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The early nineties

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EFCINLONDON

Player Valuation: £950k
I started going the game regularly in the early nineties, idolising the likes of Big Nev and Beardsley, but being 6, 7 or 8 didn't really appreciate that we were rubbish apart from this (Waggy excepted). Being so young I had no idea of where we went so wrong and reading HK's and Harvey's autobiographies I don't feel they really shine a light on it.

Surely with Kendall being reappointed everyone must have thought we'd be challenging again? Be interested to know why older blues think it went so wrong in Kendall's second reign.
 
Worth checking out the book by ken rogers 'born not manufactured' - I got it at Christmas and it gives a great insight into that sort of thing
 
EFCINLONDON said:
I started going the game regularly in the early nineties, idolising the likes of Big Nev and Beardsley, but being 6, 7 or 8 didn't really appreciate that we were rubbish apart from this (Waggy excepted). Being so young I had no idea of where we went so wrong and reading HK's and Harvey's autobiographies I don't feel they really shine a light on it.

Surely with Kendall being reappointed everyone must have thought we'd be challenging again? Be interested to know why older blues think it went so wrong in Kendall's second reign.
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Bought poor players, just shows there's no magic wand/method.
I'd selectively blanked most of it out...thanks for bringing back the pain.
 
Unfortunately however much we account blame to the other lot due to the European ban following Heysel,our board and management in my opinion let us fans down badly,we began thinking " small time" the year after we won our last title we started aquiring players below the "top level"McDonald,McCall,Nevin,yes Cottee was a record deal however he never totally convinced me,meanwhile the other lot went out and got Barnes,Beardsley,Houghton etc,the old guard who remained(we lost Stevens and Steven to Glasgow Rangers) from the glory days became frustrated at the lack of ambition and quality we were bringing in and it basically became a degenerative process that almost ended with an apocalypse that fateful May day in 1994.
 

Dario Terracotta said:
Unfortunately however much we account blame to the other lot due to the European ban following Heysel,our board and management in my opinion let us fans down badly,we began thinking " small time" the year after we won our last title we started aquiring players below the "top level"McDonald,McCall,Nevin,yes Cottee was a record deal however he never totally convinced me,meanwhile the other lot went out and got Barnes,Beardsley,Houghton etc,the old guard who remained(we lost Stevens and Steven to Glasgow Rangers) from the glory days became frustrated at the lack of ambition and quality we were bringing in and it basically became a degenerative process that almost ended with an apocalypse that fateful May day in 1994.
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But the exodus of players looking for European football didn't help. I honestly think that if we had gone into the European cup we would have retained the core of that excellent side and been better placed to recruit quality additions, which were needed because some of that great side were heading toward their best before date.
 
Dario Terracotta said:
Unfortunately however much we account blame to the other lot due to the European ban following Heysel,our board and management in my opinion let us fans down badly,we began thinking " small time" the year after we won our last title we started aquiring players below the "top level"McDonald,McCall,Nevin,yes Cottee was a record deal however he never totally convinced me,meanwhile the other lot went out and got Barnes,Beardsley,Houghton etc,the old guard who remained(we lost Stevens and Steven to Glasgow Rangers) from the glory days became frustrated at the lack of ambition and quality we were bringing in and it basically became a degenerative process that almost ended with an apocalypse that fateful May day in 1994.
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Nevin and McCall were potentially good imo but overall the signings Colin made did not come off, we're not as good as the players they replaced but most importantly iirc the chemistry was never re-captured that existed in the successful team they were meant to replace. Old guard never really accepted the new guard and you could see why a bit. Changes off the pitch Colin as manager and back up of Mick Lyons and the incomparable Terry D ticked the Evertonian box but not much else. At board level began to think very small time. Got involved in Premier League set up but never had anyone there with clout while Arsenal were on the rise on and off the pitch. LFc worked wonders with the Rush transfer money in terms of Barnes and Beardsley and then even signed him back!!!!! HK 2 could not stop the process so like in 1970s ace team disappeared in about 3 seasons........
 
Jimmy Grimble said:
But the exodus of players looking for European football didn't help. I honestly think that if we had gone into the European cup we would have retained the core of that excellent side and been better placed to recruit quality additions, which were needed because some of that great side were heading toward their best before date.
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That's my point referencing the RS mate,they went out and bought the best and maintained their place at the "top table" we on the other hand didn't,well that's my own opinion anyhow:)
 
allezlesbleus said:
Nevin and McCall were potentially good imo but overall the signings Colin made did not come off, we're not as good as the players they replaced but most importantly iirc the chemistry was never re-captured that existed in the successful team they were meant to replace. Old guard never really accepted the new guard and you could see why a bit. Changes off the pitch Colin as manager and back up of Mick Lyons and the incomparable Terry D ticked the Ecertonian box but not much else
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Terry should have got the job when Howard left allez,with Colin as his assistant,you know it would have made sense;)lol
 
It's a great question and in truth no one will be able to give a single definitive answer - football was changing with the advent of the Premiership and regaling from goverment intervention over safety standards - whilst at the same time technology was advancing through satellite TV and a ruling that was to allow freedom of player movement via Bosman.

For Everton, in my opinion we were paralysed through a lack of investment despite braking the transfer record for Cottee during Mr Harvey's tenure only some years before. At boardroom level Mr Carter had been a driving force in creating an Everton within the new Premiership independent from the Football League to take the riches from the new satellite medium and to forgo live regional broadcasts - don't forget their had been an impasse with the clubs that meant football wasn't shown at all in the early 89 season.

With new stadium requirements, a new TV audience we sat back on tradition - a previous title winning side that had success throughout was supplemented by players who in hindsight weren't good enough - it was a time of change at Everton on and off the pitch. Dr Marsh took over the Chairmanship, investment from previous wealthy Directors dried up as revenue sources changed from direct investment from the board to what we see today in diverse and wide ranging off field commercial actions. Poor on field performance with rapid acceleration on and off field from many of our North West peers saw us fall behind quickly. I thought Wimbledon 94 would be the nadir, yet more last day heroics were required a few years later.

No easy answer I'm afraid, but we went from the head of the table to taking lessons from those who were more agile. It's taken a long time to recover and for the first time in a generation we appear to have investment, strategy and a vision to take us back to a position where this great club should occupy. That's what I hope and as a fan there will be ups and downs on the journey, but despite the past tribulations we're always a Grand Old Team!
 

Carter became Chairman of the Football League as well and we lost direction and leadership at board level at a critical time. Kendall leaving for a club like Bilbao would never have happened of course if we were playing in, and potentially winning, the European Cup. When you think of Johnson and the other complete non-entity, Dr. David Marsh, who occupied the Chairmanship in subsequent years, that tells its own story.

It must have been hugely demoralising winning the title again in 87 only to be denied European Cup football and I think looking back at that time that everybody from the board down probably lost some hunger and wondered what the point was, when the likes of Steven and Stevens were going to Scotland, and being replaced by inferior players. There was just no steady hand to steer the ship.

The rot began in earnest I think after the 89 Cup Final defeat, not least in the manner of it and that lot winning the double. But nothing was the same after Kendall left.

That period between 89 and 92 into the creation of the Premier League was perhaps the single most damaging period in the clubs history. We were pretty much already also-rans by the time the PL started and of course there was no longer any underwriting of expenditure by the Moores. We missed the Sky Sports boat, and then some, whether you like what they have done to football or not, and I don't, we weren't at the table for the biggest thing to happen to club football and still live off scraps relatively speaking.

We signed players that matched our reduced budget and influence by and large and just started going backwards. We were very lucky to stay up in 94, if we had not I still think we would have recovered to a certain degree but we could have spent years and years in the Championship / Football League.
 
Its just been bad decision after bad decision since 1987 really. They have all been mentioned in the above but something that really annoys me is the amount of good young players we lost to the other lot in the early 90s, Carragher McManamon etc etc. We took our eye of the youth systems it seems in the early 90s.
 
Commercially the club has been a shambles since the inception of the premier league

There was no development of an 'Everton' brand and the associated revenue from that and proper shirt sales and sponsorship

the stadium has been a milestone around the neck, rather than the driver of commercial revenue.
 

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