Howard Kendall dies aged 69

That_Guy

http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/34560155

Kendall played for the Toffees and managed them on three occasions, with his first spell in charge being the most successful in the club's history.

He led the side to two First Division titles, as well as an FA Cup triumph and European Cup Winners' Cup win.

Kendall also took charge of Blackburn, Manchester City, Notts County and Sheffield United in more than 700 games of his managerial career.

More to follow.

Very sad news. Very much one of those household names from when I started following football anyway.

gustafo

yes very sad indeed RIP

monkey9

Very sad. That was a truly great Everton team he built in the mid eighties. One of the best in Europe.

Beasty

69 - that's no age at all

He was one of those guys who showed you could be a manager, successful, and still be a really nice guy

Very sad news

RIP

Lumbo

Was gutted when I heard this news. An Everton legend as both a player and a manager. There's not many in Evertons long history who could be held in such high esteem.

He would have been at Goodison Park today. Hopefully we get a replay of one of his teams finest performances.

One of those real turn arounds, he was doing poorly at Everton and looked like he was getting the chop and midway through 83/84 things just clicked. From then on they were pretty much unstoppable for the mid 80s until the lack of a European football really strangled them.

Laois_Man

Gutted!!

Met him about 25 years ago in Dublin, nice fella!


Everton have to beat Man Utd today - for Howard Kendall

Brussels Sprout

I'm shocked that he was only 69 given that he's management heyday was 20+ years ago.

Harry Palmr

A true gent.

mosstin

I'd always look at how Kendall carried himself with dignity and class and then look at someone like Joe Royle who was choked with bitterness. Really admired Kendall.

5starpool

Brussels Sprout wrote: »

I'm shocked that he was only 69 given that he's management heyday was 20+ years ago.

That was my reaction as well. I remember him as manager in the 80's, and would have thought he was about 10 years older for some reason.

Lumbo

5starpool wrote: »

That was my reaction as well. I remember him as manager in the 80's, and would have thought he was about 10 years older for some reason.

He was Player/manager when he took the Everton job in 81. So he wasn't that old for a manager at that time:

Grid.

Sad news....R.I.P

MonkeyTennis

Very sad news. Rivalries mean nothing. RIP

dd972

The 85 to 87 team was superb, maybe 86 the best of the lot despite missing out on the double, it was a shame he couldn't sustain his success like SAF or Wenger, great manager and man, RIP.

eh i dunno

True Everton legend and probably the best player to never be capped by England. Really enjoyed his autobiography and a sad loss. Rip Howard

AllGunsBlazing

Never realised he was such a young man when he won his first title with Everton. Was top of the list to replace Bobby Robson as England manager - but passed on it.

Magico Gonzalez

A great manager of a great side.

Very Bored

dd972 wrote: »

The 85 to 87 team was superb, maybe 86 the best of the lot despite missing out on the double, it was a shame he couldn't sustain his success like SAF or Wenger, great manager and man, RIP.

He perhaps could have done, but he wanted to test himself in European competitions and at the time he couldn't do it in England so he left for Bilbao and unfortunately he never scaled the same heights again. Perhaps because football changed completely in that time. If you look at the money he spent on constructing his Everton team, it was really nothing, even by the standards of those days. He bought a lot of players who others thought were has beens, like Andy Gray, those who had never made it, like Kevin Sheedy, and those others hadn't noticed like Neville Southall and turned them into brilliant players. Afterwards, money took over and changed the game.

There are, perhaps, reasons why he has died so young. You only need read Neville Southall's autobiography for an insight into that. However, it would be crass to discuss the reasons here and it is far better to reflect on his achievements and what he gave to football as a whole. Hopefully the Kendall family will find a way through this difficult time. RIP Howard, the man who discovered my favourite ever player, Neville Southall.