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Howard Kendall
| Category: | Manager |
| Year Inducted: | 2005 |
Profile by Robert Galvin, the author of Football's Greatest Heroes, the official book of the National Football Museum Hall of Fame:
Howard Kendall enjoys the distinction of winning a championship title as both a player and a manager with the same club, making him a lifelong idol to Everton supporters.
The feeling of appreciation is mutual. ‘You can have love affairs with other football clubs,' Kendall once said, ‘but for me, with Everton, it's a marriage.'
Under his leadership, Everton were European Team of the Year in 1984-85 after clinching a double of First Division title and the European Cup-winners' Cup. At Wembley, they lost in the FA Cup Final, ruining their dream of a treble.
‘Howard created a fantastic, fluent side,' Andy Gray said. Unbeaten for five months, Everton won the title by a margin of 13 points despite several losses once the title was secured.
Two years later, Everton finished top again, earning Kendall a second Manager of the Year award. In the mid-1980s, the team reached three successive FA Cup Finals, winning once: a 2-0 victory over Watford in 1984.
As a player, Kendall was the youngest player to appear in a FA Cup Final, at the age of 17 years and 345 days, in 1963-64. ‘Preston North End lost the match, but found a star,' read the newspaper headlines.
Harry Catterick won the race to sign Kendall in 1967, paying Preston £85,000, a record fee for a wing-half. Three years later he won a championship medal, playing alongside Alan Ball and Colin Harvey in midfield.
‘An unshakeable bond had formed during my playing days,' Kendall said. ‘Everton was in my blood. The fascination for the club never wavered.'
After learning his trade at Blackburn Rovers, Kendall arrived at Goodison Park in 1981, a time of crisis for the club. In rebuilding the side, he proved himself to be an outstanding judge of talent: nine of the players he introduced went on to win full internationals caps.
In 1981, Neville Southall was an unknown at Bury when Kendall paid £150,000 for him. ‘It was my first signing, and my best,' Kendall said. ‘In his prime, Neville was the best keeper in the world.' Other key signings followed.
Peter Reid, meanwhile, was burdened by a reputation for being injury-prone but Kendall ignored his past medical record, buying Reid for a knock-down price of £60,000 from Bolton Wanderers.
Similarly, Andy Gray was once the most expensive footballer in Britain, but his value had plummeted following a succession of injuries. His transfer from Wolves, for a bargain fee of £250,000, transformed the mood at Goodison Park.
Kevin Sheedy and Alan Harper were both reserves at Liverpool; Derek Mountfield was signed from Tranmere Rovers, and Trevor Steven was switched to a wide midfield role following his transfer from Burnley.
At the back, Gary Stevens and Kevin Ratcliffe, came up through the ranks at Goodison Park.
For not much more than the record transfer fee at the time - £1.7 million - Kendall built an entire championship-winning side. But they were denied the chance to test themselves in the European Cup because of the UEFA ban on English clubs.
After stints in Spain and at Manchester City, Kendall returned to Everton for the second of three spells in charge at Goodison Park. He has since been officially named Everton's ‘greatest manager'.