Howard Kendall
One third of the Holy Trinity
| Full name: | Howard Kendall |
|---|---|
| Date of birth: | May 22, 1946 |
| Clubs played for: | Preston, Everton, Birmingham, Stoke, Blackburn |
| Clubs managed: | Blackburn, Everton, Athletic Bilbao, Manchester City, Xanthi, Notts County, Sheffield United, Ethnikos Piraeus |
Club Career
Like Harry Catterick, the legendary manager who signed him for Everton, Howard Kendall both played for and managed the Toffees. Kendall arrived from Preston in 1967 after Catterick beat Liverpool boss Bill Shankly to his signature and he was immediately moved from defence into midfield, where he formed the famous 'Holy Trinity' alongside Alan Ball and Colin Harvey.
Kendall then captained the side for three seasons after their 1970 title win before spells at Birmingham and Stoke, where he became player-coach, and Blackburn, where he took up the reins as player-manager - the same role he assumed when returning to Everton in 1981.
Club Stats
| Years | Clubs | App | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1963-67 | Preston | 104 | 13 |
| 1967-74 | Everton | 229 | 21 |
| 1974-77 | Birmingham | 115 | 16 |
| 1977-79 | Stoke | 82 | 9 |
| 1979-81 | Blackburn | 79 | 6 |
| 1981 | Everton | 4 | 0 |
Managerial Career
After helping Stoke regain top-flight status and taking Blackburn up to the Second Division, Kendall returned to Goodison Park as player-manager in 1981, although he played just four matches before hanging up his boots. After a shaky start, he inspired the most successful spell in the club's history, winning the FA Cup, two League titles and the European Cup-Winners' Cup in a glorious first spell at the club.
After English clubs were banned from Europe, Kendall moved to Athletic Bilbao but, hindered by the club's Basque players only rule, he struggled to make an impact. After a season at Manchester City, Kendall returned to Everton in 1990 but failed to live up to expectations and moved on for short stints at Xanthi in Greece and then Notts County.
Two years at Sheffield United followed, with Kendall saving the Blades from relegation and guiding them to the play-off final before he returned to Goodison for a third time. But Kendall resigned after a season in which the Blues only avoided relegation on the final day and ended his managerial days after four disastrous months at Ethnikos Piraeus.
Key Games
Oxford 1-1 Everton (League Cup quarter-final, January 18, 1984)
Midway through his third season in charge of the club, Kendall found himself under increasing pressure following a paltry six wins from 21 league matches. The fans were calling for his head and this game would have surely delivered it had Adrian Heath not scored the equaliser in this 1-1 draw against Jim Smith's Third Division outfit. Everton stood by Kendall, though, and so began the most remarkable turnaround in the club's fortunes. They won the replayed quarter-final 4-1 and, although they would lose the League Cup final in a replay to Liverpool, far bigger fish would be fried over the next three years.
Everton 3-1 Bayern Munich (European Cup-Winners' Cup semi-final, 2nd leg, April 24, 1985)
Everton had done well to hold the German giants to a goalless draw in Munich, but they found themselves 1-0 down at half-time in the second leg at Goodison Park. Cue Kendall's rousing team talk to which his side, who needed two goals to reach their first European final, responded with three in a remarkable second half. Graeme Sharp, Andy Gray and Trevor Steven scored in the 3-1 victory that is still spoken of with wonderment on the Blue half of Merseyside.
Everton 3-1 Rapid Vienna (European Cup-Winners' Cup final, May 15, 1985)
Everton had the Austrians on the rack for most of the first half and even had an Andy Gray strike controversially disallowed for offside against Derek Mountfield, but they couldn't break Rapid down. Kendall rallied the troops at half-time, though, and thereafter the Blues gave another superb performance, scoring twice through Gray and Steven, before Kevin Sheedy responded to Hans Krankl's goal with a thunderous late effort. Kendall had won Everton's one and only European trophy.
Honours
| Club | Competition | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Everton | First Division Championship | 1969-70 |
| Everton (manager) | First Division Championship | 1984-85, 1986-87 |
| FA Cup | 1985 | |
| European Cup-Winners' Cup | 1985 | |
| Zenith Data Systems Cup | 1991 |
Did You Know...?
Kendall became the youngest player to appear in an FA Cup final when he turned out for Preston in their 3-2 defeat to West Ham in 1964. He was 20 days shy of his 18th birthday. His record was broken by Paul Allen (West Ham, 1980) and is now held by Curtis Weston (Millwall, 2004) who was 17 years and 119 days when he played against Manchester United.
Kendall went to Washington Grammar Technical School in Washington, Tyne and Wear, where he attended classes alongside the singer Bryan Ferry, of Roxy Music fame.
He went to Wembley as a player and a manager a total of 11 times. He played in the 1964 and 1968 FA Cup finals with Preston and Everton, while as manager he led Everton out at the 1984, 1985 and 1986 FA Cup finals. He also took the Toffees to the 1984 League Cup final, the 1984, 1985 and 1986 Charity Shield matches (the latter as runners-up in league and FA Cup) and the Zenith Data Systems Cup final in 1991. Kendall was also the winner of the Anglo-Italian Cup during his four months at Notts County.
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