I got £10,000 for winning the Golden Boot. But I wish I hadn’t...the taxman wouldn’t leave me alone!
Exclusive with Everton hero Bob Latchford
AS Erling Haaland celebrates breaking the hearts of English contenders once again by collecting another Golden Boot, Mail Sport catches up with one Englishman who did claim the mantle of being the country’s top goalscorer...
BEING elevated to God- like status never sat comfortably with Bob Latchford. An affirmed Christian, he squirms slightly as he is reminded how Everton fans heralded his presence to the tune of ‘ Bobby Latchford walks on water...’ and could he ever forget the banner waved proudly at the church end of Gwladys Street which declared ‘Jesus saves. Latchford scores the rebound.’
The truth is, supporting Everton in the 1970s, just like today, was a test of faith. City rivals Liverpool were tightening their grip on European domination and Everton were doing their best to remain in the slipstream.
The one comfort to the Goodison faithful was their centre forward was the best finisher in the land. Even the man Liverpool fans would later refer to as God — Robbie Fowler — was a boyhood fan.
The peak of their excitement came in 1977- 78. The Daily Express, bemoaning the fact no striker had scored 30 goals in a season since Manchester City’s Francis Lee in 1972, threw down the gauntlet and offered a £10,000 prize to the first man to do it.
‘I am a Christian,’ says Latchford, ‘I believe in Christ and I loved things like the “Jesus saves” banner and the song, it still gives me goosebumps when I hear it, but I’m a little uneasy with the adulation. I never told another player they were my hero.’
Latchford is 73 now but looks 20 years younger. He is talking from his home just south of Nuremberg in Germany, which he shares with second wife Andrea.
‘The beauty for me was that I played with really good wingers,’ says Latchford modestly. ‘And in Dave Thomas we had the creme de la creme. He was exceptional.’
Thomas had been signed from QPR in the summer of 1977. Nicknamed ‘Tizer’ after the fizzy drink ‘because he was so bubbly’, he played in rubber-soled boots, without shin pads and his socks rolled down, almost unthinkable in an era of uncompromising defenders. Lightning quick, he had a telepathic understanding of where Latchford would be.
‘It’s odd because I remember going to watch England schoolboys at Wembley and ‘Tizer’ had stood out. Even then his socks were rolled down. He was so fast from a standing start, he skipped past people easily and he could deliver a cross better than others, so precise, always missing the first man — not like what you see these days.’
After missing the start of the 1977-78 season through suspension, Latchford’s first goal of the campaign didn’t come until five games in, a 5-1 win at Leicester City. Thomas provided the assist. Everton went on an 18-game unbeaten run and by New Year’s Eve, Latchford had 19 goals. ‘Annoyingly, we had blown our title chances by losing to Manchester United and Leeds at Christmas but with the goals, the lads had started to believe I could win the £10,000 prize,’ he said.
‘The trouble was they started to try too hard to set me up.’ Indeed, a barren run followed with just two goals in three months before he found form again in March. By April, he was on 26.
When Lee had scored his 33 for City in 1972, 15 of them were penalties. Latchford had never taken one. He took the first of his career that month against Ipswich’s Paul Cooper. ‘He dived out of the way, which was nice of him.
‘It had never occurred to me to take penalties,’ says Latchford remarkably. ‘I just didn’t think I needed them. I must have been mad. When I look back I would have added another 25 per cent to my tally. The lads just said “if we get penalties, you’ve got to take them”.’
When it got to the last day of the season, Latchford still needed two goals. Everton were at home to Chelsea. Assured of third place, the only thing at stake was Latchford’s prize.
‘When I woke up that morning I knew I was going to score. I was that confident, I had no nerves.’
As he ran out for his usual superstitious pre- match routine, chewing a piece of gum, ready to kick a ball into the Gwladys Street goal, the ground lit up with noise. ‘The hairs on my neck stand up even now thinking about the roar as I came out of the tunnel. It was electric, extra special, the anticipation, that feeling 40,000 people were with me, willing me to score,’ he recalls.
