little curly alan ball
Player Valuation: £70m
May the Good Lord be with you all .
Welcome all to our little corner of the Sabbath .
In bringing these little snippet’s of the history of all things , L4 4EL , we do try to illustrate not only the great , but also significant , “ Firsts “ , or points of unusual note in a player’s career .
Well , in today’s subject , we reveal perhaps the oddest circumstances that have ever led to any player signing for Everton , let alone one whom left such a tangible legacy .
Ladies and Gentlemen , may I introduce , “ Super “ Kevin Campbell .
Kevin was born in the London Borough of Lambeth , on February 4 , 1970 . A talented youth , he joined Arsenal on Schoolboy forms in 1985 and progressed well . Indeed , he helped the Gunners lift the F.A. Youth Cup in 1987 , scoring an impressive 59 goals in the season .
As a result of his juvenile success he gained a Professional contract , and made his debut soon after against ourselves , on May 7 , 1988 .
However , forwards such as Merson and Smith led to him going out on loan , to Orient , where he again hit the goal trail , bagging 9 in 16 games . Indeed , the then “ O’s “ manager , Frank Clark tried to sign him off the back of it , but Arsenal refused . On his return to North London , his form dipped , and once more he was loaned out , this time to Leicester City . He made 11 appearances for the Foxes , grabbing 5 goals before returning to Highbury . The following campaign , he finally broke through into the Arsenal first team , scoring 8 goals in 10 games as the Gooners went on to the title .
However , Campbell’s luck changed when , in September 1991 Arsenal signed Ian Wright from Crystal Palace . While Kevin still held a first-team spot , he was much overshadowed by his partner . Nevertheless , his goals helped Arsenal win both domestic Cup competitions , thus giving him the full set of medals from U.K. tournaments .
The following year , 1993/94 , saw Campbell enjoy his best in an Arsenal jersey , scoring 19 , as the Woolwich Artillerymen won the European Cup Winner’s Cup , thereby adding a European medal to his already impressive collection .
Unfortunately , Kevin’s form dipped in the ensuing campaign , as did his confidence , as Rioch bought both Hartson and Bergkamp , and unsurprisingly Campbell struggled to hold down a regular place . He departed Highbury at the end of the season , having played 186 games , and scored 46 goals .
His destination was the City Ground , Nottingham .
He was a success at Forest , despite being part of the side relegated in 1997 , but his 23 goals helped them bounce back at the first attempt . His manager was now , Frank Clark whom wanted him at Leyton Orient , and his striking partner was Pierre Van Hooijdonk . They did well as a pair . Indeed , in the first of a series of genuinely bizarre occurances in Kevin’s career , upon Campbell being transferred to Trabzonspor , Van Hooijdonk became the first footballer in Great Britain to go on strike - as a direct result of the move . To no avail however , as our future #9 left for the Bospherous . In three years at Forest he played 80 games , scoring 32 goals .
Alas , pastures new were not as welcoming as Kevin may have wished . Anything but , in fact .
His team mates were fine . Even the Club’s fans were supportive , but in what must surely be the most outrageous statement ever made by a representative of a major football club to one of it’s employees , he was verbally assaulted by the Chairman of Trabzonspor , Mehmet Ali Yilmaz , whom called him , a “ Discoloured Cannibal “ . Moreover , was quoted as saying ,
“ We thought we had bought a goal machine , when what we got was a washing machine “ .
Nobody could put up with that , so , hardly surprisingly , he decided to leave . However , in a show of solidarity both Club Captains , Ercan and Temizkarigou , were present at the press conference to announce his imminent departure .
Meanwhile , in England , Walter Smith was struggling , with Duncan Ferguson’s departure to Newcastle United , for forwards . Bakayoko ultimately ended in failure . Indeed , the first team strikers were a 17 year old Francis Jeffers , Danny Cadamarteri and Micheal Branch ., both having played less than 20 games each . Thus , Campbell’s situation in Turkey was Manna From Heaven , for , “ Have you been ??? …” , Walter , as the striker agreed to join Everton on an initial 3 month loan , in March 1999 . Scott Gemmill was also loaned in an attempt to halt a rather worrying slide down the League ..
They made their debut at the RS , in the notorious , “ Fowler snorts the line “ , game . The match ended 3-2 , and we were unlucky not to grab an equaliser , and Materazzi had struck the Kop end post with a first half free kick . The main bonus , to my eyes at least , was the promising inter-play between Kevin and young Wing-Nut . Don’t forget , by this stage , we were grasping at straws with strikers . Indeed , Hutchinson could well be said to our most effective attacker and he was a midfielder .
We needn’t have worried as Kevin Campbell settled in like few before him . Despite a truly hideous home defeat to Sheffield Wednesday , he scored 4 goals in his first 4 games , and had 9 in all by the end of the campaign , including a final day hat-trick against Redknapp’s West Ham .
In doing so , he finished both as - to our shame , leading scorer , and also became the first player to win the League Sponsor’s Player of the Month , whilst on - loan .
Kevin agreed to a £3 million permanent move in the summer , and 1999 began , not with the usual defeat by Manchester United , but a hard fought draw . Smith had drafted in a 37 year old Richard Gough , to many a raised eyebrow .
