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Faith of our Families: Everton FC, an Oral History
It is known as The School of Science, a pioneering institute on from the game's inception as a professional sport through to the advent of the Premier League. It is known too as The People's Club, an institution that in football's globalised and money strewn era has managed to retain a distinct local identity and whose fans see themselves as a distinct tribe. It is a club where legends of the game bestrode the hallowed turf of its world famous stadium, Goodison Park: from Fred Geary and Jack Taylor to Dixie Dean and Tommy Lawton; Alex Young, Alan Ball and Howard Kendall to Neville Southall, Graeme Sharp and modern icons, like Romelu Lukaku. It is Everton Football Club: unmistakeable, unique, unforgetable. Yet the inner life of Everton Football Club is veiled in mystique. Only a select few partake in the sensitive discussions of running a club or the casual banter of the training ground or dressing room. While there is a shared experience in the stadium, altered perceptions of a club's highs and lows live on in the hearts and minds of all the protagonists: players, managers, supporters and other witnesses to the team's fortunes. As Everton enter their 140th year, Everton: An Oral History tells the story of the club through the voices of the people who made the institution one of the most revered in world football. Assiduously curated by award winning author, James Corbett, and told in the words of the people who made it great, Everton: An Oral History offers a front row seat to the highs and lows of the club. Featuring more than 100 original interviews with the club's players, managers, fans and administrators, Everton: An Oral History offers an unparalleled and unprecedented insight into the club's story
- GenresSports
400 pages, Hardcover
Published March 1, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
November 5, 2018
Detailed read a must for everton fans
March 8, 2018
I almost didn't buy this book but the publisher published a chapter little before the book came out and I was instantly hooked. The name of the book was a bit misleading as I thought it was mostly interviews of fans but rather the book is chock full of interviews from people who were inside the club, mainly players but also several managers, coaches and other staff. There are also some fans as well but the main onus is on players.
These interviewees don't hold back. There's a ton of stuff, a lot of it I have never heard, about what happened inside the corridors of Goodison Park in the past. Obviously pre-war stuff is quite scarce as the authors obviously couldn't interview people from that era anymore. So they have had to do with existing interviews. That's why the book really gets into gear when it gets to the sixties. I've for example never read a satisfactory explanation why Harry Catterick sold Alan Ball to Arsenal. The standard reason has been "he made good profit on him" but this book gives a much better explanation straight from the players who were there at the time. The book handles all the highs and lows and incidents and comes up with all sorts of interesting nuggets of information.
The book nicely wraps things up by including extra chapters at the end about the women's team, supporting from abroad, Everton in The Community etc which broaden the concept to be all-encompassing. So pretty much every angle is covered.
This was a good time to write this book as the players from the great 60s team are getting old. So it was great to get this insight from that time period into a book before it's too late. There was already some notable absentees like the aforementioned Alan Ball and the great Alex Young as well as world cup winner Ray Wilson who is tragically suffering from dementia.
My only personal gripe is that talking about Everton fan media the only website mentioned is NSNO which was started in 2002 or so and omits ToffeeWeb which was the first Everton website of any kind and launched in 1993. It could have been the very first football-related website in the world had I not spent so much time polishing it, eventually it was maybe the 5th of its kind.
Apart from that this is probably the best book about Everton I have read. A treasure trove of the kind of information you don't usually read, at least not from this many viewpoints. Player biographies tend to only show one side of the story and often a quite biased one. A must-read for any Everton fan interested in the club's history.
These interviewees don't hold back. There's a ton of stuff, a lot of it I have never heard, about what happened inside the corridors of Goodison Park in the past. Obviously pre-war stuff is quite scarce as the authors obviously couldn't interview people from that era anymore. So they have had to do with existing interviews. That's why the book really gets into gear when it gets to the sixties. I've for example never read a satisfactory explanation why Harry Catterick sold Alan Ball to Arsenal. The standard reason has been "he made good profit on him" but this book gives a much better explanation straight from the players who were there at the time. The book handles all the highs and lows and incidents and comes up with all sorts of interesting nuggets of information.
The book nicely wraps things up by including extra chapters at the end about the women's team, supporting from abroad, Everton in The Community etc which broaden the concept to be all-encompassing. So pretty much every angle is covered.
This was a good time to write this book as the players from the great 60s team are getting old. So it was great to get this insight from that time period into a book before it's too late. There was already some notable absentees like the aforementioned Alan Ball and the great Alex Young as well as world cup winner Ray Wilson who is tragically suffering from dementia.
My only personal gripe is that talking about Everton fan media the only website mentioned is NSNO which was started in 2002 or so and omits ToffeeWeb which was the first Everton website of any kind and launched in 1993. It could have been the very first football-related website in the world had I not spent so much time polishing it, eventually it was maybe the 5th of its kind.
Apart from that this is probably the best book about Everton I have read. A treasure trove of the kind of information you don't usually read, at least not from this many viewpoints. Player biographies tend to only show one side of the story and often a quite biased one. A must-read for any Everton fan interested in the club's history.
January 2, 2018
This is an amazing in depth look at Everton throughout the years. I dig it because you can open it from anywhere and read first hand accounts of big moments Toffee history. From Dixie Dean to Tim Cahill to now, this is a solid piece of work.
January 2, 2024
The only reason I gave this 5 stars is because 6 wasn’t an option…
An absolute must read for every Evertonian. Two million words highlighting why Everton is the greatest club in the world. And each of those two million are personal and authentic - I appreciate how many perspectives were represented.
I leave for Liverpool tomorrow to make my first pilgrimage to the Mecca that is Goodison Park. It was a push to finish this book before leaving, but I did it! Now my excitement has doubled. I can’t believe I’m actually going to experience the greatness of Everton first hand. Come on you Blues!!
An absolute must read for every Evertonian. Two million words highlighting why Everton is the greatest club in the world. And each of those two million are personal and authentic - I appreciate how many perspectives were represented.
I leave for Liverpool tomorrow to make my first pilgrimage to the Mecca that is Goodison Park. It was a push to finish this book before leaving, but I did it! Now my excitement has doubled. I can’t believe I’m actually going to experience the greatness of Everton first hand. Come on you Blues!!
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews