Hope you are all well, Bears.
Just a reminder, if you need it, that this years Badge went on sale earlier tonight (17 September). It is available to those on the mailing list now and for general sale from Tuesday.
Cheers
Zetland
Guys, its been a long time since I posted on this, we've been waiting for fucking ages, but wanted to say we've got the best news we could have hoped for. The disease is contained and theres a plan to resolve it. I'm gonna be running a wee night in Stevenston to raise money for prostate cancer, and will be doing music etc. Want to thank everyone on this forum for your words, it really means a lot, and we'll have a night in July and the old man is doing good and hopefully we get this cunt of a disease sorted.
We are the people. Thanks everyone, this place has been superb on this, thank you.
Kick a fenian in the head and petrol bomb his home kick him in the balls as you sing no Pope of Rome and if he wants to go ahead he’ll here this famous cry give it up ya fenian bastard surrender or you’ll die 🎶
I always loved this one and though I know it’s sung most weeks I’ve always been surprised it’s never caught on
Imagine that stadium wide on a European night?
“You know, in football we have acquaintances, we don’t have friends."
Everton's most successful ever captain uttered those words six years ago, at the funeral of his much loved team-mate, Andy King.
But Kevin Ratcliffe was wrong.
Because Walter Smith was my friend.
Yes, a football manager, a contact, a man I'd chase for hours on end for updates on injuries, potential transfers - on one bizarre occasion the sale of his centre-forward without his knowledge - but most of all a mate.
It is one of football's more endearing traits that I could consider a man I would often have to criticise and take to task in print, a pal.
Because Walter Smith was a special man. He is a 24 carat footballing legend north of the border. His time at Goodison was riven with conflict and unsuccessful.
But he never lost his sense of humour, his blunt but strangely endearing way with people and that beautiful twinkle in his eye.
When news of his passing broke this morning I recalled my first ever meeting with him - hours after he'd been appointed manager of Everton Football Club.
I'd loitered for several hours around the club's Bellefield training ground, waiting for my turn at an introduction when that was acceptable behaviour from a local club correspondent - and I finally bumped into him as he came striding out of the old canteen.
I'll tone down the actual words used, because Walter was fond of little Anglo Saxon.
A summary might have been: "Who are you and what on earth are you doing hanging around up here?"
Then he welcomed me into his office, introduced me to his sidekick Archie and regaled me with an uproarious tale of how he'd just mistaken a peer of the realm, then board member Lord Grantchester, for a Bellefield groundsman.
It always irked me that Walter preferred to present a stern, dour visage to the media - a legacy of his time dealing with the Glasgow goldfish bowl.
Because he was a genuinely funny man.
Paul Joyce, the Times' Northern football correspondent, and myself formed a close working bond with him which developed into a friendship which was never broken.
Walter would regularly reduce himself to tears of laughter telling me "Joycie's been in trying to read things on my desk again. So I've planted something there which will get him excited! I hope he writes it!"
And don't think Joycie ever fell for his plants, but that never stopped Walter trying.
We shared many meals, many evenings out and several pre-season tours together.
The summers spent at Il Ciocco training complex in Tuscany were legendary.
He was a football manager and a contact. My most important contact. But he was a friend. And I never felt compromised saying that.
I've written before about the night his centre-forward was sold to Newcastle. But the story bears repetition.
"Content after a hard fought 1-0 win, Walter, his assistant Archie Knox and their respective wives Ethel and Janice were descending the stairs at Goodison when they bumped into Duncan coming back up.
"The big man murmured: 'I thought you might have stuck up for me gaffer.'
"Puzzled, Walter replied: 'Stuck up for you, how?'
'With the move. I’ve been sold to Newcastle.'
"Walter, capable of incendiary explosions at the merest trifle, was admirably restrained.
" 'What are you talking about? Have you signed anything?' he said.
" 'Well no, gaffer. But I’ve shaken hands on a financial package.'
“ 'Well sign nothing. I need to speak to Jinky (Walter's pet name for chairman Peter Johnson).' ”
"First, though, Walter needed to confer with his trusted aide.
"He and Archie trooped down to the referees’ room in the tunnel – long since vacated – followed by their wives, and started to discuss the shock news.
“What do we do about this then?” Walter asked.
"Archie, for once, was stuck for an answer and Mrs Knox took the opportunity of the pause in the conversation to offer her own take on proceedings.
“Well, Walter. Ethel and I have been listening to the fans in the lounges tonight and if you have got £8million for Duncan Ferguson it sounds like a good deal.”
"Archie had rediscovered his tongue. And how.
“Janice. Shut the f*** up,” he snapped. Ethel jumped in: “Archie, you can’t talk to Janice like that.” And the meeting was postponed."
Cancer claimed Janice in 2006, after a brave and protracted battle with cancer. They were married 38 years.
Now Archie's long-time professional companion has gone. I feel for Archie.
Whatever emotions I'm experiencing will be magnified a thousand times by his trusted aide - and friend.
Frank McAvennie was another friend. And he summed up Walter's character beautifully today in a tweet. "If you met Walter you liked him simple as that."
I still have a message on my phone from Walter. It's the last time we exchanged words on the morning of the last Merseyside derby match.
He wrote: "It's A Grand Old Team!!! Using Celtic song to headline your book. Poor choice."
I replied by telling him his message was an omen. It was Anfield derby day and he had been the last Everton manager to experience victory there, 21 years earlier.
Several hours later goals from Richarlison and Gylfi Sigurdsson made good on the omen.
He was delighted his claim on a small slice of Everton history had finally been passed on.
Almost 20 years after his time as Everton boss had ended he was still thinking about the Blues.
I'll always think about Walter Smith.
A legendary football manager. But more importantly a lovely, dignified, beautiful human being.
Rest in peace mate.
herdy89 got a reaction from Dan Deacon in Liverpool away travel
herdy89 got a reaction from RFC RYAN in Returning to Cordoba after the final
