little curly alan ball
Player Valuation: £70m
To the lads in Helmand Province or Afghanistan generally , an' my favourite Wool , Non-Stalker , 'B-Izzzzllle-Babe .
May the Good Lord be with you all .
Welcome , everyone , to our litle corner of the Sabbath .
As many of our long-standing Congregation members will concur , the focus of these lessons often has a particular idiosyncratic , or specific , Azzuri - Uniqueness , about them . Well , in today's subject , we place the spotlight on , as we stand today , an Honest To God , one-off . This man , to date , only began as a , not-really-very-much-at-all , home-bred left back , but departed as the finest exponent of Centre Half play in the Blue of Everton FC since the Great Labone . Moreover , as the Captain of our most successful side in over 100 years - at that time , of this fine Institution , and was the first , and alas to date , only person to lift a European Trophy for the Club .
Ladies and Gentlemen , may I introduce , Kevin Ratcliffe .
Kev The Rat , was born in the town of Mancot , near Queensferry , North Wales , on November 18 , 1960 . A gifted player as a youth , he realised his schoolboy dream , ( A Schoolboy Match-Going Toffee ) , when approached by Everton - under Billy Bingham , where he was eventually signed as a Youth , in 1977 and then on to a to a Professional Contract in 1980 . However , his ultimate glttering , second-to-none career , did not exactly resonate with A - Team portents in its infancy . Indeed , he almost did not make it . Given a debut at Old Trafford , against Joe Jordan and Manchester United , where , despite geting beaten up for an hour-and-a-half , he didn't shirk . He ended the game bruised but stil coming back for more . It was trait we would grow to love . Still , it was NOT an Instant-Hit thing , as , following his debut , he would return to the obscurity of the Central League for nearly two years . Moreover , he had a major rift with Manager Howard Kendall during this period , to the extent that he was a whisker away from accepting an offer of escape from Bobby Robson's , Ipswich Town . The Old Fox having seen him played out of position at Left Back , yet recognised latent talent . Fortunately for both ourselves and Ratters , he opted to stick it out .
The situation would worsen , however , before it improved . His second game was against West Ham United , at Elland Road , in the F.A. Cup Semi Final . The week after , Ardilles and Hoddle at White Hart Lane . Then after being dropped for a Home Fixture against Birmingham City , Kevin officially requested a transfer . This time , Kendall , just as pedantically , agreed and placed the lad's name on the Transfer List . As is often the case in such circumstances , a spate of injuries , in particular one to Billy Wright , saw HK FINALLY turn to Ratters , and in 1982 , he was given , and soon made his own a first team place, - this time at Centre Half , his first 3 games being at left back ; forming an ever-maturing partnership with , first , Mark Higgins , and then , fellow youngster Derek Mountfield , a recent Kendall purchase from Tranmere Rovers . In fact , so great was his impact , that , not only did he retain his spot , but within 12 months , at the age of 21 , Kevin Ratcliffe was made Captain of Everton FC , - taking over from Higgins ; and within another 6 months would be representing Wales . He was appointed Everton Captain in December - this very week ; in 1983 , and , by March , held the same position for his Country . Talk about Meteoric Rise ,..
He played in , but did not Captain the 5-0 Derby Armegeddon , but he did oversee the first steps of the re-descovery of belief . Of hope . I recall an evening game against Luton Town , I think . It was the Terry Curran On Loan , game . The , Sign Him On , night . Well , as we shall imminently discover , most Blues quote the Oxford Cup game as THE MOMENT . For me , it was Luton . I was in the Enclosure - despite being a Park End Season Ticket Holder from age 12 onwards ; with me mate , Mouser ; Aka ; Mouser , Enc', EFC ; I saw a young side , definately full of potential , but which had suffered not just a hiding ,but the worst caning off the Bealzebubs in living memory . Even Lawrenson scored , as I recently reminded him of . But THAT night , I honestly remember walking away thinking , " Know what ??? This COULD , ACTUALLY , BE ON !!! Now , BEFORE we got to Oxford we would endure the Christmas '83 , and a , Coventry game ; NOT quite a throw-back to Edge's , " Raining Cushions " Day , of 2 years earlier , but bad enough . There were 13,000 an' some present . I went with me Uncle Norman on Me Nan's Season Ticket . It was grim . Awfully , exceedingly grim . THAT , is how desperate things were becoming . As it turned out , thanks to a ball from an unsighted Kevin Brock , we saw a chink of luck in a period bereft of it , generally . As 1983 became 1984 , things were about to change .
I can recall drawing Stoke City , away , in the F.A. Cup 3rd round . As per , I ended up going . Had murders by that Canal thing , bumped into Andy King outside , and generally was having decent day . I was upstairs , behind the goal . I got in about 2.50 as usual , and the place was ROCKING . " We shall not be moved ", was being belted out , and it struck me how fukn BOSS we were when we just cheered the fuk up . Anyway , it appeared the Dome felt the same , as in his pre-Match Speech , he merely opened the Dressing Room Window , and said , " Listen to that !!! Go and win it FOR THEM !!! Well , win it , they did . 2-0 , and , unbekown to us , we were off . By the Season's End , we would play the RS in the first , All-Merseyside Cup Final , the League Cup - beaten unluckily , 1-0 , in a replay at Man City . Then , even AFTER that , and FINALLY laying the Ghosts of a Generation - 1977 , to rest , beat Southampton at Arsenal , in my FAV' EVER F.A. Cup Semi , even beating Elland Road , as Inchy grabbed a last minute of injury time winner against Shilton , and it was , All Back Off To , Wem-Ber-Ley !!! Of course , we duly despatched a , Never-Gonna-Beat-Us , Watford Side , and as a result , from the DEPTHS OF DESPAIR that had been December 1983 , to Kevin Ratcliffe being the Youngest Ever Captain , of Any Club , to lift the F.A. Cup as he brought Eveton FC its first Trophy of any description in 14 years ; in May , 1984 . We kinda let our hair down , an' Me Boy was born a Month later ...
The following Season , 1984/85 , again , as I vividly recall , began with a home game against Tottenham . I remember the Programme . It's Ratters , smiling like a Mufuka , holding the F.A. Challenge Trophy whilst a blue and white scarf adorns his pretty little neck . I liked it . A LOT . However, us being us , 90 minutes later , the Thud as we were brought back down to Earth could be heard in Mid-Wales , as Clive Allen raped us , and we were spanked 4-1 . So much for Programmes and Omens , I mused . I needn't have worried . We went to Chelsea on a Friday night and won 1-0 . From there , it was ALL GRAVY . I was living in Newcastle and took a chasing around their City Centre as I tried to break out of the Escort , as payment-in-full for another top day out as Andy Gray got 2 as we blasted the Barcodes up there .
