeze,' if memory serves me right he should have made his debut against Liverpool at Anfield on February 9th, but the match was postponed. The reason I can be specific regarding the date, is because my sister in law was married on that day.

Yes, I now live on the Florida Panhandle after living for many years near San Francisco. So, I am closer now to "the "Holy of Holies" than I was before, a much better time difference for me to watch the games. Born in Broadgreen Hospital and lived for my formative years in Crosby. My family and the Mills family (Peter Mills, contributor extraordinaire to this site) were very good friends.

Is it too late for me to point out to Derek (#26) the correct spelling of Mick MeAgan's name?

But I'll never forget that long freezing winter, don't think we will ever get another one as cold as that.

For additional corroboration, I checked out the next matchday programme, Everton v Sheffield Wednesday on 5 April 1999, and the tribute begins:

Peter Farrell, who died in his native Dublin recently aged 76, achieved much during his marvellous playing career. He was a member of the famous Republic of Ireland team which became the first from outside the British Isles to defeat England on home soil.

He played for Cabinteely Boys or 'The Blues from Cabinteely' as they were known until 1950:

http://loi.cabinteelyfc.ie/our-story/

My dad used to say how good a player Peter Farrell was but being before my time I would have to go with Howard Kendall who for me was on of the most complete "right halves" I've ever seen. He could win a sliding tackle, come away with the ball, pass accurately (please note big Sam) long or short,and score goals.

Terry, I remember that snowy winter. I seem to remember we played Burnley or Blackburn in the cup, we got the train up there and it was bloody freezing and thick snow. The game would have been called off today but they were different times.

I went to the Barnsley Game. The snow was nearly up to your knees. They got the pitch playable, wouldn"t have been played now.

I remember Brian Harris played left half. We had just signed Tony Kay, he was watching the game.

I went to Swindon for the next round, another Winter Wonderland. Tony Kay, I think he made his debut. I have the programme if any one is a collector.

What a loss Tony Kay was to the Blues, and we were completely innocent, cost us a lot of money and one or two England players benefited from Tony being banned from the game. He would have been in the England 1966 World Cup Winning team without a doubt and a fixture in the Everton team for a very long time.

Wishing you Ray, good luck and good health in the years to come.

But we did play at Blackburn on a cold and maybe snowy game that season, losing 3-2 to a last minute goal scored by one Fred Pickering. I was standing behind the goal, dismayed as it went in.

I loved my dad very much – he was a good man and a mad Evertonian of the same vintage as Dave and Ray. I think he is the reason that I am sold out for Everton – he indoctrinated me from when I was old enough to understand. I suspect Tony Abrahams falls into the same category.

Dave – if I was doing my all time favourites, Tony Kay would be the first name on the team sheet. It is going to be interesting to see who John Snr picks for number 5 but we could go into meltdown when number 6 comes round.

Up the Blues!!

My cousin Tommy Ring made a big impression even though his Everton career was short. Pity he didn't join the Toffees a few years earlier and/or let Reg Matthews have the ball when playing Chelsea when he broke his leg and with it finished his career at Everton.

The extended Ring family are life long Everton supporters & regularly travel from Ireland to Goodison Park. All Tommy's family on his father's side came from Abbeyleix, Laois, in the South of Ireland.

"Budgie" agreed with him; right away my mate said to him, "Well what did you fuckin' score it for then?"

I don't suppose there was any answer to that.

We had arranged an 11 o'clock service on the off-chance that Everton would have a home game, in which case I, and half of the wedding party, would have gone missing.

Newspaper reports stated that it was Alex Parker who conceded what they described as 'a highly debatable penalty'; I believe that it was Ray Stewart who converted it.

Hi Gerry [#50] – I echo your sentiments regarding Tommy Ring, and at the risk of dropping hints, I can tell you that Tommy is on my short list for selection. I would like to offer my apologies in advance, if Tommy however doesn't make the cut.

Hi John [#51] – I said at the time, and my opinion remains the same to this day, that Tony Kay would have captained both Everton and England.

