Our aim is to interview 60 Evertonians from all walks of life and all corners of the globe.

(l to r) Alex Young, David France, Ray Wilson

Well I was brainwashed by my father and my grandfather. We came from Widnes, a Rugby League town, so going to Goodison for the first time was a big event – a rite of passage for me. My dad took me to the game against the Busby Babes in September 1957. It was a full house, there must have been 72,000 there. I remember the game as if it was yesterday. We fought back like we did today (versus Manchester City) and grabbed two goals in the final 20 minutes. It finished 3-3.

My dad carried a metal milk crate across Stanley Park for me to stand on. His favourite spec was in the paddock – now the Lower Bullens Road. Even though I stood on the milk crate against the perimeter wall, I didn’t see much of the action but I was impressed by the mosaic of the different shades of grass before me and the towering steel pylons above me. They must have been the tallest in the league. The floodlights themselves weren’t switched on until later that season.

I remember two other things about my baptism, one was the steam and smoke coming from the fans; the other was the profanity. I came from a Methodist household: nobody drank, smoked or swore and I thought that the fans around me were talking in a foreign language.

Not long afterwards, I went to my second game again in the company of my father and shared the milk crate with a kid from Burnley, who were the visitors. My fondest recollection of that night was the reflexes of my dad. He’d been a goalkeeper and had guested for different clubs during the Second World War. When the Toffee Lady came round, throwing Barker & Dobson’s toffees into the crowd, my dad caught one. It was a spectacular piece of hand-eye coordination. He plucked out of the air to the astonishment of the fans around us. My dad approached me with toffee in his outstretched hand, then gave it to the kid from Burnley. My heart sank but not as much as when Burnley scored the winning goal.

Q2. I remember standing amongst a glum chain gang of fans at Kirkdale train station in the late 90′s, we’d just been beaten at Goodison, the rain was pissing on us, and some cheeky Liverpool fans were laughing and mooning us from the top of the stairs. That was the lowest I felt as an Everton fan. What is your all time high/low as a fan?

My all-time high? I’ve fond memories of Everton winning the title in 69/70. The football was so sublime. My biggest high, however, was winning the European Cup-Winners’ Cup in Rotterdam. Perhaps it’s been made more significant because it was followed by my biggest low when we lost the FA Cup Final a few days later. I was so disappointed that we didn’t complete the treble. Obviously fixture congestion influenced the outcome. I thought: “We’ve let this slip through our fingers.” If we had been any other club, such as our neighbours, I would have thought: “We’ll bag all three next year”. I was fearful that the opportunity would not come our way again.

I’m proud to be a Blue. The only time I’ve been embarrassed to be one was during the visit to Southampton for the last game of the 98/99 season. We were safe and our hosts were fighting to avoid the trap-door. The record books show that we lost 2-0 but they don’t show that we didn’t turn up. When we had been in that position, remember the Wimbledon and Coventry games, we expected our relegation rival’s opponents to respect the integrity of the competition and try their best. All the Blues around me were disgusted by our performance – or lack of performance – at the Dell. At the final whistle, Olivier Dacourt threw his boots into the Everton section. Like Islamic protesters, the crowd threw them back at him. Everton have always boasted a high moral code but we let ourselves down that day.

Q3. What player from the past would you sign for our current team?

I’m sure that everyone’s going to say Dixie Dean who was my grandfather’s choice but I’m not going to pick him. I’m not going to select Tommy Lawton who was my dad’s hero. The rows over the merits of Dean and Lawton punctuated my childhood. My own favourite is Alex Young but I’m not going to pick him either. Also I’m not going to select the first name I’d put down on any team sheet which is Alan Ball. The player I would choose is Neville Southall.

The big man made such a big difference. I think of him as the first keeper to win matches. With Southall between the posts we would have converted many of this season’s draws into wins. He was world class and would give us an extra 10 points a season. I like Tim Howard, he’s a genuine American hero and a terrific ambassador for Everton over here, but he has conceded some sloppy goals. Of course, they are not always his fault. That said, he’s a vast improvement over some of the dodgy keepers we’ve had during my lifetime.

  Q4. Who is your favourite all time player?

Obviously, it’s Alex Young. Let me tell you why … Everton had been starved of success and hadn’t had a hero for 20 years, not since the days of Tommy Lawton. Then John Moores arrived with his cheque book to lure the likes of Bobby Collins, Alex Parker, Jimmy Gabriel and Roy Vernon to Goodison. Mr Moores must have realized that none of them were super-stars and went shopping on the top shelf to get us one.