Before October was out , Atkinson's Manchester United , that of , Robson / Hughes / Strachen / Olsen , et al , were completely mullah'd , 5-0 , at Goodison in the most complete home performance of my many years watching the 'ton . 3 days later , we went to Old Trafford and knocked them out of the League Cup . A fortnight later , I was again blessed , as marooned as I was , me fambo would sort me little treats ; Wembley , The Semi , LOADS , tbh . This time it was me Nanna / Aunty Violet , and a ticket for Grey Skull . I'm SO glad I bothered . By now , confident as fuk , with Peter Reid having turned into , " The Ghost Of Bally " uny without the pace , good looks or goals , we held our own as our Keeper wore an S under his jersey . Shortly into the second half , Stevens launches a ball over Lawrenson's shoulder ( I reminded him of THIS , too , btw ..) Sharpy peels off , grabs a yard of space , and as it drops , pings that Adidas Whateveritwascalled ball that they used to favour at home , and it soared like an Exocet - I kid you not ; into the top left hand corner , as he looked , of the Anfield Road Goal . I swear , I never stopped telling people about it , in me best , " Jamie Carragher , HIGH-PITCHED ; GET THE FUK OUTTA TOWN !!! ; voice " , for about a month . It was , Honest To God , Amazing . We hung on to claim our first victory of any description at the All-Conquering Bealzebubs , since 1969 .OM-F-G !!!
The rest of that Season , take your pick ; Gray , horizontal at Notts County , Sunderland AND Newcatle DESTROYED at home , Sittard , both games , Belg' , lid , ..then came Bayern Munich . A lot has been said about this night . A lot true , and , in honesty , a lot of bollox , too . If everyone who SAID they were present , were present , there'd have been 150,000 in the Old Lady that night . I GET it though . People just wanted to be involved . To belong . As it was , me , Me Da' , Me Nanna , Me Aunty Violet and me Uncle Norman were all among those present . So were 43,00 odd others . Pre-game was nervous . Loud , but nervous . They scored , just before the break . Ratcliffe likes to tell the story that HK said , " Just get it in the box . I'm TELLING you !!! You do that and The Gwladys Street will suck it into the net !!! " He weren't far wrong . We went on , with tears in our fukn eyes , to completely over-run one of the finest and certainly European-Football-Savvy , which we , most definately WERE NOT ; sides in ANY Eufa Competition , with three unanswered second half goals . For the Males amongst us , if Everton ever crosses your mind in a broadly sexual capacity ; then I give you , Trevor Steven , that very night as he scores and wheels way to the Bullens Road . Meeeeeeeeoooow !!! If you don't mind . I digress ,.. Kevin Ratcliffe had just led this Fine , Fine Football Club into its inaugaral European Final , as Evertonians everywhere beat a trail to the Travel Agents and Trans-Alpino ,....However , we weren't done yet . An F.A. Cup Semi Final , this tme Luton Town at Villa Park , again went into extra time before we , via Sheedy's , Harry-Fukn-Potter Left Foot , eventually triumphed ; was followed by Tottenham away in the League as the Bin Man announced to the World who was REALLY , The BIG DAWG . Amazing . Truly , absolutely gob-smackingly , amazing . From nowhere , we turned around , and we weren't just good . Not even very good ,.. ; We WERE FUKN MUSTARD , an' EVERYONE , AN' I DO MEAN EVERYONE , were FUKN TERRIFIED OF US . Brian Clough called us , " The Team of the NEXT decade ,.." We collected the League Championship Trophy at a rapturous Goodison , prior to heading off to Rotterdam , before it was back to Wembley . It really WAS how we rolled , back then . The Final was more of a , I was there , day , than a real game of football . Rapid Vienna had played and had murder with Celtic earlier that Season - indeed , it STILL rankles at Parkhead ; and were definately au fait with British Footy , to the extent that they were scared of us . They were right to be , but nevertheless , scared of us . As such , another 3-1 victory saw history created on May 15 1985 at about 10 pm C.E.T. , as Kevin Ratcliffe raised the European Cup Winner's Cup in the Colours of Everton Football Club . I cried . A lot . Didn't stop for TIME . Wembley on the Saturday would see us reach , A Bridge Too Far , as despite being WHOLLY better than Manchester United , Whiteside somehow beat the Bin Man from there , and their 10 men beat our 11 . We were out on our feet . No matter , what was required , in truth , was a moment's pause , and reflection , as we remembered Dean and even Catterick , Sagar , and countless others whom had put in the hard yards , at what was to be , and remains thus to this day , our very , very finest hour . Two weeks to the day after we were playing Footy with the Dutch Police in Rotterdam , the RS were " involved" in the murder / manslaughter of 39 Juventus Fans as a riot ensued at a delapidated Heysel Stadium , Bruxelles . Margaret Thatcher had FINALLY got what she was waiting for and would have taken us out of European Competition unilaterally . In the event , there was no need , as Eufa announced a 5 year ban on ALL - Utterly , Wholly Innocent AND WITHOUT SCHULDE in this matter , or not ; English Clubs . A week later , World Soccer Magazine announced its Team of the Year ; 1985 ,... FC Everton . This following , ( Sir ) Neville Southall taking the Football Writer's , Player of the Year award , and Reidy , the Players equivalent .
I recall those DARK , DARK days a tad different to a lot of Blues . I was no longer resident on Merseyside , but came back often . Nevertheless , I myself exhibited and could see manifested all around me , a tangible aura of post-traumatic shock . Believe it or not , 'cause that's how we were in those days ; Socialist , down , generally for each other in the face of the Thatcher War Machine ; NO-ONE mentioned blame , for a long time . Of course , even when we eventually did , we discovered it had been , Chelsea , all along anyway . Still , we were robbed of the opportunity of , at our veritable peak , entering the European Cup with a genuinely realistic chance of winning it . Kevin Ratcliffe said on the subject ; " ..We may not have won it , but I shall go to my grave believing we'd have gotten to the Semi Final . After that ,.." Here-Fukn-Here , Rattster , Dude !!! Gut-wrenching , soul-destroying , heartbreakingly- emotionally-obliterating , with SUPER shell-shock , doesn't quite say it . Nonetheless , the future , as ever , just kept on coming . Regardless .
Thus , while most of us were still shaking our heads and pointing backwards , life , and English Football , continued on down the Great Highway of La Dolce Vita , and HK , in a decision , considering the man's standing amongst Evertonians at that time , which was most voiciferously questioned , as he chose to sign Gary Lineker from Leicester City , for £800,000 , whilst also allowing Andy Gray to leave , for whom it turns out was his first love all along , Aston Vanilla . This was a BIG call , as while Gray was injury prone , he was still below 30 , was a current International and had been as much of a " Lucky Charm " to our all-conquering side as ANYONE has EVER been to ANY Goodison Football team . Ratters says about the Captaincy , " It was easy ( being 21 and Skipper ,..) Once the likes of Reid and Gray back you , believe in you , the rest just follow . Having them in your side is enough , but having them back you made you wanted to run through a brick wall ,..." In fairness , despite my own ripping the arse off've Links first half , as McMahon and the RS took a 3-0 half time Home Derby lead . He duly came out second half , scored 1 , hit the bar and should have had 3 more as we pulled 2 back but lost 3-2 . The point was , HK was right . Links was THE GOODS . We had to change our WHOLE method of playing ; no more Steven / Sheedy 15 goals season , that , with , Sharp , Gray and a played-uny-until-early-December , Inchy bagging more than 10 each , but he was worth it . Thus , Merseyside could legitimately claim to have the 2 finest out-and-out stikers in World Football - Cheating / Bolivian Marching Powder Loving / Little Argentinian Thing was NOT an out-and-out Striker, btw , pedants ....
