little curly alan ball
Player Valuation: £70m
May the Good Lord be with you all .
Welcome to our little corner of the Sabbath .
In choosing the subject of today’s Sermon I have gone for a footballer of tremendous grace and flair . A wide midfielder with an excellent scoring record , he , and Sheedy’s left peg , were the Pieces de Resistance , of the ‘80’s side . His dribbling ability with both feet , soon saw him earn the moniker , “ Tricky “ , as that is undoubtedly what he was .
Ladies and Gentlemen , may I introduce to you , Trevor McGregor Steven .
Born in Berwick-Upon-Tweed , 21 September , 1963 - Happy birthday for next week , lid . He was taken into the renowned Burnley Academy from the age of 14 , and signed Professional terms upon leaving School at 16 . He thrived , and with the Club languishing in the depths of the , then , Third Division , made significant progress early on . So much so , that within 18 months , had broken into not just the first team squad , but the team itself .
As an 18 year old , in 1982-83 , Trevor played 36 games , scoring 3 goals , as the side won Promotion to the Second Division . Unfortunately , they were unable to strengthen , and Tricky could not prevent them dropping back down the following Season , despite scoring 11 goals , as Burnley reached the last 8 of the F.A. Cup , and the Semi-Finals of the Milk Cup .
One thing which did occur that second season was , that Burnley drew the RS in the Milk Cup Semi‘s . They lost , 3 , but young Steven had made a distinct impression upon the Homosexual . So much so , that shortly thereafter , he made a bid of £300,000 for the Youngster . ( Considering that the British Record Transfer fee would not reach £2m for another 5 years , it was a SIGNIFICANT figure for a teenager . )
However , thankfully , we were still in the , “ Age of the Gentleman “ , where one’s word actually meant something . Thus , as Howard Kendall had seen Trevor’s potential earlier that year , and himself made a similar bid , which was rejected by the then Burnley Chairman , Bob Lord , but on the basis that , should they reconsider , Everton would have first refusal
Thus , in spite of the RS upping their offer by £20,000 , and indeed being Champions , Howard Kendall managed to convince young Steven that the place to be was Everton’s First Team and not Liverpool’s Bench and the kid , like Snod’s shortly thereafter , took the ONLY decision he could , and signed for Everton over them , in August 1983 - using up the outgoing Steve McMahon’s Transfer Fee from Aston Villa in the process .
His initial season was basically settling in . Indeed , he did not feature much , after a debut in that term’s opener , a 1-0 win against Stoke at home . He played a handful more games , before being dropped as the Team struggled through the Autumn and early Winter . In front of him he had , basically , Irvine , Richardson and the Mercurial Terry Curran . Fortunately for Tricky , injuries , pre our second ever League / Milk Cup Final , and the first ever All Merseyside Final of any sort , saw him gain a starting berth for Wembley ,though he was left out , along with Kingy , for the replay .
I was always a Tricky fan , and was delighted when he came on in the Highbury Semi . We went on to win , in extra-time , in one of my All - Time Everton moments ; and Trevor Steven never looked back .
Making up for Maine Road , he won his shirt for our victory over Elton and Renate in the F.A. Cup Final on merit , making Andy Gray’s infamous header - Sherwood et al . He was now a fixture in the side .
To my mind , Trevor Steven was the most aesthetically pleasing Everton Player since the School of Science . Then , we had , Young , of course , but also Vernon , Collins , Kay . Even Labone , Wilson , and of course the Holy Trinity . However , in the period since , with the possible exception of Beardsley ,
Steven was the most , “pleasing on the eye “ player to don the shirt in the period since . Trevor Steven did , Sexy Football . Anyone whom witnessed Manchester United 5-0 , Bayern Munich , Tottenham to clinch the Title , and the awesome Sunderland at home , display , cannot fail to concur . We were simply untouchable , and Tricky , as he had now been christened by our supporters , was our Prince Regent .
His trademark gliding run , ability in both feet meant he could play right or left , though definitely preferred right , allied to his trademark celebration of , raised arm with index finger pointing nonchalantly heavenward , is one of my favourite sights in Football .