However , typically St. Domingo , after looking like we had the makings of a side , our Captain , Don Hutchinson asked for a rise to £10,000 p/w - Collins was on three times that ; was refused , handed in a transfer request and was dropped . Moreover , our latest Wunder-Kind , Jug Ears , had himself handed in an eve-of-season transfer request , with all of 17 games under his belt .
Nevertheless , it was a decent start , plus , Jeffers thought better and rescinded his request . Kevin Campbell was now wearing the #9 shirt , and revelling in it . Again , the relationship with Jeffers seemed to flourish with every game . We were robbed - with The Don restored to our midfield , as Undies maintained his excellent goal rate there with 2 penalties ; at Spurs , with 2 late , late goals which cost us at least a point .
Nevertheless , Weirdo , drafted in when Waggy was injured , began another excellent partnership , this time in centre defence in conjunction with the consistently superb and apparently age - defying Richard Gough .
I travelled to Derby to see us beaten by a player whom was - in a typically , only-to-Everton occurrence , later deemed an illegal , the Argentine , Fuentes . At home though , we were superb . We scored 4 twice in 2 games as first Charlton then Wimbledon were despatched . Then it was off to Castle Grey Skull ,…
Given our internal problems allied to a first team which was unable to keep the same side for 3 games in a row , we were not exactly confident . We need not have worried , as it took Kevin all of 4 minutes to score in the Kop end , and in doing so , became for ever more , “ Super “ Kevin Campbell . In a game of few chances , we hung on , as they went down to 9 men and us to 10 , as Westerveld and Jeffers went for their , “ Handbags “ , and a Baby-Faced Me La for his usual thigh-high lunge . I was in their side of the Anfield Road and Weirdo noticed me bouncing on me seat and gave me a wave , as I went berserk . Good job I did , as it remains our last victory at the Beelzebub’s .
The following week , the Goodison Goal Glut continued , this time in a bizarre 4-4 draw with Leeds .
At Christmas the Boardroom Drama between Agent Johnson an’ Bill the Luvvy was settled as Kenwright took control . His first game as Bona-Fide Chairman was Sunderland at home . We won the game 5-0 and spirits were high . Though , while the football was great to watch going forwards , we let in too many daft goals , despite the excellent Weirdo / Goughy axis . Our Cup exploits were finished by Oxford at home , and yet another F.A. Cup home debacle , this time Carbone and Aston Villa . Not great . Not great at all .
We finished in 13th place , but to their credit , had scored 4 or more goals at home on 5 occasions and also away at West Ham , plus , were totally robbed by Poll in the return Derby .
This would be Smith’s best hope of a side to challenge , but sadly , for one reason or another , players such as Dacourt , Materazzi , and later Hutchison were allowed to leave , but were replaced by , with respect , the Hughes’ , Stephen and Mark , Joe-Max Moore and Cleland . We were trading downwards therefore our Premier League standing was sure to follow .
“ Super “ Kevin Campbell ended his first full campaign at Everton as top scorer with 12 .
The initial season of the new millennium began with the biggest bombshell to hit Goodison Park in 30 years as Judas Barmby came and said he wanted to go to the RS . Plus , there was the relatively un-sung return of the departed hero , Duncan .
An opening day loss at Leeds , and another 3-2 reversal at Tottenham , among a couple of wins . Jeffers , fit again , scored 4 games running , but it remained too stop-start . There were lows , 2 , 3-1 defeats to both the Mancs and the RS - Kopite Tawt Escariot getting a goal ; and a mauling off Joe Royle’s Man City , 5-0 ; but also highs , wins versus Arsenal and Chelsea , as Campbell scored in both .
On January 20 , Kevin Campbell was given the Captain’s armband for the away game at Coventry City , we won , 3-1. In accepting , he became the first black man to captain Everton FC .
Our tendency to self-implode came to a head in that year’s cup competitions . The League Cup debacle , a defeat on penalties at Bristol Rovers , would ultimately see the departure of Dunne , McCann , Jeffers and Ball , for laughing on the Coach on the return journey - THAT is how low we had fallen behind the scenes .
Then came the F.A. Cup ...
With my hand on my heart , I would say , that in a LONG line of contender’s , the 3-0 home loss to Tranmere Rovers was my personal nadir as an Evertonian . At Goodison , certainly . It was ultra - typical of the side at that time to beat Arsenal and get walloped by a Tranmere side who had various Giant - Killing scalps during that period . They were not , or at least should not have been a surprise package . It was ugly , heartless , and gut-wrenchingly embarrassing .
Yet , there was even more to come as regards heartbreak . The RS came to town on a Monday night . All was going well and a acceptable 2-2 draw was on the cards . Then , McAllister got a free kick which seemed to be to be halfway down Walton Lane . In any event , he had no right to go for goal , but shoot he did . We had Gerrard though …, alas , our version , and a truly horrendous second half of the season received its coup de grace .
Moreover , the league standing was not great . They finished 16th and confidence was as low at it had been since Coventry ‘98 .
Super Kev’ , however finished with 9 goals , which in view of injuries and the campaign generally , was accepted .
Season 2001/02 saw a new striker , Radzinski , a Canadian , drafted in . Nevertheless , even with the Big Man back , Campbell retained the #9 jersey , and the captain‘s armband , and was thus , the first permanent black Everton Captain in 125 years of this great Institution . The rest of the side however , was not as well equipped . Alexandersson , Gemmill , S Watson , Pembridge . The list went on . And on . Loads of not very much at all .
