Gordon Lee RIP

[Bluerover]

Seeing that this is a thread in respect to a recently deceased former manager of this club, if you had nothing nice to say, then perhaps you should have just said nothing.

The Everton team of that era despite sadly winning nothing, seems to be very fondly remembered by the vast majority of fans who saw them. As i said earlier he was unfortunate to be our manager, when that other shower were winning everything.

Some right lovely people post on this site. Hard at times to believe we are all Evertonians. Abusing, not just fairly criticising players, and now disrespect for a deceased former manager.

I am beginning to understand how our Bambis in the RBJ are scared so much.

 

[Gradwell Dave]

Finished 3rd and 4th in Gordon’s first two seasons, but back then it wasn’t deemed good enough as success meant winning the title or the cup. He tried to play football in the right manner and was an honest, hardworking guy who only wanted the best for the club.

 

[edge]

Thought he was a good manager myself, pity we didn't have a good goalkeeper he could have won something.
Met him when he was managing Preston, on a bus to Manchester from the airport, imagine that these days a football team and manger on a normal bus, takes to him for a while he was a gent, polite and happy to talk about the blues.
Rip

 

[davmaher]

I will guarantee you are not even old enough to have watched Gordon Lee manage Everton, plant pot

I am in my mid-sixties. My first game was Burnley at home in 1963. I saw lots of games when Gordon Lee was manager. As expected you show no sign of realising that your comment was totally inappropriate. Gordon Lee was a much better manager for this club than a lot of people give him credit for. I didn't fully appreciate that at the time he was managing us, but in retrospect they were some of the happiest times I've has as an Everton fan.

 

[summerisle]

 

[BigMick]

The next day we went to Leeds and got battered 3-1. I always wondered if it was shock of those 2 defeats that sent him back into his shell and made him more defensive. There's a lot of truth in what @Johnny Barton says. He broke up the 77/78 side too early and many of his signings were sub par (including the Special Agent himself). But Gordon Lee was still a genuine man and we certainly had plenty of memorable matches with him in charge.

I think you're right about the 6-2 and 3-1 at Leeds the next day (imagine that today!) possibly making him a bit more defensive, There were also a couple of 3-3 draws and the 4-4 against Newcastle, so I can understand him thinking if we tightened up a little we'd be even better.

To be fair to him that 77/78/79 team breaking up wasn't all his fault. A number of players were unhappy with the money they were on - Thomas left for that reason, Dobson went back to Burnley, Latchford asked for a move, went on the transfer list and Lee refused to play him until he came off it, even though results weren't good. Add to that Pejic getting injured and the whole of the left side of that team - its biggest strength with Latch and King in the middle, disappeared.

He certainly made mistakes, like all managers, and I' agree with the poster who says Walsh and Stanley were bad signings, but he also signed Eastoe who was a terrific player who I wish we'd had in 77/8 and 78/9, while Brian Kidd and Hartford were excellent for us, though Kidd let us down with his discipline. Like Bingham before him, Lee wanted to sign Shilton but the board wouldn't pay his wages so we signed Wood instead; Forest were also linked with Wood that summer but forked out the extra money for Shilton and went on to glory.

 

[John BCN]

I think you're right about the 6-2 and 3-1 at Leeds the next day (imagine that today!) possibly making him a bit more defensive, There were also a couple of 3-3 draws and the 4-4 against Newcastle, so I can understand him thinking if we tightened up a little we'd be even better.

To be fair to him that 77/78/79 team breaking up wasn't all his fault. A number of players were unhappy with the money they were on - Thomas left for that reason, Dobson went back to Burnley, Latchford asked for a move, went on the transfer list and Lee refused to play him until he came off it, even though results weren't good. Add to that Pejic getting injured and the whole of the left side of that team - its biggest strength with Latch and King in the middle, disappeared.

He certainly made mistakes, like all managers, and I' agree with the poster who says Walsh and Stanley were bad signings, but he also signed Eastoe who was a terrific player who I wish we'd had in 77/8 and 78/9, while Brian Kidd and Hartford were excellent for us, though Kidd let us down with his discipline. Like Bingham before him, Lee wanted to sign Shilton but the board wouldn't pay his wages so we signed Wood instead; Forest were also linked with Wood that summer but forked out the extra money for Shilton and went on to glory.

Dead right all that. If we had been able to sign Shilton and hold on to a few of those players, we could have had the following team:
Shilton; Gidman, Lyons, Todd, Bailey; King, McMahon, Dobson; Thomas, Kidd, Latchford.

Previously Sir John Moores would have put the money in to make this happen but I guess this was the start of him pulling away and the Moores family shifting their backing to the RS. Howard had to do it the hard way with promising youngsters and gambles on quality crocks.

 

[larbert toffee]

Always thought he was underrated by a lot of our fans. RIP.

I was one of them, my excuse being I was a young lad at the time who couldn't understand why we weren't winning any trophies, knowledge and maturity now tells me he was a good manager and more than a little unlucky, he also more importantly seemed a decent bloke.

 

[Khalekan]

Very sorry to here this.

Very underrated here is Gordon.

We played some great stuff under him in 77/78 and 78/79.

Next to Harry and Howard, Gordon is the manager I most fondly remember.

RIP Gordon Lee.

 

[Khalekan]

Calling Gary Stanley, Gary Megson, Geoff Nulty, Eamonn O Keefe, etc dross shows a very strange frame of mind.

Some very odd posters on here. Wouldn't like to meet them for a pint.

Eamon O’Keefe scored one of my favourite ever Everton goals.

That extra time winner down the Gladwys in the Saints replay 1981.

 

[Khalekan]

But for Clive Thomas, Gordon would have led us out in two Cup Finals in 1977.

 

[Cork Evertonian]

Eamon O’Keefe scored one of my favourite ever Everton goals.

That extra time winner down the Gladwys in the Saints replay 1981.

He managed Cork City to their first trophy as well. Sadly trophies proved to be elusive for Gordon Lee. But he was a good man, and he did a very good job as Everton manager in my opinion.

 

[Khalekan]

Dead right all that. If we had been able to sign Shilton and hold on to a few of those players, we could have had the following team:
Shilton; Gidman, Lyons, Todd, Bailey; King, McMahon, Dobson; Thomas, Kidd, Latchford.

Previously Sir John Moores would have put the money in to make this happen but I guess this was the start of him pulling away and the Moores family shifting their backing to the RS. Howard had to do it the hard way with promising youngsters and gambles on quality crocks.

Here’s a hypothetical for you.

If we had signed Shilton and assuming he had stayed with us for a decade or more, we would never have had Neville.

How do we feel about that?

 

[Mikey_Fitzgerald]

RIP Gordon Lee

Condolences to his friends and family at this sad time

 

[John BCN]

Here’s a hypothetical for you.

If we had signed Shilton and assuming he had stayed with us for a decade or more, we would never have had Neville.

How do we feel about that?

I see what you are getting at. Three or four seasons finishing 2nd or 3rd with Shilton, but not signing Neville and ending up not winning a title at all..