The Greatest Living Evertonian
A tribute to the surviving member of Everton's famous Holy Trinity, a club legend who has served Everton as a brilliant player, an outstanding coach and as manager.
For as long as our beloved club exists, I believe that Evertonians will talk in awe of the goals of Dixie Dean, the skills of Alex Young and the saves of Neville Southall. But future generations must never forget the blue blood of Colin Harvey. More than a football legend, in my eyes he is the greatest living Evertonian.
I was fortunate to witness his professional career go from strength to strength. As a schoolboy, I would attend the Central League fixtures at Goodson when the first-team was playing too far away for my mother’s comfort or the power of my right thumb. Back then – before the introduction of substitutes – the second string included established players recovering from injury or loss of form augmented by promising teenagers. The latter included John Hurst, Jimmy Husband, Tommy Wright and Colin Harvey. Even to an untrained eye from Rugby League-crazy Widnes, it was clear that the Fazackerly-born teenager boasted superior talents.
Where to start? Colin was fleet of foot, thought and execution. He was brave, elegant and confident. As well as a biting tackle, the teenager possessed immaculate ball control, exquisite dribbling skills and a full range of passes. Also he had the work ethic and indefatigable stamina to cover every blade of Goodison’s manicured turf. You get the picture? Colin was a majestic player in every way imaginable.
In case you doubt my recollections, please note the following opinions extracted from my ‘Gwladys Street’s Holy Trinity’ book written with Becky Tallentire and published in aid of the Everton Former Players’ Foundation in 2001 …
Captain Brian Labone: ‘Colin was so-so. So quick, so sharp and so good on the ball. He had incredible close-control and was the most gifted of the three midfield darlings.’
Defender Roger Kenyon: ‘Colin was Everton-daft and never hid the fact that pulling on the club’s shirt - be it blue or amber – was very important to him. He was ultra-competitive and wanted to win every game – even in training.’
Defender John Hurst: ‘In addition to his abilities to shimmy past opponents and pierce defences with his perfectly-weighted passes, Colin was a combative competitor. He loved to patrol the middle of the park with his biting tackles – so much so that we called him ‘Snarler’.’
Defender Sandy Brown: ‘Colin was such a classy midfielder that he perspired with style.’
Centre-forward Alex Young: ‘Colin matured into a buzz-bomb of a footballer. Play and run, play and run that was Colin. He was unselfish, brave and incredibly skillful, and went on to dovetail perfectly with Howard and Alan.’
Alan Ball: ‘Colin looked every inch a professional footballer. It was a privilege to play alongside him. Immediately, he impressed me with his cultured technique, tremendous work rate, competitive spirit and – more than anything – his unshakeable love of Everton Football Club.’
Howard Kendall: ‘Colin was a naturally gifted footballer who oozed skill. His team-mates were impressed by his willingness to work hard and not let anyone down. He so wanted to play for Everton that he turned out when he was far from 100% fit.’
Subsequently, his senior Everton career spanned 12 seasons and 387 senior appearances. After being fast-tracked for a European baptism at San Siro and his domestic debut at Ewood Park, it took him a season or so to gain the hearts and minds of the Goodison pessimists who like to eat their young. Then as a first-team regular, after displacing Dennis Stevens, Colin helped capture the FA Cup in 1966 and became part of fabled midfield union which cruised to the League title in 1970.
Harvey scoring the winner (left) in the 1966 semi final against Manchester United at Burnden Park and the celebrations (right)
Jubilation at Wembley as Everton win the 1966 FA Cup Final
Kendall, Harvey & Ball dominated opponents with style as well as industry and tenacity. I have written these words before but they are worth repeating - it is only once in a generation that the gods of football provide the ideal formula for the beautiful game. In the late-Sixties, the followers of the royal blue faith were convinced that their home had been duly blessed with the presence of Howard Kendall, Colin Harvey and Alan Ball.
Even though the midfield virtuosos made only 140 appearances together, they were sent from heaven to make Evertonians happy. No period was more joyful as their reign. Again, my thoughts were echoed by their team-mates ….
