Everton Independent Research Data
McNamara GOES
July 9, 1958. The Liverpool Echo
Tony McNamara Liverpool’s outside right and formerly with Everton has been transferred to Crewe. He was put on the transfer list at the end of the season.
LAWTON SACKED
July 9, 1958 The Liverpool Echo
Managerial heads in football circles continue to fall with such bewildering rapidity that it is getting increasingly difficult to keep track of the changes. Over 40 managers have either resigned or been dismissed in the last 12 months, and the hold of some others on their jobs is none too secure. Latest purge is Tommy Lawton the former Everton centre forward who last night after a briefest of interviews with his board was “unfrocked” for financial reasons by Notts County. Lawton a great player might yet become just as great a manager but he had little chance to show what he could do at Nottingham. He inherited a run down side, and one season is not long enough for any manager to prove his worth.
EVERTON’S PLAYERS REPORT FOPR TRAINING
July 14, 1958. The Liverpool Echo
By Ranger
With the start of another football season less than six weeks away the professional players of several clubs are returning for their preliminary training this week. Everton’s full time professionals reported this morning and were welcomed by Mr. Fred Micklesfield (vice chairman) in the absence on holiday of the chairman, Mr. R.E. Searle. Wishing the players a successful season, Mr. Micklesfield said that an essential ingredient of success was a hundred per cent sustained effort for the whole ninety minutes of every match. If they gave that coupled with a greater will to win then the team would not be floundering about in the bottom half of the table. Mr. Jack Sharp, the new chairman of the Playing Staff Sub-Committee said Everton had always had a reputation for treating their players well, and would continue to do so. All they asked in return was complete loyalty and maximum effort. “Having seen the high-grade of football provided in the World Cup matches,” he added “the public may be rather more critical this year than ever but we hope you will all live up to best possible standard. For some years we have not enjoyed the success we might have had. I trust that this coming season will see the turn of the tide, and that Everton will once more be in the top flight and stay there”
Three Absentees
Three of the full timers were not among those who reported today. Full back Alec Parker, signed last month from Falkirk is in Cyprus with his Army unit, and Jimmy Harris involved in a car accident last week while returning from holiday in France, is having a couple of days off. He is making good progress, however, and will report for training either in Wednesday or Thursday. Jimmy Tansey was also missing due to having fixed holiday for this week a long time ago, but he was in for training last week, and will rejoin his colleagues next Monday. Newcomers making their first “signing on” appearance were Eddie O’Hara, the outside left from Falkirk signed along with Parker; Brian Godfrey, a 17 years-old inside left who was formerly on the staff as an amateur but is now a full time professional and John Bramwell, formerly of Wigan Athletic a wing half who signed towards the end of last season.
Looking Ahead
The players did not do any training today. That begins in earnest tomorrow, but after the official welcome they were taken in hand for a short while by Mr. Ian Buchan the club’s chief Coach, who outlined some of the things expected of them and what he proposed to concentrate on between now and the start of the season. The part-time players do no report until tomorrow week and will do their pre-season training on two evenings each week. The Goodison pitch looked in excellent condition, and was certainly more forward than I had anticipated, remembering that it was until towards the end of May that the soil, heating scheme had been completed and the grass seeds sown. Given good growing weather over the next six weeks the playing surfaces should be in first class shape by the start of the next campaign.
EVERTON AND DOCHERTY
July 24, 1958. The Liverpool Echo
To Consider Position
Fee The Key
By Ranger
Preston North End’s decision to put right-half Tommy Docherty on the transfer list in his own request, is likely to be considered by Everton’s directors when they meet tomorrow. Whether Everton will make an offer for the Scottish international us another matter. They might be interested under certain circumstances but if it is correct that Preston expect a fee in the neighborhood of £20,000 Everton might not be too keen to do business.
Plymouth Argyle have not yet given up hope of signing Dave Hickson and the Everton centre forward at their request is now in Plymouth discussing the matter with Mr. Jack Rowley, manager of the Devonshire club. I gather it is still unlikely that Hickson will agree to go to the Third Division club. He has no desire to step down from First Division football if he can avoid it. He would prefer to fight his way back to a regular place in the Goodison Park team.
