Everton vs. Liverpool: A Merseyside Derby memorable for the wrong reasons

Just like this season, the first Derby of 1982 was played at Goodison Park and for every Everton fan in the world that game against Liverpool still sticks with us.

6 November 1982 was the date of the Derby and I was quietly optimistic. Liverpool were one of the better teams in Europe, but this was Howard Kendall’s first season as manager and he’d coaxed some decent results in the early going, including a 3-1 win against Spurs and a 5-0 thumping of Luton.

Everton entered the Derby in 11th place in the First Division and Liverpool were, well, first. (I really dislike writing those two words in a sentence.)

It remains one of the darkest days in Everton history. “They” won, but not only did they win; the Reds embarrassed us, 5-0. A score to make the Grand Old Lady weep. It was our worst home loss in a Merseyside Derby.

Neville Southall, who had been one of Kendall’s signings during the summer, was in goal for all five goals. He went on-loan to Port Vale afterwards and there would have been few Evertonians, who could have foreseen the kind of ‘keeper Southall would become.

There were other names in the side that still reverberate with Blues’ supporters: Andy King, John Bailey and three of the best from Kendall’s first shift as manager – Adrian Heath, Kevin Sheedy and Graeme Sharp.

As would befit the time of year, there was a little bit of something resembling treason as boyhood Evertonian Ian Rush opened the scoring in the 11th minute, a shock, but not an unrecoverable position.

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There is another name that has caught the brunt of the blame.

Glenn Keeley was sent off for tugging at Kenny Dalglish’s jersey, which seemed to billow to greater than normal size and somehow flew into Keeley’s hand. This was the first season of the sending-off for professional fouls and Keeley had to go.

He was sent off and it ended his Everton career at about 32 minutes. He never played for Everton again. Liverpool scored four more times in the second half as Rush ran wild, scoring four.

But viewed through the prism of something called maturity, I can grudgingly admit Keeley was a scapegoat and an easy one at that.

Keeley joined an injury-hit Everton on loan from Blackburn Rovers and had barely time to unpack his luggage before being plunged into a Merseyside Derby.

Keeley was short of match-fitness, but Kendall was hard to resist. He told the Liverpool Echo

"I signed on the Thursday, played in the reserves on the Saturday, and that was the first game I’d had in six months because I’d been in dispute with the club.Howard was desperate to change things and we had a practice game on the Monday. It went quite well and on the Tuesday he said, ‘I’m playing you Saturday against Liverpool’. And when he said that, I thought, ‘don’t be silly’.It was miles too soon because I wasn’t match fit. I needed more games under my belt. At the time I’d had a summer break, which was longer in those times, and then when I went back, Blackburn wouldn’t let me train, I was training on my own.But I knew with Howard he wasn’t the sort of man you’d say no to, but even my wife said, ‘you can’t play in that game, you need a few more games’."

Keeley’s loyalty cost him and turned him into a pariah among Blues.

Everton haven’t beaten Liverpool in 10 years, so it’s time. It’s also time to forgive and forget Glenn Keeley.