As such , it wasn’t long before England came calling , and he was to make his debut for the 3 Lions , against Northern Ireland in March 1985 . He was chosen again for the ill-fated Eire game in Dublin , and despite the furore , had broken into Bobby Robson’s thinking , continuing his excellent on-pitch club relationship with the similarly named , Gary Stevens . He would establish himself with a series of magnificent performances as we literally motored to the Title . Tricky got 12 goals from 40 games . Shining in both the Semi and Final of the European Cup Winner’s Cup , scoring in both , as well as the clincher for the League at Tottenham . In short , he was AWESOME .
The following Season , 1985-86 , saw us “ Strengthen “ , with Kendall showing his ruthless side in jettisoning Andy Gray , in favour of Leicester’s young Striker , Gary Winston Lineker . We struggled in the early months , struggling to adapt to a new system , but after a 3-2 home Derby defeat , we began to get our act together . Another Anfield victory , this time with a 40 yard bobbler from Ratcliffe , a rarity indeed , and the ubiquitous Lineker goal . So much so , that we went into the last 3 games neck and neck with the RS , and after yet another miraculous Semi Final Victory , this time against Luton , without Tricky and Link’s ,absent ; we faced the possibility of an Authentic Double for the second time in so many seasons , meeting our Crimson Cousins in the First Ever All Merseyside F.A. Cup Final .
Alas , for once that Season , Lineker left his shooting boots at home , and I had a wasted trip to Oxford , as we threw away the League , despite dispatching both West Ham and Southampton in our last two games , the damage was done . We lost out on the Title by 2 points , and were then defeated in the Final , again , despite a 1-0 half time lead .
Tricky , however , had served up his usual order of skill , grace , flair and end-product . As such , when Bobby Robson announced his World Cup squad , Trevor , along with Stevens , Reid and Lineker - Bracewell would’ve been but for fukn Billy The Dog Whitehurst ; he was in .. He did not make the initial sides , but with injury to Robson and Wilkins Sent Off , a rethink was called for . Thus , Mr. Robson went for the Everton - Route . Selecting all four , as well as future blue , Peter Beardsley , against Portugal , as Links went on to grab a hat-trick , one a classic Everton ‘86 goal , against Portugal . They qualified from the group and ultimately met Argentina , dans Diego Armando Maradona , in Guadalajara .
Tricky was selected to start , but was withdrawn in favour of John Barnes late on . Barnes’ impact , making Lineker’s goal , and almost another , took the shine off Steven somewhat , but he had played his part . He missed out on the little cheat’s shirt , like , but , ho-hum .
1986-87 , dawned , as does New Year’s Morning in the Party House . We all still felt hungover , and some [Poor language removed] had stolen the family silver . Lineker was Catalan bound , but HK decided NOT to splurge , but rather to go back to the Inchy / Sharpy partnership which had served us so well , pre-Xmas 1985 .
As it turned out , it was stroke of genius , as we went on to lift the Title for the second time in 3 years ., and while it can be said that Inchy was the star , Tricky Trev’ weighed in with 17 goals of his own , as he rose to the challenge of an injury ravaged side . It was not pretty but it was effective . Though for the first time in 3 years there would be no trip to North West London , as we lost at Wimbledon in the F.A. Cup ,having lost to the RS in the Milk Cup .
1987-88 saw the Storm Clouds begin to gather on the Goodison Horizon . Kendall finally took the Eskudan Lucre , and was Basque - Bound . He place was filled by the universally loved Colin Harvey .
However , Gary Stevens , Tricky’s Partner-In-Crime on the right , had left for Glasgow Rangers , seeking European Football . His replacement was Neil McDonald . It said everything about that period in our History .Even with the addition of British Record Fee , Tony Cottee from West Ham United , instead of the Aston Martin , we were a very serviceable Nissan Saloon . The side struggled in the league , fourth being our best finish under Harvey , and the Cups were no longer our personal domain . However , we DID have a League Cup Semi versus Arsenal , which we were in , until given a penalty at the Gwladys Street , which Tricky duly despatched into the upper tier of the stand . Groves , I believe , scored for them , and it was game over .
Trevor Steven basically struggled through the next 2 seasons , as did the team . The European Ban had devastated us , not merely for the glamour aspect , but the side were noticeably deflated . Moreover , where the Club had been able to attract Lineker , for example , on the back of European Football - the deal was done , well , Pre-Heysel ; now we were also-rans once again , through no fault of our own .
