Gary Speed - RIP to a fellow Evertonian

It is strange being a football fan and how it makes you feel about certain players.  I would have never expected to be feeling as upset and emotional as I am today over the tragic death of a player who was only at Everton for less than two years and left us over 13 years ago, but I have spent most of the day crying at the tributes being made to Gary Speed and reminiscing of his time at Everton.

The signing of Gary Speed was the first time I can remember us signing someone who was one of us, an Evertonian, so instantly that made me love him. He was genuinely so thrilled to be joining his boyhood club, how could I not like him.

His debut against Newcastle United at Goodison in 1996 was meant to be about another player making his debut for his boyhood club in what was then a record transfer fee. Yes, the headlines were about the boyhood fan not only playing but scoring for the club he’d always supported but it wasn’t Alan Shearer they were talking about, it was Gary Speed. He scored the first of his 18 goals for us in front of the Gwladys Street end, where he used to stand watching us in the 80’s. There must be no greater feeling for an Evertonian than scoring at Goodison, and he had managed to do it within half an hour of making his first appearance.

My other abiding memory of Gary Speed, is his equaliser at Anfield, possibly the second best feeling for any Evertonian to experience. This came in the days before I went to the aways and I was at home hiding from the score updates (like I still do now), and I just remember my mum checking teletext and shouting into me (I was hiding in the kitchen) “Speed rescues a point for Everton”, I was so happy.

Logging onto the official website today, the club have put up the video of the demolition of Southampton, a game which Speed scored his only hat-trick. I remember being at that game and the only goals I could clearly remember before looking at that video was Speed’s 2^nd and 3^rd goals. The other thing that struck me from looking at that video was what a great midfield we had back then. Kanchelskis, Barmby, Parkinson and Speed. They’d walk into many a Premiership team then and now.

I met him once, coming out of Goodison during a pre-season tournament. He’d scored for us that day and I told him that he scored a great goal (I don’t think it was a particularly great goal, but I was a tongue-tied 15 year old girl, who didn’t know what else to say to one her idols), he was very friendly and approachable and made me feel like I hadn’t just made a total idiot of myself.

When he left, I was gutted; he was such a vital player to us. I will admit I was angry with him for wanting to leave us when we were in such a state at the bottom of the league, but I have since come to realise that there was a lot more to that story than the one we were told at the time.  He kept a dignified silence to protect the club that he loved, and in doing so, he tarnished his own reputation amongst the Everton fans who up until then had admired and loved him so much. He returned to Goodison with Newcastle and Bolton, and came in for quite a bit of abuse from the crowd, but even despite this, he still kept his silence so not to drag the club, the club he still referred to as “us” through the mud. Only someone who was a true Evertonian would do that.  Even when he scored a penalty for Bolton, he showed dignity and respect to the club, there was no celebrating by him, unlike a certain other ex Evertonian striker. He regained a lot of respect back from Evertonians for this.

What is making me even more upset over his tragic death is that I only saw him at Goodison last Saturday. He had parked in the Gwladys Street school car park, like I had. He was getting photographs taken and signing autographs and for kids, still the same approachable, friendly fella I’d met all those years ago. In a way, I suppose it is a nice thought that one of the last games he saw, was back at the ground that he loved and he saw his team win.

This is the first death of an ex Everton player that I actually remember watching, and a player who in his short time with us I loved. I was upset by the deaths of Labone and Ball as I’d been brought up with tales of these two, but this is something so different, it has really has hit me hard and left me feeling numb. It's just so tragic as he seemed to have a great career in management ahead of him. My thoughts are with his wife, two sons and family.

I hope and I am sure he will get the send off he deserves at his beloved Goodison on Sunday.  Seeing the tributes already on the Park End gates for him, there is no doubt that Everton and the rest of the football world will give Gary the tribute and respect he fully deserves.

Gary Speed, a great Everton player and more importantly a great Evertonian, who should be remembered for being that, may you rest in peace, Gary

Duncan Ferguson - My First Love

With last week’s news of Duncan Ferguson returning to the club to help coach the under 16’s, got me thinking of Duncan’s times at the club and what he meant to me. Ferguson is often described by fans as a legend, a title which causes a lot dispute amongst older fans who were lucky enough to see the likes of Alan Ball, Joe Royle, Graeme Sharp etc, but to me and a lot of fans around my age (I was 12 when he signed), Duncan Ferguson is a legend, he was my first Everton love. 