Goalkeeper Gordon West: ‘They were the most exciting and entertaining midfield trio that I’ve ever known. I use to stand back and marvel at the way they played. They were so dominant that I had little else to do.’
Defender John Hurst: ‘Three-man midfields consisted of a passer, a runner and a hard-case. The Holy Trinity was different. All three had great vision, incredible stamina and were tremendous at playing one-twos.’
The Holy Trinity of Kendall, Harvey and Ball
Defender Tommy Wright: ‘Manager Harry Catterick’s approach to every game was simple. Get the ball and give it to either Howard, Alan or Colin and they will do the rest. It was a joy to be in a team that exhibited such confidence and played such attractive football. Some of our performances during the 1968/69 and 1969/70 seasons were truly magnificent.’
Centre-forward Alex Young: ‘What made them special? All three had impeccable ball control, powerful engines, immense courage, infectious enthusiasm and the desire to battle for one another. They were exceptional. London-based skeptics cite their modest haul of honours, but sometimes greatness can’t be measured in silver.’
Coach Gordon Watson: ‘They were honest players and would run their guts out for Everton. We never told them how to play. We simply concentrated on improving their ball skills and physical fitness.’
Alan Ball: ‘We wanted to be great for each other as well as better than each other. We developed a special understanding, possibly telepathic in nature, and could have found each other in the dark. Both at home and away, we would blitz opponents into submission.’
Howard Kendall: ‘We played some beautiful football in midfield. Perhaps we received more than our fair share of publicity because our skipper Brian Labone liked to refer to us as ‘Los Tres Magnificos’ – the only three-man team to have won the League title.’
With an average age of 23, the team’s success in 1970 should have been the springboard for a royal blue dynasty, however, it never happened and it broke up after capturing one League crown and enjoying serious flirtations with the FA Cup in 1967, 1968 and 1969.
Sadly, chronic hip and optic nerve issues caught up with Colin and he became less available and less influential. It was only after his unexpected exit to Second Division Sheffield Wednesday in 1974, that the Old Lady expressed her feelings for him via a banner hung near the Park End scoreboard for the match against Wolverhampton Wanderers. It proclaimed: ‘£70,000 is an insult to the White Pelé.’ Later Colin reacted: ‘It was a very proud moment for me! For someone to compare you to probably the best player that ever played the game is really unbelievable. To think that people thought that much of me was hard to believe.’
Harvey through the ages
Without question, Evertonians thought highly of him. To me, Colin was the best all round player I've seen during my 66 years attending Goodison and believe that he would grace an Everton line-up in any era. I feel blessed to have seen him in action and witnessed his progression from an exciting prodigy to a battle-hardened maestro.
Playing for the club is only part of Colin Harvey’s Everton story because he found his vocation in coaching. Appointed youth-team coach by Billy Bingham, he aided the development of future internationals including Gary Stevens and Kevin Ratcliffe before his old friend Howard Kendall elevated him to second-team coach and then first-team coach to work alongside Mick Heaton. Colin developed into arguably Everton’s finest-ever coach and helped to mould the sides of the Eighties which were involved in two League titles, 11 Wembley appearances and European glory.
His dedication to coaching mirrored that of his playing days. In the eyes of his younger charges, he was respected as a benevolent task master …
Defender Gary Stevens: ‘Of all the people I have met in football, Colin is the man I respect the most. He spent endless hours working on my game at Bellefield and I can state categorically that if it hadn’t been for him, I wouldn’t have played for England and enjoyed the successful career that I did.’
Left: Clearing his lines at Goodison Park; Right: As Howard Kendall's faithful assistant during the 1980s glory days
Striker Graeme Sharp: ‘Colin could play ‘keep-up’ with a tennis ball hundreds of times in a row and I shudder to imagine what he was like as a player. On the training pitch, he worked us extremely hard but his bullying made me a much better player.’
