Gordon West dies, aged 69

Was just reading this from a couple of years back (hope Mick Lyons carries the coffin!).

Echo March 3rd 2010.

GORDON WEST collected the Dixie Dean Memorial Award on the 30th anniversary of the legendary goalscorer?s death.

The award was hugely appropriate, not only because of West?s character, wit and outstanding ability, a man who displayed similar qualities of humour and humility which Dixie Dean so obviously possessed, but because he was also one of the pall bearers at the great man?s funeral in 1980.

West recalled that occasion with poignancy, and typically irreverent humour.

?I remember when I got the phone call from Everton about carrying the coffin,? he said as he received the trophy from Kevin Ratcliffe. ?There was myself, Mick Lyons, Bob Latchford and Brian Labone. It was very stressful but we did it and I remember coming back in one of the cars and Mick Lyons leaned over all quiet and serious and tapped me on the shoulder. He whispered: ?Don?t ask me to carry yours!?

?Seriously, it?s a huge honour to receive an award in Dixie Dean?s name.

?I?m from Yorkshire really ? but from tomorrow I?ll have been here 48 years and I?m proud to call myself a Scouser.?

West was the 29th recipient of the award and he explained that there was another prominent anniversary looming.

?Tomorrow, 48 years ago to the day, I signed for Everton for a world record fee for a goalkeeper ? £27,500,? he added.

?And the Blackpool Gazette said 'It will never, ever be beaten!'"

?This January I was watching television and saw Andriy Arshavin talk about hiring a private jet when he signed for Arsenal.

?Well 48 years ago I did something similar.

?I got the train to Preston, then to Exchange Station, the I got the 86 bus! Harry Catterick introduced me to a surgeon called Mr Ellis and he squeezed my knees and my shoulders, said ?You?ve got a specimen? and that was that.

?My wages went up from £20 to £30 and I?d thought I?d just won the jackpot.

?It?s a different world now but, do you know what, I wouldn?t change it for the world.?

Howard should not be mentioned in the same breath as either Westy or Big Nev, not even close to being in the same league !!

Had he not done that he would have played in that match against W Germany (not Bonetti) and football history might have been different. Ah well.

I love the story about the first first division game he ever saw was the one he was playing in.

I can't remember him ever letting us down at Goodison, and as a champion he usually did quite the opposite. There was a time against Keflavik where he definitely threw a strop when one went past him, but Royle and co wrapped it up (6-2 ?) so it was good fun all round that night. The crowd loved him.

And

Thanks for the memories Gordon.

Met him a couple of times at BlueBlood events, including one event at Leasowe Castle when he was smoking his pipe in the lobby. I had him all to myself for about 5 minutes. As for so many on here, he was our goalkeeper when I started going the game (1966). I remember the other two goalies on the team photo (Andy Rankin and Geoff Barnett) I had on the wall - never thought I'd see them play. I never did see Barnett play, but Andy Rankin had a spell after Gordon had 'thrown the strop' referred to above. Catterick didn't do strops......

RIP another of our heroes.

I will never forget his spats with St John and remember an occasion when St John brought a handbag on for Westy and Westy smacked him with it.

Condolences to all his family who should be so proud of the great man.

Goodbye Gordon, with you lad Everton was always in safe hands

RIP

RIP Gordon West

It is a great sadness that some of the deaths over the past few years have made us realise just what a Great Club we are , steeped in dignified humanity.

Great to be a Blue because of greats like Westy.

Also in Cup year of 66. Westy had been carrying a thigh strain for most of the cup run and had his thigh strapped up until the Final. When he came out there was no strapping and at half time, one nil down and blues not playing as well as usual, things looked bad. He came out second half and the strapping was back on. Even though Wednesday scored again the magic strapping worked and we came back to win the cup. Me and my mates always believed in Westys lucky strapping. Great times, Great memories, Great Family that despite differences of opinions will always stick together at the end. God bless you Gordon and the West family at this sad time.

Good bloke. Glad the Former Players Foundation was able to help him.

Tony Horne (257) I recall the ITV 'Penalty Prize' competition on On The Ball and West faced penalties from a local schoolboy who was no other than David Fairclough!!..Incidentally if you see a photo of Rankin after that penalty save against the germans look at who is racing toward him to give him his congratulations - no other than Gordon with a beaming smile. Such was the measure of the man.

Lucky to sit with him in The Volunteer in Waterloo over the years and see him out and about the area. I pointed him out to a mate from London once as the 'Man Who Never Went To Mexico - and could have been a hero etc' and my mate looked at him and said 'Jesus...the size of his hands' !!! RIP Gordon . Wont forget you

He used to be physically sick before matches so keyed up did he get and he chose not to go to Mexico so he could be with his wife, who from memory was a concert pianist. As Brian Labone said, 'She divorced him anyway!'

There was a period when he couldn't kick the ball because of a thigh injury, but it didn't matter because he could throe the ball further than many could kick it. Some teams cottoned on to this and used to try to stop him by getting someone to stand in front of him to stop him throwing. Gordon's answer was to take a step back, and throw it and then thump whoever was standing in front of him in the follow through. He would then get the teainer on and get treatment for his 'injured' hand. He flattened Mike Summerbee once against Man City. We all anticipated it happening behind the Gwladys Street goal and it happened a number of times.

But he did it once too often and got sent off in the last minute against Newcastle, conceding a penalty. Sandy Brown went in goal, and they scored the penalty, and beat us 1-0 I think. Apparently Gordon gave Sandy dog's abuse for not saving the penalty. Hilarious apparently

Loved it when he came up the Street end to take up his duties and we would all give the man our best straight arm salute. Gordon-Gordon-Gordon we would sing. And he always reciprocated by giving us the Westy wave and smile.

Would bump into him years later, usually on a Monday evening if my memory serves me well, standing at the bar of the Raven Hotel in Waterloo, always delighted to talk about his days as the legend that he was at Goodison Park. And we would also discuss at length our mutual delight and appreciation of the wonderful Stella Artois served at that Whitbread house that was still imported from Belgium back in those days long ago

The handsome young kid who arrived for a world record price at our great club back in 1962 from brassy Blackpool has now left for another place. God speed on your journey Gordon. A privelige to have made your aquaintance.

I loved him so much that , having no middle name, I added Gordon as my middle name.

Brilliant player who should have won more England caps.

With that st Peter passed Gordon a green goalkeepers jersey and the biggest goalkeepers gloves he could find.

"Welcome back to Goodison Park, Gordon, there's quite a crowd waiting for you"

Heaven can wait.

It was always his decision. We were not going through a divorce in 1970 when he decided not to go. A very sad time for his sons and families.

Thanks to all his fans and anyone who has helped him. Thank you for your wonderful comments about his fantastisc skills as a goalkeeper.

Ho hum, we'd never have beaten Brazil in the final anyway...

All the same, he was one of my heroes, and easily the best Everton goalie before big Nev. RIP Gordon.

I do think that the Mail is a cynical and manipulative rag that demonizes easy targets and has an agenda that is extremely complicated. Their stance on Stephen Lawrence seemed brave and utterly laudable. In fact who could object to them naming and publishing the pictures of the "guilty" men?

Well, anyone who believes in justice for a start. Judge and jury is what they do. I'd better stop now because their cynicism just raises my blood pressure to dangerous levels. By the way, I hate the fucking Guardian too.