Alex became the most celebrated footballer in our illustrious history. It was hero worship like British football had not seen before, as captured by Ken Loach in the Golden Vision docu-drama. I think that there have been two Goodison Gods, Dixie was the God of Goals and you knew how good he was by the number of goals he scored, Alex was the God of Skills and you knew how good he was by the number of times he took your breath away. He just had so much grace and had that special knack of making enough time for himself to exhibit his portfolio of skills. When I’ve talked to other skillful footballers like Duncan McKenzie, Pat Nevin and Gary Jones, who was a tremendously gifted footballer in the Seeventies, they claim that there wouldn’t be a Cristiano Ronaldo today if there hadn’t been Alex Young. In their eyes, he did things with a football on the pitch that other people wouldn’t even dream about doing in training.

How good was he? People who know much more about the game than me rate him at the summit near Tom Finney. Of course, Finney is lauded by the people who played against him as the finest British footballer in the post war era. I know that some people will say I’m crazy to claim that Alex was more skillful than George Best – but he was. Sadly there is no video evidence to reinforce my claim. Alex reached his prime before the advent of Match of the Day. On the other hand, Best was the first television star and, of course, he had pop star image. I penned his biography, Alex Young – The Golden Vision, a couple of years ago to remind young Evertonians just how special he was. To do so I solicited other people’s memories of him. Word of mouth and oral histories can be powerful tools.

Another skillful player underrated and overlooked by the London media was Colin Harvey. He and Wayne Rooney are the finest talents to graduate from the Everton nursery. Colin was a beautifully balanced footballer. I use him as my benchmark for other midfielders. Only Tony Kay, Alan Ball and Peter Reid come close. The only weakness in his game is that he couldn’t shoot for toffee nor for the Toffees either! Blues of my vintage feel blessed to have seen Alex the Great and The White Pele.

- I’m 30, so I never got to see Alex Young play and really you’re scratching around for scraps of video and things like that so I’ve asked people, tried to read about him and the opinions I have on Alex Young are always second hand so it’s beautiful talking to someone who has seen him and listening to your passion. I’ve heard that he could hang in the air, I’ve heard he had this awareness – without ever having to look – of where his teammates were, and then I hear about his skill from you as well. What current day player would you say plays most like Alex Young, if there is one?

There isn’t. Do you remember when McFadden scored against Charlton some years ago? He flicked the ball over the Charlton defender and then volleyed it past the goalkeeper. Fantastic skill, it took your breath away. So much so that there’s a split second where you can’t believe what he’s done. Well that was typical of Alex Young. Also do you recall when Fellaini took the ball off Craig Bellamy and dragged it back so that the Manchester City man chased shadows? Yes that’s was how Alex Young ignited the crowd. When you came away from Goodison in those days you didn’t necessarily talk about the goals, you talked about the moments of magic when Alex Young did this or did that and left some poor defender on his backside – that’s why we went to Goodison, we went to be entertained, not to eke out a 1-0 win.

James McFadden scores against Charlton

Fellaini pirhouettes around Bellamy

Who plays like him today? Nobody comes to mind, the game has changed so much. At the time, particularly in Scotland, there were many skillful ball players with bags of natural ability. But Alex was the only one to caress the ball with his feet.

- You’re painting a beautiful picture David. You mention Best there and I think you said Alex Young would have more time now but he’s against more robust people. I remember pouring over videos of George Best and when he gets tackled or when someone slides in, he’s like a surfer on a wave or a skateboarder just trying to stay on his feet. You compare that to Arteta, and when a tackle comes in, his art form is not staying on his feet like a surfer, his art form is falling…

Both Best and Young played against defenders who were encouraged to kick through them. Tackles from behind and two-footed challenges went unpunished. Crunching tackles were a part of the game. Best and Young knew how to out-smart these robust defenders but to their credit they never went down unless their legs had been kicked from underneath them. There was no diving, no deception. Best and Young were honest players.

Q5. What’s your take on our motto Nil Satis Nisi Optimum?

I have very strong views on this…

- Good!

I live in the world of a different Everton. Maybe it’s a world where the Latin still means something but I’ve always thought that NSNO are unrealistic words. Of course, the motto should apply not just to the team. it should embrace everything about the Everton family – the way in which we administer the club’s affairs, the way in which we project ourselves to others, the way in which we behave as supporters and the way in which we interact among ourselves. While we can’t field the best eleven players in the League on the pitch, there is no reason why we can’t be the best run club. We shouldn’t take our supporters for granted. We should treat them with the type of respect that successful organisations reserve for their loyal customers. Also we should take pride in our existing facilities. Goodison may no longer be the greatest ground in the world but it’s something that should be respected and taken care of. It’s a question of pride and standards..

