The much-anticipated “Everton: Howard’s Way” captivatingly details the Blues triumphant era of glory and titles during the mid-1980s under the indelible management of the legendary Howard Kendall.
During Kendall’s iconic first of three tenures at Goodison Park, Everton beat Watford 2-0 in the 1984 FA Cup Final at Wembley via goals from Graeme Sharp and Andy Gray. The Toffees 1984 FA Cup Final victory over Watford signified Everton’s first domestic trophy in 14 years; Everton’s last trophy prior to winning the 1984 FA Cup Final was the First Division league title in the 1969-1970 season under Harry Catterick; Catterick won two Division One league titles, the FA Cup and two Charity Shields during his memorable 12 year reign as Everton manager.
However, Everton under Kendall, claimed a historic and unprecedented double – winning the league in 1985 by a 13 point margin, ahead of bitter Merseyside rivals Liverpool, and winning the Toffees first-ever European trophy – the European Cup Winners Cup. Everton’s young side dominated the English game during the mid-80s and made a significant imprint in Europe during Kendall’s first reign, notably evident courtesy of Everton’s 3-1 win against Rapid Vienna in the 1985 European Cup Winners Cup Final at the Stadion Feijenoord courtesy of goals from Andy Gray, Trevor Steven and Kevin Sheedy; Everton defeated Bayern Munich 3-1 on aggregate in the European Cup Winners Cup semi-finals.
Kendall’s three spells at Goodison Park (1981-1987, 1990-1993, 1997-1998) witnessed the iconic manager named as a legendary Giant on the ever-devoted blue side of Merseyside; Everton Giants includes the likes of Dixie Dean (Everton’s all-time leading goalscorer in club history), Brian Labone, David Unsworth, Duncan Ferguson, Alan Ball, Dave Watson, Colin Harvey, Ray Wilson, Neville Southall, Peter Reid, Joe Royle, Graeme Sharp, Mick Lyons to name a few. Kendall also played for Everton from 1967 to 1974 with a subsequent later spell as a player for the Blues in 1981.
Manchester United denied Kendall’s Everton from sealing a momentous treble thanks to the Red Devils 1-0 victory in the 1985 FA Cup Final before 100,000 at Wembley Stadium; Norman Whiteside’s goal separated the differences between the sides. Everton would indeed defeat Manchester United 10 years later in the 1995 FA Cup Final, the last domestic trophy won by Everton to date. However, during the record-setting 1984/1985 season under Kendall, the Toffees won the league title with a record amount of points, whilst also beating Liverpool both at Goodison Park and at Anfield, coupled alongside emphatically defeating Manchester United 5-0.
“Everton: Howard’s Way” features brand new, exclusive never-before-seen interviews with Everton legends – Neville Southall, Andy Gray, Peter Reid, Graeme Sharp and Kevin Ratcliffe, all of whom solidified their legendary place in Everton folklore and created an unprecedented golden era for “The People’s Club”.
“Everton: Howard’s Way” officially premieres on November 11 at St George’s Hall in Liverpool, Merseyside with all proceeds of the tickets of the docu-film donated to charity.
“Everton: Howard’s Way” is officially set for release on Blu Ray, digital and DVD on November 11.
