News about Howard Kendall

ADRIAN HEATH: To me, my first England Under 21s shirt meant the world to me, but it had to be Everton and the Le Coq Sportif shirt of 1984, the blue with a short white triangle by the collar. He told me how unique a place Everton was when I was an apprentice at Stoke looking after Howard Kendall's boots. I had to play for them under Howard in the League Cup and FA Cup finals. The shirt brings back good memories, especially those of Merseyside's match against Liverpool. There was a sense of being part of a high-quality team at Wembley Stadium after those games. We weren't going to fade away. I was going to be a champion for the first time in my career, and Howard had advised me to aim for all those years before.

Two ancient rivals clash once more. Mighty founders of the Football League with their rich pasts and whelming recent histories, as well as an intricate storyline that made their match the most controversial of all top-flight fixtures. They are in Liverpool today for the 212th time in all, and their records are so close that they barely have four victories and three goals to distinguish them over 135 years. They have 34 major trophies between them, with at least one in each decade from the beginning of organised football to the start of this millennium, minus the 1940s when war intervened.

In recent years, seeing football stars flood their social media pages with festive images has become a trend. Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Erling Haaland, and Mohamed Salah's fans all know what they're doing on Christmas Day. Some people may be wondering how footballers of a bygone era were able to pass their Christmas cheer at this time of year.

MATT BARLOW: As he ducks through the door, Mick Lyons imitates the Everton legend. A regal presence with a warm smile, solid handshake, and the club emblem on his rain jacket was absorbed in tales of how he fell in love with the club. On matchdays, he and his brother Joseph would ride the 44D bus to make sure they were outside Goodison Park when the gates opened so they could dash to the old scoreboard. 'We'd be in there dead early, and we'd run to sit in the old box where they changed the scores,' Lyons says. We'd watch the game from there.' They were crowned 1963-63 in the league. Alex Young, a great player.'

IAN LADYMAN: Every time I sit in the press box at Goodison Park, my attention is drawn across the field to a hoard at the front of the Lower Bullens Road Stand. When QPR defeated Everton in November 1993, it was where the late, great Ray Wikins came and perched during a break in play. According to day's reports, he actually signed an autograph before taking a corner. I don't remember that, but I do remember him sitting and talking to the supporters as my father and I were there a few rows back. I'm not an Everton fan, but when I was younger, I used to go to go to go occasionally. It was 40 minutes from our house, and Everton played decent football. Or at least they tried to.

Everton's last-day escape in 1998 was much more painful for me in more ways than one, but we were able to keep our teeth by the skin. We'd started the game in the bottom three but knew we'd beat Bolton if we had a better result than them. We were at home against Coventry and we had to go to Chelsea to put our advantage. I had been brought up a Blue and was absolutely determined not to be relegated. However, I was smashed by a challenge during the game and was left with a hole in my right knee. I had to go to go back, which was not something I wanted to do, according to physio Andy Jones. I pushed him and he gave me a slap back! Howard Kendall, our boss, understood why I was limping off the field and told me to 'Get back out there' if I wanted to.'

FAN VIEW - BRIAN VINER: With all the controversies surrounding Sunday's final round of Premier League matches, there's one thing you should not miss: around 6.30 p.m., an outside broadcaster will look at the available camera photos and select one of a young fan sobbing inconsolably, most likely next to a stricken parent. And the photograph may well be that it came from one of England's oldest citadels, Goodison Park. For as long as I can remember, I've been on TV for as long as I can remember. However, the dissatisfied little poppets were never in Everton blue.

BY SIMON JONES, an EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEWER — Paul Rideout finds it awesome. The way they played the other night enraged me.' They were booed and they deserved to be booed.' Everton's goal beat Manchester United in the FA Cup, but the club hasn't won a trophy since. But as the two teams meet in the FA Cup on Friday, Rideout is the other parallel from 1995: Everton faces yet another relegation battle. He said, 'It's unbelievable that it keeps happening.' 'Everton are a major club, but they have misused the money.' They have acquired some good players but not at the level required, and they are unaware of the desire.' Everton has flown to Old Trafford in the Premier League's bottom three after their humiliation at home to Brighton, along with midweek's results.