Walter Smith dies, age 73

As for being 70, that's me too – I still behave like a 10-year-old. Also, play a bit of golf and, when one of my partners asks me "Did you see where that went?", then my standard answer is, "Yes, I saw it all the way out... but I can't remember!"

RIP, Walter Smith.

Yes, 73 today would be considered young. As one who almost didn't make 60 and is now healthy and roaring into 65, I will be disappointed in myself now if I don't hang around to 85 or so just to aggravate my wife.

Although Bakayoko and Nyarko were spectacularly bad signings, his record in the transfer market was good and he brought in some good players to this club.

The problem in his first season is that we didn't have anybody who could score. Once Kevin Campbell was added, we finished the season incredibly well.

A midfield in the days of 4-4-2 of Barmby, Dacourt, Hutchison and Collins was incredibly strong.

Unfortunately there was an incredibly unstable regime behind him and he was soon having to sell all of the better players and shop in the bargain basement for replacements.

He also inherited some extremely bad apples and the toxic but influential contingent of younger players within the squad was something that undermined his early regime. Cadamarteri, Dunne, Ball, Jeffers. Good players but bad characters.

A good man who represented our club exemplarily.

His attempt at control was a reaction to his money going south under Kenwright. I think this is a natural reaction to losing money. I can do as well as they can. When he adopted this attitude, Kenwright & Co let him have enough rope to hang himself.

Silva was not such a bad appointment, but he was an honest man amongst gangsters at Finch Farm. The Saha Summer did him in, as Brands proved to be a man of straw.

I never thought much of his "bad cop" sidekick, Archie Knox.

He said: “When I first got to Everton and spoke to him, we spoke about everything.

“Everton were supposed to be getting a new training ground and he said: ‘I'm not going to hold my breath. I've been promised stuff I've never got' so I just replied: ‘Welcome to football!' We both just burst out laughing. He got on with it and never moaned that he didn't get the support he deserved or what he was promised and he just got on with it."

And on a more personal level:

"“He made me captain as well, the first black captain of Everton, which is something that I'm so proud, and he was instrumental in all the good parts for me so I cannot thank him enough – it's such a sad, sad day.”

Seems like a long time ago now but this wasn't all that long after people hurled bananas at John Barnes and obviously Campbell suffered horrific abuse in Turkey. Again shows Walter had integrity.

The hope you gave us with your first wave of signings, Materazzi, Dacourt, Collins... I don't think it's been matched since.

The other woman looked at me and immediately said, "Oh, my husband managed that team." I didn't know just what she meant until I realised that she was looking at the badge on my Everton jacket.

Still surprised, I said "Everton?" She said "Yes," and pointed to her husband, Walter Smith, who was in another aisle, reading a brochure. As soon I saw him, I went "Wow, Walter Smith!"

He was extremely polite and we talked for a good 20 minutes about his career and Rangers and Everton etc. He was on his way further south to meet his brother at a family wedding. I actually invited him to stop over on the way back. That was the highlight of our month-long stay in Arizona, also the first day of our trip.

Yes, he was young to go at 73. I know of one poster who does not like me ever mentioning my age but here goes. I have just come in from my daily bike ride to be greeted by the same aged 82-year-old wife. I would never have met Walter Smith if she had not been a yackety yack Scot who could get to speaking to anyone, at any time, anywhere. She married an impatient scouser 56 years ago.

RIP, Walter Smith, you made my day on a day to remember and more important: "You managed Everton."

It has also made me understand that, relative to life itself, a 5-2 loss to Watford is so insignificant... well, at least until we beat Wolves.

That's a nice anecdote mate. Thanks for sharing that. Good to hear from someone who can confirm in person that he was the gent he seemed to be from afar.

Walter personally rang my brother. Initially the conversation was a bit fractious as he must have thought my brother (who had represented Everton to youth and reserve team level) was just another moaning unknowledgable fan. Once he realised he represented the club, my brother said it was a great honest, candid conversation.

He even conceded that Unsworth tended to "panic in posession" when he was asked why DU just hoofed it up the pitch continually. He also put him in the picture re his frustration over financial constraints preventing him buying true quality.

I also know of a similar anecdote via another friend.

What manager would do that now under those circumstances.

I know there was covid contact to vulnerable fans from players and manager last year, which was admirable but those were wholly different circumstances.

Smith was a decent man with honesty and integrity. RIP gaffer.

We could do with Archie's bat back to install some work ethic and discipline. Instead we have Jose Baxter probably passing round a bong.

Sincere condolences to his loved ones..

