Column 32comments | Jump to last This article may have been recategorised and is therefore no longer available at this URL. You can try to find the updated link in the article archive. Share article: Reader Comments (32) Note: the following content is not moderated or vetted by the site owners at the time of submission. Comments are the responsibility of the poster. Disclaimer Ray Mia 1 Posted 30/08/2021 at 21:02:19 Amazing read, can feel the heart and soul in the words. Wouldn't worry at turning down Newton Heath... Pulling on the Old Gold of Wolves must have been a thrill back in the day... Freddy Maldonado 2 Posted 30/08/2021 at 21:40:19 Wonderful story. Thank you for sharing it with us. John McFarlane Snr 3 Posted 30/08/2021 at 21:45:40 Hi Becky, thanks for another tremendous article from the not too distant past, they were ordinary people leading ordinary lives, unlike todays footballers and their wives, who are ordinary people leading extraordinary lives. Peter Mills 4 Posted 30/08/2021 at 21:48:44 Dave is one of my favourite ever footballers, tearing down the wing with his socks rolled down, able to deliver the most accurate of crosses without breaking stride or looking up. Unfortunately, I missed most of his best season for us as I was away at college in Gloucestershire in the late 70s. But I have wonderful memories of the weekend I was overcome with a bout of homesickness so set off to watch us at Loftus Road, alone in a very unreliable van which did everything to stop me getting to the game, to see Dave tear QPR to shreds as we won 5-1. I met Dave a few years ago at a launch of Bob Latchford’s autobiography, at Goodison. The focus was on Bob, I spotted Dave standing alone, so had quite a lengthy chat with him. What a lovely guy - he was overwhelmed that someone from the Everton Heritage Society had collected him from his home in County Durham and was going to take him home. He was very happy to talk about his eye condition, his lack of self-pity, his love for his guide-dog, the joy he gets from gardening, his fund-raising for charity. As an all-time great Evertonian, for skill and character, I would say he is right up there. Terry White 5 Posted 30/08/2021 at 22:07:33 John (#3), Becky's original article was written in 2004. Updated, of course. Dennis Stevens 6 Posted 30/08/2021 at 22:15:56 Dave makes my all time Everton XI, wished we'd had him sooner & for longer. Eugene Ruane 7 Posted 30/08/2021 at 22:37:39 Another superb and fascinating piece from Becky Tallentire. Btw, subjective of course, but imo I don't believe there's ever been a better crosser of a football than Dave Thomas. (Oh and if Latch had been relying on some of our more recent wingers for service, he'd have ended up with about 26 goals.) Christy Ring 8 Posted 30/08/2021 at 22:38:02 Fabulous read, always thought Dave was pure class, a brilliant winger, should never have been sold, worked so well with Latchford. He definetly shoud have been a regular with England, sad the way Ball treated him at Pompey. Kieran Kinsella 9 Posted 30/08/2021 at 22:45:02 Percy Thrower another legend. He was still around in my time but I was too late for Dave but a wonderful insightful article nonetheless David Pearl 10 Posted 30/08/2021 at 23:03:00 Thank you. One of the first players l ever saw live along with Dave Smallman, Pejic, Lyons, Latchford, Andy King, George Wood, Terry Darracott. Early heroes. Funny what you remember as a kid. Although l can remember where l was sat for Bob Latchfords penalty vs Chelsea... they stuck us kids high upper Bullens David Pearl 11 Posted 30/08/2021 at 23:03:04 Thank you. One of the first players l ever saw live along with Dave Smallman, Pejic, Lyons, Latchford, Andy King, George Wood, Terry Darracott. Early heroes. Funny what you remember as a kid. Although l can remember where l was sat for Bob Latchfords penalty vs Chelsea... they stuck us kids high upper Bullens John Raftery 12 Posted 30/08/2021 at 23:22:10 A very fine player, the best supplier of crosses to Bob Latchford. In 1977/78 and the first half of the following season the team had a superb left flank with Mike Pejic, Martin Dobson and Dave Thomas linking up so brilliantly. We lost Pejic with injury in December 1978, Dobson left at the end of the 78/79 season soon to be followed by Thomas. Without those three Gordon Lee started to struggle as the club went into two years of decline which culminated in Lee’s departure and Howard Kendall’s arrival in 1981. Paul Tran 13 Posted 30/08/2021 at 23:32:33 Great piece, great player in the first Everton team I really loved. You knew he'd hit the byline, you knew he'd put it on Bob's head/foot, you knew Bob would score. Finished 3rd & 4th, unlucky in the cups, great to watch. If only we'd bought a decent keeper Alan J Thompson 14 Posted 31/08/2021 at 06:56:55 Peter(#4); I was at that QPR game as well and it poured down all game and hitched home the next day. Dave Thomas ripped them to pieces. Another very good article that tells the ups and downs of very good footballers and everyday people. Danny O’Neill 15 Posted 31/08/2021 at 08:55:37 Once again Becky, thank you for providing this. These articles always draw out the personal