Fans Comment
Frank Hargreaves

I don't do programmes...
17 November 2004

....that's what I said once when Mark Denny asked me if I had any old Everton stuff of mine or my Dads knocking about in the loft.

Fact is my Dad had a few...50’s, 60’s and there was a few from the 70’s, although nothing that you’d even begin to call a collection, it was just a box of Everton stuff we had in the loft...like you do. I quite liked the scrapbooks he had..in each one Alex Young had a Yellow Crayon halo in every picture cut from newspapers. We even had a wooden crest with players heads cut with a jigsaw and mounted on a pice of contiboard. I always recall Alan Whittle being the biggest head on the crest.

A few years ago Mark was telling me about a bloke who had the “best Everton collection in the world” his name was David France. Like I say I wasn’t really that impressed because “I don’t do programmes”.

I remember asking just how one man comes about getting stuff like medals and caps surely it was unfair on the lads who actually won the things ? Over the next few years I was to be educated by people like Steve Milne of the Former Players Foundation about how it wasn’t always a bad thing that collectors pick up stuff, indeed there are a few ex-pros VERY grateful that the football memorabilia market is so buoyant. I still remained somewhat sceptical and still, if David France had the biggest collection of Everton programmes in the world.....fair play to him.

Today I was kindly invited to view The David France Collection. To say I am in a state of complete awe at what I saw would be a massive understatement.

Arriving at David’s house we were made very welcome and whilst I sat drinking tea I noticed on the table in front of me a teak box containing about 30 medals, I wasn’t so cheeky to look, the 2 England Caps next to the box were masking half of it.

“Come on then…I’ll show you round” and with that we entered a room where on the table sat Ledgers…Everton Football Club Season 1879, Everton Football Club Season 1880…and so on....

”here, this is the arguing between Houlding and George Mahon, these meetings all took place at the Sandon” each meeting carefully minuted and signed by the great men in question. The meeting when Everton actually became affiliated to the football league, it’s said by some that it was a lucky inclusion and that it had more to do with money than it did facilities and team. The Mersey millionaires even then it seems. Moving on David showed us the transfer of funds when the real business of being Everton began in ernest Ј592.00.....it only took us 126 years to turn that into a 42million pound debt

a tender for picket fences around “Mere Green Field” surprising to see that all the streets on County Road were there BEFORE the ground....as was The Winslow.

The Archibald Leitch tender for stands at the “Walton Stiles”….and even a local builders tender for the new stand at Anfield. “9 inch brick in construction and to contain benches of plained ash”

“take your time…have a browse through them…”

not a chance I wouldn’t have dared touched them.

Gate receipt books from the turn of the century and before....including the fiddles Season tickets from STANLEY PARK, the binding of which was Ruby, just like the kit of that season. The next season at Anfield, Everton : Home colours White with Blue Quarters ??...and so it continued.

Letters from clubs acknowledging signings....Joe Harper, John Connolly, Alex Young (these had been pulled out especially for another visitor with a north of the border affiliation)

Evertons, and ANY club in the country's first European tour.....this set included newspapers and players itinary...all in fantastic condition. Photographs of the Everton team before they had played an official League game...giants and dwarfs included (I kid you not).

An amazing set of correspondence with a Mr. Hardman. Mr. Hardman was an amateur footballer who, according to the laws of the game, had to be invited to play for Everton EVERY week. The letters grow more and more familiar as success comes...culminating in an FA Cup Final win...the last amateur to win the FA Cup. Then the let downs as Mr. Hardmans work commitments meant he could no longer turn out for Everton....fascinating stuff, more so when you are then told that this Mr. Harold Hardman went on to become the chairman of Manchester United.

Time for the programmes...

Imagine that box you have in the loft, then imagine EVERY Everton game and by that I don’t mean all league games....I mean EVERY GAME EVERTON HAVE EVER PLAYED. From day one, it is all there. Even before the formation of the football league, lest we forget we are even older than that. Every programme not only a reminder of our own heritage as a football club but a great social commentary. Rashmans Cycles, Everton Road.. The Salisbury Public House serving fine ales. Coal Merchants and even an undertaker.

The condition of these pieces is absolutely fantastic and me being of a print background I was in complete awe of the design and workmanship of the day....a lasting testament to which was once the finest of trades. Apple Macs my arse, the people who design banknotes today would struggle to reproduce the flair and class displayed on an Everton vs Newton Heath Programme of the late 1800's...absolutely fantastic stuff.

It was all bit too much to take in, more so when David tells us this isn’t even one percent of the collection. I hadn’t seen the medals, saw nothing of the great William Ralph, and hadn't even seen the caps and multitude of personal effects of players dating back over 125 glorious years.

Speaking to David it then became clear that the club still hasn’t made it’s mind up on whether it wants to buy this collection or not. I’ve seen it and I'm stunned. I am reliably informed that not only is it the best and most complete Everton collection in existence it is the greatest football collection on the planet.

What is there to think about ? This collection must be kept as one and it must remain in the hands of Evertonians.

We have a saying “those who understand need no explanation” this collection needs no explanation because its is a part of what made us who we are today....its OUR history. Every fibre of every page tells us our history from day one. No other club comes close.

We must do everything we can to keep it intact. Even a cynic like myself was moved by the enormity of it and like I say “I don’t do programmes”.

I’d like to thank David for his hospitality and an opportunity to see something very unique, its an afternoon I will never forget. We can only hope that Everton do finally see sense and get it all sorted. If not, we’ll just have to buy it ourselves.

Cheers

x x x x

Frank Hargreaves

Originally posted on ToffeeNet