Winger Trevor Steven: ‘Colin was driven by football to the point of crippling himself in training every day. His sessions were incredibly competitive. To be honest, he left me stunned at his commitment.’
Even though I emigrated to the USA in 1977, I kept my season-ticket and frequently crossed the Atlantic Ocean to savour first-hand the rewards of the hard work of Kendall, Harvey and their backroom staff. The 10-hour flights from Houston were worth it. The Eighties were a wonderful time to be an Evertonian. Week after week, the performances of Neville Southall, Kevin Ratcliffe, Peter Reid, Graeme Sharp, Kevin Sheedy et al were breath-taking.
The exhilaration halted, however, when manager Howard Kendall bolted to Spain in 1987. Like many, I thought that Colin was the ideal man to take over the royal blue reins. Unfortunately, he was unable to extend the club’s period of sustained success and was replaced in late-1990 only to be re-hired by the returning Howard Kendall. Unable to recreate the glory years, the management duo could only guide Everton to mid-table finishes in 1992 and 1993 before departing. Years later, Colin returned to the club to oversee the club’s youth team - securing the FA Youth Cup in 1998.
Colin as Everton manager in the late 1980s
After spending over a half-century in professional football, the pain associated with his arthritic hips – despite three hip replacement surgeries - forced Colin to hang up his boots in 2003 and take his seat in the Main Stand. Undoubtedly Merseyside football royalty, Colin’s pedigree is unparalleled. For starters, he survived the oppressive hellhole known as the Boys’ Pen as a fan. He captured League and FA Cup honours as a player. He enjoyed League, FA Cup and European success as a coach. He was capped by his country albeit fleetingly.
While football fans pay their respects to fallen football warriors and good causes every matchday, I believe that our heroes deserve to hear our heartfelt tributes while they are still with us. Even though Colin is featured in one of the only two statues at Goodison, it has been proffered that his immense contributions deserve additional acclaim. While the private and modest gentleman may not be comfortable with the fuss associated with recognition by the monarch of the United Kingdom or the city of his birth, some have suggested the rebranding of a lounge in his honour or adding his name to the Park End stand, the site of the famous White Pele banner, so that Colin Harvey and Howard Kendall are reunited for the final 2024/25 season.
Notwithstanding the pros, cons and sensitivities of these initiatives, and with due respect to Joe Royle and Neville Southall whose times will come, all Evertonians – both young and old - should salute Colin Harvey as the greatest living Evertonian.
Colin at the unveiling of the Holy Trinity statue outside Goodison Park
Reader Comments (41)
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2 Posted 25/07/2023 at 00:14:10
3 Posted 25/07/2023 at 00:27:21
4 Posted 25/07/2023 at 01:02:07
A fitting tribute for Kendall, Harvey and Ball would be to call the new Stadium after their nickname, The Holy Trinity Stadium but the accountants would cry foul and offer up Millions of £££s for the Duracell Arena, the Ryan Air Stadium or the Durex Stadium!
I know what I'd say to that. What say, you?
5 Posted 25/07/2023 at 02:13:29
6 Posted 25/07/2023 at 02:54:13
Was lucky enough to be at the Trinity statue unveiling where he truly looked taken aback that he would be honoured in such a manner.
Love the bones of the man. His name should grace some portion of the new Everton stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock, at the very least.
7 Posted 25/07/2023 at 06:17:35
I think it was the 1970 World Cup in Mexico when Everton were asked by the FA to get the entire team inoculated as they were likely to be selected in the squad that would later be reduced to 22. Not sure if Johnny Morrissey was but later was the last player to be honoured when selected for a Football League team to play an Italian side.
I remember Harvey's one game, a pre-World Cup tour against Colombia, when TV coverage was so poor you could barely make out who was who except for Harvey's distinctive style with the ball at his feet.
8 Posted 25/07/2023 at 07:15:13
The greatest living Evertonian is always a very debatable subject though, David, because it's the people who spend their very last pennies going to watch Everton wherever they play that deserve this accolade imo.
