Don't count your chickens before they've hatched

My Blades son-in-law and his Dad dine out on their story of watching the Brighton game on telly with me in a Devon pub, bewildered and amused that I was still anxious at 1-4 up with two minutes to go.

Hope to see you September.

I can remember many games which dramatically changed with virtually the last kick. One that stands out is an F A semi-final at Villa Park in 1969. Booth scored for City right at the death. They had a guy called Connor who man marked Alan Ball out of the game and we never really got going.

More recent was the 'Pickford' Derby when he clawed an aimless punt back into play and, of course, right into the path of a RS. We'd dominated the game with Gomes bossing the midfield.

Of course many have been in our favour but I tend to remember the ones that went against us.

I once bought the video (VHS, now long gone) of the 1966 Cup Final. Two nil down but we rallied and came back to lift the trophy. My first introduction to the "Everton the Gear" phrase.

The 1985 semi-final with the clock ticking. Free kick with minutes to go as we held our breath.

I remember thinking we were out against Middlesboro only for Trevor Steven to score a last gasp equaliser. That FA Cup run, which eventually saw us go out the them, was an epic. Several attempts against Sheffield Wednesday and a similar pattern against Middlesboro only to go out to the obvious.

Outside of the FA Cup, and more recent examples about it never being over until the blue lady sings.

Wimbledon 1994. 2-0 down and staring at the unthinkable.

3 - 1 down against Manchester United at Goodison only to go and score twice in extra time to get a point. Similarly that 4 - 4 at Old Trafford after being 4 - 2 down.

Let's get more recent. 2 - 0 against Palace and thinking we need to go to Arsenal on the last day of the season, which we all know how that usually turns out. But we came good.

Wolves away last season, which kept our fate in our own hands with 30 seconds on the referees watch.

As I write, what is it about us and turning a 2 - 0 deficit around in key games?!!

But to the point of the article John posted, a game of football, within reason, is never over until that final whistle goes. A game of fine margins, so never give in.

I'd like to know a bit more about Joe Mercer for those who watched him. He doesn't get much mention from Everton supporters and played more games for Arsenal. More of a Manchester City legend and has a memorial outside of their stadium.

I think back to the Cup final in 66 when we were two nil down with around 20 minutes left. to our three quick goals and elation. We've had quite a few salvations, coming back from either getting beat or getting relegated. like the 4-4 game at Goodison against "that lot", after which, their manager didn't last long.Loved that game!

It's still key, that message. The game's never over till the final whistle blows.

He played on at the top level to the - then and now - stupendous age of 39(?) and, like Howard Kendall in his latter player manager days, was probably Still the classiest player on the pitch and like Bobby Collins deep into his 30s, only a broken leg stopped him.

I'd like to see some of these players given more recognition. Yes, we have the Holy Trinity and Dixie, but there are many as we think about moving them to Bramley Moore.

Joe Mercer (who my Grandad spoke fondly about), Brian Labone and Joe Royle. There are countless others who we could recognise.

The 80s team.

I don't like living in the past, but we should recognise it and our achievements as a reminder of who we are and what our expectations are.

I was able to watch Howard Kendall, the player manager, play for Everton. I remember one match, where he obviously got frustrated and brought himself on as a sub.

You could still see he had it and he was giving everyone a right earful!!!

Colin Harvey to cut the ribbon for me when we enter our future home.

Cliff Britton came back as a manager post war, and he was not so good.

I think the end of Tommy Lawton, Joe Mercer and TG Jones's careers could be put down to Theo Kelly's managership of Everton, a no nonsense manager he demanded respect without giving much respect back to his players, going by reading of his leadership in charge of Everton, plus the fact after seven years fighting a war they wanted some financial security to end their careers with.

Chris (7), to be fair Chris to Cliff Britton he was manager of Everton whose directors spent very little during the time he was there, he relied on players bought for very little, some before he became manager, although Harry Potts cost a small fortune then £20,000, and he wasn't a success, other players I remember him signing were Jock Lindsay £7,000 from Glasgow Rangers and Ted Buckle from Man. Unt. for something like the same fee. It is a fact that the same squad who were relegated in 1951 were the same squad who got them promoted in 1954, not one player was bought during those three years, so maybe Cliff did quite well to bring us up.