D-DAY FOR HICKSON
July 25, 1958. The Liverpool Daily Post
By Leslie Edwards
Today is D-for-decision day for Dave Hickson, famous Everton centre-forward whose signature is required urgently by Plymouth Argyle I understand that the Everton board have arranged a meeting for this morning at eleven o’clock and that by the time Hickson who is with his wife in Plymouth will have decided whether he will make a move or not. He and Mrs. Hickson viewed two houses in Plymouth yesterday. When Hickson joined Huddersfield Town from Aston Villa (who had paid Everton £20,000 for him) he was unsettled because his wife was not happy living in Yorkshire. Manager Jack Rowley, the former Manchester United forward is negotiating for Plymouth Argyle. It is said that the fee involved would be between six and seven thousand pounds –the sum Everton paid to Huddersfield Town when Hickson rejoined them. If the signing materializes –the odds are about 50-50 –Hickson will prove himself one of the most lucrative players ever to wear Everton colours. The club will have had years of valuable service from him and shown a handsome profit on transfer deals in which he has been involved.
EVERTON BID FOR £25,000 DOCHERTY
July 26, 1958. The Liverpool Daily Post
By Leslie Edwards
Everton have set the big ball rolling with two big offers for new players. They want Tommy Docherty, Scotland’s captain and right half-back from Preston North End and Brighton’s bustling centre-forward and leading scorer Peter Harburn. The offer to Preston went by post last night. At current market prices the value on Docherty must be in the region of £25,000, the price for Harburn has been agreed between the clubs. Harburn is to visit Goodison Park soon to inspect the ground and see what housing accommodation Everton can offer. Meantime the Hickson deal hangs fire. Plymouth Argyle who took Gauld from Everton last season, are still very keen to pay the £6,000 fee Everton require. Hickson has said he is willing to go, but he does not want his wife to find (as she did when he left Aston Villa for Huddersfield) that she does not like the place in which her husband’s career has taken her to live. So the Hicksons are returning to Liverpool for the week end to think things over and maybe, make decision on Monday.
A Successor To Farrell
Everton coach Mr. Ian Buchan is hopeful of the outcome of the Docherty bid. “We had two board meetings yesterday and were in touch with Preston (now managed by the old Everton chief, Mr. Cliff Britton) twice and we informed Preston that our bid would be forthcoming,” he said. “Docherty is a great player full of gluts and would be a great inspiration to a team.” Doubtless what is wanted at Goodison Park is someone to take the position of Peter Farrell, who had such a long and honorable career as captain and right half-back. Docherty would fill the bill admirably. Preston might consider player worth more than Everton are offering. They do not want to lose Docherty, but they will not stand in the way of a player who wants to leave. There are few players of Docherty’s caliber in British football and Preston would find it difficult to replace him even with £25,000 to spend.
Harburn of the newly promoted Brighton club has been in Everton’s sights for some time. He first made his mark in the Navy. When he was brought out he joined Brighton and they made him a professional in his three seasons with them he has scored 71 times, 21 of them last season. He is essentially a goal-taker. He stands six foot one inch and is built to stand up to the knocking about most centre-forwards have to endure these days.
HICKSON WILL STAY AT EVERTON
July 28, 1958. The Liverpool Daily Post
By Leslie Edwards
Plymouth Argyle F.C, the club who want to sign Dave Hickson from Everton, will receive a message today from the player. “Sorry, but can’t be done.” It can’t be done because Mrs. Hickson, Dave’s wife does not like the thought of living anywhere save in Liverpool and because in any case Hickson says “I’ll be happy playing for Everton forever in any capacity.” The clubs had agreed terms but Hickson says. He told me last night. “I’ve always played for the club, not for myself and even if they signed Clough from Middleborough I should be content to battle in the hope that I should win my first team place back.” Plymouth were very keen to have me, and the accommodation they offered was good, but my wife just didn’t fancy living so far away. Thus the possibility is that Hickson may start the new season next month out of the first team. The chances are that young Peter Harburn from Brighton will be back in Liverpool again tomorrow=having made a quick trip back to his wife and three children to tell them his new –to sign for Everton, coach Ian Buchan and that Everton want him to lead their attack forthwith.
Meantime Tommy Docherty holidaying in Blackpool, returns home today to see Preston North End chief, Cliff Britton and hear of Everton’s effort to sign him. It is just possible though Arsenal and another club are interested that Everton will clinch two big signings in the coming week.