Though Everton took control, going 3-0 up, that crowd had to wait until the 72nd minute for Latchford to get goal number 29, fittingly a header from a Thomas corner. He was poised to score the next one only for defender and captain Mike Lyons to steam in front of him and head the ball in for Everton’s fifth. ‘I was fuming. I pushed Lyonsy into the net as we were celebrating, grabbed him and said “Why don’t you f*** off back to your own half!” Fortunately, the threat fell on deaf ears and Lyons came up again only to be felled by Chelsea defender Micky Droy. Referee Peter Willis gave a penalty and Latchford took the ball.
‘They were arguing and I was standing on the arc of the area just keeping my head down. Martin Dobson came over to me and said “just hit the target” but I was zoning out. I was glad I’d taken that penalty against Ipswich. I just decided to hit it to Peter Bonetti’s left.
‘The cacophony of noise as it went in was incredible. There were pensioners running on the pitch. It was probably one of the greatest achievements of my life.’
Latchford tells a story that in the stands that day was William Ralph ‘Dixie’ Dean, Everton’s greatest goalscorer, who, 50 years earlier, had set the record of 60 goals in a season.
‘I was walking through the corridors afterwards and saw Dixie coming out of the lift. He congratulated me then, as we parted, said: “Hey son, well done, remember though, you’re only half as good as me”.’
So what about the prize money, did it change him? Latchford rolls his eyes and lets out a groan. ‘I was sorry I ever won the money. Half went to the PFA pool and I split £4,000 among the staff. I kept £1,000. The taxman didn’t believe I’d given it away so chased me for it. I had to get accountants involved and they got the players to send letters to prove it. Even then the revenue came back and taxed me on the £1,000. It actually cost me more to resolve it. I wish I’d given it all to charity.’
It is 50 years since Latchford signed for Everton from Birmingham City in a deal that saw left back Archie Styles, plus a certain Howard Kendall, go in the opposite direction for a then record £350,000. He and Kendall nodded acknowledgement as they passed briefly in a hotel off the M6 near Stoke while their respective moves were being finalised. The two later became friends, even neighbours. When he returned as Everton manager, Kendall tried to re- sign Latchford from Swansea before recruiting Andy Gray.
There had been protests over Kendall’s sale to Birmingham but Latchford soon won over dissenters. It helped that he had also joined Everton ahead of Liverpool.
‘I’d been up to meet Everton when that night there was a knock on my door and it was Roger Hynd, the Birmingham centre half. He was Bill Shankly’s nephew and he was saying “Have you signed? Bill wants to know, he wants you”. I said it’s too late, it’s done. My brother Peter also had a phone call from Shankly but he didn’t believe it was him so he put the phone down.’
Aside from never scoring in a Merseyside derby, Latchford maintains he has no regrets. But when he joined Everton, manager Billy Bingham told him that they were signing Peter Shilton next. Stoke beat them to it.
‘If we had signed Shilts, we would have won something. In 1974-75 that Everton team drew 18 games and missed the title by three points. We were set up not to lose rather than attack. Shilts would have made the difference.’
Latchford also believes Liverpool had a psychological hold over Bingham. ‘In the build up to derby week, he’d run our nuts off. Shankly used to live on the back of our training ground Bellefield, he’d watch us then go back to Liverpool and say: “Don’t worry lads, they’re knackered!”’
Latchford would go on to be top scorer at Everton for six succesby
‘It never occurred to me to take penalties. I didn’t think I needed them. I must have been mad’
sive seasons. He honed his craft learning the hard way. ‘It was in defenders’ job descriptions that they had to be hard men. As a 16-year-old I bumped into George Curtis, the Coventry City man mountain. He stepped across me, I ran into his chest and bounced back on the floor. I learnt a valuable lesson that day to find another way round my opponent.’
Latchford was cheered by Everton’s latest escape act but clearly finds it frustrating to watch. ‘Sean Dyche has done really well to keep avoiding relegation but it is going to be tough until it changes from the top. I enjoyed the derby win but it’s small progress.’
With the European Championship on his doorstep this summer, Latchford will also be rooting for Harry Kane to continue making an impact in Germany.
‘They love Harry here. It’s just his luck that Leverkusen have been outstanding this year and Bayern have dropped off but his goal record is fantastic. I just hope that, unlike me, he wins something more than just top goalscorer.’