Everton
Boss David Moyes talking about Everton's game against Middlesbrough
this weekend.
Moyesy
says: "We
would like to do it for Brian this weekend, I am sure he will
be watching and hoping that his team get a result, like he was
last week when he was on the pitch with everybody else and around
the place. Hopefully we can try and do that for him."
(28/04/06)
Bob
Maylor secretary of the Everton Goodison Supporters Club says:
"I feel very proud to have known Brian Labone,
it was an honour to have called him a friend. He was a true gentleman
on and off the pitch. I wanted to pay my respects for Brian by
signing the book of condolence. He was the finest Evertonian.
He attended our awards night, as he always did, on Monday. He
turned down an invitation to watch Blood Brothers to be there.
His speech was always the highlight and Monday was no different."
David
France is unable to attend Brian Labone's funeral, due to ill
health, but has sent us this tribute.
A
tribute By David France
Brian
Labone was my conscience in establishing the Everton Former-Players'
Foundation, my reference source for selecting the original inductees
into Gwladys Street's Hall of Fame and my telephone directory
for organizing the Hall of Fame Galas. Also he has been my strength
throughout my recent medical battles. I spoke with him only a
week or so ago to review the reference to him in the upcoming
'Everton Treasures' book which is a joint-collaboration with Dave
Prentice. It reads:
'His name catches the eye in over 500 programmes - No 5 Labone.
Their pen-pictures hint at his abilities ... cultured defender
... dominant in the air ... strong in the tackle ... comfortable
on the ball... constructive in his distribution ... gentleman
both on and off the pitch ... respected universally for his sportsmanship
... blessed with a character that made him deservedly popular.
Brian Labone was the backbone of his one and only club for fifteen
years and deserved greater recognition outside of Merseyside.
His 1962 nightmare in Paris coupled with his 1966 decision to
withdraw from Alf Ramsey's World Cup squad proved costly in terms
of caps, about 40 of which were awarded to Maurice Norman and
Jack Charlton in his absence. My most enduring image of The Last
of the Corinthians? Not him towering over Bobby Collins as both
the Everton and Leeds teams were ordered to the Goodison dressing
rooms to calm down in 1964 nor him glaring at Peter Bonetti after
the England keeper had fluffed Franz Beckenbauer's shot in 1968;
but as the Everton skipper downing a pinta at Wembley after receiving
the FA Cup from Princess Margaret in 1966.
I am often asked what is the greatest Everton treasure not in
my collection? My standard response is Brian Leslie Labone - the
Blue Hope, one of the finest diamonds in the world. Having made
500 or so near-flawless appearances, Brian's essence is woven
into the fabric of my post-war memorabilia. I believe that no
single player has done more for Everton Football Club after hanging
up his boots. Every club deserves such a passionate, proud and
gentlemanly ambassador. Possibly because he has always lived on
Merseyside and is so accessible, fans have tended to overlook
him in favour of the fleeting visits by other ex-players. Notwithstanding,
Labone continues to promote the royal blue cause not just as part
of his matchday responsibilities but on every single day of the
week, every week of the year to football fans of all persuasions.'
My words embarrassed him. So much so that he muttered: 'Can't
you add something about the delicate royal blue veins in the Princess'
hands and the twinkle in her eye? Also I'm not sure about the
Blue Hope reference.' I retorted: 'Well what would you like chiselled
into your headstone?' After a pause, he suggested: 'Simply, a
Son of St Domingo.' David France. (28/04/06)
Brian
Labone 1940-2006. Obituary By Ivan Ponting.
(This
article first appeared in The Independent). Ivan Ponting is author
of 'Everton Player by Player'
Brian
Leslie Labone, footballer: born Liverpool 23 January 1940; played
for Everton 1957-72; capped 26 times by England 1962-70; married
1966 Pat Lynam (one daughter; marriage dissolved); died Liverpool
24 April 2006.
To
characterise a professional footballer as noble, and to reflect
on his sensitive side, might seem incongruous when set against
the greed, cynicism and rampant self-aggrandisement which go hand
in hand with the modern game. But in the case of Brian Labone,
whose name has been synonymous with that of Everton for nearly
half a century, such treatment seems singularly apt.
An
archetypal one-club man, dubbed "the last of the great Corinthians"
by the former Goodison Park manager Harry Catterick - a fearsome
fellow not noted for dispensing fulsome praise - Labone was a
colossally influential figure as the Toffees won the League Championship
in 1963 and 1970 and the FA Cup in 1966, the last-mentioned pair
of successes under his captaincy.
Tall
and naturally commanding, he operated at centre-half, a position
traditionally associated with flint-hearted bruisers prone to
crunching physical excess, but Labone was cut from an altogether
more stately cloth. He played the game as he lived his life, with
dignity, composure and integrity, and during his 15-year career
he picked up a mere two bookings in more than 530 games for the
Merseysiders, a total of appearances exceeded by only two other
Evertonians, the goalkeepers Neville Southall and Ted Sagar.