The problem isn’t the NSNO motto, it’s more a case of our identity. I regret that somewhere in the past we lost our identity. However, I thought that when David Moyes rebranded us the People’s Club it re-captured who we are. So much so that it upset every Red that I know. So who are we? Well as a kid there were a list of the things I was told during my indoctrination. I think that they are as relevant today as they were a half-century ago:

Everton play in blue and white. That is royal blue and white.

Everton play entertaining football. We may not win every game, we may not win cups – but Everton play good cultured and entertaining football

Everton are leaders not followers. We are innovators.

Everton have the finest facilities.

Everton maintain a high moral code

Everton encourage youth development – and I mean real youth development – not just when we’ve run out of bodies so we throw on a few kids. Every kid in the northwest of England should want to join Everton because they know that they’ll to get a chance to progress to the Premier League.

Everton reflect the local community – it should reflect the characteristics of Merseyside and the people of Merseyside.

Everton is run by Evertonians for Evertonians.

Q6. Where does our lurid pink away kit rank in the historical list of Everton kit atrocities?

I understand the significance of salmon pink in our history but Everton shirts, home, away and third, should just be simple and classy. I feel the same way about the club’s badge. I see no reason to have “Everton” on the badge. We just need a simple badge on a simple shirt. The worst kit? Well we betrayed our history, when we wore that grey tractor tyre kit in the mid-Nineties.

- I like our 20′s 30′s EFC badge where it is all woven into one.

The EFC monogram is tasteful and timeless. I’m sure that you are aware that we never had a badge on our shirts for decades, we didn’t need one. A good old friend of mine was Gordon Watson. He had played with Dixie Dean, won the title with Tommy Lawton, coached Bobby Collins and Alex Young and nurtured the likes of Colin Harvey and Tommy Wright. He was at the club for 60 years and I spent a lot of time with him chronicling his story. Gordon told me that Dixie would tell his team-mates that they didn’t need a badge on their shirts: “Everyone knows that the team in blue and white playing entertaining football is Everton.” It may sound somewhat boastful but I like his words.

Q7. What are your thoughts on a sharing a stadium with Liverpool?

I know how Evertonians feel about leaving Goodison and how Liverpool fans feel about leaving Anfield – which is, of course, an equally historic ground. But the city has fallen behind. It lags behind in the League table where London and Manchester are increasingly dominant. It has also slipped behind in terms of facilities. It makes commercial sense to have one world-class stadium that the two clubs and the two families can share. Also I believe that football clubs shouldn’t be in the real estate business, it’s not something that they excel at. Ideally, we should mirror US sports franchises and lease our stadium from a third party.

I honestly don’t care where we play but I do expect us to have a presence within the city centre. I’m an advocate of an Everton Centre. Some 10 years ago, I suggested that we refurbish a historic building in the heart of the city. Since then, most of them have been converted to apartments but I’d love people to point at a signature building and brag: ‘That’s Everton Football Club’. It would contain the administrative offices, the ticket office, media studios, museum, lecture theatres and restaurants. It’s possible that moving the club’s admin people to the Everton Centre would allow the space they occupied at Goodison to be converted into more lounges, etc to increase matchday revenues. The old ABC Theatre on Lime Street could be a candidate. It’s been unloved for years. Can you imagine big neon lights proclaiming “Everton Football Club” 24 hours a day. It would be the first thing you see when you come out of Lime Street. It would cost next to nothing and it would bring a great sense of pride to the fans.

Q8. Our form this season has been iffy, at times we’ve been crumbling like Lancashire cheese – but our form has now switched on. Where do you think the majority of Evertonians lie, with “Moyes Out”, “In Moyes We Trust” or somewhere in the middle??

David Moyes is a good manager and he’s been good for Everton Football Club. Also Bill Kenwright and Everton Football Club have been very good to David Moyes. He took on a job which had been a poisoned chalice. He knew that we had no money when accepted the job. He turned us into a better team and we made him a much better manager. But I deeply regret that we have entered 30 or so competitions during his tenure but remain trophyless. I would have expected us to have won a couple of League Cups by now. He is one of the top six managers in the land and think that both he and the club should remain patient.

