Johnny Carey bought Jimmy Gabriel, Alex Parker,, Alex Young and Roy Vernon. Brian Labone was already there along with Mick Meagan, Derek Temple and Brian Harris who played bit parts in that 1963 title winning squad.
Harry Catterick bought Gordon West, Tony Kay, Johnny Morrissey and Dennis Stevens which added steel to the team especially in away games and also Alex Scott replacing Billy Bingham.
Carey was sacked because John Moore’s thought the team wasn’t fit enough and Carey, a gentleman by nature, wasn’t tough or ruthless enough in his treatment of players. Bobby Collins was one of my favourite all time Everton players, he came into a very poor Everton team and dragged them out of the relegation zone and was part of a great team when he left shortly before they won the title, I would have have loved him to stay he deserved a medal as much as any of those who got them but he had his differences with Catterick and went his way being his own man.Dennis Stevens had a hard time being Bobby’s replacement but eventually winning a lot of the fans over with his battling qualities and his teamwork and earned his medal.Alan Ball was another shock move, he cried tears when he told his teammates “He’s selling me” He couldn’t believe it. That story came from Johnny Morrissey. I was shocked and upset at the time but realised later it was pure business, Catterick told him he had had six great years out of him and was selling for twice the money he had paid for him, Alan was never as good for Arsenal as he was for Everton, didn’t mean he was a bad player and Arsenal sold him onto Southampton while they could get a good fee for him same as Everton did. Carey helped to start a great Everton team Catterick took over and did a much better job of making them a title winning team twice along with a famous FA cup win, a losing one and other near title winning efforts when there were quite a few clubs in contention those days. Harry Catterick was, for me, the best manager Everton ever had.