Meanwhile , normal service was resumed , as the league , if anything , was coming along very niceley , thank you . The RS had , as we knew they would , re-emerged over Tottenham as our REAL competitors for the Title , but were languishing mid-table as we went back to the scene of our fantastic victory a campaign earlier . Now , in a career spanning 15 years and comprising 348 appearances , Kevin Ratcliffe scored precisely , 2 goals in the Blue of Everton . One of them , was this very day ,... Picture the scene ,.. Kicking Kop End . Ratters is in their half , say 5/6 yards just beyond the " D " of the centre circle , generally middle of the pitch . The ball comes out to him as it was often wont to do , though instead of launching it in the air as he would 95% of his career at L44EL , he mis-hit it along the floor in the general direction of Scotland Road . However , the ball continued to bobble and roll , never in excess of about 7mph , whilst passing about 15 of the 22 players , and it continued to just keep on going ,..to the extent that ,.. nah ,.. it can't fukn ,..nah ,..NAH ,..NA ,..YEEEEEEEEEESSSSSS!!! Kev' The Rat' then proceeded to exhibit , with respect like , and for such an Aristocratic Footballer , a very Ryman's League Celebration , as he became an Anfield Derby Goal Scorer , and with Links also bagging one Kop End , maintaining his record of ALWAYS scoring against the RS when in Everton Blue , as we won 2-0 , thus obtaining our first two-in-two at Grey Skull in a very , very , very long time . I liked to tear the back out of me RS boys with , " The old 1-2 , 'Arry ,.. " It weren't THAT funny , tbh , but the more they hated it , the more I LOVED it ,.. Shadow boxes ,," The old 1-2 ', Arry !!! ,.." Yeah . Still feels BOSS . The F.A. Cup was now fast becoming our personal preserve as , having played every game in the Competition , proper , for the last 2 years , and lost one , we found ourselves once more in the Semi Final of same . This time against Sheffield Wednesday , again at Vanilla Park . The nail biting of the previous 2 years was maintained , first Mooncat , then , in extra-time , Sharpy nodded us back , yet again to Wembley . By now , I was living in London , and me an' me mate would Hitch , yes , that's Hitch , all over watching this side . We did so , to Oxford United's County Ground , on April 30th , 1986 . As we entered the ground , we were a point clear of the RS , with 2 - home games to go . Lineker was ON FIRE , we had been the better , more consistent side all year , so , surely ,.. it was all good ,..??? As History will note , we were crushingly defeated in a one-sided ; ours , game , an' Lineker missed more chances that night than he had since December , with 2 in particular ,.. The one that hit the top of the bar ,.... As Steve Waugh once said ,.. " You've just dropped the World Cup , mate ,.." to Herscelle Gibbs . It was applicable here . We still hitched on the Saturday for the Southampton game . Before the game ; SHOULD the RS fuk up at Chelsea , we needed to score 6 goals , irrespective of how many against . We won 6 - 2 as Lineker was rampant and bagged a hat-trick . They'd done all they could , but I would like to mention the TAWT whom radio in ear advised the Lower Bullens that Chelsea had scored and it was 1-0 . For a short time , even the players believed it , when in fact the Homosexual , Dalglish had chipped the Kings Road Huns' Keeper and won them the League . We stayed up for the Bank Holiday , and on the Monday watched the West Ham game , and as it turned out , Links' farewell . So , the League was gone . Let's get revenge in the Cup ,.. I haven't mentioned the MAIN incident in our campaign this year , once the action had begun , the Sabotage Attack on Neville Southall in Dublin by then Oxford United , but soon to be , and ALWAYS rampant Kopite , John Aldridge . He basically landed on Bin Man's ankle as they both went up for a ball . That was in March . He never kicked a ball for the rest of that season . Thus , despite a decent first half performance at Wembley , as Links , of course , bags one and we lead 1 nil at half time . Alas , they passed us off the park , second half as Jimmy Fukn Durante banged 2 past the hapless Bobby Mimms as they beat us 3-1 and 2 , maybe 3 generations of Evertonians were traumatized to an International Standard . " You'll never beat the Reds ,.." Mouth falls open ,.. Slobber ,.. Shaking ,... Mumbling , Mad-Eyed Stare ,... Thus , we lost the double , after being clear with three games to play in the League , and were leading 1-0 at half time in the Final . To the RS ,...
Even after THAT end to the Season . EVEN WITH it being THEM , we STILL knew we were boss and genuinely fancied doing them again , given the chance . Thus , as England set off for Mexico , reminders of 1970 abounded . Whilst not Champions , we nearly were , and again sent 4 representatives to South America . However , as they FINALLY got it together - due to the infusion of Evertonia , Lineker went into Football Stratosphere as he bagged a hat-trick and finished with the Golden Boot . From that moment forward , it was uny a matter of time , as Barcelona came in with a bid of £2.2 million . Once more ; All change at Partizan Walton ,...
This time , August was NOT so optimistic . HK refrained to replace the Leicester Leotard , like-for-like , instead saying Inchy would be given his chance . With all due respect to my Fav' 5' 5 Stokey , we were under-whelmed . We needn't have worried , as amidst a season a horrendous injuries , Sheedy , Sharp , Reid , Mountfield , Snodin , Van Den Hauwe , all miss significant chunks . Langley , Adams , Harper and Power all played significant roles . It was NOT pretty and CERTAINLY wasn't 1985 , but it WAS successful , as Kevin Ratcliffe , for the second time in 3 years , and including Charity Shields , lifted his 8th Trophy as Captain of Everton FC . , as the League Championship Trophy once more resided at Goodison Park , Walton , Liverpool .
So , it was Summer , thus , a Bombshell was imminent . Wasn't it ,..??? Well , yes it was , as , this time , Kendall himself , seeing the hand-cuffs that were the European Ban , cited his having gone as far as he could and headed off to the Basque Country , and Colin Harvey moved up one spot . As was inevitable , the GREAT side was beginning to break up . Gray had gone . So had Mountfield . Rumours abounded about Sheedy , Reid , Steven , Stevens even , Ratters himself . Moreover , Harvey came in , and in a Magnificent 7 type gesture brought in Neil McDonald , THAT Norman Whiteside , Patsy Nevin and a British Transfer Record , £2.2 million , Tony Cottee from West Ham . However , despite the requisite settling down period in what was , in truth , a MAJOR change both on and off the Park . We had some good days . Newcastle opening day ; Me Boy's First Game . Cottee bags a hat-trick as Barcodes are bladdered 4-0 , an' YET ANOTHER Anfield Victory ; This time in the League Cup, 1-0 - " Shaggy Stevens in the Kop End ..." , ( The Ol' 1-2-3 ' Arry !!! ) others , too . However , we were no longer the FORCE we were 4 years earlier . We had respect still , but we didn't frighten anyone any longer . Also , this season would see the onset of perhaps the most freudian aspect of Kevin Ratcliffe's Everton Career ; his MAD ARSE relationship with Hollywood Baddy , Vinnie Jones .