It's the fans that make Everton great, so Colin Harvey is simply a very lucky man because he was able to represent the club he loves on the place that matters the most with great distinction.
9 Posted 25/07/2023 at 07:44:04
From what I can recall of Colin Harvey playing, he just knitted everything together, like a Linchpin. Vital to the enterprise of an organised midfield, a leader by demonstration, not just words. He epitomises everything that was great about Everton in his era.
His worth today in his prime, would be up there with some of the most expensive midfielders in Europe.
A smiling assassin with a combativeness, that made him an Everton great.
10 Posted 25/07/2023 at 07:55:44
A smashing tribute, Dr D., thank you and hope you and Elizabeth are still keeping well, xxx.
11 Posted 25/07/2023 at 07:57:30
My personal opinion is that he is the best footballer I've seen play for us and the term "The White Pele" is well justified.
12 Posted 25/07/2023 at 08:18:56
Colin Harvey lived the dream we all dreamed of. And he respects his fortune. We respect him.
Boyhood supporter, teenage debutant. Trophy winner as a player, coached the most successful Everton team in history to achieve an FA Cup, two league titles and, to this date, our only European trophy (stress - to this date). Managed the club. And then very influential on our youth system after that.
As I always like to say, and apply my Army analogy, when I read into it, Howard was the Commanding Officer. Came in to make sure everyone was okay. Boots fit, mail getting through, then went off to do other stuff. Colin was more the Sergeant Major. Commanded respect. Demanded high standards and barked out the orders. Lead by example and then if they didn't perform, let them have both barrels. And by all accounts he did!! It clearly had an impact.
Because he knows it takes more than ability to win. Hard work and commitment. Because he was a winner.
Three league titles, two FA cups, a European trophy an FA Youth Cup to his credit and name. Not bad for a boy from Fazakerley with his boyhood club.
He bleeds Everton and blue blood. He's done it all with his club. Our club. He is one of us.
"A beautiful footballer, this boy". A quote from Kenneth Wolstenhome during the 1968 FA Cup Final
The 'White Pele' nickname came about because of his natural ability, grace and technique.
I was never fortunate enough to watch him play, but his legend (and we shouldn't use that word easily), speaks for itself in Everton folklore.
I can only speak from listening to the generation that watched them, but it seems odd that Kendall and Harvey only earned the one England cap between them. There seems to have been something about Everton and England over the years. I think (stand to be corrected), but I only recall Bob Latchford and then the "hand of God" Argentina match when we had 4 Everton players on the pitch. And then Rooney, but he was special.
Okay, Lineker on his way out, but still technically an Everton player. And poor Peter Reid jogging on the spot trying to catch Maradona. No shame there!
Times have changed and we don't have many English first teamers at the moment. If Tarkowski keeps up his form, it would be interesting to see if he gets considered. Obviously Pickford is England number one. Keane fell off the pecking order because of form and being a lesser Harry Maguire who I assume gets in on his Manchester United ticket. I'm indifferent to England anyway. It's just Everton for me.
As I have communicated many times, my big dilemma is what do we do with the statues. Leave them in the presence of the ground they graced?
Take them with us? I don't really know the answer.
I think he deserves his own tribute at the new ground. A white Pele statue, whilst he is still with us.
And he should be the one to cut the blue ribbon at Bramley Moore Dock as we march into it.
And be given his seat in the Director's box.
Although he would probably rather sit amongst us, where his Everton journey started. And he knows he would be welcome.
13 Posted 25/07/2023 at 09:01:46
Yes, the greatest living Evertonian.
14 Posted 25/07/2023 at 09:43:23
And he always looked so cool – think Steve McQueen as a footballer.
15 Posted 25/07/2023 at 09:49:55
16 Posted 25/07/2023 at 10:24:35
17 Posted 25/07/2023 at 10:45:06
We drew straws to see who would be the one to knock on his door. I lost. It was quite scary going to that door with my two friends, 'right behind me'. I gently knocked. No one answered. They told me to give a proper knock.