As we're talking about former players, my older cousin's idol was Bob Latchford. He never really seems to get much of a mention. He is probably the first one I really remember.

Mick Lyons for being Mick Lyons.

I guess it's all subjective and we could all draw up a list of our own.

John; slightly off topic but I'm sure you'll have the answer. Back in the late 1950s, unlike most other clubs, we kicked off at 3.15pm but when we played a London club the KO was moved to 3pm and I think this was to allow them time to get the London train home.

Have you any idea why it was usually 3.15pm?

Danny # 10

Bob Latchford was everything we haven't had since Lukaku. He was signed from Birmingham City with Howard Kendall and Archie Styles, a classy local left back, as makeweights in a British record deal valued at £350,000.

Back in the 1970s I worked with Ted Buckle at the Standard-Triumph car factory, in Speke. Jimmy Tansey, who played left back in the 1950s side, also worked there.

How times have changed! They'd both have been millionaires, today!

I've just looked up the details and they are as follows, "Johnny Summers was a journeyman forward and Charlton were his fourth club. Aged 30 he was entering the twilight of his career, and on December 21st it became apparent that he was saving his best until the end.

Charlton lost Derek Ufton after 15 minutes when he broke his collar bone, they were only 2-0 down at half time, but 7 minutes after the interval they trailed 5-1.

Then Summers, who was wearing a new pair of boots that he had not even broken in, went to work, he scored a hat-trick in 6 minutes and the hit another 2 goals, all this with his weaker right foot, to give Charlton a 6-5 lead.

Even then the drama wasn't over, Huddersfield equalised with 2 minutes left, but Summers was not going to be beaten. With the last move of the game he set up John Ryan for the winner in an almost unbelievable 7-6 match.

Hi Bill [11] as far as I can remember that Everton kicked off at 3:15 for all fixtures in the early weeks of the season, irrespective of their opponents. I know that as the weeks went by and the daylight quickly faded, the kick-off time was earlier, and I know for certain that they were played as early as 2:15 but I have a feeling that it was sometimes as early 2 o'clock.

I made my debut in 1958 and I think the floodlights were erected the previous year so I have no experience of the earlier kick-offs. It was all 3:15, 3 pm or floodlit matches at 7.30 pm when I started.

My memories of those kick-off times reminded me of when Chairman Bill gave a speech at Anfield before one the Hillsborough Memorial days, he said he remembered coming to Anfield with about 10,000 other Evertonians to watch Dave Hickson's debut for Liverpool v Aston Villa on a cold winter night, the match was played on a Saturday afternoon, maybe Bill just forgot the time or maybe he wasn't bleedin' there, I'd go for the second option!

I think that things like that, prove my belief that 'anything can happen in football'.

Bill (12), Yes I remember Ted Buckle and Jimmy Tansey, Buckle always looked very frail but what a shot he had in either foot, I remember watching him play for Man. Unt. reserves at GoodisonPark, the next week he was playing for Everton versus Unt.at Goodison in a first division game, both games finished 0-0 ifI'm correct.

I mentioned Cyril Lello above and I worked with him in Fords on a shut down, we were both Sparks mates, he was good company and easy to talk just one of the lads.

Jimmy Tansey came from a sporting family from St. Sylvesters in Scotland Road, his brother Gerry played in a famous schoolboys English FA final at Anfield in 1948 versus Stockport Boys in a 3-3 draw watched by over 40,000 fans including me. His older brother was a well-known Royal Navy boxer and later a boxing coach at St. Theresa's among others.

As you say good genuine humble people who were born too soon as far money is concerned but respect is everything and they gave it and got it back with the people they mixed with.

In a perverse way, the move generated the seed in Howard towards coaching and management from which we ultimately benefitted so in the round, it all worked out by happy coincidence.

Then, of course, the disaster of Heysel. We seem to remember it better than our red neighbours!!

Bob was from a footballing family. Brothers Dave and Peter were top class goalkeepers; Dave with Birmingham City and Peter with WBA and Celtic.

By that time in my life, I was living in Rutland, where I still live, and the fixtures I could travel to were Leicester City, Nottingham Forest, Derby County and Coventry City, so the Derby fixture, as they were a top team, was a must for me.

McKenzie in the second half was simply magnificent on a surface that was totally unsuited to his silky skills.

