Harry Catterick: The Untold Story of a Football Great

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Despite Harry’s achievements in football he seemed to have been practically whitewashed from the sport’s history - something that irked me when I saw the coverage afforded to many of his contemporaries.

Like Shankly and Busby, he won two league titles in the 1960s and the FA Cup once. Nicholson won the FA Cup three times in a decade with Spurs but the title only once. He had five good seasons at Everton and two more at Crewe Alexandra before taking on the club’s managerial role. He then managed Rochdale and Sheffield Wednesday until in 1961 he took charge of Everton, leading to the club’s most successful decade: the Division One title in 1963 and 1970 and the FA Cup in 1966. Top left: Gerry Murphy gives a rendition of The Ballad of Dixie Dean; Top right: John Hurst, recipient of the Dixie Dean Memorial Award

Centre half and captain Brian Labone was among the Everton players of the era to suggest that some of the performances delivered by the developing side between 1967 and ’69 were as good as any in the Championship season. It didn’t seem so at the time, but 1964-65 was obviously a season of transition with the 1962-63 champions gradually being replaced as he built a new side. Certainly they were a beacon of attractive football in an era when defensive tactics became more sophisticated and oppressive.

I played as a pro for nearly 20 years around the globe and this now makes it all seem worthwhile – it gives me pride and satisfaction.” 'I played with great players... I just wish it had lasted longer' Coincidentally, his first game in charge at Everton was at home to Wednesday, where two goals from Frank Wignall saw a 2-1 win for the Blues.This was a game in which I had introduced Joe Royle and (goalkeeper) Geoff Barnett to league football. My only regret was I was only two or three weeks out of hospital after a major operation and I was unable to do anything about it. Sadly a small group of hooligans are responsible for behaviour that is difficult to understand.” Burnley became a major force. They won the title in 1960, having reached the top of the table for the first time that season when the whistle blew at the end of the campaign's final match. They had to win at Manchester City, and did so 2-1, reserve winger Trevor Meredith scoring the decisive goal. Potts had kept the team calm ahead of the match, treating it as just another game. There were, however, a couple of notable exceptions to this new breed of captivating, media-savvy luminaries. The veteran took his steps first on the managerial ladder at Crewe Alexandra (as a player-manager). From there he moved to Rochdale and did well enough to earn a tilt at the manager’s job at Sheffield Wednesday in 1958. His impact in South Yorkshire was dramatic. The Owls were promoted to the topflight at the first attempt, reached the FA Cup semi-final the following season and then pushed a great Tottenham Hotspur side all the way in the race for the 1960/61 League Championship. This was, after all, the era of Norman ‘Bites-yer-Legs’ Hunter, Ron ‘Chopper’ Harris and Tommy Smith, the Anfield Iron.

The 18-year-old apprentice marine engineer who signed his first professional deal with Everton in 1937, had to wait until he was 27 to make his League debut in August 1946. But with Morrissey recovered from injury, Veall returned to the reserves in mid-December and never added to his 11 senior appearances. Yet a prank is generally supposed to be funny and this lot actually refer to themselves as “comedians”. That is actually the most amusing thing they have done, by some distance. Thespian Tomkins deserves a bad reviewHis Sheffield Wednesday side were runners up to Nicholson’s Spurs in 1960-61. Then when Everton came calling he crossed the Pennines, created two title winning teams, only once saw his side fall below sixth that decade – and that same season saw his side lift the FA Cup for the first time 33 years.