The Greatest Living Evertonian

I ended by naming Colin Harvey as my “Mr Everton” over that period and a fair few people agreed with me. Nothing since has caused me to change my mind; player, coach, manager, youth team development – he did it all with huge talent and integrity and most of all love for the Club.

A fitting tribute for Kendall, Harvey and Ball would be to call the new Stadium after their nickname, The Holy Trinity Stadium but the accountants would cry foul and offer up Millions of £££s for the Duracell Arena, the Ryan Air Stadium or the Durex Stadium!

I know what I'd say to that. What say, you?

Was lucky enough to be at the Trinity statue unveiling where he truly looked taken aback that he would be honoured in such a manner.

Love the bones of the man. His name should grace some portion of the new Everton stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock, at the very least.

I think it was the 1970 World Cup in Mexico when Everton were asked by the FA to get the entire team inoculated as they were likely to be selected in the squad that would later be reduced to 22. Not sure if Johnny Morrissey was but later was the last player to be honoured when selected for a Football League team to play an Italian side.

I remember Harvey's one game, a pre-World Cup tour against Colombia, when TV coverage was so poor you could barely make out who was who except for Harvey's distinctive style with the ball at his feet.

The greatest living Evertonian is always a very debatable subject though, David, because it's the people who spend their very last pennies going to watch Everton wherever they play that deserve this accolade imo.

It's the fans that make Everton great, so Colin Harvey is simply a very lucky man because he was able to represent the club he loves on the place that matters the most with great distinction.

From what I can recall of Colin Harvey playing, he just knitted everything together, like a Linchpin. Vital to the enterprise of an organised midfield, a leader by demonstration, not just words. He epitomises everything that was great about Everton in his era.

His worth today in his prime, would be up there with some of the most expensive midfielders in Europe.

A smiling assassin with a combativeness, that made him an Everton great.

A smashing tribute, Dr D., thank you and hope you and Elizabeth are still keeping well, xxx.

My personal opinion is that he is the best footballer I've seen play for us and the term "The White Pele" is well justified.

Colin Harvey lived the dream we all dreamed of. And he respects his fortune. We respect him.

Boyhood supporter, teenage debutant. Trophy winner as a player, coached the most successful Everton team in history to achieve an FA Cup, two league titles and, to this date, our only European trophy (stress - to this date). Managed the club. And then very influential on our youth system after that.

As I always like to say, and apply my Army analogy, when I read into it, Howard was the Commanding Officer. Came in to make sure everyone was okay. Boots fit, mail getting through, then went off to do other stuff. Colin was more the Sergeant Major. Commanded respect. Demanded high standards and barked out the orders. Lead by example and then if they didn't perform, let them have both barrels. And by all accounts he did!! It clearly had an impact.

Because he knows it takes more than ability to win. Hard work and commitment. Because he was a winner.

Three league titles, two FA cups, a European trophy an FA Youth Cup to his credit and name. Not bad for a boy from Fazakerley with his boyhood club.

He bleeds Everton and blue blood. He's done it all with his club. Our club. He is one of us.

"A beautiful footballer, this boy". A quote from Kenneth Wolstenhome during the 1968 FA Cup Final

The 'White Pele' nickname came about because of his natural ability, grace and technique.

I was never fortunate enough to watch him play, but his legend (and we shouldn't use that word easily), speaks for itself in Everton folklore.

I can only speak from listening to the generation that watched them, but it seems odd that Kendall and Harvey only earned the one England cap between them. There seems to have been something about Everton and England over the years. I think (stand to be corrected), but I only recall Bob Latchford and then the "hand of God" Argentina match when we had 4 Everton players on the pitch. And then Rooney, but he was special.

Okay, Lineker on his way out, but still technically an Everton player. And poor Peter Reid jogging on the spot trying to catch Maradona. No shame there!

Times have changed and we don't have many English first teamers at the moment. If Tarkowski keeps up his form, it would be interesting to see if he gets considered. Obviously Pickford is England number one. Keane fell off the pecking order because of form and being a lesser Harry Maguire who I assume gets in on his Manchester United ticket. I'm indifferent to England anyway. It's just Everton for me.

As I have communicated many times, my big dilemma is what do we do with the statues. Leave them in the presence of the ground they graced?

Take them with us? I don't really know the answer.

I think he deserves his own tribute at the new ground. A white Pele statue, whilst he is still with us.

And he should be the one to cut the blue ribbon at Bramley Moore Dock as we march into it.

And be given his seat in the Director's box.

Although he would probably rather sit amongst us, where his Everton journey started. And he knows he would be welcome.

Yes, the greatest living Evertonian.

And he always looked so cool – think Steve McQueen as a footballer.

We drew straws to see who would be the one to knock on his door. I lost. It was quite scary going to that door with my two friends, 'right behind me'. I gently knocked. No one answered. They told me to give a proper knock.

Colin's mum came out and the conversation went something like:

"Hello, is Colin in?"
"No son, he's not."
"Oh, can you tell him we want to start his fan club."
"Okay, I'll tell him."

His brother, the late Brian Harvey, heard the conversation (I think at the time he played for Chester). He asked if we could start one for him instead? We told him No!

A couple of years ago, a friend of mine saw Colin in a gym. He's not normally one to intrude on others, but decided to introduce himself to tell this story. He said Colin enjoyed it.