We started with a home win over Charlton , but had been battered 4-1 at Old Trafford , Kevin scored our goal , and another 3-1 hiding off the RS , all before September was out . An uncharacteristic 5-0 win over our perennial bunnys , West Ham , led on to various uninspiring draws . Another draw in the return game at the RS - my last visit to the Kop .
Moreover , the sound of the bottom of the barrel being scraped was heard with the signing of Gascoigne , and even worse , an overweight , utterly grey and absolutely past-it David Ginola , if , ithankfully in his case , only for 5 games . In fairness though , our best performance of the campaign saw a Fat-Boy inspired demolition of the mighty Leyton Orient at home , 4-1. Our worst , in the ultimate “ bad-trip” déjà vu , was the white-flag display at Middlesborough in the F.A. Cup Quarter Final , 3-0 . It stank . Everything about it . The lack generally giving a flying one , under-performance as the norm , a substitute bench with , with the greatest of respect , Nick Chadwick . The side yet again were in the bottom third . Enough was enough . I went to ‘Boro that day , and was expecting Smith to resign that night . He never but it didn’t matter , as even Kenwright could no longer deny the undeniable . We hadn’t merely stood still , we had gone backwards .
Therefore , Smith was relieved of his duties , as the Board turned to youth , and offered the Everton Manager’s chair to the erstwhile Preston North End Boss , David Moyes . We were 15th in the table and by no means certain - Gascoigne greeted Moyes arrival with a dummy-spit ; to retain our Premiership status .
However , as history will forever note , Undies took just 40 seconds to score against Fulham as we grabbed a 2-1 win . A crazy 4-3 victory at Pride Park , a 3-0 home win over Bolton , allied to other results , saw us ultimately safe . Nevertheless , even in the few short weeks of the remainder of the season , we were battered 6-2 at the Barcodes , 3-0 at Chelsea , lost at home to Blackburn , and were unlucky in a 4-3 defeat at Highbury . It showed the work that needed to be done .
Moreover , Super Kevin Campbell endured his worst ever season in a blue shirt as he finished with just 4 league goals . He was still officially team captain but was absent through a persistent back injury for the end of the campaign as the team stumbled into 15th place .
Fortunately for Kev’ , Moyesey kept the faith . He retained Campbell in both the #9 jersey and also the captaincy , and fair’s fair , the lad responded . He began the season on a scoring streak . He had 5 by the end of September when we went to play Wrexham in the League Cup .
The previous April , we had witnessed our first collective view of the kid we had heard whispered about for what seemed like forever , Wayne Rooney . Well , Moyes saw both the state of our squad and also the boy’s physique and mental toughness allied to a phenomenal degree of natural talent , and made the 16 year old substitute for the Wrexham game . Once more , as history , and anyone , like myself whom was present would testify , we enjoyed one of those , “ Once in a VERY long while ,..” nights at the Racecourse . Rooney came on to grab the headlines , but it was Kevin whom scored the opener . Moreover , with Duncan out injured - again , it was Campbell to whom Moyes looked to shepherd him , 18 days later , as he gave the boy his home debut against Arsenal , and the rest , as they say ,…
There are 2 photo’s which stand out for me from that day . One , is of the Park End crowd , taken as he lets fly . L.C.A.B. is to be seen , out of seat , arms raised , mouth in an , “ O “ shape , as I say , “ What a fukn gOal ,..” " The Evertonian " , ran the picture for about 6 issues . Class . The other is of Asbo , the game over as he gets a piggy back from our Captain . The true meaning of the snap is the delight in Kevin’s face as much as Rooney’s . By this time , Kevin Campbell was all about Everton . He prided himself in the honour of team captain , and was pleased for ALL of us at our new found diamond .
For lads who do not grow up Blues , it is the “ Eureka !!! “ moments that stick out . I felt that this was one for Super Kev’ .
The debacles had not exactly disappeared however , as the name of - Kevin Ratcliffe’s ; Shrewsbury was added to Everton’s long list of “ Watershed “ games , as they knocked us out of the F.A. Cup at the first attempt . Asbo or no Asbo .
There was the pleasure of a nil’s each at Grey Skull , during which they were genuinely terrified ; “ Rooney’s gonna get ya’ ,..”
The season ended with an amazing , under the circumstances , 7th place finish . Kevin Campbell , in a far happier place personally than he had been 12 months earlier , played 31 league games and his 10 goals was reasonable - 12 in all , but his role , in Fergie’s absence on Wayne Rooney was immeasurable . He would encourage , but also berate if necessary , all during a game , and was growing into the role of Everton’s captain .
Moysey’s revolution was continuing as 2003/04 began . In truth , we had not enjoyed optimism like this for a decade or more . The Boy Wonder thing , allied to our almost unprecedented Premier League finish left us all rather naively , but understandably giddy .
