A very sad loss. I loved reading his books and I found his column in the Echo very interesting. As I think
Moyes said (and Martinez) he was always very helpful to current Everton managers. Unlike some across the park who can't wait to stick the knife in I think he balanced an honesty with a support for the manager.
In one of his recent columns he said he would start Naismith and we were right not to sell him. He scored a hatrick the following weekend against Chelsea. His ability to see things in players, even when he was coming towards his death in all honesty far trumps 90% of the people on here and football fans generally who would slate the inclusion of Naismith. Likewise last season even when we were really poor he noted the use of Kone is forming a partnership alongside Lukaku ad he could see positive early signs emerging.
I have often stated both of those things on here. In all honesty neither were my original ideas, I took both from Kendall and owe any insight I had to him being able to see the game and things within the game before most others. It's a crying shame he didn't get more punditry work as he was clearly a very astute football man.
In many ways, like most managers I think he has suffered from managing in the same time period as Alex Ferguson. His achievements in many ways are dwarfed by Fergusons as would anybody else's. To win two league titles and a major European trophy alongside an FA Cup is a massive achievement though and he should be remembered as a football great.
With Kendall I really think it was a case of what could and should have been. He is a younger man than Ferguson. In reality Kendall should never have been allowed to leave Everton and he should have stayed to build a dynasty. Heysel played a big part in this but probably mistakes from Kendall himself and the club probably didn't help in that.
Around 9 months ago I put a post on here about the 98 squad and youth cup winning team. If Kendall had been given more time and support could he have begun to recreate what he did 15 years previous for us. At 54 he was too young to be lost to the game forever. There is little doubt that there were weaknesses to his managerial style at that stage but there remained enormous strengths. I wish the club had supported him a little better through the season, perhaps off the field also. He had a unique eye for a player but also was an incredibly warm kind man who people were drawn too. Given the mess the team was in and the club were in he probably needed more help to balance out his essentially kind nature with a bit of steal. Had we have moved for Cruyff to work above him and possibly an Andy Gray below him who knows what could have occurred.
Even in what turned out to be a horrific season there were still rays of hope. His signing of Myhre for the money we paid was fantastic. As important a signing as Gray or Sheedy a decade earlier. Had we persisted with Southall we'd have gone down. I think Oster would have grown under Howard. He lost his captain and fullback that season without being able to replace them and got us through. Smith was then given 20 million to spend in the summer money I think could have been better spent in a system with Howard involved in it. We wasted the youth cup triumph of 98 and I always remained hopeful if Kendall would have been there it would have been different.
I apologise for the insensitivity of talking football for the death of what was primarily a wonderful human being. It is a ramble out of the sadness I still feel when I consider how young he's died. He has died too young and I think it is important in his death that some context is given to the 97/98 season. Had he have had the right support network in place I still think Kendall would have won more with us again.
Not to be though. It's a huge loss. Behind Dixie Dean the most important Evertonian we've ever had. RIP.