He joined us initially on loan and was probably Mike Walker’s only decent act as Everton manager, thankfully he didn’t really stay around long enough to see Duncan in action.  I remember listening to a commentary of an away game at Blackburn and them saying the deal to sign Ferguson and Ian Durrant on loan would be complete during the coming week. At this point, Ferguson was hardly known for his footballing ability, but more his anger & temperament issues, he had a court date pending for head-butting another player!! We lost at Ewood Park after another poor display and I remember thinking that the last thing we needed was a player who sounded like they’d be more of a hindrance to us in what was going to be a struggle of a season. But things for Everton and Ferguson changed as soon as Joe Royle took charge and one particular night in November 94 redefined our season, a high flying Liverpool came to Goodison to face us, a team who had won once all season. The Old Lady rocked that night (as it tends to do under the floodlights), we won 2-0 and he scored a classic of a header that made him an instant hero as well as playing a part in the 2^nd goal. He reinforced his hero status with yet another classic header against Man Utd. The fact that during his time with us, he scored most of his memorable goals against our two biggest rivals is another reason as to why I loved him.

The reason I loved Duncan wasn’t just the goals that he scored (not a prolific goal scorer by any means, but he got some brilliant goals, the shot on the turn at Old Trafford, the swivel and shot against Liverpool, the hooked volley against Wimbledon and many a towering header amongst them), it was the way he took the club to his heart. He really did love the club and the fans, his celebrations often reflected this. I remember his reaction to Dave Watson’s winning goal in the FA Cup quarter final, he celebrated that goal just as much as any of us who were inside Goodison that day and who can forget the pictures of Duncan the Blue Nose from Wembley?!

Things weren’t always easy at Goodison for Duncan during his first spell at Goodison, once Royle left, we went through one of the worst spells I’ve experienced, a poor team, with very limited players who lacked quality, we came dangerously close to relegation. He was the only hope we had in these dark days, all too often, our style of play during this period was nothing more than hoof ball up to Duncan; in the desperate hope something would come of it. Sometimes it actually did, primarily, in December when the newly appointed captain of Everton Football Club, Duncan Ferguson, single-handedly got us a vital 3 points against our nearest relegation rival Bolton with a stunning and much needed hat-trick. 

His departure in November 1998 was controversial to say the least, and upsetting for fans. I am not ashamed to admit that I was devastated and I cried for a good couple of days after he’d gone and the a bit more when he talked about his affection for the club and particularly the fans in an all too rare television interview.

The day he returned to us was the day I got my A Level results, but I was more excited by Duncan coming home than seeing the results in that envelope. His first game back was against Charlton, I spent most of the game watching the bench to see when he would be coming on and when he did, I was so very excited (quite sad for an 18 year old girl, but that is what Duncan could do to me). His brief appearance in that game probably summed up his Everton career, scored vital goals but sustained an injury that would keep him out for weeks.

If it wasn’t injuries limiting his appearances, it was suspensions. Ferguson was not averse to incurring the wrath of many of a referee, sometimes harshly, most of the times not. Who can forget the sending off for literally strangling Steffan Fruend (think Homer wringing his hands around Bart’s neck and you can visualise the scene). At the time, I was fuming with him, but now looking back, it just makes me laugh and the short fuse was part of what made Duncan, Duncan. He probably wasn’t seen as much of a hero/legend during his second spell, mainly because we had a significantly improved squad this time around and Duncan was not as much of a focal point like in his first spell. He also still had his shocking injury and disciplinary record as well as the odd run in with Moyes. But the impact he made in us finishing 4th in 04/05 is in my opinion all too often overlooked, he may have only played a small part, used mainly as a sub, but he became our super-sub, he won us games home and away to Norwich, Fulham as well as a point against Birmingham. But what he will be most remembered for in this season is the Man Utd game at Goodison. Quite simply, the best night I’ve had at the ground, my Bayern Munich equivalent. Duncan was unplayable that night, like he was in his first few seasons with us. No one there on that night will ever forget the atmosphere when Big Dunc scored and ran off to his beloved Gwladys Street, he very nearly re-created the famous tattoo revealing celebration too. That was the night I knew we’d clinch 4th spot and probably the highlight of Dunc’s second spell with us, what a highlight to have?

