Kendall’s enthusiasm ensured success

Press, 15 May 1987, Page 20

Kendall’s enthusiasm ensured success

The dapper Everton manager, Howard Kendall, is on top of the English soccer world. Kendall, the driving force behind the ..first division champions, has been tipped as a future England manager and tar,/geted by giant European clubs offering vast amounts of money for him to shift across the Channel. Yet, three and a half years ago, Kendall was a harried, withdrawn individual, whose job hung in the balance. ■’ Everton had not won a major title for 14 years and the success-hungry fans wanted Kendall to resign. As the calls for his resignation grew more strident with every loss Kendall dug in with the * same determination he had shown in his playing days for Everton. % The club’s board backed him and late in 1984 the crop of young players he had '. been nurturing began to produce results. The seasons of discontent ended when "Everton beat Watford, 2-0, to win the ‘1 F.A. Cup and the following year it 1, captured the league championship. For the club, its supporters and Kendall, the days of living in the shadow of Merseyside’s other great team, Liverpool, were over. The players he had pinned his faith on — Southall, Sheedy, Sharp, Heath, r Stevens and Mountfield — are now - household names. Everton won the European Cup .T Winners Cup in 1985 and were beaten ' finalists in the 1985 and 1986 F.A. Cup r finals, losing to Manchester United and ■- Liverpool. X After the sale of players such as Andy - Gray and Gary Lineker many predicted burst of success would end. - How wrong they were. Everton marched to its ninth league

By

GARY BIRKETT

title this season, winning 26 games out of 42, drawing eight and losing eight. It finished nine points clear of Liverpool. Sixteen youth or full internationals will travel to New Zealand with Everton for two matches later this month, against a Canterbury XI on May 30 and an Auckland XI on June 1. Everton was formed in 1878 by members of the Methodist Chapel at St Domingo Vale. The club was originally known as St Domingo, but reverted to Everton a year later. It moved to permanent facilities at Goodison Park in 1892, and is still based there today. The club turned professional in 1885, and was a founder member of the Football League in 1888, playing in the first division until 1929-30.

The club stayed in division two only for one season and, after winning promotion, it secured its fourth league title, followed by the F.A. Cup a year later. During this period one William Ralph “Dixie” Dean was the hero of Goodison, scoring 349 goals during his 1925-37 stint. The total includes 60 goals in the 1927-28 season, a league record. From 1951 to 1954 Everton was in the second division for the second, and, to date, the last time. It regained first division status in 1954 and has maintained a high profile since. Like most great English clubs Everton’s style is based on team work, coupled with swift ball transfer and players who can accelerate quickly over the first 10 and 20 metres. It does not possess the brilliant individuals of South American teams, but as a fluent unit is second to none.