Not another International break…

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.

Dave,

I think he played every one of the 11 positions for us?

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?

Fred (30), One famous game with the wrong result we played an all-English team was the 1968 FA Cup Final.

Paul (34), Just answering for Paul H and Mark M —- Fuck Off!

hahahahahha Dave - you got it verbatim

Worst injury whilst on international duty: Big Nev at Lansdowne Road, Dublin.

Cost us the double in my opinion.

Paul @ 27, that is fantastic and brought back a lot of memories. I also remember Mr Mahon and Mr Malloy who both taught English, and didn't Mr Richardson teach Latin? Tosh Askew the rugby teacher who then went on to coach England U-19s.

I have to ask though Paul - why did Pixy sue the school?

Steve (37). It is a long story mate. There were at least 5 long stories in the Echo. And it’s sad, jaw-dropping, and fecking hilarious by turns.

Pixy claimed that he was fired under false pretenses because he was in his words 'a working-class hero' who rooted out inadequacy across the school. It was alleged that he slammed a child's head against a locker, spat on another kid, and kicked another up the arse ('it worked', Pixy claimed in court - yes it went to court).

Among the highlights: Pixy was slapped with a restraining order from the school; disturbed play at the 2006 Open at Hoylake shouting and swearing at a St. Mary’s teacher; began a campaign - “Justice for Mr. Pix” – with t-shirts, posters (the school caretaker said Pixy ‘insisted’ he put them up in his office) and ‘defiant hand gestures’ in court; made ‘vulgar’ hand gestures at a funeral that were, he said, ‘defiant shakes of the fist in the air as he shouted “Justice for Mr. Pix” (at a fecking funeral), demonstrating the gestures for the court.

Pixy lost the case! But he vowed to fight on to clear his name ‘for the sake of the teaching profession’. Pixy claimed in court that all allegations ‘were fabricated as he had earlier questioned the professional abilities of Mrs. Marsh [new head-teacher] and Mr. Williams [PE head, the fella he abused at the funeral]’.

Apparently, on Marsh’s first day, Pixy said to her in the staff room: ‘How did you get the job? Did all the other candidates withdraw?' He claimed that he was the victim of a ‘Machiavellian plot to blacken my name because I questioned their abilities’. 'It is in my DNA to stand up against people who tell lies.’ ‘I wanted Justice for Mr. Pix’ – he always referred to himself in third person as ‘Mr. Pix’.

There you have it Steve!

The first link is the best one.

P.S. As our coach pulled in for the 77’ league cup final replay at Old Trafford, we saw Pixy all of a sudden banging on our coach with a flag around his shoulders screaming ‘Everton’ …….

https://www.thefreelibrary.com/You+lost+the+plot+...+the+effect+was+quite+appalling%3B+JUDGE+RAPS...-a0162681171

https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/teacher-says-sorry-kicked-pupil-12962541

https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/crosby-teacher-loses-court-battle-3451740

https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/former-teacher-st-marys-college-3454752

Mr Pix, sounds like the type of teacher that used to help us frame our own personalities, just in case he reads ToffeeWeb!!

Character and characters, are definitely two of the greatest reasons for being born.

He was a bit like that Tony. Geography teacher. I remember in the 3rd year at St. Marys when he first taught us - after some furtive ferret fella whose name I forget who was obsessed with the Bantu - how different he was and encouraging. And young, it seemed.

Matt, it did cost us the double, and wasn't it that horrible sly fucker soon to be red Aldridge who caused the injury?

Mike England said to Nev not to worry as we have a private jet to get you to Ireland, you will be home before you know it.

He should have added, nice stretcher for you as well.
That worked out great, for the red fuckers.

Matt, Paul, it's a common misconception that Nev's injury cost us the double.

It didn't. Check the stats.

Ray, it's funny the misconception about Nev's injury costing us the title and that Mimms was by association perhaps partly responsible for the loss of the double. I am guilty of thinking Bobby Mimms didn't help. I stand corrected

I just checked the results and if I am reading them correctly, Bobby Mimms played the last 9, won 6, drew 2, lost 1, conceded 3 goals.

