The last English manager to lift a European trophy: Howard Kendall was a great man in every sense of the word.
When all the warring factions of this most fractious of sports joins together in celebration of one man, you know they were something special. And Howard Kendall was certainly that, not just to the Everton fans he took on a journey beyond their wildest dreams, but to everyone connected with, and in love with, the game we call football.
A year ago today, one of the greatest managers in the history of English football ascended to the great dugout in the sky, leaving behind a legacy few others of his or any generation can match. Kendall’s 30 year association with Everton encompassed two league titles, an FA Cup triumph and the only European trophy in the club’s 138 year history, all within a two year period of unprecedented glory.
A pioneering manager who derided the long-ball, kick-and-rush that had become a blight upon the localised game, only Europe’s ban on English clubs following the Heysel disaster robbed Everton of a brief period at the top of the continent.
Kendall was a revolutionary, an esteemed motivator and, above all, a thoroughly decent man. It’s no wonder so many, regardless of their shirt colour or persuasion, have lined up to pay their respects a year from his death at the age of 69.
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