We should , of course , have known better . After missing out on Europe on the last day of the previous season , we began a trend of , up-one-year-down-the-next , campaigns , as anything that could go wrong did . It started bad , and got worse . Arsenal beat us opening day . The RS mullah’d us 3-0 at home as well as defeats to Spurs and Chelsea . The return derby was nil’s each , Rooney hit their bar , as valium were passed like Smarties in the Kemlyn Road . The season’s highlight’s , and as it turned out , portents , were the two games against Man United . A 3-2 reverse at O.T. on Boxing Day , and a stormer of a game at Goodison , in which Asbo shone , ended 3-4 . The rest was near misses and dross . It was most definately a case of , “ Back to the Drawing Board “ . I witnessed Wayne Rooney’s last game for us , a last day surrender at the Council House , and left early as the kids had had enough . It was 4-0 and would end up 5-1, Super Kev’ grabbing his only score of the season and final goal for Everton . The point was the absence of hope . The contrast between the beginning and the end of the season was absolute .
Campbell , our first choice centre forward as the year began , missed most of the campaign . He made only 8 starts , with another 9 as substitute . He was nearing the end , and both parties knew it , as we limped in , in 17th place .
2004/05 maintaining the roller-coaster trend , turned out to be a genuine turning point for Everton FC , though we weren’t to know that as it began . Indeed , from our perspective , we had just lost not only the greatest young talent in World Football - apologies to Lionel Messi , ( Poetic licence , lid ) , but also by far the best player at the recent European Championships for , to my mind , chickenfeed . We were collectively gutted , skint , but also damn angry .
Arsenal came on day 1 and smacked our arse , which did little to ease the mood . Nevertheless , I and many others trekked to Selhurst Park on a sunny August Saturday to see us grab an encouraging 3-1 win , with our new striker Marcus Bent catching the eye . Unfortunately for Super Kev’ , as our fortunes rose , his , at least at Everton FC , did the opposite . He would play only a further 4 games for the Toffee’s from the start , with another 3 as substitute without scoring . He realised that at 35 years old , and with a tangible general improvement in our playing roster , there was no future for him here .
Thus , in the January window , he accepted an offer to join West Bromwich Albion , as team captain , leaving Goodison with our best wishes . He helped the side , whom were bottom as he joined , to avoid relegation - the first side ever to do so having been bottom at Christmas .
He would play - including his loan spell ; 145 games for Everton Football Club , and bagged 45 goals . Basically , a near , 1-in-3 ratio . Exactly what we needed at the time , and for his rescue act in his first season alone , well worth a pittance of £3 million . He changed Everton forever by , as a man of colour , being the primary corporate identity of the Club , via his role as centre forward and captain . Thus , in view of our chequered history as regards the media on this issue , Kevin Campbell left a legacy far beyond that of 145 games . Far , far beyond .
Moreover , Rooney prospered so quickly due both to his own prodigious talent , but also in no small measure to Kevin Campbell’s minder-act . Again , putting in a shift over and above that of goal-scorer , and precisely befitting that of a Skipper .
And of course he shall remain , “ Super Kev’ “ , forever , Ever-ton .
Alas , with West Brom’s resultant relegation the following season , Campbell was released . He had played 45 games , scoring 6 goals . After the Hawthorns , Kevin tried his luck with Cardiff City . However , it never really took off . He played 19 games in league and cup without scoring , but did bag his only Blue-Birds’ strike against Carmarthen in the F.A.W. Cup . He was released by the club in May 2007 , and announced his immediate retirement . He was 37 years old , and I’m certain had a little thought to the erstwhile Chairman of Trabzonspor .” Yuck Fou , Meff “ ( See what I did there ??? ) - might have been the terminology , I would venture .
However , Kevin Campbell’s relationship with the downright weird did not end with his hanging up his boots . He had set up a Record Label , 2 Wikid , in 2002 whilst Everton captain , largely Hip-Hop and R’n’B focused . His first major signing , Mark Morrison , was later the subject of a Court Injunction , as another Record Company , Jet Star , attempted to release the artist’s debut album . Ultimately , 2 Wikid lost the case and the album was put out , and while Morrison was truly awful , there was a hit-single upon which Super Kev‘ , our very own , D-R-E , missed right out .
In another odd development , Kev’ the Entrepeneur set up a Security Company , T1 Protection , in 2006 , providing bodyguards and personal security to celebrities or high profile Industrial clients whilst they travel abroad . The Company trades to this day .
He also does a spot of Premier League Commentary for Asian Company , TEN Sports .
For someone with less than 150 games for the club , Kevin will be in a minority of one in the Pantheon of Sermon Subjects . Nevertheless , his place is warranted both for his on-field actions but also those of a more historically significant nature . He played every game for Everton with a smile on his face . Always came over at the end of away games , regardless of the score . Not all of his team-mates did likewise . His scoring rate is up with the best and was not frightened of the Beelzebub’s .
A mark of his standing amongst the Goodison Faithful was illustrated in the recent Derby fixture , when , 2 local boxing title-holder’s as well as the Great Roy Jones Jnr , were already receiving rapturous applause on the pitch at half time . A few minutes later , Kevin emerged , hugged the boxers before proceeding to the Gwladys Street , where he received a rendition of , “ Super Kevin Campbell ,..” , as good as any heard all afternoon . He , for his part , milked it . Milked it , BIG time , btw . Even Roy Jones was impressed . Seriously .
However , it warmed the cockles of my heart to see how pleased he was to be so fondly remembered and how made up the crowd were to witness it .
Therefore , this Domingo , thank the Almighty for providing us with , “ Super “ Kevin Campbell .
A man who came as a temp’ , but left a legacy as permanent as any in the history of Everton FC .
Amen .
May the Good Lord be with you all .
Look after your peoples .
Peace out .
