Everton mourn the death of Gordon Lee

Sad news about Gordon Lee, he was much maligned by many, but probably because I was very young, his teams gave me some of my greatest moments watching Everton, certainly more highlights in his time, than we've had in the last half-dozen years.

Gordon was a straight-forward and no-nonsense type of person, as honest as the day is long, unfortunately his teams didn't get the breaks and he couldn't put a trophy in the cabinet.

Condolences to his family and friends, may he rest in peace.

My dad disliked both and used to rant about them. His standard was the 60s team and Catterick. He wasn't happy again until Howard Kendall came back. Then I was the adult and he the child, even though I was only 10 when Kendall was appointed!!

I can't comment too much on the Gordon Lee years, but remember having my photo taken with George Wood outside the players' entrance at Goodison and singing "Duncan McKenzie is magic" in the Enclosure.

My first game was the 1-3 loss against Forest, who had just come up and went on to win the league. We had a good season, played some great stuff with Thomas on the wing and Latchford thumping goals left, right and centre.

Gordon Lee got a lot of stick but if we had a team that could challenge in the Top 6 all season, we would all be happy now.

RIP Gordon Lee, you gave us some good times, not great times but good nonetheless.

Worth reading the note on the main Everton website.

Whilst not achieving success in the form of titles, I now realise that his time at the club probably laid the groundwork for Howard Kendall.

Looking back, a League Cup Final, two FA Cup semis and two Top 4 finishes in 4 years wasn't that bad compared to what we're putting up with now, but back then there was no concept of taking a knife to a gunfight; 'nearly' wasn't good enough, today though, we'd be singing his name.

As another poster said, we were a top quality keeper away from having a real chance at the title. The squad fell away when Lee was forced to reduce the wage bill and couldn't meet the salary demands of our top players.

Interesting to reflect that we were close to hiring Brian Clough and Bobby Robson, but ended up hiring Billy Bingham and Gordon Lee!

I well remember him and captain Mick Lyons attending a public meeting at the supporters club, in City Road. He was basically put on trial and full marks and respect to him for doing that.

RIP and condolences to his family.

We watched some entertaining football that season with Dave Thomas, Martin Dobson and Mike Pejic playing clever triangles on the left side. The 6-0 wins versus a decent Coventry team and Chelsea were particularly memorable. Unfortunately we had insufficient defensive strength or consistency away from home to match Forest and the RS.

After Burtenshaw left Gordon steadily lost his way with his headline transfer activity lacking a sense of direction as the recruitment of ready made, expensive players to bolster the squad served only to accelerate its decline.

Away from the headlines of course some valuable groundwork for the future was being laid with cheaper acquisitions like Sharp and Irvine and the development of teenagers like McMahon, Ratcliffe, Richardson, Stevens and Borrows.

As Gavin Buckland points out in his latest book, Boys From The Blue Stuff, Gordon was not the first choice to replace Billy Bingham. While he did a passable job in his first two years the burden of playing in the huge shadow cast by our neighbours ultimately proved just too big for him. He and his players did their best but were not quite good enough.

My Dad went to the AGM when Gordon Lee joined the club and was upset with one of his first comments being, "I am an honest man!; My Dad thought that opinion was for others to make! However, even my Dad conceded that he was as straight as a dye in his dealings at the club!

As I had said, I just about remember Billy Bingham. My dad didn't like him either but he wasn't happy until Howard Kendall came home along with Colin Harvey. If he could have had Alan Ball, he'd probably have started all 3 of them even in the early 80s!! I always remember us loosely following Southampton when Ball joined them. He always looked out for their result.

Gordon Lee is the first Everton manager I remember with any kind of knowledge. It didn't quite work out for him, but I guess in the context of the time, a top 4 finish for a team that had been champions 7 years earlier wasn't viewed as good enough. Especially at a time when European Cup (read Champion's League) required you to win the league, not finish top 4.

That Andy King derby winner sticks out for me in that period.

I found him an honest man in his assessment of people not just footballers, people he could trust and those he couldn’t but looked after themselves first and foremost, selfish people going by his reading of them.

I wrote to him often when he was manager here and always got a reply whether I praised him or not, my name and address plus tel.no. were always on those letters so he knew I wasn’t just someone belly aching over something.

A proper football man who understood the game and had good principles and stood by them.

He was right, of course, but hard work and being busy all over the pitch just wasn't a substitute for dazzling ability in the eyes of us Nil Satis boys.

I don't agree with the nearness of his teams to success, the title challenge in particular was never a goer and overall we just weren't good enough when it really mattered.

