Alan Ball appreciation thread

[No8Bally]

I've got a semi on now - better watch more of Alan instead of Xhamster vids before I try my hand in with the old lady...

 

[bluelord49]

lollol

 

[Blues Harp]

That goal in the cup at Goodison v the RS though - packed into Gwladys St like sardines, went mental after the goal - not the greatest game ever as far as football was concerned but just one spark of genius from Bally was the difference. When he was sold to Arsenal I think our home game was v Huddersfield and there was just complete and utter shock at his departure in the ground that day...along with Colin and Howard he is a true legend of our club.

 

[AndyC]

Ball of fire, what an apt nickname. Hard as nails, niggly, tireless worker, great goal scorer, fine passer of the ball and believe it or not a great header of the ball for such a short man. I remember seeing him score two headers in the same game against, I think, Shefield Utd. at Goodison.

Bally was my boyhood hero, I was 13 when he signed, and I don,t mind admitting that I cried a few tears when the Cat sold him to Arsenal.

You and me both mate, the day Bally was sold I was at school in a daze - to be fair, the teachers gave me some leeway, they knew what Bally meant to Evertonians... and Inwas at school in Salford !!!

 

[AndyC]

@Groucho

I think when the holy trinity statue is built

It will firmly put Alan Ball into every Evertonians minds.

I said a little prayer to him this morning for some signings.

And when said statue is cast, by hellfire it had better do the three of them justice - pressure BIGTIME on the artist to make sure it's worthy of a Holy Trinity.

 

[peteblue]

Alan Ball ...
There will never be anyone like him,they broke the mould the day he left us.
I totally loved him , the day in January 1966 he was playing for Blackpool and he ripped us to bits .The final whistle saw a good few Evertonians on the pitch myself included pleading with him....
Alan sign for us please which he did the following August.
He made his debut against Fulham away,scoring the only goal in the 1-0 win that had me on the pitch to celebrate with Bally after running half the length of the field to catch him.
A knife through the heart the day he went to Arsenal and even more so on his demise.
I shed a whole lot of tears on both occasions I,m unashamed to say.
Still hurts....Never to be forgotten so many happy moments
God Bless Alan Ball.

Im sorry to say we will never see his like again. I still remember where I was and who I was with when I heard the news of his transfer, and the word gutted doesn't even come close. Remembering him taking the mick out of the RS, sitting on the ball, pure unadulterated class. I took my wife with me when he came back that time with Southampton and never has any player received an applause and ovation like that since. There were tears rolling down his face and ours, it was probably the most emotional game that has taken place at Goodison and by god we've had a few. Having him as our player and dressed in Blue was an honour.......

 

[Joey66]

Joey the scissor kick you refer to was the one i described as the Rabona kick and Bally did that when playing for Blackpool against us .... as mentioned in my post he well ripped us that day.

Yes and those white boots, only he deserved to be flash, like George Best!

 

[bluelord49]

This..
Peteblue....Probably not a dry eye in the ground

 

[Walken]

Cant remember the game, but remember him coming on the pitch saying he's an evertonian and its the greatest feeling in the world, his passion being obvious, first time i saw any prolonged footage was the world cup final, best player on the pitch for me.

Too young to remember either the 80's or 60's glory days and without wanting to start a competitiob between the two i'd like to live through the 60's more, as ball, kendall and harvey as combination sounds like just the sort of football i love

 

[Dario Terracotta]

Cant remember the game, but remember him coming on the pitch saying he's an evertonian and its the greatest feeling in the world, his passion being obvious, first time i saw any prolonged footage was the world cup final, best player on the pitch for me.

Too young to remember either the 80's or 60's glory days and without wanting to start a competitiob between the two i'd like to live through the 60's more, as ball, kendall and harvey as combination sounds like just the sort of football i love

Me too mate,I feel blessed to have witnessed the mid 1980's,but it was so fleeting,for the majority of the 1960's even when we weren't winning stuff we were just ace

 

[Joey66]

Cant remember the game, but remember him coming on the pitch saying he's an evertonian and its the greatest feeling in the world, his passion being obvious, first time i saw any prolonged footage was the world cup final, best player on the pitch for me.