I was too young to fully appreciate how good Colin was. What we would give today for another young lad kicking a ball around Fazakerley, with those velvet skills. Maybe there is one.

The silky skills described above, the keepy uppies struck a chord because we would watch him in the playground, open mouthed, as he kept it going for ages. He was playing for Everton B team then, and we'd always look up the short report in the Pink Echo, to see if he played and did well.

We both went on a school trip to Germany in Easter of 1961 I'd guess, probably the year he left, and I played in the same team with him. Liverpool Youth Hostellers v German Youth Hostellers. About 15/16 a side on a cinder pitch, and pissing down. We won 1 0 and I scored when an agricultural hump went over their goalie's head, and Colin bollocked me for it. Too route one probably.

We both used to go to Blessed Sacrament on a Sunday for 11-15 Mass, later on. We'd all stand at the back, me and my mate and our girlfriends, us going for an early dart to the Windsor Castle opening at midday. Him to avoid the crowds.

Really nice lad. Truly great player.

"Bless 'em all,
Bless 'em all,
Bless Harvey and Kendall and Ball..."

Having a favourite player is one thing but "Greatest Living Evertonian"??? – totally unquantifiable.

I imagine even Colin himself is squirming a little.

He was a brilliant footballer, was instrumental in forging the great side of the mid-'80s, managed the club with dignity (and was unlucky) and has acted for the club in a number of other capacities. If you listen to players he has helped develop, such as Rooney, it's clear he has the highest possible standards and bleeds blue.

He is a fanatical Evertonian and I can personally attest to that having taught one of his children and had the fortune to listen to him speaking about his passion for the club when we should have been speaking about his daughter's progress at a parents evening.

I remember as a kid when Colin lived in Gateacre village, Cherry Vale to be exact, and knocking on his front door asking for his autograph. Without hesitation he signed the autograph books of me and a couple of friends. Great player and great person away from football.

Player,coach, manager & fan.
Such a nice fella too.
I got to go to bellfield a couple of times as a kid to watch the team train and a little look around.

Lots of the players said hello & signed my autograph book.
I'll never forget Colin stopping and asking if I'd had a good day, how I thought we had been playing, who's my favourite player. Out of everyone he made the biggest impression on me.
You could just tell he was a blue like us ! But he was the manager at the time and I was a stuttering mess.

The trinity stand has a nice ring to it though for BMD

Colin scored some truly spectacular goals from outside the area. I will always remember those against QPR (1968), West Brom (1968), West Brom (1970), two against Chelsea (1971) and his final goal for the club, the winner at West Ham days before he departed for Sheffield Wednesday in August 1974. One of his less spectacular efforts, but the one probably seen most often on YouTube, was of course the winner in the 1966 semi-final at Burnden Park.

Colin’s only England cap came in Malta in February 1971 when he and Joe Royle made their international debuts in a 1-0 win. Arguably by then Colin was past his peak. He ought to have been an England regular three years earlier. It puzzled me why Alf Ramsey chose inferior talents such as Alan Mullery and later Peter Storey while overlooking both Colin and Howard. Perhaps Ramsey was loath to increase the Evertonian contingent within his squad: Labone, Wright, Ball and subsequently Keith Newton were established as England regulars while Gordon West would have been in the squad if he had not declared himself unavailable for the 1970 World Cup.

Off the pitch Colin supported community activities before it became an accepted part of a footballer’s role. He attended school fetes in the summer, often joining in kick-abouts in school yards and in later years ran in road races including the Mersey Half Marathon.

I briefly met him (when he was in charge of Hibbo and Franny in the youth team) and was amazed that I was about 12 inches taller than my Dad's hero when I was only a teenager! Everton legend

Tony & Rob. I don't like the term Liverpudlian. It offends me when people use it.

Born in the city of Liverpool. An Evertonian but never a Liverpudlian. I remind people to never call me that quite often.

Anyhow one evening in 1967 when I was 8 or 9 I was taken to their house (67? Manica Crescent, not sure about spelling). I was treated very nicely, but of course I was just shy and in awe being in the same room as Colin Harvey! I can remember Colin's mum (Jessie?) being so welcoming, and the fact that Colin was watching the telly with Mohammad Ali fighting Zora Folley, which had taken place the night before.

Distant voices, still lives!

Manica Crescent is correct. An uncle of mine lived in Dereham Crescent on the same estate. He often mentioned that Colin lived round the corner.

But with his career as a trans-Atlantic season ticket holder (his journeys from Houston make mine from South Yorkshire look a bit sad!), his Former Players Assistance charity and his Everton Memorabilia Collection (the largest and most important football memorabilia collection in the world) which he donated to Liverpool City Council, I would nominate Dr France as the greatest living Evertonian.

This is perhaps the reason for my frustration at rarely seeing such a totally complete and fully-functioning midfield, in all teams, not only Everton; I had already seen the best. I briefly thought this was normal. I soon learned different.

As I remember it at the time, Colin was the least lauded of the three but was probably the best, or certainly the classiest, to me. He was a rare example of what ball tied to his laces refers to - and it all looked easy.

Where did such players go?

As I remember, he got injured and she said he might not be able to come due to his injury as we waited. However, around about 5:45 after the game, he pulled up in his Jag and hobbled out of the car to shake my hand and give me some signed pictures of the team.

A great Evertonian and he gets my vote easily.