Everton fans and ex-players show respect for Walter.

Lovely words from Bill Kenwright

“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."
 
Nice words from a Bill Kenwright.

Walter's time at Everton may not have yielded trophies but it was a success in that he held them together during a period of massive upheaval and blood letting that could well have seen them relegated under a lesser Manager then onto who knows where.

His strong leadership and groundwork paved the way for David Moyes and a very successful era.
 
He recommended Moyes, when Everton had initially had their eye on someone else.
 
Nice words from a Bill Kenwright.

Walter's time at Everton may not have yielded trophies but it was a success in that he held them together during a period of massive upheaval and blood letting that could well have seen them relegated under a lesser Manager then onto who knows where.

His strong leadership and groundwork paved the way for David Moyes and a very successful era.

Walter nearly went to Sheffield Wednesday, who were so confident in the deal there was a press conference lined up to announce him, but he chose Everton instead.

It was a period of "forks in the road" for Wednesday and this might be the biggest one. Wednesday's alternative was Danny Wilson, failing to control the Di Canio situation and relegation in 2000, from which they've never recovered. Everton, as you say, were guided through a similar period by Walter and ultimately his work paved the way for better things while avoiding Wednesday's fate.

It's a testament to the man that nobody has a bad word about him or that time despite it looking like the least successful period of his career on paper.
 
Back
Top