If you were unable to post a comment in memory of John, please do so now; John Francis Madden 24th September 1951 - 21st March 2010 A requiem mass takes place for him at Our Lady Queen of Peace, Litherland L21 0EQ on Friday 26th March at 12.15pm "I want to go on Bluekipper." My brother John said. Misunderstanding his request, I started to pass him the laptop as he lay on his sickbed. It was in fact a request from a dying man for me to write his obituary when he was dead and gone. It probably needs no explanation here, but the greatest love in my brother's life after family and friends, was Everton FC. John Madden was born in September 1951, to my parents John and Catherine, who had moved out to Litherland when they married the year before. He was to be the eldest of six siblings, four sons and two daughters. Like his father before him, and his father before him, his football allegiance to Everton started at a very early age. 1951 was not a great year for the Toffees. We had been relegated for only the second time in our history. Thankfully the ignominy of being in the second tier was not to effect John's early years too much. By 1954 the Blues were back up, changing places with you know who, and despite the 1950's and early 1960's not being the greatest period in our history, John grew up assured in the knowledge that there really only was one team bothering about in our part of the world; a belief he took with him to his grave. John's first game was home to Luton, 1958. He was taken to the game by his aunt, Rose Molloy, and her best friend Monnie Donnelly. Rose lived on Carisbrooke Road, Walton, no more than a 10 minute walk from Goodison, and, despite that generation of Molloy's being of a red persuasion in football terms, there was always a cup of tea and lively banter, before and after the match, right up to the time they moved to Vauxhall in the late 90's. That day he was even treated to a seat in the stands from where he saw Everton run out 3-1 winners. Another early game from that period John recalled in much later life was a 4-0 victory against Man Utd in 1960 (perhaps the first game he went to with his father, also John). His last year in junior school saw him see most home games in the 1962/63 season, a season that was to bring the league back to Goodison for the first time in over 20 years. He witnessed the first top flight derby for 11 years, a 2-2 draw at Goodison. Another memorable game was the one against Spurs late in the season when Alex Young scored a fantastic header into the Gladwys St. It was a game that all but clinched the title. By this time John had been taking his younger brother Brian to Goodison for a couple of years. Imagine that now! 2 junior school age lads going the match alone. By the time John had started at St Mary's in Crosby, Everton's momentum, which was to carry them to such glory throughout the 60's, was starting to gather even more pace. John's school at the time insisted on attendance at lessons on a Saturday morning, to make up for time lost on the rugby pitch on Wednesday afternoons. This meant a quick dart to Litherland, for a change of clothing and a breakfast, then a 52 bus to Spellow Lane. The next piece of silverware was of course the cup in '66. The semi final at Burnden Park saw the Toffees dispatch Man Utd, and John attended the game with his younger brother Brian, and friends Billy Goodwin and Tony Seddon. Unable to get a ticket for the final, John watched at home and family legend recalls how he nearly put his head through the living room ceiling when Trebilcock got the equaliser. As we all know, another cup success eluded Everton in 1968. But despite the disappointment of Wembley, the semi at Old Trafford against Leeds, was a highlight, and remnants of the penalty spot from where Johnny Morrisey dispatched the winner, were dug up and stored in a match box for posterity. John's late teens saw Everton enter a golden period of arguably the best football seen in the club's history. He never missed a home game and rarely an away game between 68-70. He would travel accompanied by his younger brother Brian, and friend Billy Goodwin. Travelling mostly on Lawrenson's Coaches they became friendly with Peter Mattacks, Les Reid and Alec McGowan. His favourite player was Colin Harvey. John would list highlights of the 69/70 championship as the 2-0 mauling (should have been 10 he said) of Man Utd at Old Trafford. Less than a week later, we hammered them 3-0 (all 3 goals coming in the first half). The overnight travel on the Ribble down to London for the game against Arsenal on the opening day was also one John used to like to reminisce about. The 70's were an anti climax of course, but John's fervour for Everton never, ever wained, despite studying in Leeds and then spending time in Jersey. His first visit to Wembley (he watched the 68 final on a TV monitor outside the stadium) was against Villa in the League Cup in '77. It was in the 70's that he started teaching and this gave him the chance to coach in school's football. By the 1980's once again, along with the rest of us, he savoured some of the best football in the club's history, as the odd job man at Goodison remembered where he'd left the Brasso back in 1970. His favourite player from around this time was Graeme Sharp. Matches he particularly enjoyed were the 5-0 mauling of Man Utd and the semi against Southampton at Highbury, which he attended with his dad. Never a gambler in his life, John had to get someone to help him to fill in his betting slips, as after each round from before the 3rd round onwards, he backed the Toffees for FA Cup success in 1995. He was a grand better off and we were a trophy better off by May. John spent his teaching career in St Wilfrid's, Litherland, De La Salle, Jersey, and Salesian/Savio, Bootle. He retired from teaching just a couple of years ago, but his retirement was cruelly cut short by the cancer of the kidney he was diagnosed with in January 2009. He leaves behind his lovely wife Christine and son Richard (another Evertonian). He will be sorely missed by all his family and friends. A requiem mass takes place for him at Our Lady Queen of Peace, Litherland on Friday 26th March at 12.15pm. Good night and God bless John, a great man and a great Evertonian. Neil Madden (with the help of brothers Brian and Gerard).
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