1 hour 45 minutes | Thursday, 25 June 2020
On this episode of Across The Park Extra, Judgy & Millsy are honoured to be joined, via zoom, by Everton’s most successful captain, Mr Kevin Ratcliffe in an Everton FC special. We discuss the 80’s as Kevin tells us of his initial struggles to break into what we would become arguably Everton’s best ever side, with the club at one point making him available for transfer. We talk about the turning point, and what Kevin thinks it was in that 1983-94 season that seen the club go from playing in front of low crowds and struggling to going toe to toe with Liverpool in the Milk cup final to eventually lifting the FA Cup in 1984. Kevin explains how things were behind the scenes, both on and off the pitch as he expresses the unique bond that existed between the players of that team and just how good Everton actually were in 1985, overcoming Bayern Munich and Rapid Vienna to capture Everton’s first ever European trophy and of course, clinching the 1985 league title. We get Kevin’s honest opinion on Andy Gray making way for Gary Lineker, the break up of the squad including Howard Kendall leaving for Spain and his honest assessment of why some of the replacements were never going to replicate the success of their predecessors. This is a magical trip down memory lane which is started and finished by speaking to Kevin Ratcliffe "the fan" - as Kevin reveals first experiences of going the game as well as his hopes for the current Everton side under the stewardship of Carlo Ancelotti.