Looking for the Toffees: In Search of the Heroes of Everton

by Brian Viner

In 1977-78, Brian Viner was a season ticket-holder in the Gwladys Street End at Goodison Park, home to his beloved Everton. In front of him were the stars of the striker Bob Latchford, creative midfielder Duncan McKenzie and goalkeeping hero George Wood. There were no airs and graces Viner would regularly see Latchford in the local pub, and even once saw Wood mowing the field at his school, so asked him to come and join his classmates for a kickabout, which he did. It would never happen now.

But as well as nostalgia for that period, Viner reveals how this was a time when so much was on the cusp of in football the first wave of foreign players would arrive the next season, with Ossie Ardiles and Arnold Muhren among them; on Merseyside, the era of punk would soon give way to Thatcherism; and even Viner himself, at 16, was on the verge of adulthood. But little of what happened next could ever have been predicted.

Viner's investigation of that year in the 1970s, based on many interviews with the players of the time, not only reveals a vanished era, but also shows how football often fails to look after its own, as the life stories of what happened to the players afterwards shows, but how the spirit of the sport will always shine through.

Genres: Football

311 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 14, 2014

Reviews

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

This wasn't really written for me, which on the one hand gave me an insight into late 70s football that was mostly fresh, but on the other hand didn't hugely engage me. The premise was that Viner went in search of the Everton players who played in 2 memorable matches as he was coming of age, which naturally led to a bit of personal reminiscence.

To his credit he generally stuck to the main topic of the book, the players and their individual insights, so it didn't become an identikit nostalgia trip of real football, real crowds and real violence. Some of the weakest sections were in that area, such as the tall tales of a former Everton hooligan, whose autobiography he later quoted about an incident to which he wasn't even a witness - he was more of a storyteller than a historian. His uneasiness about the racism at Goodison at the time seemed honest but somewhat empty, in that he didn't partake in it nor complain about it, yet he happily retold an insensitve transphobic joke by Dave Jones when he met him in his managerial days.

The better elements were the players' own thoughts about the team and each other, which gave less generic insights into the football at the time, and the context in which they played - revered, but not that rich and needing a post-football career. The range of jobs was interesting, as were the different emotional responses to having played football as a job. All the players were British and were a mixture of shrewd and expensive buys, and Viner posits that the arrival or Ardilles and Villa at Spurs marked a turning point for English football, although this observation is not dealt with at length.

The passage of time means that I wont take every player's memories as Gospel, and in general Viner told their stories rather than examined them for reliability. From his fan perspective, he acknowledged the less savoury elements of football, whereas the players seemed to think it was better in their day. One player moaned about full backs not being willing to come for the ball to take it from the goalkeeper, whereas a decade after this book was written, the moaning is about teams insisting on playing it out from the back at all costs.

The themes were similar to those in Imlach's book, about a team in a different era, but while it was competently written it didn't have as good coverage of the social context, and nor did I feel as gripped by the football discussion. It's hardly as though I knew about Scottish footballers of the 50s so it wasn't familiarity that was the issue, there was just greater depth to Imlach's effort and while this might be great for an older Everton fan, I wouldn't expect a casual or younger reader to take as much from it.

[Tony · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book took me back so many years to some good and bad memories of living in Liverpool and growing up with the fanatical football-loving Everton and Liverpool supporters.
I soon found out at school the danger of supporting Everton or Liverpool. I even said Tranmere Rovers once, but still got hit.
The fantastic sense of humour the fans have the digs of humour they give each other and the fights in a Liverpool bar with Liverpool fans watching Liverpool win?
Great names Alan Ball, Bob Latchford, Andy King, great Everton players and the joy they brought was so good to read. The humour really carries this book for me. I was "Made up" =)

[Harry · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good book about a good team that never quite reached its potential - the story of EFC in the 1970's. I had the privilege of meeting the players that Brian Viner tracks down. The highlight being Andy King who passed away a few years ago. The book left me feeling somewhat nostalgically sad at how quickly time has passed, & how some of the players had not faired too well later in life. An enjoyable read.

[Jonny Brick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Smart book which captures the era well, as well as the wide-eyed enthusiasm of the author meeting his childhood heroes. Not just for Everton fans!

[Paul McCormack · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hoped for a little more

[Andrew Johnston · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book could be half as long as it actually is, there are some funny stories in it, but it is a loving ramble through the landscape of football in the late seventies. It's still better than Graeme sharps book.

[Supermanfriday · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a red but enjoyed it immensely ..Very good book,great team and in them times great rivalry .I hate them now but not in the passion I hated them then (in a respectful way)..in a slight different vein ,but any one who enjoyed this should read My Father and other working class heroes.