Howard Kendall: Bolt from the Blue

As a player he was in the 'Holy Trinity'. Then as a manager he took Everton to dizzy heights. Now 25 years on, he opens up on the Heysel ban, his time in Spain and missing out on the England job. Simon Hart speaks to Howard Kendall

(DAVID ASHDOWN)

If a week is a long time in football, how about a quarter of a century? Howard Kendall illustrated the gulf between the game today and in his managerial heyday at a 25th anniversary dinner last Monday for Everton's 1985 title-winning team.

Forget global scouting networks: Kendall, as nostalgia-drunk diners heard at Liverpool's Echo Arena, "was recommended Neville Southall by a friend who had a pub in Llandudno".

That Southall, his first Everton signing from Bury, became arguably the world's best goalkeeper typified the rise of the unheralded young side that, during a three-year spell, Kendall led out of Liverpool's shadow and to two League titles and four Wembley finals as well as victory in the European Cup Winners' Cup.

"Going out, they never believed they were going to be beaten," said Kendall, remembering that special feeling every footballer would wish to bottle and keep. "When you see tapes of goals like Andy Gray's diving headers they are absolutely incredible. It is lovely to watch them and admire the quality."

Kendall, now 63, and the last Englishman to steer an English club to European honours, was speaking prior to last Monday's reunion, when we met near his home in Formby on the coast north of Liverpool. Reminiscing over a glass of wine in a bar owned by fellow Evertonian Alan Stubbs, he recalled his days as the bright young star in the managerial firmament.

His star had shone early as a player – representing Preston North End in the 1964 FA Cup final aged just 17 – and his coaching career unfolded in similar fashion. After bringing Blackburn Rovers out of the old third division as player-manager, he was 34 when, in 1981, he took charge at the club where he had won the 1970 League title as part of Harry Catterick's midfield "Holy Trinity" with Alan Ball and Colin Harvey.

Unlike Catterick, he was a "tracksuited manager" yet he did take one thing from his old boss, "who bought players to balance the team". It helped that he had an eye for talent – picking up Trevor Steven after Liverpool's Bob Paisley had dithered over the Burnley winger, and plucking Kevin Sheedy from Liverpool reserves to tend the other flank with that "unbelievable" left foot.

Kendall had a young team – seven of his 1984 FA Cup winners were 24 or under – but they were struggling and over Christmas 1983 he offered his resignation, declined by chairman Philip Carter. Fortunately, two "risk signings", old heads Gray and Peter Reid, helped turn things round.

"When they came in, it lifted the whole place. Everton had to change banks from the Midland to TSB to get the £60,000 to buy Peter Reid. He then had a recurrence of his knee injury and Colin Harvey [Kendall's No 2] said to me, 'Sorry about recommending Reidy'. But look how it turned out. With Andy we had to nurse him through the week and get him ready for matchday."

Other strong characters emerged. "You need leaders and Kevin Ratcliffe was a great captain. He did a lot in the dressing room to deal with players like Pat van den Hauwe."

Everton reached Wembley in the League Cup and FA Cup, losing the former to Liverpool in a replay but winning the latter against Watford. Suddenly "there was a belief". When Paisley congratulated Kendall on the train home, he replied: "Thanks Bob, but it's the League next season."

A stronger statement came in October 1984, Everton slaying Manchester United 5-0 seven days after Graeme Sharp's stunning volley had downed champions Liverpool. From December, they went 28 games unbeaten.

"The best night they've ever had at Goodison," was the Cup Winners' Cup semi-final against Bayern Munich. After a stalemate in Munich, Bayern scored first in the return. "When you say the game is quicker now, I suggest people look at the pace of that game and the tackles going in. I said at half-time, 'I can't improve what you are doing, I can't suggest anything other than go out there – you are playing towards the Gwladys Street end and they'll suck the ball in'."

Gray twice left his marker with a bloodied nose – "Andy was a little bit naughty" – but struck along with Sharp and Steven as Everton prevailed 3-1. League champions with five games to spare, they repeated that scoreline in the Rotterdam final against Rapid Vienna, though their exertions arguably cost them the Double as three days later they lost the FA Cup final to Norman Whiteside's extra-time goal for 10-man United.

Everton were runners-up to Liverpool in both League and FA Cup the next year but reclaimed the title in 1987 before Kendall sought a fresh challenge in Spain at Athletic Bilbao. "I wanted Europe," said Kendall, whose charges – voted 1985's European team of the year – were denied the chance to enhance that reputation by the post-Heysel ban on English clubs.