The ( Catholic ) Reverand L.C.A.B.
Welcome all to our little corner of the Sabbath .
In bringing these little snippet’s of the history of all things , L4 4EL , we do try to illustrate not only the great , but also significant , “ Firsts “ , or points of unusual note in a player’s career .
Well , in today’s subject , we reveal perhaps the oddest circumstances that have ever led to any player signing for Everton , let alone one whom left such a tangible legacy .
Ladies and Gentlemen , may I introduce , “ Super “ Kevin Campbell .
Kevin was born in the London Borough of Lambeth , on February 4 , 1970 . A talented youth , he joined Arsenal on Schoolboy forms in 1985 and progressed well . Indeed , he helped the Gunners lift the F.A. Youth Cup in 1987 , scoring an impressive 59 goals in the season .
As a result of his juvenile success he gained a Professional contract , and made his debut soon after against ourselves , on May 7 , 1988 .
However , forwards such as Merson and Smith led to him going out on loan , to Orient , where he again hit the goal trail , bagging 9 in 16 games . Indeed , the then “ O’s “ manager , Frank Clark tried to sign him off the back of it , but Arsenal refused . On his return to North London , his form dipped , and once more he was loaned out , this time to Leicester City . He made 11 appearances for the Foxes , grabbing 5 goals before returning to Highbury . The following campaign , he finally broke through into the Arsenal first team , scoring 8 goals in 10 games as the Gooners went on to the title .
However , Campbell’s luck changed when , in September 1991 Arsenal signed Ian Wright from Crystal Palace . While Kevin still held a first-team spot , he was much overshadowed by his partner . Nevertheless , his goals helped Arsenal win both domestic Cup competitions , thus giving him the full set of medals from U.K. tournaments .
The following year , 1993/94 , saw Campbell enjoy his best in an Arsenal jersey , scoring 19 , as the Woolwich Artillerymen won the European Cup Winner’s Cup , thereby adding a European medal to his already impressive collection .
Unfortunately , Kevin’s form dipped in the ensuing campaign , as did his confidence , as Rioch bought both Hartson and Bergkamp , and unsurprisingly Campbell struggled to hold down a regular place . He departed Highbury at the end of the season , having played 186 games , and scored 46 goals .
His destination was the City Ground , Nottingham .
He was a success at Forest , despite being part of the side relegated in 1997 , but his 23 goals helped them bounce back at the first attempt . His manager was now , Frank Clark whom wanted him at Leyton Orient , and his striking partner was Pierre Van Hooijdonk . They did well as a pair . Indeed , in the first of a series of genuinely bizarre occurances in Kevin’s career , upon Campbell being transferred to Trabzonspor , Van Hooijdonk became the first footballer in Great Britain to go on strike - as a direct result of the move . To no avail however , as our future #9 left for the Bospherous . In three years at Forest he played 80 games , scoring 32 goals .
Alas , pastures new were not as welcoming as Kevin may have wished . Anything but , in fact .
His team mates were fine . Even the Club’s fans were supportive , but in what must surely be the most outrageous statement ever made by a representative of a major football club to one of it’s employees , he was verbally assaulted by the Chairman of Trabzonspor , Mehmet Ali Yilmaz , whom called him , a “ Discoloured Cannibal “ . Moreover , was quoted as saying ,
“ We thought we had bought a goal machine , when what we got was a washing machine “ .
Nobody could put up with that , so , hardly surprisingly , he decided to leave . However , in a show of solidarity both Club Captains , Ercan and Temizkarigou , were present at the press conference to announce his imminent departure .
Meanwhile , in England , Walter Smith was struggling , with Duncan Ferguson’s departure to Newcastle United , for forwards . Bakayoko ultimately ended in failure . Indeed , the first team strikers were a 17 year old Francis Jeffers , Danny Cadamarteri and Micheal Branch ., both having played less than 20 games each . Thus , Campbell’s situation in Turkey was Manna From Heaven , for , “ Have you been ??? …” , Walter , as the striker agreed to join Everton on an initial 3 month loan , in March 1999 . Scott Gemmill was also loaned in an attempt to halt a rather worrying slide down the League ..
They made their debut at the RS , in the notorious , “ Fowler snorts the line “ , game . The match ended 3-2 , and we were unlucky not to grab an equaliser , and Materazzi had struck the Kop end post with a first half free kick . The main bonus , to my eyes at least , was the promising inter-play between Kevin and young Wing-Nut . Don’t forget , by this stage , we were grasping at straws with strikers . Indeed , Hutchinson could well be said to our most effective attacker and he was a midfielder .
We needn’t have worried as Kevin Campbell settled in like few before him . Despite a truly hideous home defeat to Sheffield Wednesday , he scored 4 goals in his first 4 games , and had 9 in all by the end of the campaign , including a final day hat-trick against Redknapp’s West Ham .
In doing so , he finished both as - to our shame , leading scorer , and also became the first player to win the League Sponsor’s Player of the Month , whilst on - loan .
Kevin agreed to a £3 million permanent move in the summer , and 1999 began , not with the usual defeat by Manchester United , but a hard fought draw . Smith had drafted in a 37 year old Richard Gough , to many a raised eyebrow .
