Everton History

This Week – 24 Years Ago

While Everton were playing Newcastle on a Monday night, moves were afoot off the pitch that would see Duncan Ferguson sold to the Magpies in controversial fashion by then Blues owner, Peter Johnson

Four years on from the Monday night game that announced Duncan Ferguson’s place at Everton, another Monday night game would mark his departure. No-one knew it at the time. In fact, Ferguson didn’t even feature in the match.

After so many 0-0 draws punctuated with the odd away win kept them mid-table, Everton were now flirting with the relegation zone again after losing 3 matches in a row before the visit of Newcastle, and, just like 4 years earlier, found themselves entering November without a home win.

Of even greater concern was their inability to score in the league at home – something they only managed for the first time on Halloween and even then, they lost 1-4.

They were awarded a penalty in the first half of this match, Carl Serrant tripping Don Hutchison, but a penalty by no means signalled that a goal was likely. In less than a year before this game, Speed, Hutchison himself, Barmby, and most recently, new signing John Collins, had all failed from the spot. And, just for good measure, they lost a penalty shoot-out to Sunderland in the league cup just 12 days before this game.

Michael Ball, though, had successfully converted his last effort at Middlesbrough, and he made now mistake here. And that was enough. 1-0 to Everton. First home win. Onwards and upwards blues.

No.

As the match ended, rumours were already circulating that Newcastle were discussing taking Duncan Ferguson back with them.

The next day, these rumours turned out to be true. When being interviewed that evening (or maybe on the Wednesday evening), Walter Smith quite matter-of-factly stated that none of the proceeds from this sale would be available to him. Perhaps somebody can confirm this for me – was Graeme Sharp the co-presenter on the Radio City phone in back then? I remember listening to it that night, and whoever the ex-player was, he was incredulous with that revelation. If it was Graeme Sharp, well, that’s extremely ironic.

That Saturday, November 28^th, Everton travelled to newly promoted Charlton. Any other time, the focus would have been on it potentially being a relegation 6 pointer, and on Carl Tiler facing Everton so soon after leaving. Tiler was one of those players who excelled in the 2^nd tier but never quite made the step up to the top flight. Charlton’s decision to purchase him may have been a pragmatic one, in that, if they stayed up, it would be a few hundred grand well spent, and if they did get relegated, Tiler’s ability and experience at that level should help them bounce straight back.

In a parting shot, Tiler had comments about how Charlton could finish above Everton that season.

 In the circumstances, though, the travelling fans were more concerned in making their “we want Johnson out” heard, while the external focus was on how the team would react to the unexpected departure of their captain.

Danny Cadamarteri opened the scoring in the first half, slotting into an empty net after their goalkeeper Sasa Ilic made the poor decision to charge out of his box. In the 2^nd half, Bakayoko produced what would be an all too rare display of skill and penetration, his dribble into the Charlton box seeing him brought down for a penalty. Ball stepped up again, but this time his effort was tame and Ilic went some way to making up for his earlier error, as he saved and smothered the ball easily. Just when we thought they’d found an answer to their penalty woes. And the miss looked to have greater significance when Charlton equalised, Mark Kinsella’s free kick creeping into the far post.

Minutes later, though, Ilic practically handed Everton another goal as he failed to deal with a high ball, and in the scamble that followed, Cadamarteri capitalised again, this time with a powerful near post finish in front of the travelling fans. The match finished 2-1 to the blues.

While his old team were winning at Charlton, Duncan Ferguson scored twice on his debut as Newcastle beat Wimbledon 3-1.

Everton’s financial predicament could have had much further reaching consequences. Ferguson’s arrival at Newcastle fuelled speculation about the future of Alan Shearer, out of form and reportedly unsettled under Ruud Gullit’s management at the time. The club he’d helped to the title, Blackburn, had recently sacked Roy Hodgson and there was even talk of Shearer returning as player-manager there, even though he was only 28. So much of this is only coming back to me as I’m typing this – I can now remember him being a guest in the studio for Liverpool’s game against Blackburn the day after our win at Charlton, where he dismissed all this speculation and reaffirmed his commitment to Newcastle.

Given the enormity of the story during the preceeding week, the possible impact it could have had on the future England’s number 9, and that none of their red cartel darlings of Man Utd, Liverpool and Arsenal were playing that Saturday, you’d think Match of the Day would make Everton and Newcastle featured games. Instead, both games were only shown during their goals round-up at the end. Goodness knows which games they focussed on instead.

Epilogue

Charlton were relegated that season while Everton survived, but they bounced back immediately, and for 3 of their next 4 seasons after promotion, they would indeed finish above Everton, ultimately proving Carl Tiler right, although the centre back barely featured upon Charlton’s return to the top division, and was loaned to Birmingham and then sold to Portsmouth before their first full season back was over, so he never got to look down on his former club.

I don’t think Duncan Ferguson scored for Newcastle again that season, but he would have his moments for them in 1999-00, not least that screamer against Man United in a 3-0 win.

Alan Shearer would stay at Newcastle until he retired from playing almost 8 years later. Within a year of buying Big Dunc, Ruud Gullit would be gone. Within 2 years, Ferguson would be back at Everton. Just like at Newcastle, he would score a brace on his home debut, and then not score again for several months. The opponents when Ferguson made that goalscoring Goodison return? Charlton Athletic!

With Shearer staying put, Blackburn went for the highly rated Brian Kidd as manager. He failed to arrest the slide and they were relegated that season, again to Everton’s benefit, but like Charlton, they soon bounced back, with Graham Souness helping them re-establish themselves in the Premier League, winning the League Cup in 2002 and then pipping Everton to the final European place in the league in 2003.

As for the financial future of Everton....The outcry at the sell-to-survive sale of Duncan Ferguson made Peter Johnson’s position untenable, and before the next home game (yet another 0-0 draw, this time though a quite credible one against title chasing Chelsea), he’d stepped down as chairman and put the club up for sale. Bill Kenwright and Phillip Carter stepped in while the ownership issue was resolved, which wouldn’t happen for more than a year.

I’ll leave you though to compare and contrast the reaction in November 1998 to the reaction, or lack of it, when numerous players have been sold under the current chairman, often with none of the proceeds being available to the manager. Only the summer just gone, the sale of Richarlison was rushed through – although believed to be forced by the need to comply with FFP rules rather than the clubs survival, the need to sell would still have been caused by financial mismanagement.

And all with Graeme Sharp looking on.

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