For those who don't know , Wimbledon were the Stoke City / Wolves of their day . However , these made no secret of their wanting to DO you if it was required . Jones had been involved in butting , elbowing , biting - albeit off the park , incidents and was pictured squeezing Gascoigne's Three-For-A-Bob . Meanwhile , Our Captain , never anyone's soft [Poor language removed] , but neither was he , first in , neither . Nevertheless , upon meeting , Big Chris , on the field , he turned all Chuck Norris , on us . First , they knocked us out of the Cup en route to beating the RS . They bullied us that day , and there was a butting incident between the pair at a corner . Then , in a League Game at home the following Season the game was uny minutes old . They had not been within 5 yards of each other , then , first challenge , Rat's just says ," Fuk it ", an' throws the head right on , Dr. Hollywood . Instant Red Card , an' so it went from there . Him an' Sharpy , usually taking turns apiece to get sent off basically every time we met them . We finished 6th in Harvey's first season and reached the Semi Final of the League Cup , losing to Arsenal over 2 legs . Trevor Steven missed a Penalty in the home leg as that Competition would once more jettison us until the Semi versus Chelsea in 2008 . Oh , an' we lost on Penalties to the Glasgow Huns in some Murdoch Inspired , Non-Euro Competition , in that hot-bed ( See what I did there ??? ) , of Football , Dubai .
1988/89 dawned with us now back to being merely human again . Our air of invincibility was now officially dead , and we looked to roll up our sleeves . We had generally , under-whelmed but Harvey still " had ", the fans . A decent 3-2 defeat of Man' United , live on TV , was followed by a 3-1 beating off the RS and another TV game , this time a 6-2 nightmare in the rain at Villa Park . It weren't all that . Ratters was injured for much of it , playing uny 24 games all that season . There WAS a couple of silver linings amongst the myriad of clouds , though . Firstly , via reaching the Final of the ( NOT Euro) Simod Cup , we met Nottingham Forest at Wembley . In what was a fantastic game , we lost 4-3 with some superb goals on both sides ; 2 things stick out . First , I was able to take me 4 year old to Wembley . He LOVED it . Still does . An' 2 ; The Forest Fans , this was the First Game , Post Hillsborough , an' were , " Fuk It . Its uny Scousers " . If me Boy hadn't have been there , I SWEAR ,... The second good thing was , after defeating Norwich in the most bizarre F.A. Cup Semi Final , indeed ANY game I've seen , at Villa , it was off to Wembley to again meet the RS in the Hillsborough Final . For ONCE , we did actually turn up , as in an excellent game , we came back twice , uny to go down 3-2 to Big Nose yet again. In truth , it was us against the World on that one , due to the Tragedy . However , the fact remains , this was our Swan-Song at the Big Time , as Ratters would lead us up the Wembley steps , that knew his footsteps so well , for the final time .
The next two seasons would see a decline in both our standards generally , and also the fitness , then form of our Captain . Watto , of course and then the David Beckham-Alike Poster Boy , Martin Keown were purchased , and Kevin though played 35 games in Harvey's last full season , with the return of Howard Kendall he would make only 8 starts . There was , of course the 4-4 , then subsequent 1-0 victory in 1991 , and a 3-1 coating of the same RS the year later , but all in all we were on the Down Escalator and Ratters headed towards the Exit Door . He finally left Everton Football Club in 1992 , having played 348 games and bagging 2 goals , and been decorated like no Everton Player before him .
He went on first to Dundee for 4 games , then on to Cardiff City , playing 25 games over a season . Nottingham Forest and Derby were his next destinations over the following year , before finishing at Chester City , where he was ultimately made Team manager . In a case of delicious irony , Kevin Ratcliffe , as Manager of Shrewsbury Time , at the time , bottom of Division 2 , was drawn against Everton and Wayne Rooney in the 3rd Round of the F.A. Cup , at Moss Rose in 2005 . In yet another Everton Cup Competition-Watershed Moments , Ratters saw us off , 1-0 . It was the highlight of his management career to date , and he was dismissed later that season . He currently works as a Media Pundit .
He played for and led his Country with distinction of an extended period . He was part of a side including Southall , Hughes , Rush , Van Den Hauwe , but Giggs would just arrive a touch too late . In point of fact , if they could have found two / three more players they would have entertained greater ambitions than more than mere qualification , legitimately . He played 59 games for Wales , in all . Captaining them for the vast majority .
In compiling today's VERY LONG Sermon , I wanted to do justice not just to the Leader , the man who lifted all the Sliverware . See , Kevin Ratcliffe was a truly magnificent Centre Half . He was strong , competitive could play a simple ball well , tackle like a Monster ,his BRAIN NEVER gets the credit it ought , but his pace ,... Ratters pace was such that in 99.9% of occasions , even when you saw a dangerous situation , Kev The Rat would get you out of it . Apparently , on arrival at Goodison , he challenged the First team to a foot race - and was even alleged to do the same the Linford Christie at the Barcelona Olympics . He could certainly move , and some have stated that he was the fastest Centre Back EVER seen in English Football . I don't know about that , but I do recall one particular occasion . Charity Shield versus Red [Poor language removed] , Wembley . '86 I think . Toucan Face has grabbed a yard - from the half way line , and, no slouch himself , has gone ,...Our Skipper puts on the after-burners and a race ensues . It is 1-0 to us and will finish 1's each . There are 10 or so minutes left . Hooter gets into the box , is about to pull the trigger . His foot comes through to strike the ball , as , WHOOOOSH , like Superman saving a School-Kid , Ratters removes said inflatable , and Elephant Visage kicks fresh air . Cue , puzzled HUGE appendaged Visage ...If I'd have been in the Stand , I'd have stood on me chair . THAT , was Kevin Ratcliffe . A genuine Rolls Fukn Royce of Defenders . Even in the HIGHEST of Company .
Internationally , he was very , very , unlucky . They SHOULD have qualified for SOMETHING and that he , the Bin Man and Scare-The-Kids , SHOULD have been seen on the World Stage . As a Blue , he was / is Legend . Sometimes contraversial in his criticisms now , he ALWAYS has the interests of Everton FC at heart . As I speak today , this great Institution is 132 years old . I would wager that , when my Great-Grandkids'-Grandkids are compiling Sermon's in another 132 years , Kevin Ratcliffe is STILL Everton's most decorated Captain . THAT is the impact he made . Moreover , (for a Wool) , and as is the Modern-Day Bainsey ; The Chicks have him ALL DAY . He is , without doubt , the Geezer , when it comes to , " Medals on the Table ,.." time , an' I love him like me own .
" An' we love our , Kev' The Rat ,.."
Therefore , this Domingo , thank the Almighty for providing Kevin Ratcliffe , genuine Goodison Legend as a player , and the man with the magic touch when it came to lifting Silverware .
Amen .
May the Good Lord be with you all .
Remember; Jesus loves you 'cause you're a Blue .