However , typically St. Domingo , after looking like we had the makings of a side , our Captain , Don Hutchinson asked for a rise to £10,000 p/w - Collins was on three times that ; was refused , handed in a transfer request and was dropped . Moreover , our latest Wunder-Kind , Jug Ears , had himself handed in an eve-of-season transfer request , with all of 17 games under his belt .
Nevertheless , it was a decent start , plus , Jeffers thought better and rescinded his request . Kevin Campbell was now wearing the #9 shirt , and revelling in it . Again , the relationship with Jeffers seemed to flourish with every game . We were robbed - with The Don restored to our midfield , as Undies maintained his excellent goal rate there with 2 penalties ; at Spurs , with 2 late , late goals which cost us at least a point .
Nevertheless , Weirdo , drafted in when Waggy was injured , began another excellent partnership , this time in centre defence in conjunction with the consistently superb and apparently age - defying Richard Gough .
I travelled to Derby to see us beaten by a player whom was - in a typically , only-to-Everton occurrence , later deemed an illegal , the Argentine , Fuentes . At home though , we were superb . We scored 4 twice in 2 games as first Charlton then Wimbledon were despatched . Then it was off to Castle Grey Skull ,…
Given our internal problems allied to a first team which was unable to keep the same side for 3 games in a row , we were not exactly confident . We need not have worried , as it took Kevin all of 4 minutes to score in the Kop end , and in doing so , became for ever more , “ Super “ Kevin Campbell . In a game of few chances , we hung on , as they went down to 9 men and us to 10 , as Westerveld and Jeffers went for their , “ Handbags “ , and a Baby-Faced Me La for his usual thigh-high lunge . I was in their side of the Anfield Road and Weirdo noticed me bouncing on me seat and gave me a wave , as I went berserk . Good job I did , as it remains our last victory at the Beelzebub’s .
The following week , the Goodison Goal Glut continued , this time in a bizarre 4-4 draw with Leeds .
At Christmas the Boardroom Drama between Agent Johnson an’ Bill the Luvvy was settled as Kenwright took control . His first game as Bona-Fide Chairman was Sunderland at home . We won the game 5-0 and spirits were high . Though , while the football was great to watch going forwards , we let in too many daft goals , despite the excellent Weirdo / Goughy axis . Our Cup exploits were finished by Oxford at home , and yet another F.A. Cup home debacle , this time Carbone and Aston Villa . Not great . Not great at all .
We finished in 13th place , but to their credit , had scored 4 or more goals at home on 5 occasions and also away at West Ham , plus , were totally robbed by Poll in the return Derby .
This would be Smith’s best hope of a side to challenge , but sadly , for one reason or another , players such as Dacourt , Materazzi , and later Hutchison were allowed to leave , but were replaced by , with respect , the Hughes’ , Stephen and Mark , Joe-Max Moore and Cleland . We were trading downwards therefore our Premier League standing was sure to follow .
“ Super “ Kevin Campbell ended his first full campaign at Everton as top scorer with 12 .
The initial season of the new millennium began with the biggest bombshell to hit Goodison Park in 30 years as Judas Barmby came and said he wanted to go to the RS . Plus , there was the relatively un-sung return of the departed hero , Duncan .
An opening day loss at Leeds , and another 3-2 reversal at Tottenham , among a couple of wins . Jeffers , fit again , scored 4 games running , but it remained too stop-start . There were lows , 2 , 3-1 defeats to both the Mancs and the RS - Kopite Tawt Escariot getting a goal ; and a mauling off Joe Royle’s Man City , 5-0 ; but also highs , wins versus Arsenal and Chelsea , as Campbell scored in both .
On January 20 , Kevin Campbell was given the Captain’s armband for the away game at Coventry City , we won , 3-1. In accepting , he became the first black man to captain Everton FC .
Our tendency to self-implode came to a head in that year’s cup competitions . The League Cup debacle , a defeat on penalties at Bristol Rovers , would ultimately see the departure of Dunne , McCann , Jeffers and Ball , for laughing on the Coach on the return journey - THAT is how low we had fallen behind the scenes .
Then came the F.A. Cup ...
With my hand on my heart , I would say , that in a LONG line of contender’s , the 3-0 home loss to Tranmere Rovers was my personal nadir as an Evertonian . At Goodison , certainly . It was ultra - typical of the side at that time to beat Arsenal and get walloped by a Tranmere side who had various Giant - Killing scalps during that period . They were not , or at least should not have been a surprise package . It was ugly , heartless , and gut-wrenchingly embarrassing .
Yet , there was even more to come as regards heartbreak . The RS came to town on a Monday night . All was going well and a acceptable 2-2 draw was on the cards . Then , McAllister got a free kick which seemed to be to be halfway down Walton Lane . In any event , he had no right to go for goal , but shoot he did . We had Gerrard though …, alas , our version , and a truly horrendous second half of the season received its coup de grace .
Moreover , the league standing was not great . They finished 16th and confidence was as low at it had been since Coventry ‘98 .
Super Kev’ , however finished with 9 goals , which in view of injuries and the campaign generally , was accepted .
Season 2001/02 saw a new striker , Radzinski , a Canadian , drafted in . Nevertheless , even with the Big Man back , Campbell retained the #9 jersey , and the captain‘s armband , and was thus , the first permanent black Everton Captain in 125 years of this great Institution . The rest of the side however , was not as well equipped . Alexandersson , Gemmill , S Watson , Pembridge . The list went on . And on . Loads of not very much at all .