His crime, if it can be called a crime, was to have a bet on his team losing a game in which he was made "Man of the Match" by The People – the newspaper that revealed the details of the affair. As you say, he was a great loss to Club and Country.

Thanks Dave, I am fine,

I saw Peter Farrell in the 1956 season good motivator. My favourite right half got to be Jimmy Gabriel. Jimmy's debut was at Upton Park, 2-2, about 1960.

Gabby put one of his hard tackles in, the Ref< got his notebook out:

"What's your name, Number 4?"

"James Gabriel, Sir."

Put his note book away and said, "Well don't do that again, James Gabriel."

John Mac will put me right, I know Blackburn beat us 2-1 in another cup game, and deservedly so, at Goodison around the same time. Blackburn were in the 2nd. Division at the time but much better than the Blues.

Regarding Jimmy Gabriel, in one of his first games versus West Brom, I came out of Cammell Laird's, were I was working and got the Echo, which had the half-times scores in the Stop Press; Everton were winning 2-1, I was made up.

When I got home, the final score was 6-2 to West Brom! Derek Kevan, who Gabriel was marking, scored FIVE! Nevertheless, Jimmy turned out to be a great signing and was a real down-to-earth lad who kept his feet on the ground and loved Everton.

I can't recall the game when Peter Farrell may have scored against them but, as you say, I am sure John Sr. will get his research crew to work.

Derek Kevan was a big lad and probably ended Kenny Rae's career with us when Kevan ran all over him at Goodison. In the game at the Hawthorns that you remember in 1960, Jimmy had indeed signed for us comparatively recently and got a rude awakening with Big Derek!

Hi Dave [55] I was in the army, stationed in Taunton, Somerset, when the Blackburn Cup tie took place. I have no knowledge of the game, so I've had to go to the 'research department' again, and it appears that Jimmy Harris scored the only goal of the game, from the penalty spot. The attendance was 55,293

Apparently Peter Farrell didn't play in that game; Ken Birch played at right-half, and Ken Rea played at left-half. However, Peter did play at right-half in the next round, and he and Jimmy Gauld scored a goal each, in a 2-1 win over West Ham United. The attendance was 55,245.

I have one or two reference books as you'll no doubt have guessed, and my young lady quite often asks, "When are you going to get rid of all that junk"? She doesn't understand that it's at times like this, that my 'Junk' proves to be useful.

So, this is why I truly enjoy your recollections, memories and writings about that era. Many thanks.

He never took me until I was five, but I had been ready for at least a couple of years, and he couldn't kid me after that because I had already learned to read the back page of the Echo, such was my love for Everton!

I grew up on tales of Dixie Dean, Warney Cresswell, Cliff Britton etc. I'm pleased that you are enjoying the articles, and it's not false modesty, when I say I'm not a professional writer. I genuinely try my best, and obviously it gives me a degree of pleasure when people like yourself express appreciation.

Hi Tony [60], don't be too hard on your Dad, he was probably trying to protect you, and didn't want you to suffer the heartache and anguish that being an Evertonian brings.

I'm sure that you will enjoy the respite that this thread provides, and when you are sufficiently refreshed, you can return to the hurly-burly of more important subjects.

My early memories were Dobson, Latchford, Lyons, and Duncan McKenzie, and I used to love Gary Jones, the way he used to run in from the wing, beating players for fun, but my greatest love was the floodlights, because they just seemed to make everything seem extra special!

Dave, I see you worked in Cammell Laird's in 1956 – It is a long shot but I wonder if you knew my departed father-in-law, Mick McCarthy – another good man? He was a caulker.

John (#53) – thanks for the info on the penalty. The memories are getting a bit clouded these days. Glad to hear your young lady is still keeping you in check.

I used to be fascinated by the work the caulkers did. I would watch them for hours on end. The work I did, with the joiners, was mainly bringing their material onto the ship so I had plenty of spare time.

If he was an Evertonian then I would have, more than likely, had a good gab with him about the Blues.

