Paul Bracewell appreciation thread

[Groucho]

Saturday morning and no Everton action until Monday - let's have our usual thread about a former Everton great. Last week we did Reidy, so this week let's have his midfield partner Paul Bracewell, who together were the motor of the '80's team.

Quite the underrated and no nonsense player, perhaps he never got the credit he deserved at the time for the job he did?

In this clip from 88/89 he scores the final goal, but the whole clip is a good watch truth be told, with a penalty save from Big Nev, a superb cross from (the massivley underrated in my opinion) Pat Nevin, which led to a fine Dave Watson goal, and the obligatory-by-law free kick from the legend that is Kevin Sheedy.

 

[allezlesbleus]

Super, super player! Skill technique, vision, reading game...boss!

 

[bluesb1970]

I can still remember that goal going in. Brace was fantastic. Never quite the same player after Whitehurst got him but superb still.

 

[Kev50]

wonderful player. I only realised in the last few months that his career was ended by a sociopath who had many such on his list, Billy Whitehurst. What a loss for Everton that tackle was

 

[bluesb1970]

His pass for the third goal here. If it happened today they'd be purring over it for weeks.

 

[tommye]

I love him dearly. Even now.
I measure every midfielder we have on the Bracewell scale. Yet to find one to lace his boots.

Love you PB X

 

[Dario Terracotta]

Aaaah,don't get me started on Brace Groucho mate,he was the classy ticking heartbeat of THAT side,perfect foil alongside Reidy,could break it up,give it simple,the short ball or hit it long to perfection feeding Sheeds/Tricky to do the rest,loved the fella,bloody Whitehorse wasn't fit to share the same oxygen.

 

[kiss the crest]

I love him dearly. Even now.
I measure every midfielder we have on the Bracewell scale. Yet to find one to lace his boots.

Love you PB X

I know it's early days yet, but this idrissa gueye looks close

 

[Chewbacca]

His pass for the third goal here. If it happened today they'd be purring over it for weeks.

Quite possibly favourite game. I was in the Street End and we were delighted when Sunderland scored in the first minute.

It was like an episode of the Hulk. They made us angry.

 

[COYBL25]

Every lad in our school that was a Blue, had his haircut 1984 / 1985.

None of the Kopites could bring themselves to go into the barbers and ask for a " Paul Bracewell ".

The girls at the time loved it and the result was we got all the best girls.

* If I remember righty his missus was a stunner too.

 

[Thomasc]

I once had my hair cut to look like his.

#mancrush

 

[duncan's pigeon]

Agree with the above, absolutely loved the man, and like @tommye I also judge Everton midfield players on this man.

Our friends across the park have been looking for the final piece of the jigsaw for nearly 30 years, Paul Bracewell was the final and most important piece in the best jigsaw I ever saw!!

He was hard, covered everywhere across the pitch and could play both long and short. The fact that many of a certain age also saw him as a leader in hair fashion as well just added to his legendary status.

Don't even start me on Whitehurst.......

The fact that when he left us, and we thought he'd gone as a player, he managed to become integral with Beardsley in shaping a young Newcastle team just showed his class to me even then, and even for them.

 

[bluesb1970]

Quite possibly favourite game. I was in the Street End and we were delighted when Sunderland scored in the first minute.

It was like an episode of the Hulk. They made us angry.

I remember it too. You just knew we would win and it was just a blip when they scored. Let's hope RK can get us back to that mentality.

 

[T LEAFE]

Aaaah,don't get me started on Brace Groucho mate,he was the classy ticking heartbeat of THAT side,perfect foil alongside Reidy,could break it up,give it simple,the short ball or hit it long to perfection feeding Sheeds/Tricky to do the rest,loved the fella,bloody Whitehorse wasn't fit to share the same oxygen.

Spot on.
Brace and Reidy dominated the middle. Tricky and Kev provided the flair. What a midfield combination.
The Holy trinity were magnificent but i think these 4 were as good.
Brace never stopped runnng. He never appeared the quickest but his stride was deceptive. Brace was everywhere.
And most importantly he gave everything and never let us down

 

[paultheblue]

We signed Brace in 84 after the cup win and at the time i didnt quite see why we bought him but he made his debut against big stand united in the charity shield and was superb in our victory ,before his injury he rarely had a bad game.
Possibly Howards best ever signing.