Look after your peoples .
Peace out .
The ( Catholic ) Reverand L.C.A.B.
May the Good Lord be with you all .
Welcome , everyone , to our litle corner of the Sabbath .
As many of our long-standing Congregation members will concur , the focus of these lessons often has a particular idiosyncratic , or specific , Azzuri - Uniqueness , about them . Well , in today's subject , we place the spotlight on , as we stand today , an Honest To God , one-off . This man , to date , only began as a , not-really-very-much-at-all , home-bred left back , but departed as the finest exponent of Centre Half play in the Blue of Everton FC since the Great Labone . Moreover , as the Captain of our most successful side in over 100 years - at that time , of this fine Institution , and was the first , and alas to date , only person to lift a European Trophy for the Club .
Ladies and Gentlemen , may I introduce , Kevin Ratcliffe .
Kev The Rat , was born in the town of Mancot , near Queensferry , North Wales , on November 18 , 1960 . A gifted player as a youth , he realised his schoolboy dream , ( A Schoolboy Match-Going Toffee ) , when approached by Everton - under Billy Bingham , where he was eventually signed as a Youth , in 1977 and then on to a to a Professional Contract in 1980 . However , his ultimate glttering , second-to-none career , did not exactly resonate with A - Team portents in its infancy . Indeed , he almost did not make it . Given a debut at Old Trafford , against Joe Jordan and Manchester United , where , despite geting beaten up for an hour-and-a-half , he didn't shirk . He ended the game bruised but stil coming back for more . It was trait we would grow to love . Still , it was NOT an Instant-Hit thing , as , following his debut , he would return to the obscurity of the Central League for nearly two years . Moreover , he had a major rift with Manager Howard Kendall during this period , to the extent that he was a whisker away from accepting an offer of escape from Bobby Robson's , Ipswich Town . The Old Fox having seen him played out of position at Left Back , yet recognised latent talent . Fortunately for both ourselves and Ratters , he opted to stick it out .
The situation would worsen , however , before it improved . His second game was against West Ham United , at Elland Road , in the F.A. Cup Semi Final . The week after , Ardilles and Hoddle at White Hart Lane . Then after being dropped for a Home Fixture against Birmingham City , Kevin officially requested a transfer . This time , Kendall , just as pedantically , agreed and placed the lad's name on the Transfer List . As is often the case in such circumstances , a spate of injuries , in particular one to Billy Wright , saw HK FINALLY turn to Ratters , and in 1982 , he was given , and soon made his own a first team place, - this time at Centre Half , his first 3 games being at left back ; forming an ever-maturing partnership with , first , Mark Higgins , and then , fellow youngster Derek Mountfield , a recent Kendall purchase from Tranmere Rovers . In fact , so great was his impact , that , not only did he retain his spot , but within 12 months , at the age of 21 , Kevin Ratcliffe was made Captain of Everton FC , - taking over from Higgins ; and within another 6 months would be representing Wales . He was appointed Everton Captain in December - this very week ; in 1983 , and , by March , held the same position for his Country . Talk about Meteoric Rise ,..
He played in , but did not Captain the 5-0 Derby Armegeddon , but he did oversee the first steps of the re-descovery of belief . Of hope . I recall an evening game against Luton Town , I think . It was the Terry Curran On Loan , game . The , Sign Him On , night . Well , as we shall imminently discover , most Blues quote the Oxford Cup game as THE MOMENT . For me , it was Luton . I was in the Enclosure - despite being a Park End Season Ticket Holder from age 12 onwards ; with me mate , Mouser ; Aka ; Mouser , Enc', EFC ; I saw a young side , definately full of potential , but which had suffered not just a hiding ,but the worst caning off the Bealzebubs in living memory . Even Lawrenson scored , as I recently reminded him of . But THAT night , I honestly remember walking away thinking , " Know what ??? This COULD , ACTUALLY , BE ON !!! Now , BEFORE we got to Oxford we would endure the Christmas '83 , and a , Coventry game ; NOT quite a throw-back to Edge's , " Raining Cushions " Day , of 2 years earlier , but bad enough . There were 13,000 an' some present . I went with me Uncle Norman on Me Nan's Season Ticket . It was grim . Awfully , exceedingly grim . THAT , is how desperate things were becoming . As it turned out , thanks to a ball from an unsighted Kevin Brock , we saw a chink of luck in a period bereft of it , generally . As 1983 became 1984 , things were about to change .
I can recall drawing Stoke City , away , in the F.A. Cup 3rd round . As per , I ended up going . Had murders by that Canal thing , bumped into Andy King outside , and generally was having decent day . I was upstairs , behind the goal . I got in about 2.50 as usual , and the place was ROCKING . " We shall not be moved ", was being belted out , and it struck me how fukn BOSS we were when we just cheered the fuk up . Anyway , it appeared the Dome felt the same , as in his pre-Match Speech , he merely opened the Dressing Room Window , and said , " Listen to that !!! Go and win it FOR THEM !!! Well , win it , they did . 2-0 , and , unbekown to us , we were off . By the Season's End , we would play the RS in the first , All-Merseyside Cup Final , the League Cup - beaten unluckily , 1-0 , in a replay at Man City . Then , even AFTER that , and FINALLY laying the Ghosts of a Generation - 1977 , to rest , beat Southampton at Arsenal , in my FAV' EVER F.A. Cup Semi , even beating Elland Road , as Inchy grabbed a last minute of injury time winner against Shilton , and it was , All Back Off To , Wem-Ber-Ley !!! Of course , we duly despatched a , Never-Gonna-Beat-Us , Watford Side , and as a result , from the DEPTHS OF DESPAIR that had been December 1983 , to Kevin Ratcliffe being the Youngest Ever Captain , of Any Club , to lift the F.A. Cup as he brought Eveton FC its first Trophy of any description in 14 years ; in May , 1984 . We kinda let our hair down , an' Me Boy was born a Month later ...
The following Season , 1984/85 , again , as I vividly recall , began with a home game against Tottenham . I remember the Programme . It's Ratters , smiling like a Mufuka , holding the F.A. Challenge Trophy whilst a blue and white scarf adorns his pretty little neck . I liked it . A LOT . However, us being us , 90 minutes later , the Thud as we were brought back down to Earth could be heard in Mid-Wales , as Clive Allen raped us , and we were spanked 4-1 . So much for Programmes and Omens , I mused . I needn't have worried . We went to Chelsea on a Friday night and won 1-0 . From there , it was ALL GRAVY . I was living in Newcastle and took a chasing around their City Centre as I tried to break out of the Escort , as payment-in-full for another top day out as Andy Gray got 2 as we blasted the Barcodes up there .