We started with a home win over Charlton , but had been battered 4-1 at Old Trafford , Kevin scored our goal , and another 3-1 hiding off the RS , all before September was out . An uncharacteristic 5-0 win over our perennial bunnys , West Ham , led on to various uninspiring draws . Another draw in the return game at the RS - my last visit to the Kop .
Moreover , the sound of the bottom of the barrel being scraped was heard with the signing of Gascoigne , and even worse , an overweight , utterly grey and absolutely past-it David Ginola , if , ithankfully in his case , only for 5 games . In fairness though , our best performance of the campaign saw a Fat-Boy inspired demolition of the mighty Leyton Orient at home , 4-1. Our worst , in the ultimate “ bad-trip” déjà vu , was the white-flag display at Middlesborough in the F.A. Cup Quarter Final , 3-0 . It stank . Everything about it . The lack generally giving a flying one , under-performance as the norm , a substitute bench with , with the greatest of respect , Nick Chadwick . The side yet again were in the bottom third . Enough was enough . I went to ‘Boro that day , and was expecting Smith to resign that night . He never but it didn’t matter , as even Kenwright could no longer deny the undeniable . We hadn’t merely stood still , we had gone backwards .
Therefore , Smith was relieved of his duties , as the Board turned to youth , and offered the Everton Manager’s chair to the erstwhile Preston North End Boss , David Moyes . We were 15th in the table and by no means certain - Gascoigne greeted Moyes arrival with a dummy-spit ; to retain our Premiership status .
However , as history will forever note , Undies took just 40 seconds to score against Fulham as we grabbed a 2-1 win . A crazy 4-3 victory at Pride Park , a 3-0 home win over Bolton , allied to other results , saw us ultimately safe . Nevertheless , even in the few short weeks of the remainder of the season , we were battered 6-2 at the Barcodes , 3-0 at Chelsea , lost at home to Blackburn , and were unlucky in a 4-3 defeat at Highbury . It showed the work that needed to be done .
Moreover , Super Kevin Campbell endured his worst ever season in a blue shirt as he finished with just 4 league goals . He was still officially team captain but was absent through a persistent back injury for the end of the campaign as the team stumbled into 15th place .
Fortunately for Kev’ , Moyesey kept the faith . He retained Campbell in both the #9 jersey and also the captaincy , and fair’s fair , the lad responded . He began the season on a scoring streak . He had 5 by the end of September when we went to play Wrexham in the League Cup .
The previous April , we had witnessed our first collective view of the kid we had heard whispered about for what seemed like forever , Wayne Rooney . Well , Moyes saw both the state of our squad and also the boy’s physique and mental toughness allied to a phenomenal degree of natural talent , and made the 16 year old substitute for the Wrexham game . Once more , as history , and anyone , like myself whom was present would testify , we enjoyed one of those , “ Once in a VERY long while ,..” nights at the Racecourse . Rooney came on to grab the headlines , but it was Kevin whom scored the opener . Moreover , with Duncan out injured - again , it was Campbell to whom Moyes looked to shepherd him , 18 days later , as he gave the boy his home debut against Arsenal , and the rest , as they say ,…
There are 2 photo’s which stand out for me from that day . One , is of the Park End crowd , taken as he lets fly . L.C.A.B. is to be seen , out of seat , arms raised , mouth in an , “ O “ shape , as I say , “ What a fukn gOal ,..” " The Evertonian " , ran the picture for about 6 issues . Class . The other is of Asbo , the game over as he gets a piggy back from our Captain . The true meaning of the snap is the delight in Kevin’s face as much as Rooney’s . By this time , Kevin Campbell was all about Everton . He prided himself in the honour of team captain , and was pleased for ALL of us at our new found diamond .
For lads who do not grow up Blues , it is the “ Eureka !!! “ moments that stick out . I felt that this was one for Super Kev’ .
The debacles had not exactly disappeared however , as the name of - Kevin Ratcliffe’s ; Shrewsbury was added to Everton’s long list of “ Watershed “ games , as they knocked us out of the F.A. Cup at the first attempt . Asbo or no Asbo .
There was the pleasure of a nil’s each at Grey Skull , during which they were genuinely terrified ; “ Rooney’s gonna get ya’ ,..”
The season ended with an amazing , under the circumstances , 7th place finish . Kevin Campbell , in a far happier place personally than he had been 12 months earlier , played 31 league games and his 10 goals was reasonable - 12 in all , but his role , in Fergie’s absence on Wayne Rooney was immeasurable . He would encourage , but also berate if necessary , all during a game , and was growing into the role of Everton’s captain .
Moysey’s revolution was continuing as 2003/04 began . In truth , we had not enjoyed optimism like this for a decade or more . The Boy Wonder thing , allied to our almost unprecedented Premier League finish left us all rather naively , but understandably giddy .
We should , of course , have known better . After missing out on Europe on the last day of the previous season , we began a trend of , up-one-year-down-the-next , campaigns , as anything that could go wrong did . It started bad , and got worse . Arsenal beat us opening day . The RS mullah’d us 3-0 at home as well as defeats to Spurs and Chelsea . The return derby was nil’s each , Rooney hit their bar , as valium were passed like Smarties in the Kemlyn Road . The season’s highlight’s , and as it turned out , portents , were the two games against Man United . A 3-2 reverse at O.T. on Boxing Day , and a stormer of a game at Goodison , in which Asbo shone , ended 3-4 . The rest was near misses and dross . It was most definately a case of , “ Back to the Drawing Board “ . I witnessed Wayne Rooney’s last game for us , a last day surrender at the Council House , and left early as the kids had had enough . It was 4-0 and would end up 5-1, Super Kev’ grabbing his only score of the season and final goal for Everton . The point was the absence of hope . The contrast between the beginning and the end of the season was absolute .