Not many players could make me cry and laugh in equal measure, but Duncan definitely could. Once again he reduced me to tears in his last game, in typical Ferguson style, he grabbed the headlines by missing a last minute penalty but slotting the rebound (and nearly knocking Osman out of the way in the process to make sure he got the final touch). The lap of appreciation by the players turned into the Duncan Ferguson show. The sight of him and his kids walking around the pitch were so emotional and for once it was a genuine show of emotion not just by the player to the fans, but vice verse. The reaction of the fans to his appearance at the Hall of Fame awards, the Everton awards and on his return to Goodison last season just shows the esteem he is held in and I think the feelings are mutual, just hearing speech at the Everton awards shows this.

Joe Royle one said that “Duncan was a legend before he was a player” and that is probably true, but on his day Duncan was one hell of a player and will always be a legend to me.

The Magic of Goodison

A work colleague took his seven year old son to his first ever match when we played Wigan recently. On the Monday after the game I was regaled with stories of how in awe of everything his lad was by Goodison, the look on his face when he saw the players coming out to warm up and how he didn't really notice that Wigan had scored even though he had a perfect view of it from his seat in the Upper Bullens but was fully aware that Everton had equalised. Not to mention the fact he got a little angry with his dad for leaving a couple of minutes before the end and missing our third goal. I have a feeling that this will not be Adam's only visit to Goodison, much to his dad's relief, who now feels he is a proper father now for passing his love of Everton onto his eldest son!


Listening to how excited Adam was got me to thinking about my first game at Goodison, I remember the date - 01/05/1993 (a date that I will never ever forget) and that we played Arsenal and drew 0-0, but apart from that, I have to admit that I don't remember too much else, apart from knowing this was a place that I needed to come back to (haven't really stopped going back there much since that fateful May day).


I may not remember much about my first game at the Old Lady but I do remember my cousin's first visit to Goodison and how without maybe realising it at the time, it changed his life - I took my our Marc who was then 11, to see us play Man Utd in February 1995 (he was a Man Utd fan at the time), and he'd never been to a match before. His dad worked on Saturdays so couldn't take him, though I am not sure he'd have taken him to Old Trafford even if he was able to take him the match.


Even though he was supporting the opposition that day, I remember that you could see on Marc's face how in awe of the whole occasion he was. He hardly spoke from the moment we got into Goodison, which is so not like us when we get together (even during my holy communion we got told off as he was talking during the service and making me laugh!)  As it turned out Big Duncan scored one of his classic headers and we won 1-0, much to Marc's disappointment. If Marc was quite quiet during the game, he was even quieter on the way home, as he got a lot of stick from me and my brother (all of it good natured but very deserved). Despite seeing his team losing that day he said he really enjoyed going to the match and enjoyed the atmosphere and asked if Id take him to the next Man Utd game at Goodison.


Circumstances meant I never did take him to another match and we never really saw each other as much after that, but I was told by his nan and grandad that he'd fallen out of love with Manchester United. So I thought he was just a typical glory hunter and once United started winning again (apparently he didn't like it as I gloated to him when we won the FA Cup in the same) , he'd suddenly remember that he's always been a big supporter.


Ten years later in 2005 when back at Goodison, history repeated itself and Ferguson rolled back the years and scored yet another classic header down the Gwladys Street End as we beat United 1-0, who did I find was sitting two seats away from me, just like a decade ago, but our Marc. This time not supporting Manchester United, but the mighty blues. He was as passionate about us as I was. He was now an Evertonian. He said he'd never forgotten that day back in '95 when he first experienced a football match live. Even though his team that day had lost, he remember the whole atmosphere, the noise of the fans and the way the ground erupted after the goal and the full time whistle. He knew he was never going to get the chance to experience the same level of support and passion being a United fan, so he switched his allegiance to Everton, a decision he said he'd not regretted.


The next time I saw him at the match was outside Wembley in April 2009 when once again we'd beaten his "first" team, you would never have known that he once supported United. He was singing and dancing, just like those of us who had supported Everton all our lives and he admitted that when Jags scored the winning penalty he had shed a little tear, which is exactly what I did (although it was probably more than a little tear in my case)


Maybe sometimes I take the magic of Goodison for granted as I am there week in, week out, through good times and bad, but for someone experiencing it for the first time, the old lady must still have some powers, it certainly did something to my cousin and it seems to have had a similar affect on Adam too.