Before October was out , Atkinson's Manchester United , that of , Robson / Hughes / Strachen / Olsen , et al , were completely mullah'd , 5-0 , at Goodison in the most complete home performance of my many years watching the 'ton . 3 days later , we went to Old Trafford and knocked them out of the League Cup . A fortnight later , I was again blessed , as marooned as I was , me fambo would sort me little treats ; Wembley , The Semi , LOADS , tbh . This time it was me Nanna / Aunty Violet , and a ticket for Grey Skull . I'm SO glad I bothered . By now , confident as fuk , with Peter Reid having turned into , " The Ghost Of Bally " uny without the pace , good looks or goals , we held our own as our Keeper wore an S under his jersey . Shortly into the second half , Stevens launches a ball over Lawrenson's shoulder ( I reminded him of THIS , too , btw ..) Sharpy peels off , grabs a yard of space , and as it drops , pings that Adidas Whateveritwascalled ball that they used to favour at home , and it soared like an Exocet - I kid you not ; into the top left hand corner , as he looked , of the Anfield Road Goal . I swear , I never stopped telling people about it , in me best , " Jamie Carragher , HIGH-PITCHED ; GET THE FUK OUTTA TOWN !!! ; voice " , for about a month . It was , Honest To God , Amazing . We hung on to claim our first victory of any description at the All-Conquering Bealzebubs , since 1969 .OM-F-G !!!
The rest of that Season , take your pick ; Gray , horizontal at Notts County , Sunderland AND Newcatle DESTROYED at home , Sittard , both games , Belg' , lid , ..then came Bayern Munich . A lot has been said about this night . A lot true , and , in honesty , a lot of bollox , too . If everyone who SAID they were present , were present , there'd have been 150,000 in the Old Lady that night . I GET it though . People just wanted to be involved . To belong . As it was , me , Me Da' , Me Nanna , Me Aunty Violet and me Uncle Norman were all among those present . So were 43,00 odd others . Pre-game was nervous . Loud , but nervous . They scored , just before the break . Ratcliffe likes to tell the story that HK said , " Just get it in the box . I'm TELLING you !!! You do that and The Gwladys Street will suck it into the net !!! " He weren't far wrong . We went on , with tears in our fukn eyes , to completely over-run one of the finest and certainly European-Football-Savvy , which we , most definately WERE NOT ; sides in ANY Eufa Competition , with three unanswered second half goals . For the Males amongst us , if Everton ever crosses your mind in a broadly sexual capacity ; then I give you , Trevor Steven , that very night as he scores and wheels way to the Bullens Road . Meeeeeeeeoooow !!! If you don't mind . I digress ,.. Kevin Ratcliffe had just led this Fine , Fine Football Club into its inaugaral European Final , as Evertonians everywhere beat a trail to the Travel Agents and Trans-Alpino ,....However , we weren't done yet . An F.A. Cup Semi Final , this tme Luton Town at Villa Park , again went into extra time before we , via Sheedy's , Harry-Fukn-Potter Left Foot , eventually triumphed ; was followed by Tottenham away in the League as the Bin Man announced to the World who was REALLY , The BIG DAWG . Amazing . Truly , absolutely gob-smackingly , amazing . From nowhere , we turned around , and we weren't just good . Not even very good ,.. ; We WERE FUKN MUSTARD , an' EVERYONE , AN' I DO MEAN EVERYONE , were FUKN TERRIFIED OF US . Brian Clough called us , " The Team of the NEXT decade ,.." We collected the League Championship Trophy at a rapturous Goodison , prior to heading off to Rotterdam , before it was back to Wembley . It really WAS how we rolled , back then . The Final was more of a , I was there , day , than a real game of football . Rapid Vienna had played and had murder with Celtic earlier that Season - indeed , it STILL rankles at Parkhead ; and were definately au fait with British Footy , to the extent that they were scared of us . They were right to be , but nevertheless , scared of us . As such , another 3-1 victory saw history created on May 15 1985 at about 10 pm C.E.T. , as Kevin Ratcliffe raised the European Cup Winner's Cup in the Colours of Everton Football Club . I cried . A lot . Didn't stop for TIME . Wembley on the Saturday would see us reach , A Bridge Too Far , as despite being WHOLLY better than Manchester United , Whiteside somehow beat the Bin Man from there , and their 10 men beat our 11 . We were out on our feet . No matter , what was required , in truth , was a moment's pause , and reflection , as we remembered Dean and even Catterick , Sagar , and countless others whom had put in the hard yards , at what was to be , and remains thus to this day , our very , very finest hour . Two weeks to the day after we were playing Footy with the Dutch Police in Rotterdam , the RS were " involved" in the murder / manslaughter of 39 Juventus Fans as a riot ensued at a delapidated Heysel Stadium , Bruxelles . Margaret Thatcher had FINALLY got what she was waiting for and would have taken us out of European Competition unilaterally . In the event , there was no need , as Eufa announced a 5 year ban on ALL - Utterly , Wholly Innocent AND WITHOUT SCHULDE in this matter , or not ; English Clubs . A week later , World Soccer Magazine announced its Team of the Year ; 1985 ,... FC Everton . This following , ( Sir ) Neville Southall taking the Football Writer's , Player of the Year award , and Reidy , the Players equivalent .
I recall those DARK , DARK days a tad different to a lot of Blues . I was no longer resident on Merseyside , but came back often . Nevertheless , I myself exhibited and could see manifested all around me , a tangible aura of post-traumatic shock . Believe it or not , 'cause that's how we were in those days ; Socialist , down , generally for each other in the face of the Thatcher War Machine ; NO-ONE mentioned blame , for a long time . Of course , even when we eventually did , we discovered it had been , Chelsea , all along anyway . Still , we were robbed of the opportunity of , at our veritable peak , entering the European Cup with a genuinely realistic chance of winning it . Kevin Ratcliffe said on the subject ; " ..We may not have won it , but I shall go to my grave believing we'd have gotten to the Semi Final . After that ,.." Here-Fukn-Here , Rattster , Dude !!! Gut-wrenching , soul-destroying , heartbreakingly- emotionally-obliterating , with SUPER shell-shock , doesn't quite say it . Nonetheless , the future , as ever , just kept on coming . Regardless .
Thus , while most of us were still shaking our heads and pointing backwards , life , and English Football , continued on down the Great Highway of La Dolce Vita , and HK , in a decision , considering the man's standing amongst Evertonians at that time , which was most voiciferously questioned , as he chose to sign Gary Lineker from Leicester City , for £800,000 , whilst also allowing Andy Gray to leave , for whom it turns out was his first love all along , Aston Vanilla . This was a BIG call , as while Gray was injury prone , he was still below 30 , was a current International and had been as much of a " Lucky Charm " to our all-conquering side as ANYONE has EVER been to ANY Goodison Football team . Ratters says about the Captaincy , " It was easy ( being 21 and Skipper ,..) Once the likes of Reid and Gray back you , believe in you , the rest just follow . Having them in your side is enough , but having them back you made you wanted to run through a brick wall ,..." In fairness , despite my own ripping the arse off've Links first half , as McMahon and the RS took a 3-0 half time Home Derby lead . He duly came out second half , scored 1 , hit the bar and should have had 3 more as we pulled 2 back but lost 3-2 . The point was , HK was right . Links was THE GOODS . We had to change our WHOLE method of playing ; no more Steven / Sheedy 15 goals season , that , with , Sharp , Gray and a played-uny-until-early-December , Inchy bagging more than 10 each , but he was worth it . Thus , Merseyside could legitimately claim to have the 2 finest out-and-out stikers in World Football - Cheating / Bolivian Marching Powder Loving / Little Argentinian Thing was NOT an out-and-out Striker, btw , pedants ....