Yet
there was a myth about Labone, perpetuated by his calm, almost
tranquil character and his polished, unflappable style of play.
The contention among some critics was that he was devoid of "devil",
- simply too easy-going for a role which demanded a more ruthless
approach; that both he and Everton would have achieved more if
he had been tougher. The theory was seriously flawed on two counts.
First, "Labby" had to be true to his own nature, which
precluded random violence or unnecessary harshness. Secondly,
although he played the game with impeccable fairness, he was a
hard footballer, imbued with every ounce of steel needed to survive
and prosper at the top club level for almost a decade and a half,
and to earn 26 caps for his country.
Had
he been anything approaching a soft touch then he would never
have progressed beyond the junior football in which he excelled
during his education at Liverpool Collegiate School in the early
1950s.
In
fact, although he was always enthusiastic about sport, the thoughtful,
intelligent youngster might never have signed on at Everton anyway,
even after joining the club as an amateur in 1955. He was sorely
tempted to go to university and deliberated coolly before accepting
the offer of professional terms at Goodison as a 17-year-old in
1957, spurning local rivals Liverpool in the process.
Having
taken that momentous decision, Labone made meteoric progress,
first riveting the attention of hard-boiled Everton insiders with
his masterful shackling of the rumbustious centre- forward Dave
Hickson in a public trial game. So impressive was the newcomer
that he leapfrogged the Toffees' three junior teams to claim a
place in the reserves.
Seven
months later he made his first-team entrance following an injury
to Tommy E. Jones, but it was not until his next senior outing,
at home to Tottenham Hotspur in April 1957, that he discovered
the cruel reality of top-flight football when he was subjected
to an embarrassing runaround by Bobby Smith. Now the rookie proved
he was made of the right stuff, returning to the "stiffs"
to hone his craft, then earning a regular place in the First Division
line-up in 1959/60 and winning England under-23 recognition in
1961.
Slim
and rather more elegant than most stoppers, but formidably powerful
in the air, Labone was fearless in his tackles and an astute anticipator
of the unfolding action, enabling him to specialise in timely
interceptions. On the ball he was accomplished and often constructive
when using his right foot, invariably employing his left only
for emergency clearances.
His game had developed serenely under the management of John Carey,
but it was when that benevolent Irishman was replaced in the summer
of 1961 by the abrasive Catterick that Labone, and Everton, truly
began to prosper.
In
1962/63, with a team in which the star forwards Alex "The
Golden Vision" Young and Roy Vernon tended to monopolise
the headlines, the Toffees lifted the League title, and Labone's
part as the rearguard's principal bulwark was recognised with
a first full England call-up in October, to face Northern Ireland
in Belfast. Astonishingly, in view of his club's historical eminence,
he was the first Everton player to be capped by England at senior
level since the Second World War.
At
that point, though, he was unable to inch ahead of Sheffield Wednesday's
Peter Swan and Maurice Norman of Tottenham Hotspur to claim a
regular international berth. Still he continued to advance his
case, being made Everton skipper in 1964/65, succeeding Tony Kay
who, along with Swan, was banned from football and imprisoned
for his part in a bribes scandal.
Come
1965/66 Labone remained in imperious form but now was headed by
Jack Charlton in the pecking order of England centre-halves. However,
during the run-up to the 1966 World Cup Finals, the Everton captain
stunned the football establishment by asking not to be considered
for the tournament, so that he was free to go ahead with his planned
summer wedding to a former Miss Liverpool, Pat Lynam. He later
explained that he hadn't expected to be in contention for a World
Cup place: "I had fixed the date, made all the arrangements,
issued all the invitations. What could I do?"
Happily
for Labone, soon his controversial announcement was overshadowed
by Everton's breathtaking victory in that season's FA Cup final,
fighting back from two goals down to defeat Sheffield Wednesday
and, as he brandished the coveted bauble aloft in the Wembley
sunshine, all seemed well with his world.
But
another shock declaration was in the offing. In September 1967,
notionally in his prime at 27 and leading one of the best teams
in the land, he revealed that he was no longer enjoying his football,
having lost both form and confidence, and planned imminent retirement.
It seemed that the modest Merseysider, a strong-willed but sensitive
individual, preferred a future in the family central-heating business.
However,
having bared his soul, he felt his mind clear and his anxiety
lift. Now he produced arguably the finest football of his life;
he replaced the ageing Charlton as England's first-choice No 5
and he was happy to reverse his decision to depart prematurely.