Walter Smith was the right manager at the wrong time. The 90s was when Everton stopped being a serious club and the embodiment of that was Johnson and Kenwright.

In it he mentions that, as a kid, he was invited to a summer school and trial for kids at Dundee United. Whilst there, a young player/coach left the first-team group and gave the 13-year-old Nevin a personal session to improve his kicking technique. That was the first time he met Walter Smith.

A generous football man, happy to give his time freely to help a young wannabe player. RIP.

1. The first summer. After gambling on kids like John Oster a year earlier. I was on holiday in Perugia when I heard of our interest in Marco Materazzi. Granted I knew little about him though I’d seen him train a few days before. Then there was John Collins, the Rolls-Royce of Monaco. The kind of cultured midfielder we’d lacked since Steven and Sheedy. Olivier Dacourt — the next Viera. Just the quality of the players excited me. I thought we were ready to return to the big time. And regardless of Everton, all of them showed their quality elsewhere.

2. That Newcastle game. It was November and we were yet to win a home game. Worse still, behind Walter’s back, the club had sold Big Dunc to our opponents prior to the game. We finally got a break with a penalty and a young lad Walter had taken a chance on — Michael Ball — stepped up and slammed home the winner.

3. Kevin Campbell. He’d been frozen out at Arsenal but had a decent spell at Nottingham Forest before a troubled spell in Turkey. We were on the verge of relegation but Walter knew a good player when he saw one and rolled the dice. Super Kev almost single-handedly saved us from the drop.

4. Manchester United. They’d just won the treble and, after our struggles the year before, I was crestfallen and terrified of playing them in the season opener. My late Uncle Jim — a wise fellow — seeing my angst, assured me it would be okay. I spent much of the game hiding behind the couch but Walter inspired a hard-fought gritty draw against arguably the best team in the world.

5. Ibrahima Bakayoko. I had a mate in Manchester who was a Southampton fan. He came to Goodison Park every year for the Saints game. The tight wad refused to pay up when I bet him we’d win 6-0 under Joe Royle as we won 7-1. He also had the last laugh a year before when Kevin Davies tormented the Howard Kendall Mk III team. I was anxious on our next visit as our dribbler with no end product had failed to score a goal. But again, Walter came through for me as Bakayoko made a dizzying run and scored the winner as I stood in the Park End — his first goal for the club. There was a moment of shocked silence during which one old fellow shouted “About bloody time!” Then pandemonium.

Thanks for the memories, Walter.

Lots of heartfelt tributes for Walter, since the announcement of his passing and well deserved too.

With Walter Smith at Rangers, I had the best years of my life

"Legendary Manager" Walter Smith may be mourned across Planet Football, as the BBC and others claim, but I will remember him as the singular worst manager in our history.

I recall most of all his inane analysis of poor results, which were usually punctuated with repeated use of the word 'disappointing'. It was a flawed appointment from the start.

Everton were in dire financial straits while Smith's reputation had been made at Rangers, which had spent more on players than any other club in Scotland and England combined. He stacked Everton with superannuated has-beens looking for one last place to hang their hats while selling talented young players like Michael Ball and Richard Dunne.

The darkest day was against Middlesbrough in the FA Cup. On the teamsheet that day were Paul Gascoigne, Scot Gemmill, Alec Cleland and Jesper Blomqvist. A nightmare 7-minute spell put us 3-0 down before half-time – and we never looked like achieving more than damage control.

After the game, he blamed the fans for the atmosphere of doom at Everton, suggesting it was our expectation of success that was the problem. If only we would get used to losing, that logic went, things would look better.

Not long after, he was mercifully sent packing along with his Rottweiler sidekick, the bullying Archie Knox. RIP Walter.

I think to call Smith out as the worst manager in our history is absolutely and incredibly disrespectful. Also, it’s very inaccurate.

I’m not going to name others that were worse as it’s obvious.

Walter served our club with integrity and utmost professionalism. He made some good signings and he made some bad ones. There were moments when the football was incredibly dull and ultimately he failed to move the club or team forward in his time with us. He certainly didn’t take it any further backward then when Kendall left in 1998.

Moyes came in and quickly injected some energy and youth. Walter trusted experience and know how. Moyes felt that immediately decreasing the age of the squad would improve us. Undoubtedly it did. I don’t even think Walter was a bad Everton manager, it just never really happened for him at Everton for a number of reasons.

As I’ve stated earlier, the younger players, although talented, were causing problems behind the scenes and were never likely to have long term futures in the game at the highest level. In fact, apart from Dunne - none of them went on to have any kind of career beyond everton. And we generated some nice transfer fees from these players.