"I know it was a tragedy but in purely football terms I think that Everton suffered more than anyone. We were on a high, we'd just qualified for the European Cup and we wanted to prove we were the best. One of the biggest compliments was from Brian Clough during his commentary [on the Rapid Vienna game]. He said: 'On that performance, how long is this team going to rule Europe?' "

Instead Kendall went it alone, seeking "different tests in terms of playing against the best. Real Madrid had Hugo Sanchez, [Emilio] Butragueno, Michel, and you were really testing your ability to be organised and get a result." In his two full seasons, Athletic finished fourth and seventh.

That he almost took the Barcelona job 12 months before moving to Bilbao underlines his standing. He signed a provisional contract, believing Terry Venables would be leaving; instead "it dragged on and on and in the end I contacted Terry and asked: 'Are you going or staying?' He said, 'I think I'm staying'."

Another "what if" moment came when, after joining Manchester City, the Football Association were looking for Bobby Robson's successor as England manager. Peter Swales, chairman of both City and the FA's international committee, told Kendall that he was on a shortlist with Joe Royle and Graham Taylor.

"I asked: 'Who's the favourite?' Peter Swales said: 'Graham Taylor's virtually got it.' I thought, 'I'm not going to go down there and have it publicised that I am not happy here if I am going down just for the interview and Graham Taylor's got the job'."

Kendall's career subsequently took a downward turn. He returned to Everton but success eluded him. "I was going back to manage players I had managed and signed in the past and also players I was inheriting. There was a split." In 1993 Kendall quit after the board – without Carter, the chairman who had stood by him – blocked a deal to sign United's Dion Dublin.

Spells at Xanthi in Greece, Notts County and Sheffield United followed before, in 1997, he returned to Goodison a third time as manager. In a season spent fighting relegation, Kendall made one notably shrewd judgement in appointing Duncan Ferguson captain for a six-pointer against Bolton Wanderers. The Scot headed a hat-trick; Everton finished above relegated Wanderers on goal difference.

"I knew how proud he'd be so I was getting a little bit more from him via the armband. To motivate him, he had to appreciate the job he was doing and who was asking him to do it. If he didn't appreciate it, you would get very little from him."

Kendall, who never managed in England again, admits that the job "became less enjoyable when you can't win things. It is more difficult if you have been successful to go in somewhere when you realise you can't be what you want to be".

Yet he defends his record. "I was successful at Blackburn Rovers, I was successful first time at Everton, successful at Man City, successful at Sheffield United, no chance in Greece, no chance at Notts County and very little chance coming back to Everton on the last two occasions."

A regular at Goodison and a Liverpool Echo columnist, he does not regret returning either time. He hopes David Moyes can claim a trophy for Everton – "because of the work he's put in" – but believes fourth is the new first for his old club in an era where silverware is largely "down to finance".

"You are starting the season looking at fourth," he added. "It's gone the European way. Look at Spain – you've got Barcelona and Real Madrid at the top every season. We've become like that, but we weren't like that." Not when, almost out of the blue, his young side emerged to plant the championship flag at Goodison.

Class of '85

The fact that Adrian Heath flew in from Texas for his old team's reunion illustrates the bond between Everton's 1980s band of brothers. "We had great camaraderie. We had a lot of young players and then Andy Gray and Peter Reid came and made us into men. The biggest thing is that we liked each other and all socialised together," says Heath of an era when Howard Kendall took the fine money and treated his squad to morale-building Chinese meals. Peter Reid, 1985's PFA Player of the Year, adds: "It was a side that could mix it but could play as well. Everything we did was geared to getting the ball down and passing it. Howard assembled a really good side with strong characters who could sort things out on the pitch. Tactically he was very good."

Trevor Steven says: "His judgement of players was second to none, and his man-management was terrific. When I came to Everton at 19, I found it difficult but Howard spotted that, took me out the team, let me grow at my own pace. He was also brilliant at ignoring injured players. Today that power has gone, apart from Alex Ferguson. We needed to make up our salaries by winning games but all of that has gone."

Today's games

Birmingham City v Liverpool (3pm)

It is one of those odd quirks that Rafa Benitez has won an FA Cup tie at Birmingham 7-0, yet not beaten them in any of his seven Premier League encounters at home or away. A very different task from a visit to Benfica, yet no less tricky.

Everton v West Ham United (4pm, Sky Sports 1)

Howard Kendall is sure to be an interested observer here. This is not a happy away ground for West Ham but then where is after eight months without a win on the road? Everton can now envisage exerting some real pressure on Aston Villa for the third Europa League place.

Fulham v Wigan (3pm)

Wigan's Roberto Martinez was among those who defended Roy Hodgson's team selection at Hull last week, even though it could cost his club heavily. He would not object to a repeat today and may well get it after Fulham's draining game against Wolfsburg.

Steve Tongue