All Blues were bemused by our poor early-season form, especially the manager. He is so thorough and tireless in his preparations but our players didn’t seem to be focused. Perhaps the manager has been too loyal to his players and also his coaching staff. Loyality can be a hell of a burden – as all Evertonians know. David Moyes has been reluctant to drop these under performers. Instead of being the first names on his team-sheet they should be fighting for their places.

Sometimes it appears that we have forgotten that we are d in an asset management business. We have been a selling club for some years and must continue in this role in order to service and reduce the club’s debt. The harsh reality is that we must that we groom a player, give him an opportunity to develop, get four good years out of him and then sell him on for a profit. Otherwise how are we going to pay for someone to replace ageing players like Louis Saha and Phil Neville? The tough challenge is to balance these tasks with maintaining a good enough team to challenge for silverware (FA Cup and League Cup). I understand the manager’s desire to keep his team together while chasing the dream, but we must not allow our assets to lose their value. We made huge mistakes in not selling Yakubu, Arteta and Pienaar before the World Cup.

Q9. Is money necessary to compete at the highest level, and if so – should Bill Kenwright step aside?

Well I think we’ve tried the billionaire approach but somehow it didn’t last. We bought the best and, as a result, bought the title. Obviously investment is required but we need to be a well-run club operating within the framework of  a realistic strategic plan.

Should Bill stand aside? You’ve got to give him a lot of credit. People forget that when he bought the club nobody else was prepared to put their hands in their pockets. There were a lot of Evertonians with more money than Bill but none of them dug deep. Bill has done his best with the assets at his disposal but I regret that the club is now operated in the manner of a private company.

Sooner or later, he must hand it on to someone else. I do hope that he makes a better job of that transfer than the Moores family did when they sold it to Peter Johnson. What were they thinking? Could you imagine Liverpool selling their club to a Blue? Significant responsibility goes hand in hand with the ownership of a social institution like Everton Football Club. The owner (more accurately the guardian) must pass it on in better shape and make sure it goes into bluer hands. Sometimes it is better the Blue you know than the Arab or the Russian or the Red that you don’t know.

Personally, I don’t know what billionaires are doing in football, you’d think they have better things to do with the money. When you think about the problems in the UK and the USA – they should not be stroking their egos in the Premier League. If you’re a billionaire you should be tackling global health issues.

Q10. Where do you see Everton in ten years time?

We’ll be top of the Premiership, no doubt about it. Unfortunately most of our traditional rivals will be playing in Europe! Yes we’ll be fighting for the EPL crown alongside Newcastle, Aston Villa, Sunderland but the world will have changed in 10 years time. Chelsea, Man Utd, Arsenal and the likes will all be part of a pan European league. If you look through the statistics of British Football there has always been an elite. You’ve got 10 clubs. There’s Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham, City, Liverpool. Then you’ve got the Sunderland, Aston Villa, Newcastle, Everton. With few exceptions, these clubs have dominated English football. During the Premiership era, the elite has been divided into two tiers. The gap is now so big that I can’t see how we’re going to get ourselves in that top tier. So we’ll be left behind to win the Premiership trophy.

- You know my dad used to say during the dark days of the mid 90′s “Ed, well you know if we go down we can win the original championship trophy.”

In the early days of the Former-Players’ Foundation, we organised a Foundation Day at Goodison. We invited all of the members of the ’69/70 title-winning side. You may know that Brian Labone was injured towards the end of that season and Alan Ball received the trophy in his absence. One of the things I wanted to do was have Labby walk onto the pitch holding the famous trophy above his head. Anyway, we got everyone together before the match. Alan Ball didn’t show up so we place the trophy on his seat which was next to me. Throughout the meal, I sat looking at the trophy. It is absolutely magnificent with beautiful relief work courtesy of the Victorian silversmiths … it’s one of my favourite memories in football. I searched along the inscriptions on the trophy to see Everton’s name. It’s special because we were the first team to be awarded the trophy but I hope we never win it again.

Q11. The 1970 team or the 1985 team?

The main difference is that 1970 team outclassed its opponents. However, it wasn’t perfect. Keith Newton was a top class full-back but never reached the level that we’d expected of him at Everton. Up front we needed someone to support Joe Royle who could be more ruthless in front of goal. I recall that we were looking at Francis Lee and Allan Clarke. The 1970 side dominated teams in midfield, which was how you won games in those days. Their football was telepathic; I don’t think they even had to look when they passed the ball. That said, the 1985 team had the best manager. I have a lot of respect for Howard Kendall, I thought he was a fantastic footballer but an even better manager of men.