2 consecutive games without a win against Forest and Oxford derailed the season at the wrong time and didn't Liverpool go an unbeaten run for about 12 games...

Yes, Ian, when you look at all the stats it paints a different picture. Mimms, from memory, conceded fewer goals than Nev over the same number of games, ie, Mimms 9 or 10 against the previous 9 or 10 when Nev was in charge.

As you say, the RS winning eleven and drawing one game, plus our failures at Oxford and Forest was to blame, not Mimms.

Linekar not packing his proper boots into the skip cost us at Oxford, and the only other time I can remember such a tense crowd, as that night, was the minute Distin, gifted Liverpool an equaliser at Wembley.

Southall, was the quickest goalkeeper coming off his line though and I’m certain he would have got there before Rush, to stop him equilizing, but this is something I will never ever know.

How we ended up with nothing that season is another thing I will also never truly understand because to this day, I still think we were the best team in the country, but this only made things harder to accept.

I can’t believe we have only won two trophies since that season, what the fuckinhell happened to us?

Tony I ask the same question about 1971. What happened to us ? Well, that bloody week in March or April for one thing !

I think the games after we won 2-0 at Anfield changed that season quite a lot, Dalgleish hadn’t been selecting himself much up to that game as player manager, he started playing after that game and just his presence in the team seemed to change the way they played and their eleven wins and one draw in their last twelve games might be proof of that, I think if they had lost one of those games we would have been title winners.

We had a geography teacher in Cardinal Godfrey, who was round the fuckn bend, Paul, and the only interesting lesson I can ever remember with him, was the day he came in for the last lesson one Wednesday afternoon, and proceeded to have a kangaroo court, over an incident that had happened the previous Friday, after he had left the classroom.

It resulted in three of our class getting expelled and still remains the most memorable lesson, I encountered in all my school years.

I learned about how people can unfortunately fold under pressure, that lesson, especially the ones who haven’t got the brain to keep up to speed when it’s needed the most, even if it wasn’t on the school curriculum.

Or maybe even drawn a terrible game at Tottenham, the week after we had beat them Dave, but they ended up winning 2-1, even though they were shite that day.

And here I am waking up at 6:30am on a Saturday morning to watch football from England... but it's not Everton.

GO BEARS!!!!!!

If Lineker's late attempt at Goodison in the first derby had have gone in rather than [I think] hitting the bar, then Everton with a draw rather than a loss in that match might have won the league. Liverpool had opened the scoring in the first minute, and were 3-0 up at half-time, Lineker and Sharp got us back into the match, but we couldn't find that elusive equaliser.

The Oxford game which I had to listen to on a radio via Merseyside commentary, I was out of the area so it was terrible reception, was a mare, as the other lot, who I think were on BBC Radio's main output, won away at Leicester the same evening. Manor Road, the scene of our renaissance in 1984, was the setting for the beginning of our demise, albeit delayed.

It was a devastating season for the club, unable to compete in the top European competition, and to add insult to injury, the very club that caused that ban, ended up doing the 'double' and maintaining their reputation as 'winners'. We'll never know what may have happened if Everton had won both those trophies that season, but I consider it a bigger blow than that of the collapse in 1971, even though we went on to regain the league in 1987.

Oxford 1986

Paul @ 39, I was amazed reading about poor old Pixy. I couldn’t help laughing though that he demanded Justice for Mr Pix.

Accused of giving a pupil a side kick up the backside? St Mary’s must have gone soft by that stage.

I remember one teacher strapping our entire class, including one lad who had a broken thumb! Old H punched my mate in the stomach because he wanted to leave the cross country team!!

I was in the cross-country team Steve and got more than a few stomach punches (leaves no marks) in Jimmy Huyton's 'smiley room'.

The worst was sadist failed monk Carey who would strap you not on the palm but across the fingertips.

You were a Cardinal Godfrey lad TA! Won a few races against them back in the day. Dave threw you to the mercy of the lions/Christian Brothers. Ours were all Irish. Maybe geography teachers travel too much for their own good, although one of ours lived in Billinge.

(Must have been some scallies on the green bus Tony: https://www.facebook.com/groups/142101878114/).