In retrospect, a good man trying something different at a club still fiercely protective of its perceived identity.

Then countless transfer requests from Bob Latchford, for more money, back then there was no salary cap, but there was a wage structure what you were allowed to pay a player a certain amount.

He had his faults in not signing a top class goalkeeper, allowing McKenzie to leave, and playing Colin Todd at right back, out of position, but he had many good points, the oh so nears, the Amber shirt demolitions at qpr and a few other teams, we were still behind Forest and our neighbours, but the football at times were a joy to watch.

Latchfords late goal at Elland Road 1980, Latchfords 30 goals, Andy Kings winner in the Derby, thrashing Coventry, Leicester and the likes, the 77 League cup final epics, the 77 semi, giving the likes of Ratcliffe, Burrows and McMahon game time, signing Graeme Sharp but being denied by the board to bring Rush in alongside Sharp.

His final season went sour, but he gave me a few seasons before that of some very entertaining football, no success but two top 4 finishes, 2 semi final f a cups is not to be sniffed at.

R.I.p Gordon Lee

Gordon Lees Blue and White army.

Agreed, he could and should have got us a decent keeper – might have made all the difference – but he really needed was a slice of luck.

If the vile Clive Thomas hadn't been so full of his own self-importance, or the Villa captain, Nichol, hadn't scored a 'once in a career' fluke, we might be looking back a lot more fondly. RIP Gordon.

RIP Gordon and condolences to the family.

The infamous taxi ride was taken by Johnny Carey, in 1961. It was in London and he was going to a Football League/FA? meeting with chairman John Moores.

Carey got into the taxi as the Everton manager and got out at the other end clutching his P45.

Oh to have a ruthless bastard like Moores, now!

Sorry to go morbid, but it's been a tough 24 hours in honesty and I'm still licking my wounds.

Colin Harvey has me welling up every time I watch Howard's Way. When that fine coach and Evertonian leaves this world, I will be in devastated tears even though I never watched him play. Boyhood supporter, played for us at 16 years old, coached our most successful team ever, managed Everton and then coached the academy.

Sorry. I need Sunday to come around quickly to get this out of my system.

What I wouldn't give for a few of our boring defensive robots at Spurs last night. Energy, commitment, organisation, team ethic. HEART. Although I'll never quite forgive him for Duncan McKenzie leaving, we at least had some pride under Gordon Lee and an Everton identity that is now being rapidly lost.

RIP Gordon Lee, you did your very best.

The little known Derby County assistant manager, Des Anderson, was not impressed with Everton’s Stakhanovite style. He disparagingly compared Everton’s playing style to that of a team of robots. These words were probably music to the ears of Mr Bingham. The London media were highly critical of Bingham’s methods. Due to Everton wearing an amber away kit at the time, they were mockingly referred to as the “Clockwork Orange” team citing a highly controversial film of the time. Unlike any Everton manager before him, Bingham’s first priority was always not to lose the game with the emphasis in training being on what the side did when they didn’t have the ball

Binghams Robots

I always find when reading back about the '70s, it was never as bad as faded memory sometimes paints. This also applies to BIlly Bingham though less so. It often felt like we were miles behind Liverpool but it was never like it is now, and no massive money disparity, or its effects.

Barry @ 28:

Good linked article. I'm almost sure the "Robot" thing was coined after our 1-0 away victory at Derby (which I attended), with Latchford scoring the winner.

It was the work of the Daily Mail I believe, who always marked us down in their weekly Entertainment League and seemed to have a deep dislike of us. But then, we've never really been anybody's media darlings even in our best times, have we.

I was 17 when Andy King hit that screamer and the ground exploded - will never forget it. The 3 games versus Villa - I was at them all. A decent keeper and we would have won that League Cup final. The 30 goals of Latchford - another memorable day. The 5 nil demolition of Coventry, when the football was wonderful and the Thomas / Latchford combo worked like a dream. Martin Dobson a dream of a player. Colin Todd total class. I was Very sad when Duncan McKenzie was sold and was in the Gwladys Street when he scored for Chelsea and the St End went wild. Cheering and Clapping him. The Chelsea players couldn't believe it.. Gordon Lees' opinion, was that Jim Pearson was the best player to play alongside Latchford. Not many Evertoians agreed with him on that one ! An FA Cup Final cruelly taken away from us when Clive the Tw*t Thomas saw something no else ever did and still hasn't seen to this day. The days when Clough and Paisley ruled the roost. Those two became legends in the game. Gordon did well all things considered as EFC manager.