Colin's mum came out and the conversation went something like:
"Hello, is Colin in?"
"No son, he's not."
"Oh, can you tell him we want to start his fan club."
"Okay, I'll tell him."
His brother, the late Brian Harvey, heard the conversation (I think at the time he played for Chester). He asked if we could start one for him instead? We told him No!
A couple of years ago, a friend of mine saw Colin in a gym. He's not normally one to intrude on others, but decided to introduce himself to tell this story. He said Colin enjoyed it.
I was too young to fully appreciate how good Colin was. What we would give today for another young lad kicking a ball around Fazakerley, with those velvet skills. Maybe there is one.
18 Posted 25/07/2023 at 11:16:14
The silky skills described above, the keepy uppies struck a chord because we would watch him in the playground, open mouthed, as he kept it going for ages. He was playing for Everton B team then, and we'd always look up the short report in the Pink Echo, to see if he played and did well.
We both went on a school trip to Germany in Easter of 1961 I'd guess, probably the year he left, and I played in the same team with him. Liverpool Youth Hostellers v German Youth Hostellers. About 15/16 a side on a cinder pitch, and pissing down. We won 1 0 and I scored when an agricultural hump went over their goalie's head, and Colin bollocked me for it. Too route one probably.
We both used to go to Blessed Sacrament on a Sunday for 11-15 Mass, later on. We'd all stand at the back, me and my mate and our girlfriends, us going for an early dart to the Windsor Castle opening at midday. Him to avoid the crowds.
Really nice lad. Truly great player.
19 Posted 25/07/2023 at 12:07:42
"Bless 'em all,
Bless 'em all,
Bless Harvey and Kendall and Ball..."
20 Posted 25/07/2023 at 12:40:48
Having a favourite player is one thing but "Greatest Living Evertonian"??? – totally unquantifiable.
I imagine even Colin himself is squirming a little.
21 Posted 25/07/2023 at 13:18:58
He was a brilliant footballer, was instrumental in forging the great side of the mid-'80s, managed the club with dignity (and was unlucky) and has acted for the club in a number of other capacities. If you listen to players he has helped develop, such as Rooney, it's clear he has the highest possible standards and bleeds blue.
He is a fanatical Evertonian and I can personally attest to that having taught one of his children and had the fortune to listen to him speaking about his passion for the club when we should have been speaking about his daughter's progress at a parents evening.
22 Posted 25/07/2023 at 15:00:45
I remember as a kid when Colin lived in Gateacre village, Cherry Vale to be exact, and knocking on his front door asking for his autograph. Without hesitation he signed the autograph books of me and a couple of friends. Great player and great person away from football.
23 Posted 25/07/2023 at 15:48:57
24 Posted 25/07/2023 at 16:11:41
Player,coach, manager & fan.
Such a nice fella too.
I got to go to bellfield a couple of times as a kid to watch the team train and a little look around.
Lots of the players said hello & signed my autograph book.
I'll never forget Colin stopping and asking if I'd had a good day, how I thought we had been playing, who's my favourite player. Out of everyone he made the biggest impression on me.
You could just tell he was a blue like us ! But he was the manager at the time and I was a stuttering mess.
The trinity stand has a nice ring to it though for BMD
25 Posted 25/07/2023 at 16:22:09
26 Posted 25/07/2023 at 16:29:04
Colin scored some truly spectacular goals from outside the area. I will always remember those against QPR (1968), West Brom (1968), West Brom (1970), two against Chelsea (1971) and his final goal for the club, the winner at West Ham days before he departed for Sheffield Wednesday in August 1974. One of his less spectacular efforts, but the one probably seen most often on YouTube, was of course the winner in the 1966 semi-final at Burnden Park.
Colin's only England cap came in Malta in February 1971 when he and Joe Royle made their international debuts in a 1-0 win. Arguably by then Colin was past his peak. He ought to have been an England regular three years earlier. It puzzled me why Alf Ramsey chose inferior talents such as Alan Mullery and later Peter Storey while overlooking both Colin and Howard. Perhaps Ramsey was loath to increase the Evertonian contingent within his squad: Labone, Wright, Ball and subsequently Keith Newton were established as England regulars while Gordon West would have been in the squad if he had not declared himself unavailable for the 1970 World Cup.