The Best Little Spaniard

August 31^st is rapidly becoming a date in the calendar that I am beginning to hate  - the final day of the summer transfer window. The day usually leaves me feeling extremely frustrated as I watch players that I think would do a job for us going to other clubs. This year however, I was not so much frustrated as upset, devastated and in all honesty heartbroken. The best little Spaniard I know left our club.

Once it was all official that he was joining Arsenal, I broke down and cried, not the actions of a normal, rational 29 year old, I admit, but that is how much I loved (and probably still love) Mikel that him leaving just reduced me to tears. I was also crying over what it signified for our club but I am not discussing all that at the minute, this is about Mikel, the little Spanish magician who gave me such great pleasure and happy memories in his 6 and a half years at the club.

When he signed for us in January 2005, I was told by my cousin's Rangers supporting husband, not to hope for much from Arteta as "he didn't exactly set the SPL alight" and "he gets blown over by a slight breeze, so won't handle the rough & tough of the Premiership". Oh how wrong, was he!! The earliest memory I have of Mikel was him controlling and dictating the midfield in one the best away performances I have witnessed from us - a 3-1 win at Villa Park in February '05. He just seemed to have all the time in the world to pick the passes out and didn't seem overly phased by the "rough & tough of the Premiership" as my cousin's hubby had predicted. I think I knew there & then, off the back of that performance against Villa that this was a player who I was going to love. He cemented his place as one of my favourites when he played his part in the best night I've known at Goodison by setting up Big Dunc for that goal against Man Utd.

He became a permanent member of our squad and he still managed to entertain me with his performances, be they out wide or in the middle. He controlled the midfield in many games, he had "time" to do whatever it was he wanted to do on the pitch. I've never really seen a midfielder of ours do that and it was a joy to watch. When he had the ball, I felt relaxed as I knew he'd retain possession or pick a pass that would lead to something. He wasn't afraid of getting stuck in either, which was a side to him I wasn't expecting, but he understood what it meant to be a team player and got on with his job without ever complaining about what role he was asked to do.

Not only was he the main creative spark in our team, he chipped in with a fair share of goals too. Who can ever forget the hope he gave to us with the stunning free kick against Villarreal in the Champions League and those who were at Goodison for the Fiorentina will never forget the moment that "Goodison was shaken to it's 100 year old foundations". I will never forget the choruses of "Follow, Follow, Follow" ringing out in the cold November night air at the Easy-Credit Stadion, Nuremberg after his penalty put onto the road to a brilliant 2-0 win. Even last season, which was not his best in an Everton shirt, he still gave me two of the best memories with his equalising goal in the 93rd minute against Man Utd and his first Derby day goal.

It wasn't just the performances on the pitch that made me love Mikel so much though, it was the way he had taken the club to his heart, he had become an Evertonian, so unusual for a foreigner to do this, but Mikel had. His friendship with Tim Cahill was one of the most genuine I have ever seen. Seeing those two together before games was as funny as it was endearing. The interview with the pair of them shown before one our UEFA cup games just showed the level of their friendship.

Not many players have made me cry in my 18 years of going to the match like Mikel has. When he suffered that injury up at St James Park in 2009, I cried, as I knew instantly the seriousness of the injured and also knew that he'd probably not be quite the same Mikel when he returned. The reception he received upon his return against Birmingham was quite simply one of the best I've ever seen, all of Goodison were just so happy to have him back. I will admit, again I shed a tear or two.

Yes, his performances since the injury have not been up to those high standards of those first couple of years, but he was still Mikel, he still had the odd glimpse of Mikel magic, his two goal & overall excellent performance against Hull, man of the match showing back up at the ground where it all started to go wrong, St James' Park last season.

Now he has gone, and he is still making me cry, with the eloquent and heartfelt way he spoken about his time at Everton and the affection he has for the club and the fans. Everything he said was very genuine and sincere. An indication of what a true gentleman and all round nice guy he really is. I maybe I'm being silly to feel like this over one player, no player is bigger than the club, I know that and I understand the reasons why he was sold (doesn't mean I like them) but that is how I am, I get attached to players, I always have and I always will. I am even more gutted that I will never get the chance to meet him now, he wasn't at Finch Farm on the day I went there, I thought I'd get to see him one day, but now it won't happen.

He may well be now Arsenal's Mikel Arteta, as he was introduced on Sky Sports News prior to his interview on Friday, but to me, he will never be Arsenal's, he will always be our Mikel Arteta - the best little Spaniard Everton or I will ever know.