Meanwhile , normal service was resumed , as the league , if anything , was coming along very niceley , thank you . The RS had , as we knew they would , re-emerged over Tottenham as our REAL competitors for the Title , but were languishing mid-table as we went back to the scene of our fantastic victory a campaign earlier . Now , in a career spanning 15 years and comprising 348 appearances , Kevin Ratcliffe scored precisely , 2 goals in the Blue of Everton . One of them , was this very day ,... Picture the scene ,.. Kicking Kop End . Ratters is in their half , say 5/6 yards just beyond the " D " of the centre circle , generally middle of the pitch . The ball comes out to him as it was often wont to do , though instead of launching it in the air as he would 95% of his career at L44EL , he mis-hit it along the floor in the general direction of Scotland Road . However , the ball continued to bobble and roll , never in excess of about 7mph , whilst passing about 15 of the 22 players , and it continued to just keep on going ,..to the extent that ,.. nah ,.. it can't fukn ,..nah ,..NAH ,..NA ,..YEEEEEEEEEESSSSSS!!! Kev' The Rat' then proceeded to exhibit , with respect like , and for such an Aristocratic Footballer , a very Ryman's League Celebration , as he became an Anfield Derby Goal Scorer , and with Links also bagging one Kop End , maintaining his record of ALWAYS scoring against the RS when in Everton Blue , as we won 2-0 , thus obtaining our first two-in-two at Grey Skull in a very , very , very long time . I liked to tear the back out of me RS boys with , " The old 1-2 , 'Arry ,.. " It weren't THAT funny , tbh , but the more they hated it , the more I LOVED it ,.. Shadow boxes ,," The old 1-2 ', Arry !!! ,.." Yeah . Still feels BOSS . The F.A. Cup was now fast becoming our personal preserve as , having played every game in the Competition , proper , for the last 2 years , and lost one , we found ourselves once more in the Semi Final of same . This time against Sheffield Wednesday , again at Vanilla Park . The nail biting of the previous 2 years was maintained , first Mooncat , then , in extra-time , Sharpy nodded us back , yet again to Wembley . By now , I was living in London , and me an' me mate would Hitch , yes , that's Hitch , all over watching this side . We did so , to Oxford United's County Ground , on April 30th , 1986 . As we entered the ground , we were a point clear of the RS , with 2 - home games to go . Lineker was ON FIRE , we had been the better , more consistent side all year , so , surely ,.. it was all good ,..??? As History will note , we were crushingly defeated in a one-sided ; ours , game , an' Lineker missed more chances that night than he had since December , with 2 in particular ,.. The one that hit the top of the bar ,.... As Steve Waugh once said ,.. " You've just dropped the World Cup , mate ,.." to Herscelle Gibbs . It was applicable here . We still hitched on the Saturday for the Southampton game . Before the game ; SHOULD the RS fuk up at Chelsea , we needed to score 6 goals , irrespective of how many against . We won 6 - 2 as Lineker was rampant and bagged a hat-trick . They'd done all they could , but I would like to mention the TAWT whom radio in ear advised the Lower Bullens that Chelsea had scored and it was 1-0 . For a short time , even the players believed it , when in fact the Homosexual , Dalglish had chipped the Kings Road Huns' Keeper and won them the League . We stayed up for the Bank Holiday , and on the Monday watched the West Ham game , and as it turned out , Links' farewell . So , the League was gone . Let's get revenge in the Cup ,.. I haven't mentioned the MAIN incident in our campaign this year , once the action had begun , the Sabotage Attack on Neville Southall in Dublin by then Oxford United , but soon to be , and ALWAYS rampant Kopite , John Aldridge . He basically landed on Bin Man's ankle as they both went up for a ball . That was in March . He never kicked a ball for the rest of that season . Thus , despite a decent first half performance at Wembley , as Links , of course , bags one and we lead 1 nil at half time . Alas , they passed us off the park , second half as Jimmy Fukn Durante banged 2 past the hapless Bobby Mimms as they beat us 3-1 and 2 , maybe 3 generations of Evertonians were traumatized to an International Standard . " You'll never beat the Reds ,.." Mouth falls open ,.. Slobber ,.. Shaking ,... Mumbling , Mad-Eyed Stare ,... Thus , we lost the double , after being clear with three games to play in the League , and were leading 1-0 at half time in the Final . To the RS ,...
Even after THAT end to the Season . EVEN WITH it being THEM , we STILL knew we were boss and genuinely fancied doing them again , given the chance . Thus , as England set off for Mexico , reminders of 1970 abounded . Whilst not Champions , we nearly were , and again sent 4 representatives to South America . However , as they FINALLY got it together - due to the infusion of Evertonia , Lineker went into Football Stratosphere as he bagged a hat-trick and finished with the Golden Boot . From that moment forward , it was uny a matter of time , as Barcelona came in with a bid of £2.2 million . Once more ; All change at Partizan Walton ,...
This time , August was NOT so optimistic . HK refrained to replace the Leicester Leotard , like-for-like , instead saying Inchy would be given his chance . With all due respect to my Fav' 5' 5 Stokey , we were under-whelmed . We needn't have worried , as amidst a season a horrendous injuries , Sheedy , Sharp , Reid , Mountfield , Snodin , Van Den Hauwe , all miss significant chunks . Langley , Adams , Harper and Power all played significant roles . It was NOT pretty and CERTAINLY wasn't 1985 , but it WAS successful , as Kevin Ratcliffe , for the second time in 3 years , and including Charity Shields , lifted his 8th Trophy as Captain of Everton FC . , as the League Championship Trophy once more resided at Goodison Park , Walton , Liverpool .
So , it was Summer , thus , a Bombshell was imminent . Wasn't it ,..??? Well , yes it was , as , this time , Kendall himself , seeing the hand-cuffs that were the European Ban , cited his having gone as far as he could and headed off to the Basque Country , and Colin Harvey moved up one spot . As was inevitable , the GREAT side was beginning to break up . Gray had gone . So had Mountfield . Rumours abounded about Sheedy , Reid , Steven , Stevens even , Ratters himself . Moreover , Harvey came in , and in a Magnificent 7 type gesture brought in Neil McDonald , THAT Norman Whiteside , Patsy Nevin and a British Transfer Record , £2.2 million , Tony Cottee from West Ham . However , despite the requisite settling down period in what was , in truth , a MAJOR change both on and off the Park . We had some good days . Newcastle opening day ; Me Boy's First Game . Cottee bags a hat-trick as Barcodes are bladdered 4-0 , an' YET ANOTHER Anfield Victory ; This time in the League Cup, 1-0 - " Shaggy Stevens in the Kop End ..." , ( The Ol' 1-2-3 ' Arry !!! ) others , too . However , we were no longer the FORCE we were 4 years earlier . We had respect still , but we didn't frighten anyone any longer . Also , this season would see the onset of perhaps the most freudian aspect of Kevin Ratcliffe's Everton Career ; his MAD ARSE relationship with Hollywood Baddy , Vinnie Jones .