side of professional footballers, that us supporters don't always see or respect. I'll get the sock thing out of the way first, as I too am a stickler and get mocked by my wife and son for being old and grumpy about the socks down culture creeping back in!! But that's just me! Right, that's off my chest. I am just about old enough to remember Dave but not enough to comment on him as a player. If I take away a 1977 pre-season friendly in Germany, Roker Park was my very first Everton away game. I think it was 1980 or 1981 and if I recall without looking, we lost 3-1 on the first day of the season. I think they had just been promoted too. I never knew Peter Beardsley had been out in North America; every day is a school day as they say! Alan Ball? Interesting, but I guess they weren't at Everton at the same time. I was going to say a bygone era when footballers went into "normal" jobs after finishing their playing careers, but it was 1986! Glad he got back into the game in some capacity. On Wolves, I guess that's life. We all make decisions and it's only with the benefit of hindsight we know whether they were the right ones or not. Fantastic stuff Becky, keep them coming. Rick Tarleton 16 Posted 31/08/2021 at 09:17:42 Another moving and powerful article from this series. Dave Thomas was quite a player, a perfect foil for Bob Latchford, and a thrilling player to watch.I enjoyed reading the article and hope that the glaucoma isn't total.Thank you to Becky, Brenda and Dave for this episode. Paul Birmingham 18 Posted 31/08/2021 at 09:30:57 An epic read, Becky, an outstanding story. In them formative years, in reflection, possibly the best days for me going the match, and the Everton team of the time were almost there. The atmosphere and buzz, it was an adventure every home game. Dave Thomas was a fine player for Everton and gent off the pitch and very humble.Where does time go? But the memories from those couple of seasons are as fresh as today. Chris Jones (Burton on Trent) 19 Posted 31/08/2021 at 10:27:21 I love these insights into life as a footballer; Becky is to be applauded.Dave was a splendid player and one I always loved to watch - at Everton and elsewhere! I can see him in his QPR hoops as well as the Royal Blue. Brenda seems to be an absolutely smashing person. I was impressed how she remembered the names of folks from years before writing. She is obviously someone who cherishes those friends she makes throughout her life. She may have had a fortunate upbringing but she was anything but spoiled.It would do for us fans to remember some of the detail of transfers when we're quick to moan about players. I seem to recall John Spencer had to have a heart op as a condition of joining us (under Walter Smith), but it is quite something else when a player's wife has to agree to undergo having her wisdom teeth out as a condition of his move to a new club! I wonder if any similar such agreements are involved in today's transfer deadline day shenanigans? John Pickles 20 Posted 31/08/2021 at 10:41:40 I can't think of Bob Latchford without thinking of Dave Thomas, it's like Stan and Ollie, Eric and Ernie, Sharpy and Inchy.He has to be in the all-time top half-dozen Everton players in his position. Dave Brierley 21 Posted 31/08/2021 at 13:48:58 Another great read Becky. Love these tales of players from the past. Like many of the above, I was a great admirer of Dave Thomas and often wodered how he got away with so few injuries with the socks down and no shin pads routine. It certainly worked for him. Happy days indeed. Len Hawkins 22 Posted 31/08/2021 at 15:11:27 Dave was a great player and his crosses for Bobby Latch were too inviting to miss which Bob rarely did. Ron Greenwood was the England Manager when Bob got called up and they didn't play to his strengths no Dave Thomas, next game he'd pick Dave Thomas and play that midget Keegan at centre forward Dave was sending crosses in with no one there to make use of them. Yet another great read of the Everton stars and their wives. Jack Convery 23 Posted 31/08/2021 at 15:24:58 I loved reading this piece - wonderful stuff. Dave could not only put in a beauty of a cross but could pick himself a beauty of a life partner. The good the bad and the ugly of football contained in one piece. I saw Dave Thomes play for EFC in the 70s and his link up with Bob Latchford had to be seen to be believed. The day we stuffed Coventry at Goodison lives long in the memory as well as the hatrick goal Latchford scored from yet anoth pin point cross from Dave Thomas. The best comment I can make about Dave Thomas is that he was good enough to have played in our last 3 league winning teams. He should have earned a lot more England caps too. I wish him and his family well. They deserve it. Jack Convery 24 Posted 31/08/2021 at 15:25:18 I loved reading this piece - wonderful stuff. Dave could not only put in a beauty of a cross but could pick himself a beauty of a life partner. The good the bad and the ugly of football contained in one piece. I saw Dave Thomes play for EFC in the 70s and his link up with Bob Latchford had to be seen to be believed. The day we stuffed Coventry at Goodison lives long in the