Q12.What were your feelings when you heard that Alan Ball had been sold?

I couldn’t believe it. I think I mentioned earlier, he’d be the first name I’d put down on the team sheet. Even though he was carrying a bit of a pelvic injury and wasn’t getting up and down the field like he had been but he was such an influential footballer. Bally had the best first touch I’ve ever seen; he killed the ball. No matter how the ball was knocked to him he tamed it instantly. He had such tremendous control that I like to call him a Master of Football. I know that we doubled our money when we sold him to Highbury, but how did Harry Catterick think he was going to replace his enthusiasm and tenacity? I felt sorry for Mick Bernard and the others who came in trying to replace Bally.

The defection of Bally had a significant impact on my life. I was at university at the time and I’d been courting my good lady wife, who is from bally’s neck of the woods (he calls her “the only other good thing to come from Farnworth). After hearing about Alan Ball’s departure, which was just before Christmas, I invited her to join me for a weekend in London, albeit to watch Everton in the FA Cup at Crystal Palace. It was scandalous back then. But it was the biggest complement that I could pay her. She felt so sorry for me that she agreed to join me, and we’ve been together ever since. I could tell you all about that game because it was a classic, I invited her to a football game and it turned out to be a picnic! There was a tremendous turn out of Evertonians at Selhurst Park and sat among a group from Bootle. One of them worked for a catering company and he had borrowed sandwiches, pies and Battenberg cake destined for a posh wedding. I’d never seen such hospitality, friendship and warmth. It made me forget about Alan ball, well almost.

Q13.Could you also touch on some of the lesser lights of the 60′s team – Johnny Morrissey, Alan Whittle, John Hurst – that no one really talks about these days?

Johnny Morrissey.

They weren’t lesser light, simply unsung heroes. Johnny was hard. No-one is his right mind would mess with him. Jimmy Husband told me about one of his first games for Everton. Johnny was on the left wing and Jimmy was on the right. They played Sheffield United, and at half time Jimmy walked off and he’d been having a tough time with a couple of defenders – Joe Shaw and Graham Shaw – they both played for England – and had taken a few kicks. He was feeling a bit sorry for himself. Then he saw the Sheffield defender who had been marking Morrissey, his socks were shredded and blood was pouring down his legs. No-one had warned him not to go into a 50/50 challenge with Morrissey. But he wasn’t just hard, he was a tremendously skillful player. The Holy Trinity should have been a quartet because he was their release valve. If they got into a jam, which was rare, they simply got the ball to Morrissey. Besides his tough guy reputation, he was an international class winger who loved to take men on even though he didn’t look like one. He was short and stocky. He could have played Rugby League. To win championships you need warriors like him who are prepared to put their foot in. They’ll battle for you, and you know you can rely on them. Of course, he was a Red who moved to Goodison against Bill Shankly’s wishes.

John Hurst

John Hurst was one of the finest post-war prospects. As a schoolboy, everyone knew of his immense potential and I understand that he was romanced by all of the top clubs. By good fortune he chose to join Everton. He must be the most underrated player in our history. My old friend Brian Labone said that Hurst was in the Bobby Moore class, actually he thought that Hurst was the more consistent of the two, and that if he had played for a more fashionable London club, they would have found a place for him in the England team. Hurst was a defender with no little skill, who could play anywhere, and two good feet. In fact, he rarely put a foot wrong. The fact that he never played for England is a disgrace. You’ve got David Beckham with a hundred odd caps and John Hurst, and also Howard Kendall, have none… it’s just tragic.

This is my John Hurst story: I’d gone to the Victoria Ground at Stoke on the afternoon when John Hurst became our first substitute. It was in ’65. Hurst came off the bench in the last few minutes, he replaced Fred Pickering. Shortly after he came on, we got a corner. It is cleared to Hurst who rattles his shot against the post. In those days Everton took 15,000 fans to Stoke and it was all Everton fans at this end. We earned another a corner, it was the dying seconds – there was no time added on in those days. As the ball came over, Hurst rose – in Alex Young fashion – and headed the ball into the net. Unfortunately, the referee had blown his whistle before the ball crossed the line. There’s mass confusion in the crowd. During the aborted celebrations, I lost one of my shoes.

