“I have the honour of being the most successful manager in the history of one of the greatest and biggest clubs in the world.”
“With Manchester City it was a love affair, but with Everton it’s more like a marriage”
These quotes summed up the life and times of Howard Kendall, who passed away last Saturday at aged 69.
Few men have made such a sterling contribution to Everton Football Club, both as part of the midfield of what could have been the club’s greatest team and then as the most successful manager in the Toffees’ history. He gave so much to the club and the game that he loved, in-turn he was respected by all at Everton and all of those who worked with him throughout football. Adored by players and fans, the teams he managed at his very best brought unequalled joy and success.
A native of Ryton in County Durham, Kendall began his career with Preston North End and turned professional in May of 1963. Preston had been relegated from the First Division in 1961 but would reach the FA Cup Final in 1964 after a season in which they had been pipped at the promotion race by Leeds United and Sunderland. Jimmy Milne’s side included goalkeeper Alan Kelly, full-back George Ross, midfielders Nobby Lawton and Alan Spavin, strikers Alec Ashworth and Alex Dawson, all tied-together by veteran winger Doug Holden. At the age of 17 years and 345 days, Howard Kendall became the youngest player to feature in an FA Cup Final.
In what became a classic, Preston would go 2-1 up before heartbreakingly losing 3-2 to a West Ham side that contained future England World Cup winners Bobby Moore and Geoff Hurst. Over the next few seasons, Kendall became a squad regular and his quality performances caught the eye. In March 1967, he joined Everton and became a first-choice starter the following season. Harry Catterick was in the midst of rebuilding after winning the League Championship in 1963 and the FA Cup in 1966. Gordon West, Brian Labone and Johnny Morrissey remained from the 1963 side, while Ray Wilson had been a World Cup winner in 1966. They were the leading figures, with Alan Ball. Colin Harvey, Joe Royle, John Hurst, Jimmy Husband and Tommy Wright had all come through the ranks.
As it took shape, the team would usually play a 4-3-3 in which Kendall, Ball and Harvey formed the midfield three known as the ‘Holy Trinity’, whose skill and energy dictated an Everton game renown for fluid passing and movement. With this, Everton were no less formidable than they had been earlier in the decade and were contending for honours once more, finishing fifth in 1968, third in 1969 and adding seventh League Championship in 1970. In 1968, the Merseysiders also reached the FA Cup Final, only to be beaten by West Bromwich Albion in extra time, again reaching the Semi-finals the following year.
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In 1969-70 Everton reached the peak of their game, winning the title with only five games lost ahead of very strong Leeds and Chelsea teams. The lineup usually read as – Gordon West; Tommy Wright, Brian Labone, John Hurst, Neil Brown; Kendall, Ball, Harvey; Jimmy Husband, Joe Royle and Johnny Morrissey, while players such as Keith Newton, Alan Whittle and Tommy Jackson also played their part in the triumph. No less than four Everton names would be picked for England’s 1970 World Cup squad (Ball, Labone, Newton, Wright). Although Harvey won just a single England cap, Kendall recorded zero, most unfortunate when many players of lesser ability took more recognition.
Unfortunately, the Toffees did not follow-up on a magnificent Championship win. The team was gradually broken up amid mediocre League finishes during the next three seasons. Harry Catterick, in charge for 12 years, was replaced in 1973 by Billy Bingham, setting about the rebuild of the team. Kendall would move to Birmingham City in 1974, where he performed well in midfield for the next three years. It was the same when he joined Stoke City in 197 and began coaching under Alan Durban for a Potters side that won promotion two years later.
His managerial career began with Blackburn Rovers in 1979, and started with the kind of success he would achieve through a great part of his career. In his first season, Blackburn achieved promotion from the Third Division, the last time they had been at that level. The following run, a side including Noel Brotherston, Derek Fazackerley and Simon Garner only missed out on promotion to the First Division on goal difference. They would remain at that level, more often than not knocking on the door, for the next 11 years.
In May of 1981, Howard Kendall returned to Everton as manager, over seven years after he left as a player. The intervening years had seen the club fail to win trophies, despite not insignificant spending at times, while neighbours Liverpool had not only come to win League titles with regularity, but were also part of the general English domination of the European Cup – winning three in five years. Under Billy Bingham and Gordon Lee, Everton had come close but faded each time and Lee’s last two seasons brought poor finishes that strong FA Cup runs could not negate.
The common story goes that Everton were destined to remain as also-rans before it all changed in one night, despite the steady improvement in League finishes of eighth and two seventh places in Kendall’s first three seasons in charge. While it may have seemed like that, neither does it obscure the fact that the new manager went about rebuilding the side in more than one go. His first season (where he still played four more games before hanging up his boots) at the Goodison Park helm began with seven signings who would be dubbed ‘the Magnificent Seven’ – Jim Arnold, Neville Southall, Mike Walsh, Alan Ainscow, Alan Biley, Mick Ferguson and Mickey Thomas – of whom only Southall was to make any impact. (It must be said that Thomas achieved some fame before and after his short spell at Everton, and Ferguson had a decent scoring ratio for every club he played for, when he was not injured). Already at the club were Graeme Sharp, Brian Borrows, Kevin Ratcliffe, Mark Higgins (who could have achieved much more had it not been for injury) and Kevin Richardson.
During 1982, the evolution continued with the acquisitions of Adrian Heath, Derek Mountfield, Peter Reid and Kevin Sheedy. With his wand of a left-foot, the £100,000 to Liverpool paid for Sheedy was one of the best bargains of any era and Reid would cost only £60,000 from Bolton. The following year, Trevor Steven was signed from Burnley and would form a formidable right-sided partnership with Gary Stevens.
However, in 1983-84 Everton seemed to be going backwards with indifferent league form and discontent among the fan base – leading to calls for Kendall’s head. Chairman Philip Carter would stand by the legend, something many chairmen would have been less likely to do and certainly not today.
Look out for part two of our Howard Kendall tribute tomorrow on Outside90.
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