Too young to remember either the 80's or 60's glory days and without wanting to start a competitiob between the two i'd like to live through the 60's more, as ball, kendall and harvey as combination sounds like just the sort of football i love

It was pure heaven stood in the Kop 2-0 up playing scintillating football the massive Anfield road end full of Blue and white scarfs chanting Champions, Champions - about 5000 of us in the Kop and their fans just admitting how good we were, and the title was in the bag for us, and that game proved to be correct, what a place to outplay a very good Liverpool side!
The Holy Trinity led by Bally with a complete team of footballers with strikers Royle, and Whittle getting the two goals it really was champagne football with Bally the driving force!
I for one aged 12 will never forget the day on the Kop my first visit

 

[AndyC]

Im sorry to say we will never see his like again. I still remember where I was and who I was with when I heard the news of his transfer, and the word gutted doesn't even come close. Remembering him taking the mick out of the RS, sitting on the ball, pure unadulterated class. I took my wife with me when he came back that time with Southampton and never has any player received an applause and ovation like that since. There were tears rolling down his face and ours, it was probably the most emotional game that has taken place at Goodison and by god we've had a few. Having him as our player and dressed in Blue was an honour.......

Reading this thread and it made me think about just how much we laud our heroes in Blue.

Now I mean absolutely no disrespect to the likes of Tim Cahill, Big Dunc and others, nor the fans who refer to them as 'Legends' but compared to Bally, Howie and King Colin, they are but mortals.

The Holy Trinity were and are far, far more than 'Legends' they are footballing immortals.
To have seen them play was more than an honour and privilege, it was a blessing.
Bally had everything and his sitting on the ball in more than one Derby was a thing of beauty to behold.

Every club and its fans has players who were special and some, but to all those Blues who are either too young or never got to see the Holy Trinity, I'd recommend you seek out anyone over the age of sixty and ask them if they remember... and then sit back and wallow in the memories of THE BEST midfield trio the game has ever and us ever likely to witness.

 

[Rob17896]

Occasionally over the last few weeks on a Saturday, to distract from the (lack of) transfer activity, we've had a thread discussing a former player. We've had Neville Southall and Bob Latchford to name but two, so today I thought we'd have a look at little curly Alan Ball.

To younger fans, this player is often mentioned as having been the originator of 'once Everton has touched you, nothing will be the same', but have they ever actually seen footage of him? Do they know how good he was? Indeed, he was before my time too. I hope he's not in danger of simply becoming an inspirational quote on a wall - this is a man who was one of our greatest players, winning the league here, and also being a World Cup winner.

The older generation (of which I'm rapidly becoming a part of, having seen the '80's side and witnessed success) need to inform younger blues of our greats, so who better to have a look at today that Alan Ball?

Above is footage of a game vs Newcastle, in which Ball play a large part. Take it away blues....​

My original Everton hero. Stood beside him when I was a kid at Liverpool Airport when he was making a call when they has come back from Greece. He could not have been more kind in signing all the pictures I had ripped from The Shoot and had taken down from my wall when I found out they were coming in. An amazing player who won the world cup as a Blackpool player. Kendall made the quip that Evertons scout spotted him playing in the world cup final! I am a little too young to remember Alex Young and for me, if ever a player was Everton then it is him. If we want to point out to an outsider what Everton means then show them clips and interviews with Alan Ball.

 

[Rob17896]

Reading this thread and it made me think about just how much we laud our heroes in Blue.

Now I mean absolutely no disrespect to the likes of Tim Cahill, Big Dunc and others, nor the fans who refer to them as 'Legends' but compared to Bally, Howie and King Colin, they are but mortals.

The Holy Trinity were and are far, far more than 'Legends' they are footballing immortals.
To have seen them play was more than an honour and privilege, it was a blessing.
Bally had everything and his sitting on the ball in more than one Derby was a thing of beauty to behold.

Every club and its fans has players who were special and some, but to all those Blues who are either too young or never got to see the Holy Trinity, I'd recommend you seek out anyone over the age of sixty and ask them if they remember... and then sit back and wallow in the memories of THE BEST midfield trio the game has ever and us ever likely to witness.

I think Cahill was just with us at the wrong time. If the rest of the team matched him we would have won stuff.

 

[Togger Blue]

Ball of fire, what an apt nickname. Hard as nails, niggly, tireless worker, great goal scorer, fine passer of the ball and believe it or not a great header of the ball for such a short man. I remember seeing him score two headers in the same game against, I think, Shefield Utd. at Goodison.

Bally was my boyhood hero, I was 13 when he signed, and I don,t mind admitting that I cried a few tears when the Cat sold him to Arsenal.

Kinell Roy, I'm the same age as you & I was also a tadge upset when he went to Arsenal. In another thread months ago I mentioned the excitement of signing Bally & although only 13 sneaking out of the house on the Saturday morning, on my tod getting the bus to town & on the train to Euston, to see his scoring & winning debut a Fulham ... a lovely sunny day. He brought many more sunny days to us in the years to come, even when it was raining!!!