I searched through old newspapers, half-eaten pies and other debris on the otherwise empty terraces but there was no shoe to be found. A steward directed me the Lost & Found office. If I’d have been looking for an umbrella or a pair of glasses I’d have been in luck. But when it came to shoes they didn’t have much selection there. The assistant reassured me: “The groundkeeper will be back in about ten minutes if you want to wait and he’ll give you a pair of Wellingtons to go home in.” I was a bit conscious of my appearance in those days so I asked if they had any shoes. He said “Yes we have this …” It was a desert wellie. By now I had missed the train so I had to hitch-hike home. I made my way to the M6. There I looked down at my footwear. They were an odd set, one was black leather and the other was brown suede – but they had something in common. They were both made for the left foot!

Alan Whittle

Harry Catterick said that Alan Whittle was Everton’s Denis Law. He also labeled the super-confident, make that cocky, youngster ‘The best prospect that he’d ever seen’. I know that Catterick had planned to give him his debut at age 16. Unfortunately, Whittle turned up late. As the coach was leaving Bellefield, the Everton manager refused to stop for him. Howard Kendall, who was injured at the time, offered to drive Whittle to West Brom.” Even though they arrived before the rest of the team, Catterick refused to talk to him. So Whittle had to wait another season to make his debut, ironically at West Brom. That day Everton won 6-2. I recall that Alan Ball scored 4 but Whittle was the real star of the game. Nevertheless, he didn’t really get a run in the first team until Jimmy Husband was injured in the 69/70 season. It’s often been overlooked in the history books, but not by Alan, that he won the Championship for us. I think his speed and sharpness enabled him to grab something like a goal a game in a dozen games during the run-in – all match winners. He had that great knack, make that supreme talent, of putting the ball in the net. Inexplicably, his form faded as Everton struggled throughout the 70/71 campaign.

I love listening to his tales. He was a troubadour who played football all over the place including Persia. Earlier this year, I had the pleasure of sitting next to him at Goodison. Actually, I’m fascinated by the behavior of ex-players at the match. Some sit motionless. Others scream and shout encouragement like the rest of us. Whittle is one of us. More important, he talks to you as if you know as much about the game as he does. And believe me, I don’t. Against West Ham, I noticed that he was counting the number of passes. He volunteered that the team that averages sequences of six is on top. He was right. We’d get the ball. Jagielka would give it to Distin who’d give it to Bily who’d lose the ball. Next Scott Parker would pass it off to his teammates. They would put a dozen passes together. Alan Whittle is a great Evertonian. It’s a shame that he didn’t realize his full potential but I was delighted when he was voted into Gwladys Street’s Hall of Fame. It’s a suitable home for someone who won the title for us in 69/70.

-Thank you David, this has been such a privilege.

No it’s been my privilege to talk to you. Your job is to carry the torch and pass it on to other people and make sure that other people feel about the club the way that we do. It was easy for me, it was easy for your dad but it’s not easy being an Evertonian today. When it comes to the next generation, you’ve got to make sure that it’s a little bit easier for them. Evertonains are special, whether it’s looking after our history or looking after our old players, we are special. 

-and finally …

Dr France visits Liverpool Town Hall for the ratification of his recent honour

In recognition of his Everton initiatives and other good deeds, last year Liverpool’s Freedom of the City Panel voted unanimously to confer the title of Citizen of Honour on Dr France. David says that he will receive the award next month on behalf of the Everton family.

David France has authored 15 Everton books. His final book is part biographical and aptly titled ‘Everton Crazy’ It’s a massive tome of 1,000 pages which captures the passion and commitment of being a Blue and tells the story of David France’s remarkable journey in the company of the Everton family. His recollections from face-to-face meetings with hundreds of ex-Everton players coupled with rare materials in his unrivaled archives provide objective assessments of every man who has played two or more times for Everton Football Club.

 ‘Part memoir, part manifesto this soulful book at once captures what being a Blue is all about and a vision of what the royal blue family should stand for. It’s the most enlightening book about football since Nick Hornby’s Fever Pitch.’ …  James Corbett, author – The Everton School of Science:

‘This semi-autobiographical masterpiece is the greatest memorial to him and the subject of his lifelong passion, the players at the very heart of Everton Football Club. This fantastic read will reinforce your blue pride.’ …  Michael Kenrick, editor – Toffeeweb.com

‘This monster book is big on humour, candour and sincerity. It contains hundreds of thousands of well-crafted words but fourteen of them will live forever: ‘Blues versus Reds is humility versus arrogance; loyalty versus entitlement; and art versus pornography.’ … Simon Paul, editor – NSNO.co.uk

Details of the availability of this limited edition will be published at the start of the 2011/12 season.

Tags: alan whittle, alex young, david france, Everton, Goodison Park, john hurst, Liverpool