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