You were introduced to the game when we had some really good players, but I'm afraid that one of your favourite players (Gary Jones) used to frustrate me, I used to say, "We should have two footballs on the pitch, one for Gary Jones and the other for the rest of the team."

I may have been a little harsh in my estimation of him when I look back on that period, but as you rightly say age generally brings wisdom, I hope I fall into that category.

I'm currently listening to the Bristol City v Manchester United game, and it's just been an announced that Swansea City have sacked Paul Clement. Losing to Everton appears to be the kiss of death. David Moyes, and Brendan Rodgers spring to mind.

May I just tell my friend Terry White that I have, sadly but proudly, added the name of our great pal Bernie Fleming to the list of names to be shown on the big screen at Goodison at the Man Utd game of those we have lost in 2017. It is great of the Club to allow us this facility, thank you to them.

The Mills, White and Fleming families would all meet post match at the corner of Bullens Road and Gwladys Street. In the absence of TW the match analysis could be brief and brutal. Bernie’s dad, Jack, actually gave away his season ticket one January afternoon after a particularly woeful performance, and was very fortunate to subsequently obtain a ticket for the FA Cup Final in May 1966!

Thanks for letting me know about that. I am confident you will take a photo at the appropriate time. Bernie, sometimes a larger-than-life character, will be sorely missed.

My wife tells me that her dad took her to the launch as the company used to allow the men to take their families to such events.

As John @ 66 said there were some great men at Laird's but I am going off topic. I will say this though I think I was a very lucky lad to have spent my teenage years rubbing shoulders with such men. They showed me what friendship and camaraderie was all about.

This is a great series. Only by taking a step back and thinking about it do you realize what fantastic players we have had the privilege of watching down the years.

Keep it up.

Happy days indeed, although I wasn't fussy on working at Laird's, great men and great company apart, the best part of working there was the great football matches every dinner hour – about 20-a-side with no quarter asked or given. I think there was over 11,000 men employed there when the Windsor Castle was being built.

Laurie(78) those 11,000 men were just there while the Windsor Castle was getting built and they came from all over the place in England. Loads of us from Merseyside were just casual workers who were laid off as soon as the ship was built and to be honest the wages paid to us were buttons, you had to work plenty of overtime to make your money up to anything decent.

It used to make me smile, but I was also fuckin envious, because I'd been going the match for nearly ten years, and seen us win nowt, whilst my red schoolmates had seen them win everything, even if very few of them actually went the game.

We had a 14-year wait, to win the cup (an absolute eternity) and now we have lads who have been going the match for over 20 years, and seen us win nothing. We need to do a toffee-web "ouija-board" make a deal with the devil, and get the kids smiling again, soon!!!

Let’s start it at the ground, which has been our curse, since the 18th century. We must gather together all the league champions medals, given to our players, with that dreaded Liverbird on them, and then we will be free!

To tell the truth, I don't think that swear words add to a point or argument, in fact I believe that they can quite often have the opposite effect, and can be offensive to some.

I really hoped that the nostalgic articles would provide some relief, from what I call 'Cyber Warfare' where it appears anything goes.

I trust that you can see my point of view, I enjoy reading the posts, even if I don't entirely agree with some of the opinions, or the way they are expressed.

'There endeth the sermon!'

In which case – I always like Olivier Dacourt during the dark days of the 1990s. If it's a ball-playing centre-back – Lescott (despite the way he left us) was different class for a while there – also Bilic was great.

It really is lovely to see people like yourself and Dave remember and speak so highly now about a player who was signing off when I was only starting to follow the Blues in 54-55. The manner of his passing was sad.

I think a lot of Irish fans came over to Liverpool in the fifties and sixties to see the Blues and in the Upper Bullens Road Stand at that time you would see dozens of priests watching Everton, I presume a good proportion of them would have been of Irish descent.

During those years we had Peter Corr, Alex Stevenson, Jimmy O'Neill, Don Donavon, George Cummins, Mick Meagan, Tommy Clinton, John Sutherland along with Peter Farrell and Tommy Eglington playing for the Blues. We were never world beaters during this period but I fell in love with them and Goodison Park.