I had never met so many half educated lunatics in one place,e Paul, and really enjoyed my time at Cardinal Godfrey, mate!

It sadly closed (I'm sure there's a claim against the government, the way they destroyed our education for a few months, although I was more responsible for that fuck-up, by the time I finished school) and we ended up amalgamating with around five other schools who had definitely not received the same level of education as our school but the very big plus was that we ended up with an even better football team thanks to a few very talented lads from the south end.

Those Christian brothers were all okay as well and probably helped me form my own personality because I have always had a lot of affinity for lunatics ever since!

Looking at that game again Fred, then it still hurts all these years later. A scrappy game on a horrible pitch, and you could really feel the tension in the air that night, because the longer the game went on, the more you began to realize that we had simply not got going on that horrible night.

I remember fuming with Kevin Ritchardson, when he got the motm after our last game of the season at home to West Ham, (rearranged game) if my memory is correct, because he had an absolute shocker at the manor ground, and I thought he went missing, but I suppose after watching those highlights, we simply just missed Peter Reid, that night?

Brian @78, add Dave Watson to that list. The last Everton captain to lift a major trophy.

When he replaced the very popular Derek Mountfield, it didn't go down too well with large sections of the supporters initially.

Danny O'Neill,

And some, Danny - I remember it vividly and it was quite viscous, as was the hounding of Ian Marshall around the same time - a young local kid and the stick he got was nasty to be honest.

I also remember groups of guys singing 'ugly man' at one of our players - at around the same time again, and as a teen I am looking at these grown men thinking - 'so, you think you are handsome, you (choose your own vulgarity)!?'

Then there was the shouts of "You lazy bastard" at Sheedy!

To be honest, Danny - grown men booing is utterly utterly pathetic.

Unfortunately the loudest get heard!

One of the worst decisions I have ever seen on a football pitch happened when Ian Marshall handled the ball at home to Oxford, and it surprises me that I've never really heard anyone bring it up.

We were one of the top teams around this time, and we all know the top teams get more favourable decisions, but the day Ian Marshal took the lace out of the ball in our area against Oxford, then put his hands around his head, like footballers sometimes do when they have made a ridiculous mistake, only to see the referee wave play on, was remarkable.

Oxford had pulverized us looking for an equalizer, and should have been given a stonewall penalty, but when the ref waved play on, Everton went right up the other end and scored.

Arguably the worst decision I have ever seen at Goodison Park, that one.

Barry, the "you're shite Everton" bloke, who is itching to have a pop. Often the local lads get it in the neck more.

Ian Marshall, now there is a blast from the past.

I also remember that match at Highbury when an irate supporter ran on the pitch and offered Nyarko his shirt!!

These days, I just tend to sit arms folded watching the football. It must be an age thing.

We could start an entire thread on this subject!!

It's all about winning, Danny. The day I finally witnessed Everton winning a cup was made a lot more enjoyable listening to this character who was sitting right behind me.

He wanted to marry half the Everton team but Neville Southall must have been his favourite because he kept shouting "If I ever got to marry you, Neville, you wouldn't have to wash a fucking dish!"

I love sitting back and watching the game, Danny, but I wish there was a bit more room because every time I do this at Goodison, I get kneed in the back off Big Jack, who is ringer for Jarrad Branthwaite except he's got longer legs!

Ah Tony, one of the things I'm really looking forward to at BMD is the fact that the seats have full-backs in them.

Like you, I get kicked in the back every fucking game by the same guy who mustn't remember from the previous game that he keeps kicking me in the back and I keep hitting his ankles through the set whenever he does it.

International breaks are great. I can get away for a few days, and even bump into England WAGs!

The partners / wife of Kyle Walker, Jack Grealish and I think it was Phil Fodens mum staying in our hotel. It seems what is good enough for us is good enough for them! 😁😁😁

Brian @62

Are our full-backs to remain injured for such a long-time? Squires of the Guardian has his finger on the pulse as per usual.

Lawyerball

https://www.theguardian.com/football/picture/2024/oct/15/david-squires-lawyerball-cartoon