Not another International break…

Tony and Dave,

I've given probably a dozen indirects inside the box over the years, but never on obstruction. They were all on backpasses to the keeper or a keeper possession violation -- collecting the ball outside the box, dribbling it in and picking it up (previously legal), or rolling it on the ground and picking it up again (it's been years on that one).

I've always hated calling them because every time it takes five minutes to get the wall set up on the goal line, and then half the time it has to be retaken because of encroachment.

Mike

You will be familiar with the name Sandy Brown – probably for the wrong reasons. He was tough as teak and far more talented than he was given credit for. He was what we used to call a utility man. He could certainly hit a ball.

I remember him taking the pass for a couple of indirect free kicks against a wall of eleven along the line. Perhaps that was why I grew to love them. The ball was so much heavier back then and those in the wall knew it was going to end one of two ways. He either scored, or somebody was getting badly hurt. As a crowd, I don't suppose we were that fussed which it was – we expected to score sooner or later anyway. I do remember sympathy being a little scarce.

You would have loved us back then. The only "nice" thing about Everton was the football we played.

Brent, No, Sandy was a utility player as Dave mentions but he never played in any of the midfield positions winger or wing half and I couldn't imagine Sandy as a schemer, no doubt he would have had a go in any of those positions though.

Sandy was old fashioned in the sense of his willing to do any job he was asked to do and he was a very loyal servant to the club, although his loyalty was tested by him not being considered to a number one in any position even though I think he was named 12th man for the 1966 FA Cup Final.

I think I'm right in saying he took one of the penalties against Munchen Gladbach in the first penalty shootout in the European Cup, might have been the first shot, although Howard Kendall might have been the one. I know Joe Royle, my MotM in that game, missed his effort.

Brent/Dave,

I have a feeling Sandy may have worn every shirt number (1-12) for us, which of course does not necessarily equate to every position.

I think he did take the first pen against Moenchengladbach (easily checked - highlights are on Youtube, with German commentary) and, to use the technical term, he twatted it.

Dave and others. Just reading recent posts and it got me thinking. I don't like delving to the past, but we're Everton under Bingham a good team? I do know Gordon Lee was a bit unlucky.

Brian, Yes your first paragraph might be correct, I know he wore one shirt that had no number on it, that was when he came on as a sub and scored the third goal in a 3-1 win over Liverpool, almost sure it was in the first derby that Alan Ball played in and scored two first-half goals that sent him delirious and all of us with him!

Joe, I wouldn't say Everton were good to watch under Bingham, they played in a very defensive way even with Latchford I the side but they threw away a very good chance of winning the league with him as manager with some poor results at the end of one season, including two defeats to Carlisle, one early in the season at Goodison and one near the end, I think we finally finished fourth.

Many fans at that time would argue that if Billy would have been allowed to sign Peter Shilton, which he tried to do, we would have clinched that title. I agree with you that Gordon Lee was unlucky at times not win silverware and might have done one season only for a certain bastard named Clive Thomas!

Dave. Thanks for the update.

Peter Shilton literally would have been a game changer. Just thinking if Bobby Robson had arrived (with somehow the news of him agreeing was leaked). Trevor Francis. Another one that got away.

Ken McNaught. Villa bought him that summer after the final. Bryan Hamilton also played and Jim Pearson in the replays.

Argh - you got me, Liam. I forgot Hamilton played that game.

Norn Irish wasn't he?

Mark, Dai "the drop" Davies?

Yes, Bryan was from Ulster.

Used to play Gaelic Football, maybe that's why he 'handballed' it in the semi-final against the Orcs (still makes me cry, I was only 5).

Lawson played in goal.

Rob I hope you're feeling remorseful for your absolutely awful mistake.

Mark's original question prompted me to think if Everton have ever fielded an all English team; it may well have happened but it must have been eons ago.

We've always had at least one prominent Welsh, Irish or Scottish player not to mention the league of nations players that have appeared in recent decades, in our team during my time of watching.

If it has happened, I would guess that the team circa 1970 was one that may have had an all-English line-up at some point.

I've stayed just across the little stretch of water in The Hilton a few years ago, Rob, and I really enjoyed it, mate.

The Ruskies are a strange breed though and look right through you. I've purposely slowed down a few times to make them walk into me because, if there's two things I really hate, it's lying bastards and ignorance.

Can't help myself sometimes but I always turn around telling them that although they might look right through me I'm not a fuckin' ghost!

It takes a man to suffer ignorance and smile but I agree, they are hard work, those ignorant Russians!

For future reference, you're in The UAE, I think, Rob

Brian, I’m mortified!! Maybe I should go back to school and study Geography again! And if Eric reads my reply to Tony again, he will see that I did say a resort outside Dubai!!

Tony, is that the Hilton in Raz Al Khaimah, just to get things geographically correct?

What you’ve said about the Russians is spot on. I only said to the missus today that they should all take a trip to Specsavers because I’m convinced they can’t see what’s in front of them.

Some of the posts here are embarrassing. That's all there is to say.

On a side note, Peter Cormack, ex Hibs and Liverpool, has died

He did play for our neighbours, however, unlike a lot of the tossers Peter was a true gentleman.

Always had time for a chat about footy in general and never a bad word about the Blues.
.
A decent guy.

Well said John. RIP PC.

I think that he was something of a pioneer in the karaoke stuff, if memory serves.

John, I remember Peter Cormack came to our junior school and ran training season for us kids.