Now , Everton being Everton , our fans soon found avenues to vent their anger . Those of a certain age may not credit this , but there as an extended period were Reid , Sheedy and Tricky Trevor , particularly , ALL were the focus for terrace unhappiness . So much so , that in the highlight of Tricky’s last season at Goodison , the second All Merseyside - Hillsborough , F.A. Cup Final ,, a fan ran on , at Wembley , banging on his chest to indicate the badge ., i.e, play for the Goddamned SHIRT !!!
I , personally , thought this was harsh . With Trevor that year , putting a regular shift in . Not anything like the ‘85-87 Vintage , but as good as the rest .
It was however , indicative of the extent of the deterioration in the relationship between Club and Player .
Anyway , the inspiration did not work , as we lost - again , to that shower , this time , 3-2 in extra time .
Trevor walked away from Wembley with a losers medal , and would never wear a blue shirt again .
He had made 229 appearances , and scored 60 goals . A magnificent return .
He was transferred , like his playing buddy , Gary Stevens , 2 years earlier , to Rangers of Glasgow to join Souness’ band of Englishmen . He won the Title there in both of his years , and a Scottish League Cup .
In the summer of 1991 Olympique Marseille made a bid of £5.5m which , surprisingly was accepted , and Tricky was off to Southern France to join his fellow Englishman and Wide-Man , Chris Waddle .
Trevor stayed only 1 year , but lifted La Ligue for the French side , before returning to Glasgow and renewing his relationship with Sourpuss , for a remarkably cut-price £2.4m . He returned to a side bullying every competition at the time , and collected another 4 League Championship medals , 5 Scot’s Cup medals , and 2 Scottish League Cup Winners medals .
Not a bad haul , in fairness .
Internationally , Trevor was still more than involved . He had been a starter in the ill-fated 1988 European Championship team , hitting the bar in the defeat against Russia , and the move to Scotland had not affected his International chances , as he made Robson’s squad for the 1990 World Cup Finals in Italy . He did not feature until Cameroon in the quarter Final , coming on as a sub’ , and did the same in the Semi , as Sir Bobby chased the game and replaced Terry Butcher with his Rangers team-mate . He did not take a Penalty as England were knocked out .
He survived the change of regime , as Graham Taylor took over the blazer , though he never chose Tricky for any qualifiers , but with an injury crisis before the Tournament , he was recalled , and started in the draws against Denmark and France , but was dropped for the defeat against hosts , Sweden , which saw them eliminated .
Tricky’s second spell with the Huns , whilst glorious for the side , saw him pick up a succession of injuries , restricting his appearances to 17 in his last two years and the arrival of Gascoigne and Laudrup saw him fall down the pecking order , and he retired from all Football in 1997 .
He currently works as a media pundit , primarily with RTE in Eire , but also others Broadcasters .
One thing I do have to say about our Tricky , is how someone so baby-faced , can turn into a 55 year old man in 5 years !!! Jesus , the years HAVE NOT been kind to Mr. Steven , and no mistake . He’s a few weeks younger than me , but could pass for me Da’ !!! Serious .
Still , I maintain , that a young Trevor Steven , in full flow , was among the top 5 Everton visions which I have been privileged to witness . Grace , gets close , but does not quite say it . Balance , poise , ALWAYS with his head up . Could play passes , long or short , could head a ball , and had a superb eye for goal , indeed netting 17 , whilst often playing as an auxiliary Striker in our last Title year of 1987 . In short , Trevor Steven was like a fine wine among Footballers . He was , perhaps our last exponent of TRULY SEXY Football .
For example , and on a personal note , that Sunderland game , at home , 1985 , was me Nan’s favourite game . I remember her saying - for years , btw ,.. “ Me hands were red raw from clapping ,..” Well , you and me both , Peg’ . You an’ me both , my darling .
Therefore , this Domingo , take a moment to thank the Almighty with providing Evertonians with the artistry of Tricky Trevor Steven . Truly a sight to behold .
Amen .
May the Good Lord be with you all .
Look after your peoples .
Peace out .
The ( Catholic ) Reverend L.C.A.B.
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