Most players he bought were improvements on what was already there. Especially that initial transfer window when it appeared there was money available.

How ironic that Dacourt and Materazzi were almost too physical for the English game.

I would say that he was a goal scorer and a decent keeper away from us being a top side that season. Materazzi and Dacourt may have settled better in terms of discipline in season 2 and Collins, Barmby and Hutchison all became top performers in 1999/2000. The signs were there towards May 1999 that Walter was building something special with Everton. It was quickly dismantled that summer.

The better players left. Not even to top clubs or for top fees. Dacourt to Lens and Materazzi to Perugia. Jeffers put a transfer request in and Walter was left having to field the ancient centre back pairing of Richard Gough and Dave Watson (long finished at this point) in an opening day fixture versus the best club in world football. As stated above. Walter got us a point.

Richard Gough and Joe-Max Moore. That was all he could get to the club that year until later spending a fee on Stephen Hughes. That’s what Walter was working with. Obviously and in hindsight Gascoigne and Ginola were poor signings. But they were gambles that never paid off. And he was gambling with buttons, so hardly a risk. Who else was available on free transfers?

God bless you Walter. You’re one of us

Unfortunately, that's exactly the Everton Manager I remember! Enough of all this saccharin lovey-dovey stuff. Time for a few home truths. Well said!

Tommy, his league position and win record with us were simply attrocious. At the end of the day, that's what defines a manager.

There’s no ‘lovey dovey’ stuff from what I can see. Just people who can acknowledge a decent man doing his job under difficult circumstances.

Yes, the Middlesbrough game was abysmal. It got the man the sack. That’s the reality of what happened. He took us to a point where he deserved the sack and he got it. Tranmere 2001 was also a very dark moment. As was City thrashing us over the festive period of 2000/2001. Other than that, I can’t recall any frequent disasters. There were poor performances. There were also some decent ones. We gave a decent account of ourselves in derby games for the most part.

In the 1999/2000 season I went to every home game. We only lost to Arsenal, Newcastle and Middlesbrough I think? Someone please correct me if I’m wrong as that is just from memory.

We were stuffed by a last min equaliser vs Chelsea I seem to recall and otherwise recorded some memorable victories. The Derby game was one we should’ve won too after Westerveld kicked the ball against Hutchison in the last min.

I think every single Evertonian would consider 3 defeats at Goodison in a season the achievements of an half decent Everton manager.

I honesty thought he was a decent bloke and manager while alive. He went back to Rangers after all their financial trouble started and got a team to the UEFA cup final comprised of the likes of Kirk Broadfoot and Kevin Thomson. No mean feat. He also very nearly qualified with Scotland in a nightmarish group alongside Italy and France. Clearly his Everton spell was unsuccessful, but he had his moments even at Everton and broadly speaking had a successful managerial career.

For contrast, I misremembered a thread earlier this year as Billy Bignham dying when everyone seemed to say he wasn't a good manager and no one liked him. Upon review, I now realize he didn't die and it was just his birthday. But if and when he does pass on, my view of him won't suddenly become sugary sweet.

Great point Kieran.

And an interesting one. In getting to that final his team knocked out the same Fiorentina side that had put us to the sword earlier in the competition. (Possibly the round before).

That followed one of the worst performances by an Everton team that I have seen in my lifetime (Fiorentina away). Certainly worse than any performance an Everton team entered under Walter Smith.

-- Chilon of Sparta (6th century BC), one of the Seven Sages of Greece

"Stop talking down on dead people shit gone come back and haunt you every time!"

-- Meek Mill

The incomings were a mixed standard but the likes of Dacourt, Gough, Gravesen and Campbell were strong additions whilst the likes of Hutchison did well for him.

He was treated disrespectfully by Peter Johnson over the Duncan Ferguson sale behind his back whilst the likes of Jeffers, Ball and Barmby were sold with the club in an eternal financial plight, making it difficult to build a team.

Moyes did inject a fresh approach but let's respect Walter for being a decent coach, a good man and for doing his very best for our club at a difficult time. Condolences to Walter's wife and family from all us Blues.

Also, re worse Everton performances, please don't forget the 4 -1 loss to Southampton 4 years ago and the defeat to Shrewbury Town in the FA Cup the year they were relegated to the conference. It's Halloween in a few days, and they were horror at its worst.

I respect your recollection of Smith's management. I'm only sorry I missed all the attractive football you must have seen.