Off the pitch Colin supported community activities before it became an accepted part of a footballer's role. He attended school fetes in the summer, often joining in kick-abouts in school yards and in later years ran in road races including the Mersey Half Marathon.
27 Posted 25/07/2023 at 16:31:26
28 Posted 25/07/2023 at 16:51:21
It was an absolute pleasure to watch him play in the great teams we had under the management of Harry Catterick.
29 Posted 25/07/2023 at 16:55:29
I briefly met him (when he was in charge of Hibbo and Franny in the youth team) and was amazed that I was about 12 inches taller than my Dad's hero when I was only a teenager! Everton legend
30 Posted 25/07/2023 at 17:42:31
Tony & Rob. I don't like the term Liverpudlian. It offends me when people use it.
Born in the city of Liverpool. An Evertonian but never a Liverpudlian. I remind people to never call me that quite often.
31 Posted 25/07/2023 at 18:44:54
32 Posted 25/07/2023 at 19:00:10
33 Posted 25/07/2023 at 19:14:34
34 Posted 25/07/2023 at 20:27:13
Anyhow one evening in 1967 when I was 8 or 9 I was taken to their house (67? Manica Crescent, not sure about spelling). I was treated very nicely, but of course I was just shy and in awe being in the same room as Colin Harvey! I can remember Colin's mum (Jessie?) being so welcoming, and the fact that Colin was watching the telly with Mohammad Ali fighting Zora Folley, which had taken place the night before.
Distant voices, still lives!
35 Posted 25/07/2023 at 22:49:11
Manica Crescent is correct. An uncle of mine lived in Dereham Crescent on the same estate. He often mentioned that Colin lived round the corner.
36 Posted 27/07/2023 at 18:14:44
But with his career as a trans-Atlantic season ticket holder (his journeys from Houston make mine from South Yorkshire look a bit sad!), his Former Players Assistance charity and his Everton Memorabilia Collection (the largest and most important football memorabilia collection in the world) which he donated to Liverpool City Council, I would nominate Dr France as the greatest living Evertonian.
37 Posted 28/07/2023 at 11:05:49
38 Posted 28/07/2023 at 12:48:51
This is perhaps the reason for my frustration at rarely seeing such a totally complete and fully-functioning midfield, in all teams, not only Everton; I had already seen the best. I briefly thought this was normal. I soon learned different.
As I remember it at the time, Colin was the least lauded of the three but was probably the best, or certainly the classiest, to me. He was a rare example of what ball tied to his laces refers to - and it all looked easy.
Where did such players go?
39 Posted 29/07/2023 at 11:01:06
40 Posted 31/07/2023 at 15:03:48
And over on the other side of the ground there will also be a Domingo's restaurant for those who know their history.
As to the subject of this thread, I couldn't agree more with all that's been said about one of my heroes from my early days in the '60s. A standout memory was Colin's debut aged 18 at the San Siro in 1963 against Inter Milan. No, I wasn't there (I was 16 then), but I was one of 63,000 at Goodison the week before to see the eventual European Cup winners put on quite a show for a 0-0 draw. Although we lost the return 1-0 you have to say what a way to start your career!
41 Posted 06/08/2023 at 17:16:13
As I remember, he got injured and she said he might not be able to come due to his injury as we waited. However, around about 5:45 after the game, he pulled up in his Jag and hobbled out of the car to shake my hand and give me some signed pictures of the team.
A great Evertonian and he gets my vote easily.
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1 Posted 24/07/2023 at 23:55:47
I ended by naming Colin Harvey as my “Mr Everton†over that period and a fair few people agreed with me. Nothing since has caused me to change my mind; player, coach, manager, youth team development – he did it all with huge talent and integrity and most of all love for the Club.