Everton honour Joe Royle with Finch Farm tribute

I've seen Everton at Wembley a number of times (unfortunately against the red shite) and also at Carrow Road for pre-season.

I will not get a chance to visit the Old lLady, but Bramley-Moore Dock here we come...

He found strengths in players, found a route to goal, gave the team an identity.

And his interviews were legendary. Always measured, but passionate about the club and made everyone feel great about being a blue.

Exactly what this club could do with now.

A well deserved tribute.

I'm convinced to this very day that Everton would have been a very different animal going into this millennium if Big Joe had been allowed to continue his work.

The biggest crime ever was allowing him to walk out in 1997.

When he became manager, I thought he would replicate what Howard had done and then some.

I think it was, for me, the first time I realised that great players do not necessarily make great managers.

Would he have achieved less without Peter Taylor? Very likely but equally, Taylor certainly couldn't lead a team either.

Shankley and Ferguson too, master motivators.

And Taylor didn't do much on his own down at Brighton was it?

Joe is a true Everton great.

And even bigger one to bring back Howard Kendall, then inflict 4 years of Walter Smith on us. If we'd given Joe the money we gave Walter in 1998, we would have been in a much better position.

I couldn't get my head round that, as a kid. I'm not sure how it fell apart before his sacking but, for the most part, Joe made Everton a proper team again, narrowly missing out on Europe a year after safely avoiding relegation.

When Big Nev came out of his goal to catch a cross with one hand (definitely done for the benefit of Dave A), the place exploded. Every Evertonian in the stadium knew the cup was ours.

It was only when I watched the recording the next day that I realised Big Joe was already celebrating. Rhino and Mark Hughes fought like two mad dogs for a loose ball. As our boy ushered the ball out for a goal kick, the camera panned to Joe; he looked across at Sir Alex and gave him the victor`s wink.

Fergie time or not, Big Joe knew he had masterminded a great great victory.

Sweet dreams are made of this!

As sharp as a tack, took no guff off the press and the clowns across the park and produced one of the greatest performances of this club's history demolishing Spurs in the semis.

Deserves a knighthood!

One of my earliest Goodison memories was Joe's two goals, one from the penalty spot, against Stoke in a night match, just over 50 years ago, which I believe broke a century of goals for the big man in an Everton shirt.

Everton Team:
D Lawson
T Darracott
S Seargeant
D Clements
R Kenyon
J Hurst
M Buckley (67' M Lyons)
C Harvey
J Royle
B Latchford
J Connolly

I believe that Joe scored his final goal for Everton, another penalty at Upton Park in the following fixture, where Everton defeated the Hammers 3-2, with Colin Harvey and Bob Latchford also on the scoresheet.

Is it me, or could the club have done a bit more than a sign at Finch Farm? Something at the new stadium?

And the Golden Vision, nowthstanding the glorious '80s team.

One morning, Smith was waiting for him when he delivered the paper and complained that it was late. When Bob said it was because Smith was the last house on the route, Smith told him to reverse the route and start with him.

Bob said "I can't do that because then Joe Royle would get his late". Smith could hardly control his anger. It helps to be a nice guy.

Joe's down-to-earth reply was, "I hit it as hard as I can. I have no idea where it's going so how can the goalkeeper work me out?"