Centre Back - The Shield Wall

 

Centre Back is a position close to the heart of most Everton fans. There have been some giants in that position at the base of the outfield formation over the years. Evertonians celebrate their Centre Backs almost as much as they do the Strikers; which, over the years may have something to do with the sheer number of club Captains that have played that position.

 

Here are my picks.

 

Number Three – Dave Watson

I will forever be grateful that I’m old enough to have seen him lift the FA Cup. “Waggy” was your typical, strong, no-frills Everton defender. If there was a loose ball anywhere near Everton’s goal, you could probably put bets on which seat in Row Z it was going to break in half because he wasn’t passing it, especially under pressure. I admired Watson’s no-nonsense approach; he was old school and a throwback to Everton’s glory years of winning titles.

 

To my young mind back then, we were safe with Waggy in defence, alongside any number of the ugly, lanky bruisers that Everton would pair him with. Richard Gough, Craig Short, Slavan Bilic, David Weir and a young Richard Dunne all held the line with Dave in the late nineties; in 1995 it was Gary Ablett and Matt Jackson.

 

There are plenty of modern era Centre Backs I could have gone with, the aforementioned David Weir, Phil Jagielka, Alan Stubbs, even Joleon Lescott, but Waggy led the way for all of them in the Premier League era, at least.

 

Number Two – Kevin Ratcliffe

Ah yes, Everton’s most successful Captain and at the time, our youngest; just 23 when he was first named. Kevin Ratcliffe led the Everton squad out onto the field during their most successful era in the 1980s and did so with some style. Known for his quickness for a Centre Back and his aggressive style of tackling, he was a fearsome opponent for most, partnered with the towering Derek Mountfield alongside him.

 

Obviously I’ve only ever seen videos of Rats playing back in the 80s but it’s not hard to see his quality. He was brilliant, even in derby matches against his Wales compatriot Ian Rush who was an elite goal scorer in Division One at this time. Kevin did pitch in with a couple of goals as well, including a thirty-something yard blast against Liverpool at Anfield.

 

He has to go down as one of the greats simply because of his medal haul and his important position within the teams that won those titles. His manager, none other than the great Howard Kendall, knew he could trust Kevin Ratfliffe to lead by example and show strength.

 

Number One – Brian Labone

You don’t get the name “The Last of the Corinthians” for nothing. Every Everton fan knows that name. Brian Labone is THE Everton Centre Back. He epitomised what it means to play for the club and how one should carry oneself on the field. Strong tackling and tough as a rhino’s arse, Brian was the perfect man to captain Everton in the 60s, although he joined the club three years before in 1957 when Everton were not really very exciting at all. By the time Labone mature into manhood, he was part of the title winning side of 1963 and Captain by the time they won the FA Cup in 1966 and winning the league again in 1970.

 

Brian Labone was also an England international between 1962 and 1970 and may have pulled out of the ’66 World Cup to get married; he would play a significant part in England’s tournament at the 1970 World Cup in Mexico.

 

As a player who most older Everton fans will see as the blue-print for an Everton player in general, not just a Centre Back or Captain, Brian Labone is surely the one that we’d all put as Captain in our Best Ever “Fantasy 11” Everton team; he is in mine at least.