Condolences to his family and friends. Once a Blue always a Blue.

My first game was the League Cup against Coventry when we still had Billy Bingham in charge culminating in the Villa finals. Broke my hand smashing it against the bedroom wall in over-exuberant celebration of the radio commentary when Bob Latchford equalised in the first replay. Wish we had the likes of Bob, Andy King and Mick Lyons now.

Thanks to Mr Lee for some happy memories.

However, looking back in more recent decades, I've appreciated those teams more than I probably did at the time. We were probably just a couple of players shy of success, both under Bingham & Lee, if only one of them had got hold of Shilton before Clough took him to Nottingham Forest!

I was a teenage Blue for most of the seventies and with the exception of 1970 itself (obviously) we played our best and most entertaining football under Lee in his first full two seasons as manager. Jack Convery it was a 6-0 demolition of Coventry at home and the pick of the bunch was a sublime volley or half volley from Latchford at the park end following a mazy dribble by the brilliant Dave Thomas.

RiP Gordon you gave us some great memories.

My formative years and the Maine Road game, v Old Nick, to this day rattles me, and Clive Thomas, how life has changed.

Those were the days going the match, and Goodison Park crammed full was a spectacle to behold, And going always on the train was always an adventure.

How Everton got so close under Billy Bingham and Gordon Lee, is one of those facts.

Everton played some good teams in the UEFA Cups, and I remember one tie v Dukla Prague, 1979, and one player Gadusek, stood out in the home and away was for me one of the stand out players in Europe at the time.

If the club had the Everton players of that day in terms of mentality and commitment, the club wouldn’t be where it is now.

Thank God for Howard’s years.

Bit it’s the story of if and if, and so Everton is still in the top tier but in terms of resolve they need to get some and starting v Wolves.

Gordon Lee RIP.

Same age mate and went to the same games you mention.

Yes, when Duncan scored for Chelsea, running across the area, fainting one way then the other before drilling into the corner. Think it put Chelsea 2-1 up but we still applauded, much to the annoyance of Lee. We won 3-2, November 78.

Lee signed Nulty, sold Duncan, never warmed to him after that. Should've been Champions with that team.

His reputation for dour workmanlike teams is absolutely not unfair. Indeed, dour and workmanlike may be too high praise. The fact that he ended up at Knattspyrnufélag tells you all you need to know.

It was all no doubt rooted in the fact that he had been an indifferent defender himself and likely resented ball-players. That would all have been forgivable if he had been remotely successful. but he wasn't. Football is a zero-sum game. You either win or you don't. He didn't.

RIP Gordon Lee ! 💙😭

We always hope for the best and only those with adequate financial backing can put out a quality competitive squad that has a shot at winning things. This is the most mediocre Everton squad in many a year.

The current situation is indicative of the club's current attitude and with the main emphasis seemingly on the new stadium the field product is mediocre at best despite yet another new manager being appointed.

These are dark days indeed at Everton Football Club.

The current situation is the culmination of years of mismanagement, from the very top, going back to Philip Carter and continuing with Fahrad Moshiri.

Anyway, my condolences to Mr Lee's loved ones. Everton have had way worse than him in the manager's office, and especially the boardroom, during the entire 21st century thus far.

Gordon Lee came across, as most on here have pointed out, as an honest and honourable man and a good man manager. Because of the times we were in back in the 70's he remained for a long time a memory of failure. But as others have also said, what would we give now for that sort of failure?

I'd be very happy with the Blues having his record for the next 4 years.
At least my blood pressure would come down.

I remember Gordon Lee and his team well. I remember going to Wembley against Aston Villa and, as I couldn't get a ticket before, I thought I'd try and get one off a tout. (I was only about 14 at the time. I didn't get one, of course, so went home at half-time after hearing all the noise inside.

Mick Lyons was a great idol, so was Dobson and Latchford. I remember singing "Duncan McKenzie is magic", but I think he became infuriating as he would just like dribbling past players all the time. The amount of times we would be screaming at him to pass to the many players waiting with all the space in the world for a tap-in.

RIP, Gordon, I had some great memories. Also remember the many times after a game to get Andy King's autograph which he always seemed happy to oblige.

I was at Wembley for the League Cup Final and at Bolton for the semi-final. Fans loved Duncan McKenzie, but he wasn't Lee's type of player, which caused some resentment.

We'd settle for Gordon's win ratio now for sure. A gentleman through and through. RIP, Mr Lee.

Condolences to his family.

RIP, Mr Lee.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gC-a-rdUMiA

Great commentary too.