Everton: Don Revie and the contract he never signed – found in a bungalow 50 years later
Leeds’ trip to the Hill Dickinson Stadium for the first time on Monday gives reason to ponder the numerous changes to how things could look if Revie signs for the Toffees.
It’s possible Leeds could head to Everton’s ground, where there is a statue or even a stand commemorating their most famous manager.
Had Revie moved to Goodison Park, perhaps his unfortunate appointment as England manager a year later would not have happened; Meanwhile, he might have fulfilled his intention to bring England internationals Norman Hunter and Trevor Cherry to Merseyside from Elland Road.
Would there be Brian Clough and the Damned United’s famous 44 days? Or if the board had turned to the then Derby boss after Leeds finished runners-up in the FA Cup and Cup Winners’ Cup in 1973, would he have been given time to make the team his own?
Would Everton have won the title under Revie rather than having it slip away in 1975? Would it be more than competing in the other two title races?
Revie was a revolutionary figure in his analysis of the opposition and his attention to detail, and it is no exaggeration to say that this would be a huge coup.
So how close did Leeds come to losing the man who led them to a second league title in 1973-74, after starting the season on a 29-game unbeaten run?
Many Leeds players in Greece thought it was a done deal. The Golden Merc looked ready for Merseyside again.
“Don was gone,” says Richard Sutcliffe, author of ‘Revie Revered and Reviled’, which he researched with the help of Revie’s son Duncan and defender Cherry.
“Trevor also said that when they flew to Thessaloniki everyone knew about it and everyone thought it was a deal.
“He said there was a very depressive atmosphere in the airport as they were walking out because they thought, ‘this is it.’ They were losing their father.”
Presumably Revie felt underappreciated by the current board under chairman Manny Cussins, and perhaps joining Everton meant securing his own future while also avoiding leaving the side he took over as Leeds boss in 1961.
But he stayed.
“I never thought he would leave,” says Leeds legendary midfielder Eddie Gray.
“Don was very shrewd as a manager and in financial matters. He had grown up in a family whose wife played football (his uncle Johnny Duncan managed Revie at Leicester) and he knew a lot about football.
“Between them, they knew the ins and outs of how to deal with directors and presidents. If you put some threat in there, you get some lift. I don’t think Don really had any intention of leaving, just to put pressure on the board.”
Revie was in fine form in this regard before turning down offers from Sunderland, Birmingham City and Torino rivals Juventus and Torino.