Here's the odd thing about our attitude to death. If this thread had been started while Walter Smith was still alive, there would be almost universal agreement that his period as manager was best consigned to the dustbin of football history. But, because the man has passed on at 73 – the older I get, the younger that sounds – we reach for the rose-coloured specs.

The thing I despised his management for most was that, close to the end, he made me ambivalent about the comparatively few wins we had because each one extended his tenure another few weeks.

Incidentally, Richard Dunne and Michael Ball both had good careers after Everton – in their best positions – and I don't think either was again punished for laughing on the team bus.

As for your other comments on opinions about a man who has just lost his life, I will not dignify this with any kind of direct response other than to say I do not know many Evertonians who speak so negatively about the man.

Nobody is saying his management of EFC was a raging success and that is not the point being made by Evertonians, anywhere, as far as I can see.

It's more appreciation of a decent man with a very strong track record in Scotland who served our club with dignity and who has sadly died. That day comes for us all and it is only natural to reflect and remember that this was a man who did his best for our football club.

He was 35 and, 3 years prior, had won PFA and football writers Player of the Year.

Although it doesn't fit your narrative to be accurate, perhaps you should consider including facts rather than fiction in future posts.

He was signed for free. It didn't work. Walter got lost his job not long after.

Dunne was accused of laughing on the team bus travelling home after Everton's exit from the then 'Worthington' Cup at the hands of Bristol Rovers. He was dropped by Smith for the subsequent next match against Ipswich Town.

Booze culture and or gambling culture was much more common in certain clubs at that time. Dunne also got into trouble at Man City for staying out late before matches.

" Time for a few home truths", on a thread that is a tribute to a decent man is, frankly, vile.

You're a gentleman mate. I think Michael and Peter are taking the view that if we'd started a thread on Walter a week ago most people would have had negative remarks and they feel it's phoney to change your opinion once someone passes away. Personally, I think they've misread this thread as most people carefully worded their responses to talk about the man as opposed to the Everton manager.

Moreover, I realize I'm in a minority but I do think he was a good manager based on his career as a whole and a decent man so I disagree with them on both counts but you know, everyone has their perspective right. If they want to have their say, better for them to be honest even if it's unpalatable to you and me, than to pretend they think otherwise.

I've never known any real negative sentiment towards Walter Smith from our supporters. There's a general acknowledgement that his time here wasn't a success and that's about as far as it goes.

So I disagree. Any thread about Walter at any point after 2002 and I think there would be a mixed bag of comments but generally positive about the man but underwhelmed by how his teams performed.

I certainly do not think, had a thread about Walter been posted 12 months ago, that someone would call him out as the worst manager in our history. Which is just nonsense.

Andy is right, attention-seeking. Trolling.

But if we are talking about the worst managers in our history, I am today overjoyed to see that that con man Koeman has been sacked from ‘his dream job'. I wouldn't even wish him inflicted on the Geordies. At least Walter represented our club with some dignity.

As with all things Everton, even, or more especially, now, we as loyal fans are never privy to what is going on behind the scenes, and rarely ever know the 'real story' but are left to feed off scraps of 'Chinese Whispers and Tittle Tattle Gossip' and make of them what we will.

However I digress, RIP Walter, a true gentleman !

Hope you're feeling better mate. Meant to ask if you've seen Brian Cox in the HBO show Succession? Dundee lad becomes Rupert Murdoch/Trump like megalomaniac. I told my Dundee born mother it explains a lot lol

I usually watch the BBC News every morning and funnily enough he was being interviewed about the Series, yesterday morning, and of course to promote his new Book. Generally when they have a ' Celebrity ' on the show for an Interview (many of whom I have never even heard of) it is to promote a Book/Show/Film/TV Series. Almost like a game of Charades this isn't it ?

Take care mate, and thanks for asking !

It's likely that few of us on this thread knew Water Smith personally, whether he was a saint or a sinner, so most posts about him being either a prince of a man or a fall-about drunk have no real basis. I imagine he was probably an outstanding human being absent evidence to the contrary.

That has nothing to do with his performance as manager. Yes, he had success elsewhere. But those of us who remember the actual matches, results, desultory style and atmosphere of gloom cannot possibly think of him as in any way successful at Goodison Park.

Sorry, if you do think that you either weren't there or should checked out for EOD.

I will say this: That screw-up Mike Walker comes pretty close for the worst manager title. One big difference is that there came a time when Walker admitted his deficiencies in the role. Smith blamed everyone else including the fans.

Someone went all the way back 60+ years to Ian Buchan, claiming he was worse. Management was very different then. Buchan was little more than a trainer. The board really managed the the team – and a horrible job they did in those days too.