Later in life, I spoke with McKenzie at a fancy hospitality occasion after a fan day and told him about that day. He was not only superb company, but very revealing about his role at Leeds under Brian Clough.

He was a mercurial talent, inconsistent but at his best he gave me the kind of pleasure that only Alex Young has given me in my 70 years as an Everton fan.

Great recollections there about the sometimes mercurial, often frustrating Duncan McKenzie.

I'd completely forgotten that Brian Clough only lasted 44 days at Leeds Utd in 1974:

Clough left Brighton less than a year after his appointment, in July 1974, to become manager of Leeds United, following Don Revie's departure to become manager of England. Clough's move was very surprising given his previous outspoken criticism of both Revie, for whom Clough made no secret of his deep disdain, and the successful Leeds team's playing style, which Clough had publicly branded "dirty" and "cheating". Furthermore, he had called for Leeds to be demoted to the Second Division as a punishment for their poor disciplinary record.

He lasted in the job only 44 days before he was sacked by the Leeds directors on 12 September 1974, after alienating many of Leeds's star players. During one of the first training sessions he took for Leeds United, he reportedly said "You can all throw your medals in the bin because they were not won fairly."

He had the unenviable record of being Leeds United's least successful permanent manager, winning only one match from six games. Leeds were fourth from bottom in 19th position with only 4 points from a possible 12, their worst start since their last relegation campaign 15 years earlier. His pay-off was estimated at £98,000, a huge amount at the time.

On the evening of his dismissal, Clough discussed his short reign at Elland Road with Yorkshire Television's Calendar news programme. Revie also participated in the live broadcast, the two ex-managers spent as much time debating management practice with each other as with the host Austin Mitchell. Describing this televised interview as the culmination of the bitter rivalry between the two men, journalist Roger Hermiston stated: "It was like watching a bickering couple about to get a divorce."

I'm pretty sure that period must be covered in Duncan McKenzie's autobiography, One Step Ahead – but perhaps not with the disclosures you heard first-hand from the mouth of the Maestro!

I was only about 5 or 6 years old, and somehow didn't fall off.

I can't recall who we played, but remember the "we all agree that Duncan McKenzie is Magic" chant.

I had a bad hair cut back then. And clothes. I guess it's what my parents could afford. But why was everything in the 70s brown, orange or beige?

Just brilliant to see these two icons of English football management – along with the very bright Austin Mitchell – going over such a tumultuous moment in the history of what was at the time one of England's biggest clubs:

Austin Mitchell: The famous Brian Clough and Don Revie interview

[Scroll down to the second video panel for the full interview – the first one near the top of the page is obliterated by cringe-worthy voice-over.]

Just love listening to both of them. No bullshit meaningless managerspeak that we get incessantly in interviews nowadays. Clough's honesty and directness is astounding.

He was criticised by many for being slow outside the box, but inside it, over 2 yards, he was like lightning.

So many great memories – the day he scored 4 at Loftus Road, his header at Burnden Park to take us to the League Cup Final in 1977, his last-minute equaliser in the first replay of the final at Hillsborough, his bullet header in the 1980 FA Cup Semi-Final Replay at Elland Road and, of course, his 30 League goals in 1977-78.

I've heard him talk a couple of times since his retirement; on both occasions, he expressed his surprise and gratitude at how revered he is by Everton fans – a very decent, modest man.

Thanks for posting that interview. As you say, it's it's rather different to the anodyne utterings we get served these days.

I'm sure many on here will have read “The Damned United” by David Peace, and seen the subsequent film of the same name – if not, I can recommend both.

Were we wearing gold shirts and blue shorts? Did Billy Bingham sign them? Was Billy Bingham vastly underrated?

Did I dream this stuff?

Yes, McKenzie made his debut with Bruce Rioch at Coventry City, we got battered 4-2. Not sure what colour the kit was that day.

Yes, Billy Bingham signed them. I don't think Billy was vastly underrated as a manager but he was as a player, he had Everton playing a very defensive and dull game and threw away a good chance of winning the title one season because he wasn't adventurous enough.

As a player, he was a very good attacking player with a few clubs after he came over from Northern Ireland and had a good career with them as well as being a constant selection for his country.

Gone but not forgotten!