I can't remember the exact reason, but I think it was something he'd read about one of the lads going through a tough time in the local paper. He was such a nice gentleman.

In contrast, I was in the same year at school with Tommy Smith's son. The son was a nice lad but Smith was not – I think the phrase “knobhead” must have been coined for him. He looked like a shrivelled-up granddad penis and he acted like one as well.

Steve, was that at St Mary's Crosby? One of the twat's lads was there when I was there.

The only time I met boil-purple-face at the school was outside the nurse's office when he was sitting on the same bench. I was 13, I think, and when I turned round to boil-face he said, and I quote, "Fuck off, kid".

I couldn't help but laugh at that rebuff, Paul F!

I remember Smith doing the presentation for the Liverpool Sunday league, and after initially thinking he was funny, and getting away with it (I suppose it depends on your type of humour) he ended up getting absolutely ruined off the lads on our table.

I suppose he could be funny because, once the barrage started, one of the lads shouted to him, “I remember hitching it to Villa, to watch Liverpool, when I was about 10, and when I asked you for your autograph, you told me to fuck off and called me a scruffy little cunt!”

“It doesn't look like I was wrong” came the witty reply, but that was definitely a night when he should have kept his mouth shut because he got absolutely destroyed after that…. Very times indeed.

A true gobshite, Tony. I remember your dad boiling Tony after reading my boil-lunar-face St Mary's story.

How the fuck did they allow boil-crater-face Souness and shithouse Lee into the blackstuff? It should have been John Bailey and Reidy was born for that role as well as being our magical No 6.

Peter Cormack was a player I would have loved to have seen in a royal blue shirt.

Paul, yes that's right.

I think his son's name was Darren but I might have it wrong. Jonny Morrisey's son was also in my year as I recall.

John,

Peter Cormack was a very good player, never knew that side of him which you pointed out.

I remember he scored in the last minutes of a derby game at Anfield to win the game for them, the Kop had been silent for most of the game then came alive after the goal. I went back to The Goblin, my local pub, to face a load of Red fans, most of them who hadn't been to the game and when the boasting and bragging started, I told them they were like the fuckin' kop who started singing after the towel had gone on!

Yes Steve and Bootle's own Tom O'Connor's son too.

Doubtless you remember BROS carey, sullivan, o'halloran, ambrose, the bro Paddy Ryan who ran the book/tuck shop, Sid White, Maxwell the supposed history teacher, Murgatroyde, Jimmy Huyton, duffy, choral harrison, mr flood music had me on the fecking trombone supported East Fife, ken smith, murphy the history fella, ms rose slotty the mini skirted temptress the protaganist of Bro Ambroses's wet dreams, Boj the french teacher, his horny daughter, bill hyland sprechen sie deutsch, and the one and only - and good Evertonian - Stefan Picewicz - who sued the school

https://www.facebook.com/stefan.picewicz?comment_id=Y29tbWVudDo3Mjc1NjEyNjU5MjAzMTAyXzE0NzEyNzI2OTM3NjU5NzA%3D

The best thing about International breaks is Everton aren't playing, and spoiling my day. More of them please!

These international breaks always remind me of the mid 90s, which was the very peak of my football fantom.

I turned 13 in August 94, my Dad and I were season ticket holders for the next few years, the Joe Royle era basically. And I used to absolutely hate the international break!!

Not only did it mean we didn't have a game for 2 weeks but England were only playing friendly matches, as we were hosting Euro '96. It was just rubbish and I was counting the seconds until Everton played again.

It was even worse when the fixture list had our first game back after the break as an away game, that meant it was around 3 or 4 weeks since I'd last been to Goodison. And that was far too long.

These days, it doesn't seem like such a loss.

Further to my post @95, as far as I can tell, the last time Everton fielded an all English starting eleven was at the back end of the 1970-71 season. Sandy Brown was the only interloper, coming on as a substitute in the FA Cup semi-final.

From that ill-fated European night in Greece up to and including the defeat by Stoke at Selhurst Park in the ridiculous 3rd/4th FA Cup play off game.

The only victory achieved in that eleven game run was a 3-0 beating of Coventry City at Goodison. Perhaps it wasn't such a good idea to start with eleven English players, although it would seem that Harry Catterick favoured those players over the other nationalities at times during his tenure.

Brian #81

Bit late with this but

Joe Royle took the 1st penalty and missed it.

Alan Ball took the 2nd.

Suspect Johnny Morrisey took the 3rd

Howie took the 4th

And Sandy took the 5th - buried it - kept walking into the goal - picked up the ball and came back to the penalty spot and slammed the ball down on it - as much as to say - match that sunshine.

Andy Rankin saved their penalty. It was one of those nights.

(just checked on Steve Johnson's excellent site https://www.evertonresults.com/ and I was right and in the right order! Result!

Phil,

I know Johnny Morrissey scored our goal that night but don't remember him taking one of the penalties, got the other four but not in the right order and your description of Sandy's penalty is spot on.

James (16), If you were interested during this Saturdays break you could have watched a real man’s game Wigan v Hull KR in the rugby play off final, Wigan won 9-2 in a thrilling brawling non stop action match with no moaning, feigning false injuries or arguing with the referee and the VAR worked brilliantly with the referee explaining everything to the players and the spectators happy with the decisions.

Thanks for doing this MK.

Thanks Dave A, the mighty Wigan, world champs and quadruple winners and yet another trophy. The greatest team that Rugger League has ever seen.

Aint that right Paul H and Mark M?