Campbell , our first choice centre forward as the year began , missed most of the campaign . He made only 8 starts , with another 9 as substitute . He was nearing the end , and both parties knew it , as we limped in , in 17th place .
2004/05 maintaining the roller-coaster trend , turned out to be a genuine turning point for Everton FC , though we weren’t to know that as it began . Indeed , from our perspective , we had just lost not only the greatest young talent in World Football - apologies to Lionel Messi , ( Poetic licence , lid ) , but also by far the best player at the recent European Championships for , to my mind , chickenfeed . We were collectively gutted , skint , but also damn angry .
Arsenal came on day 1 and smacked our arse , which did little to ease the mood . Nevertheless , I and many others trekked to Selhurst Park on a sunny August Saturday to see us grab an encouraging 3-1 win , with our new striker Marcus Bent catching the eye . Unfortunately for Super Kev’ , as our fortunes rose , his , at least at Everton FC , did the opposite . He would play only a further 4 games for the Toffee’s from the start , with another 3 as substitute without scoring . He realised that at 35 years old , and with a tangible general improvement in our playing roster , there was no future for him here .
Thus , in the January window , he accepted an offer to join West Bromwich Albion , as team captain , leaving Goodison with our best wishes . He helped the side , whom were bottom as he joined , to avoid relegation - the first side ever to do so having been bottom at Christmas .
He would play - including his loan spell ; 145 games for Everton Football Club , and bagged 45 goals . Basically , a near , 1-in-3 ratio . Exactly what we needed at the time , and for his rescue act in his first season alone , well worth a pittance of £3 million . He changed Everton forever by , as a man of colour , being the primary corporate identity of the Club , via his role as centre forward and captain . Thus , in view of our chequered history as regards the media on this issue , Kevin Campbell left a legacy far beyond that of 145 games . Far , far beyond .
Moreover , Rooney prospered so quickly due both to his own prodigious talent , but also in no small measure to Kevin Campbell’s minder-act . Again , putting in a shift over and above that of goal-scorer , and precisely befitting that of a Skipper .
And of course he shall remain , “ Super Kev’ “ , forever , Ever-ton .
Alas , with West Brom’s resultant relegation the following season , Campbell was released . He had played 45 games , scoring 6 goals . After the Hawthorns , Kevin tried his luck with Cardiff City . However , it never really took off . He played 19 games in league and cup without scoring , but did bag his only Blue-Birds’ strike against Carmarthen in the F.A.W. Cup . He was released by the club in May 2007 , and announced his immediate retirement . He was 37 years old , and I’m certain had a little thought to the erstwhile Chairman of Trabzonspor .” Yuck Fou , Meff “ ( See what I did there ??? ) - might have been the terminology , I would venture .
However , Kevin Campbell’s relationship with the downright weird did not end with his hanging up his boots . He had set up a Record Label , 2 Wikid , in 2002 whilst Everton captain , largely Hip-Hop and R’n’B focused . His first major signing , Mark Morrison , was later the subject of a Court Injunction , as another Record Company , Jet Star , attempted to release the artist’s debut album . Ultimately , 2 Wikid lost the case and the album was put out , and while Morrison was truly awful , there was a hit-single upon which Super Kev‘ , our very own , D-R-E , missed right out .
In another odd development , Kev’ the Entrepeneur set up a Security Company , T1 Protection , in 2006 , providing bodyguards and personal security to celebrities or high profile Industrial clients whilst they travel abroad . The Company trades to this day .
He also does a spot of Premier League Commentary for Asian Company , TEN Sports .
For someone with less than 150 games for the club , Kevin will be in a minority of one in the Pantheon of Sermon Subjects . Nevertheless , his place is warranted both for his on-field actions but also those of a more historically significant nature . He played every game for Everton with a smile on his face . Always came over at the end of away games , regardless of the score . Not all of his team-mates did likewise . His scoring rate is up with the best and was not frightened of the Beelzebub’s .
A mark of his standing amongst the Goodison Faithful was illustrated in the recent Derby fixture , when , 2 local boxing title-holder’s as well as the Great Roy Jones Jnr , were already receiving rapturous applause on the pitch at half time . A few minutes later , Kevin emerged , hugged the boxers before proceeding to the Gwladys Street , where he received a rendition of , “ Super Kevin Campbell ,..” , as good as any heard all afternoon . He , for his part , milked it . Milked it , BIG time , btw . Even Roy Jones was impressed . Seriously .
However , it warmed the cockles of my heart to see how pleased he was to be so fondly remembered and how made up the crowd were to witness it .
Therefore , this Domingo , thank the Almighty for providing us with , “ Super “ Kevin Campbell .
A man who came as a temp’ , but left a legacy as permanent as any in the history of Everton FC .
Amen .
May the Good Lord be with you all .
Look after your peoples .
Peace out .
The ( Catholic ) Reverand L.C.A.B.