In
1969/70 Labone was majestic as an exhilaratingly entertaining
Everton side, featuring the beautifully balanced midfield trio
of Alan Ball, Colin Harvey and Howard Kendall, romped away with
the League crown, and that summer he recovered from injury in
time to perform smoothly for his country in the World Cup Finals
in Mexico.
A
successful defence of the Jules Rimet Trophy appeared possible
when England seized a two-goal advantage over West Germany in
the quarter-final in Leon, only for Franz Beckenbauer and company
to complete a devastating comeback to prevail 3-2. That proved
to be Labone's final international appearance and, now in his
thirties and increasingly prone to injuries, there was little
left of his club career, either, and he laid aside his boots in
1972.
Subsequently
he enjoyed a successful sojourn in insurance and served for many
years on the Littlewoods "spot the ball" panel. Meanwhile
his love affair with Everton never abated. In recent years he
worked for the club as a match-day host, a convivial role to which
this courteous, patient, gently amusing man was ideally suited.
Ivan Ponting. (26/04/06)
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Brian
My Friend By Alan Ball
Bally
says: " Brian was a great friend, a friend
you could always rely on and, as many people have said already
this week, a true gentleman. He represented everything the
club stands for, he was a true Evertonian. He was honest
and loyal. But he was also an outstanding captain - a great
captain.
In
recent years you have heard players and managers stressing
the importance of forging a strong team unit, of encouraging
bonding sessions to bring players together. But years before
that was deemed an important part of the game, Brian was
leading the way. He took his role as skipper incredibly
seriously. He took it to the next level and no captain I
had ever played under before had done that. He was a brilliant
captain and a major reason for the success we enjoyed at
Goodison in the 60s and early 70s.
We
travelled from Lime Street by train on a Friday for away
games on a Saturday. For each trip, Labby made sure every
single member of the squad gathered for a Chinese meal before
the journey to bring everybody together. As a side, we all
stood together - we would do anything for each other. And
that was down to the way in which Labby led us as a captain.
Those qualities that made him such an admirable skipper
explain why he was such a popular man. Anybody who met him
warmed to Labby and there has been a great deal of talk
this week about his qualities as an individual. But his
qualities as a footballer should not be overlooked. He was
an uncompromising central defender who would always attack
the ball. He had pace, was a good footballer but was only
booked twice during a long career.
That underlines he was hard but fair. And when he broke
into the England team - and I was with him at the 1970 World
Cup in Germany - he made the position his own. He was excellent
in Mexico and took the place of Jack Charlton and slotted
in perfectly. He was a regular in the England set-up during
an era when we were incredibly strong on the world stage.
He was a player worthy of the world stage. He was a great
footballer, a great man and is a great loss."
Alan Ball (27/04/06)
A
Tribute By Bob Latchford
Everton
Football Club breeds gentlemen. Throughout the years, the
club has always been associated with flair, high standards
and success. Brian epitomised each of these qualities. Indeed,
I cannot think of many bigger Evertonians or better gentleman
than Brian Labone.
He
was a man of high integrity and high standards and I am
sure will be missed by family, friends and everyone associated
with the club. I always say that Everton gets into the blood
of everyone who was worn the royal blue jersey. But with
Brian, it was there from birth. Tributes describing him
as 'Mr. Everton' and 'The Greatest Ever Evertonian' are
not wide of the mark.
In
recent years, I renewed acquaintances with Brian thanks
to the Everton Former Players' Foundation. I am extremely
thankful for that opportunity and also the memorable evenings
we spent together. 'Labby' was one of the club's and the
Foundation's biggest supporters. If anything needed doing,
he would be the first to volunteer.
I
loved being in his company. His personality and love for
the club shone through at every single Everton evening and
match he attended. Nothing seemed to dampen his bubbly nature.
Plus, he had a great Scouse accent. I can't believe that
I won't hear him retell his favourite stories to a captive
audience again in those dulcet tones.
He
loved meeting up with the former players, particularly the
ones from his era and the ones who went before him. I chuckled
at the way he called Dave Hickson his 'Grandad' and the
way he mercilessly took the mickey out of his best mate
Gordon West, or 'Twiggy' as he christened him.
Everton
is much more than a football club, it is a family too –
and just as we remember Pat and Rachelle in our thoughts
and prayers, so too we remember Gordon. They were great
for each other on and off the pitch - a terrific double
act. They were Everton's Morecambe and Wise. His sense of
loss must be as acute as anyone's.
Brian's
footballing prowess has been well documented over the past
few days – and rightfully so. His cultured style and leadership
qualities saw him selected in Everton's Greatest Ever Team
a couple of years ago, but still he offered more. His influence
over the fans did not end with his retirement. Indeed, he
continued to inspire supporters of every age in the decades
that followed through his personality and love for the club.
That takes a special person. Brian was a special person.
May he rest in peace. Bob
Latchford. (27/04/06)
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Cup
Winner
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