For those who don't know , Wimbledon were the Stoke City / Wolves of their day . However , these made no secret of their wanting to DO you if it was required . Jones had been involved in butting , elbowing , biting - albeit off the park , incidents and was pictured squeezing Gascoigne's Three-For-A-Bob . Meanwhile , Our Captain , never anyone's soft [Poor language removed] , but neither was he , first in , neither . Nevertheless , upon meeting , Big Chris , on the field , he turned all Chuck Norris , on us . First , they knocked us out of the Cup en route to beating the RS . They bullied us that day , and there was a butting incident between the pair at a corner . Then , in a League Game at home the following Season the game was uny minutes old . They had not been within 5 yards of each other , then , first challenge , Rat's just says ," Fuk it ", an' throws the head right on , Dr. Hollywood . Instant Red Card , an' so it went from there . Him an' Sharpy , usually taking turns apiece to get sent off basically every time we met them . We finished 6th in Harvey's first season and reached the Semi Final of the League Cup , losing to Arsenal over 2 legs . Trevor Steven missed a Penalty in the home leg as that Competition would once more jettison us until the Semi versus Chelsea in 2008 . Oh , an' we lost on Penalties to the Glasgow Huns in some Murdoch Inspired , Non-Euro Competition , in that hot-bed ( See what I did there ??? ) , of Football , Dubai .
1988/89 dawned with us now back to being merely human again . Our air of invincibility was now officially dead , and we looked to roll up our sleeves . We had generally , under-whelmed but Harvey still " had ", the fans . A decent 3-2 defeat of Man' United , live on TV , was followed by a 3-1 beating off the RS and another TV game , this time a 6-2 nightmare in the rain at Villa Park . It weren't all that . Ratters was injured for much of it , playing uny 24 games all that season . There WAS a couple of silver linings amongst the myriad of clouds , though . Firstly , via reaching the Final of the ( NOT Euro) Simod Cup , we met Nottingham Forest at Wembley . In what was a fantastic game , we lost 4-3 with some superb goals on both sides ; 2 things stick out . First , I was able to take me 4 year old to Wembley . He LOVED it . Still does . An' 2 ; The Forest Fans , this was the First Game , Post Hillsborough , an' were , " Fuk It . Its uny Scousers " . If me Boy hadn't have been there , I SWEAR ,... The second good thing was , after defeating Norwich in the most bizarre F.A. Cup Semi Final , indeed ANY game I've seen , at Villa , it was off to Wembley to again meet the RS in the Hillsborough Final . For ONCE , we did actually turn up , as in an excellent game , we came back twice , uny to go down 3-2 to Big Nose yet again. In truth , it was us against the World on that one , due to the Tragedy . However , the fact remains , this was our Swan-Song at the Big Time , as Ratters would lead us up the Wembley steps , that knew his footsteps so well , for the final time .
The next two seasons would see a decline in both our standards generally , and also the fitness , then form of our Captain . Watto , of course and then the David Beckham-Alike Poster Boy , Martin Keown were purchased , and Kevin though played 35 games in Harvey's last full season , with the return of Howard Kendall he would make only 8 starts . There was , of course the 4-4 , then subsequent 1-0 victory in 1991 , and a 3-1 coating of the same RS the year later , but all in all we were on the Down Escalator and Ratters headed towards the Exit Door . He finally left Everton Football Club in 1992 , having played 348 games and bagging 2 goals , and been decorated like no Everton Player before him .
He went on first to Dundee for 4 games , then on to Cardiff City , playing 25 games over a season . Nottingham Forest and Derby were his next destinations over the following year , before finishing at Chester City , where he was ultimately made Team manager . In a case of delicious irony , Kevin Ratcliffe , as Manager of Shrewsbury Time , at the time , bottom of Division 2 , was drawn against Everton and Wayne Rooney in the 3rd Round of the F.A. Cup , at Moss Rose in 2005 . In yet another Everton Cup Competition-Watershed Moments , Ratters saw us off , 1-0 . It was the highlight of his management career to date , and he was dismissed later that season . He currently works as a Media Pundit .
He played for and led his Country with distinction of an extended period . He was part of a side including Southall , Hughes , Rush , Van Den Hauwe , but Giggs would just arrive a touch too late . In point of fact , if they could have found two / three more players they would have entertained greater ambitions than more than mere qualification , legitimately . He played 59 games for Wales , in all . Captaining them for the vast majority .
In compiling today's VERY LONG Sermon , I wanted to do justice not just to the Leader , the man who lifted all the Sliverware . See , Kevin Ratcliffe was a truly magnificent Centre Half . He was strong , competitive could play a simple ball well , tackle like a Monster ,his BRAIN NEVER gets the credit it ought , but his pace ,... Ratters pace was such that in 99.9% of occasions , even when you saw a dangerous situation , Kev The Rat would get you out of it . Apparently , on arrival at Goodison , he challenged the First team to a foot race - and was even alleged to do the same the Linford Christie at the Barcelona Olympics . He could certainly move , and some have stated that he was the fastest Centre Back EVER seen in English Football . I don't know about that , but I do recall one particular occasion . Charity Shield versus Red [Poor language removed] , Wembley . '86 I think . Toucan Face has grabbed a yard - from the half way line , and, no slouch himself , has gone ,...Our Skipper puts on the after-burners and a race ensues . It is 1-0 to us and will finish 1's each . There are 10 or so minutes left . Hooter gets into the box , is about to pull the trigger . His foot comes through to strike the ball , as , WHOOOOSH , like Superman saving a School-Kid , Ratters removes said inflatable , and Elephant Visage kicks fresh air . Cue , puzzled HUGE appendaged Visage ...If I'd have been in the Stand , I'd have stood on me chair . THAT , was Kevin Ratcliffe . A genuine Rolls Fukn Royce of Defenders . Even in the HIGHEST of Company .
Internationally , he was very , very , unlucky . They SHOULD have qualified for SOMETHING and that he , the Bin Man and Scare-The-Kids , SHOULD have been seen on the World Stage . As a Blue , he was / is Legend . Sometimes contraversial in his criticisms now , he ALWAYS has the interests of Everton FC at heart . As I speak today , this great Institution is 132 years old . I would wager that , when my Great-Grandkids'-Grandkids are compiling Sermon's in another 132 years , Kevin Ratcliffe is STILL Everton's most decorated Captain . THAT is the impact he made . Moreover , (for a Wool) , and as is the Modern-Day Bainsey ; The Chicks have him ALL DAY . He is , without doubt , the Geezer , when it comes to , " Medals on the Table ,.." time , an' I love him like me own .
" An' we love our , Kev' The Rat ,.."
Therefore , this Domingo , thank the Almighty for providing Kevin Ratcliffe , genuine Goodison Legend as a player , and the man with the magic touch when it came to lifting Silverware .
Amen .
May the Good Lord be with you all .
Remember; Jesus loves you 'cause you're a Blue .
Look after your peoples .
Peace out .
The ( Catholic ) Reverand L.C.A.B.