CHANGE IN GOODISON POLICY
July 28, 1958. The Liverpool Echo
Ranger’s Notes
Everton’s ventures into the Soccer transfer market since the end of last season, and the signings for which they have been angling in Scottish and other waters during the past two month, make it clear that there has been a definite change in Goodison outlook regarding the club’s needs. Some eight years or so ago Everton announced that they would forsake big-money transfers and rebuild the club’s fortunes by the products of their own youth policy, upon which it was their intention to bend their energies more than ever before. One of the main moving spirits behind this decision was the late Mr. Ernest Green the club’s former chairman, who gave a lifetime of splendid service to the Goodison Park club. The man called upon implement it was Mr. Cliff Britton then the manager. At the time, and on several subsequent occasions I questioned the wisdom of this idealistic vision. Theoretically there was nothing wrong with the idea. Indeed could it have been translated into a completely successful system it would have been preferable to anything else. When the decision was first made the transfer market was going haywire. Ridiculous and furious fees were being demanded and in some cases paid. Sheffield Wednesday for instance parted with £34,000 to Jackie Sewell from Notts County, after selling Eddie Quigley to Preston the previous season for close on £38,000 and £40,000 and even £50,000 transfer fees were said to be a certainly in the very near future. In this Carey Street almost here of care-free spending by so many clubs Everton took a firm stand. For five years they did not spend a solitary penny on transfers. They kept clear out of the market and sough to build up from the bottom.
The One Standard
Unfortunately it is easier to make a resolution like that than it is to carry out the alternative successfully. Success in a playing sense is the one thing supporters demand and aspect. They can forgive much else if that is provided. As I wrote on numerous occasions my own opinion was that Everton would have done better to try to strike a happy medium, buying a really tip-top man occasionally when it became clearly evident that the home products were not there to remedy obvious weaknesses. Football cannot be produced in a few months no matter how promising he inherent alent of the material as club has to work on nor how intensive their training and coaching. Only in very rare cases can young players come into top-class football at an early age and hold their own against men of long experience. Everton frequently suffered from the virtues of their own ideals, Far too often they turned out a side sadly lacking in experience though hieratically full of promise. Many youngsters who were hailed as internationals of the future failed to make the grade at all. Few have made it up to a point but only to become of the advantage standard and certainly not the type of player to live up to the club’s motto that “Only the best is good enough.”
HICKSON STAYS
July 28, 198. The Liverpool Echo
Ranger’s Notes
Dave Hickson has again decided not to sign for Plymouth Argyle, but to remain at Everton and try to win back a regular first team place. Apart from his own inclination which have always been to stay at Goodison Park, his wife does not wish to move from Merseyside.
Peter Harburn, Brighton’s centre forward is to let Everton know very shortly whether he will sign for them. The position is hopeful following Harburn’s visit to Goodison over the week-end.
Word is also awaited by Everton regarding their bid for Tommy Docherty, of Preston which has yet to be considered by the Preston board.
EVERTON F.C. CRICKETERS HIT FOR 136
July 29, 1958. The Liverpool Daily Post
Bootle were nicely placed at the end of the first leg of their two night match again a team representing Everton F.C, but their total of 136 for eight declared was mainly due to a third wicket stand of 60 by Rigby and Wright. Rigby’s 54 being top score. Godfrey started a Bootle collapse by dismissing Rigby, Wright and Bromilow and Dunlop completed it with a second spell which accounted for Hayes, Jackson and R.A Jones in one over. Godfrey’s return was three for 23, and Dunlop’s four for 51.
Bootle; KE Young c Clayton b Dunlop 23; AW Davies lbw b TE Jones 11; F Rigby c Sharples b Godfrey 54; D. Wright c Bentham b Godfrey 13; DW Bromilow, lbw b Godfrey 10; D Jones not out 7; TR Hayes c Sharples b Dunlop 8; G Jackson lbw b Dunlop 0; RA Jones c Hickson b Dunlop 0; Extras 10. Total (8 weeks dec) 136.
SG. Shepherd and FT Tait did not bat. Bowling Dunlop 4-51, Godfrey 3-23, TE Jones 1-37.
The Everton team to bat this evening will be;- J Clayton, A Dunlop, TE Jones, G Sharples, B Godfrey, A Bentham, J Keeley, D Hickson, A McNamara, K Rea, and A.N. Other.
July 1958