memory as well as the hatrick goal Latchford scored from yet anoth pin point cross from Dave Thomas. The best comment I can make about Dave Thomas is that he was good enough to have played in our last 3 league winning teams. He should have earned a lot more England caps too. I wish him and his family well. They deserve it. Jack Convery 25 Posted 31/08/2021 at 15:25:31 I loved reading this piece - wonderful stuff. Dave could not only put in a beauty of a cross but could pick himself a beauty of a life partner. The good the bad and the ugly of football contained in one piece. I saw Dave Thomes play for EFC in the 70s and his link up with Bob Latchford had to be seen to be believed. The day we stuffed Coventry at Goodison lives long in the memory as well as the hatrick goal Latchford scored from yet anoth pin point cross from Dave Thomas. The best comment I can make about Dave Thomas is that he was good enough to have played in our last 3 league winning teams. He should have earned a lot more England caps too. I wish him and his family well. They deserve it. Alan J Thompson 26 Posted 31/08/2021 at 15:32:33 Len(#22); I remember the Italian Manager being asked before the game if there was anyone in the England side who he feared and his answer was, "Latchford of Everton", so he was asked why and answered that it was because he knew nothing about him. And every time Latchford made space in the box for the ball to be put in for him to move onto bloody Keegan would move into it letting defenders know about it and spoil the whole thing. John Davies 27 Posted 31/08/2021 at 20:17:27 Wonderful piece about a wonderful footballer. Unquestionably my all time favourite left midfielder/winger. I know many will call out Sheedy as their favourite but for me, Dave Thomas and Bob Latchford were the best attacking pairing I have seen in the Royal Blue jersey. Both would be in my all-time best Everton eleven. Thank you to Becky Tallantire for her super, informative and moving article about Dave Thomas. Wishing him and his family all the very best for the future. Tony Abrahams 28 Posted 31/08/2021 at 20:43:36 Great story, and I’m glad my childhood memory wasn’t wrong when I‘ve read so many on here writing about Dave Thomas’s outstanding crossing ability, and If my memory is correct, whilst always wearing mouldies, rather than studs!? That six nil game against Coventry, has never left me, and whilst Latchford got the goals, the absolute joy of watching Thomas, driving forward into the wide open spaces of Goodison, and standing the ball up perfectly, with such precision, was already making a young child like myself think, “who needs to score, when you can set them up like that” David Currie 29 Posted 31/08/2021 at 21:35:13 Dave Thomas was the best crosser of the ball I have seen, was fortunate to meet all the Everton players in the dressing room in 1978. All the players including Dave were top lads.Should have got more caps for England. Allan Board 30 Posted 31/08/2021 at 21:37:50 A Wonderful read. My first ever visit to Goodison was the 6-0 v Coventry, on my 10th birthday, courtesy of my 18 Yr old bro. Dave Thomas was fantastic that day and supplied proper ball in for strikers to bury. I too couldn't believe he had his socks rolled down, Terry Yorath took a shine to him and hacked him down a few times, but he still carried on running with the ball. Latch was my absolute hero, but Dave created so many goals for him, would be interesting to get the stats. The 6th goal that day was just amazing for a young boy to witness and take in-beautifully crafted, stunning cross and brilliant volleyed finish. Thanks Dave, I was only ever going to follow one team after that day. Ken Kneale 31 Posted 31/08/2021 at 22:13:23 Another excellent read. The team Gordon Lee started to build lost its way halfway through his tenure, sadly leading to many good players leaving; Dave Thomas was certainly one of those. Dave combined being enjoyable to watch whilst being very effective in his role – a really fine player indeed who as others have said would grace any era. Paul Swan 32 Posted 31/08/2021 at 22:51:58 I remember as a kid these players were approachable. Me and a few mates from Skem went to a bonfire in Dalton (which coincidentally is much closer to Skem than Parbold) and met Dave, lovely guy with no airs and graces. Often drive past the house mentioned in the article and it is a small cottage for those that know the area just down from Ashurst beacon. George Wood had what is now in hindsight a modest house just off the main road in Parbold. These days sadly you would be looking at security fences and mansions for the modern players. Great player and probably one of the best crossers of a ball I ever saw Dave Abrahams 33 Posted 06/09/2021 at 21:56:25 I can’t add anything to the wonderful tributes to a very good footballer,brilliant crosser of the ball, near perfection, there was absolutely nothing to dislike about Dave as a footballer and a man, except that he was allowed to leave Everton when he should have been given a much more generous and longer contract by Everton. Best wishes for your future health. 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