‘Who’s the Greatest of Them All?’

Is it really 60 years…? 

Two dates from 1966 remain etched in my memory. On 30th July, England won the World Cup Final. For Evertonians, of much greater importance was 14th May, the day of our FA Cup Final triumph. There is, however, another date from that year which should mean a lot to Evertonians of a certain age.

Quite simply on 15th August, 1966 Harry Catterick wrapped up the best signing of his career and, to my mind, the greatest in my lifetime. Many supporters of that era would contend it was the club’s greatest signing in the post-War period. He was a player who would make an immediate and sustained impact on the club and its supporters. Yet his transfer to our club came unexpectedly.

Back in the 1960s, decades before the onset of 24-hour rolling news coverage, we heard little about transfer deals until the day after their completion when photos appeared in the morning newspapers. That was especially the case during the Catterick tenure. Our inscrutable manager always kept his cards close to his chest, preferring to land his targets with a late swoop, leaving media and fans to digest the news after the event rather than speculate beforehand. There had been nothing in the press in early August to suggest Harry was about to pull off his arguably his most audacious transfer coup. When and how did we learn that he had done so?

Television news bulletins in the mid 1960s were usually of 10 minutes' duration — short and to the point with minimal sports coverage. Only the biggest football transfers merited a brief mention. Few made it into the opening headlines. When the BBC1 news bulletin opened at 9.00 p.m. on Monday 15th August, 1966 the news reader — in my memory it was Robert Dougall — ran through the usual headlines concerning domestic and international affairs. I had been paying little attention until one simple sentence, read quite dispassionately from the autocue, sent this 13-year-old into a metaphorical orbit.

‘In football, the England World Cup player Alan Ball, has signed for Everton in a British record £110,000 transfer’.

Or words to that effect. I hit the ceiling. ‘We’ve signed Alan Ball, we’ve signed Alan Ball, we’ve signed Alan Ball’, I roared, fists shaking, jumping up and down, limbs everywhere. My parents told me to calm down. Impossible! Sleeping younger siblings would have wondered why the house was shaking.

My wild reaction probably owed as much to the surprise as to the fact we had signed a world class player. For there had been nothing in the preceding days to suggest Bally was destined for Goodison. Speculation had been mounting over the months that Don Revie at Leeds was in pole position to sign the young star. In his 1978 autobiography ‘All About A Ball’ Alan recalled meeting Revie on at least three occasions on the moors on the other side of Manchester.

Recollections varied but according to Alan, Revie paid him £100 in cash at each meeting to tide him over until the Leeds board could be persuaded to increase their offer above £100,000. To Revie’s chagrin his directors refused to budge giving Catterick the opportunity to step in with a bid of £110,000 demanded by Blackpool.*

So out of the blue he was our player. And what a player! Imagine signing the man of the match from a World Cup Final! Kenneth Wolstenholme’s commentary …‘Ball, running himself daft’ was still very fresh in our memories. At 21 years old he was the youngest player in the England team, already a star but with his best years in front of him. 

The following morning I cycled to Maghull in record time to buy the Liverpool Daily Post which, of course, was replete with photos and the full story of the signing. Of course, we already knew much about the qualities and character of the player himself. I had first seen Alan at Goodison playing for Blackpool in an otherwise nondescript goalless draw in October 1965. He was the best player on the pitch. With his ginger hair matching the colour of his club’s tangerine shirt, he was impossible to miss, not least when he took exception to a refereeing decision, as he was wont to do on more than one occasion. If we had a lingering concern about his disciplinary record there was evidence of growing maturity in that he completed the 1965/66 season without a single booking, having once earned nine in eighteen matches earlier in his career. 

His tally of 41 goals in 116 appearances for Blackpool, mainly at inside right, would itself have attracted interest in any era. It was, however, his performance in the World Cup Final which brought him to national prominence as a bundle of dynamism, determination and skill; a player for the big occasions, a player who could transform a team through his ability and personality. No wonder Harry Catterick was determined to sign him. The confirmed fee was a record but proved to be a true bargain.

As supporters, we never had any doubt. Bally was an instant hero. Having opened his account in a 1-0 win at Fulham on the opening day of the season, he followed up with a brace in a 3-1 derby victory at Goodison. In the Street End we worshipped Bally. ‘All we are saying is Alan’s our King.’ ‘He’s here, he’s there, he’s every f**kin where, Alan Ball, Alan Ball’. ‘Who’s the greatest of them all? Little curly Alan Ball’. 

We were so proud he was our player. At 5ft 6ins he stood taller and stronger than opponents unable to match his brio. He scored goals, he ran himself daft in his royal blue jersey, he drove his team mates to raise their game and, above all else, he entertained us. Near the end of matches, providing we held a comfortable lead, he would produce his party piece, sitting on the ball in open play near the corner flag. The crowd loved that. Even some opponents loved it. Chatting some years ago to Jimmy Montgomery, the legendary Sunderland goalkeeper, he told me he thought it was wonderful. Cheeky, but wonderful.

In the five years he was with us Bally was the heart and soul of the club. We had other brilliant players during that era and many since then but few came anywhere close to being in that elite group of the truly great players. 

Alan Ball remains our club’s best outfield player since World War Two and one of our all time greats. That’s why his signing, on that day of 15th August, 1966 deserves a special mention in the club’s history. That’s why I will never forget hearing that truly wonderful headline from the BBC TV News. I eventually went to sleep later that night repeating the words  ‘…. Alan Ball has signed for Everton…!’

* Subsequently it transpired the actual fee was £112,000. The definitive account of the transfer including the Leeds United interest is covered in detail by Gavin Buckland in his highly recommended book, ‘Money Can’t Buy Us Love’.