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Walter Smith

Walter Smith - Everton Manager : 1998 - 2002


Walter Smith was attracted to Everton by the glossy brochure presented by chairman and hamper tycoon Peter Johnson - only to discover it was open at the wrong page.

Smith was retired and basking in an almost unblemished managerial reputation from his silver-lined era at Glasgow Rangers when the call came.

The call actually came from Sheffield Wednesday, seeking a new manager, but Everton were alerted and stepped in.

Smith was lured away from Hillsborough towards Goodison Park by promises - false as it transpired - made to him by Johnson of massive transfer funds and unlimited ambition.

He was given money to spend, and spent it wisely on the then unknown midfielder Olivier Dacourt and John Collins.

Smith was then stunned to discover that his brave new world was financed by money Everton did not actually have.

The banks were banging on the door and Everton had a financial crisis.

And Smith was shown the signpost towards future mediocrity when terrace idol Duncan Ferguson was sold to Newcastle United behind his back by a desperate Johnson, who needed to raise cash.

Goodison folklore has it that Smith's wife Ethel knew about the Ferguson deal before her husband because he was busy preparing for a game.

Smith was tempted to quit, but it was Johnson who left and opened the door for Bill Kenwright to fulfil his dream of owning Everton.

Kenwright immediately handed Smith an extended contract - some called it a longer sentence - but he was still haunted by financial mishaps at Goodison Park.

Smith went into the market again on the basis that Everton would cash in on the array of telelvision deals invading football, but NTL pulled out of a deal with the club literally minutes before it was due to be signed.

It left Smith locked into the never-ending saga of selling the club's top players, with Collins, Dacourt, Don Hutchison, Marco Materazzi, Nick Barmby, Francis Jeffers and Michael Ball among the departures.

Smith was on his Mark IV Everton this season, never enjoying stability and - more importantly - never enjoying consistency.

Everton's fans also latched on to Smith's personality and used it as a stick to beat him.

He was described as "dour" and was accused of lacking passion for Everton.

It was an unfair tag, as anyone who has ever met Smith will tell you.

The public image hides a man with a huge sense of humour - something which has served him well at Everton.

No, he was not Martin O'Neill on the touchline, but neither is Arsene Wenger.

Smith, in many respects, was the right man for Everton but found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time.

And despite a lucrative pay-off, his pride will be hurt by his failure to repeat his success in Scotland down south at Everton.

Smith was always stung by jibes that he won a one-team league in Scotland, and part of his motivation was to show that his Rangers success was a genuine one.

But, as always, results have been the judge of Smith, and most managers would have found it hard to survive such abject fare as that served up by Everton at Middlesbrough in the FA Cup quater-final.

Everton's fans have never warmed fully to Smith, and the under-current of disapproval for his regime has recently turned to open revolt.

Fans do not sack managers, but when the discontent becomes as poisonous as it has against Smith in recent days, it left Kenwright with no option but to sack his manager.

It will have hurt Kenwright bitterly to have that conversation with his close friend, but he has taken the brave step and will hope fortune favours him.

As for Smith, he will return to Scotland, but if another call came, he may not be quite as keen to take it this time.

On 26th October 2021, Walter Smith passed away, at the age of 73.


Duncan Ferguson Signs For Everton

Chairman's Tribute


Everton Chairman Bill Kenwright says football has lost “a great leader and great man” after the Club’s former manager Walter Smith passed away aged 73.

Smith was in charge at Goodison Park for nearly four years and managed 168 matches after his appointment in summer 1998.

His tenure coincided with Kenwright completing a takeover of the Club towards the end of 1999.

The two men forged a strong and enduring bond and a “real friendship”.

Smith, who won 10 domestic titles across two spells as Rangers manager and had time in charge of Scotland, died on Tuesday following a long illness.

“He was one of the very best people I was lucky enough to meet in my lifetime in football," Kenwright told evertonfc.com.

"A man of loyalty, integrity and great talent. Strong when he needed to be but with a mischievous sense of humour that could ease even the most tense situations.

“Walter and I shared a lot together during the takeover years but among many, many examples of real friendship, one will always stick out.

"We had just... tearfully... agreed his farewell to Goodison, when he slapped his hands together and said ‘Okay Bill, who are we going to get to manage this great club of ours?’

“Even in a moment of real sadness, he refused to put himself first...one of the true attributes of a great leader. And that's exactly what Walter Smith was. A great leader. And a great man."

Smith began his coaching career with Dundee United, the same club where he started as a player, aged 18, in 1966.

He enjoyed success next to legendary manager Jim McLean before assisting Graeme Souness and Alex Ferguson with Rangers and Scotland respectively.

Replacing Souness towards the end of 1990/91 and duly winning the Scottish title marked the beginning of a spectacularly decorated managerial career.

Smith was appointed an OBE in 1997 and grew into one of the sport's most popular and respected figures.

“I send my personal love to Walter's wife Ethel and the family and know that I will be joined by everyone at Everton Football Club in saluting a husband, a dad, a grandfather, and a legendary football manager,” added Kenwright.


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