EVERTON’S NEW SEASON
Wednesday, July 15, 1959. The Liverpool Echo and Evening Express
By Leslie Edwards
Football is just around the corner again, and behind scenes all manner of things are going in preparation for the new season.  When I went to Goodison Park to see the man everyone expects him to make his mark on Everton this season.  Mr. John Carey, the ground looked a picture and Ted Storey’s careful tending of the newly seed pitch had already produced wonderful results.  But it is the success of the team which concerns Everton followers.  They know all about that magnificently equipped arena; they want an eleven to match.  Mr. Carey has not made nor will he, extravagant claims for this or any other season.  All he says (and how characteristic in that he hopes his team will make a better start and finish to their new campaign that his aim is to put Everton where they have so often failed to get in the past twenty years –in the first half of the table and preferably in a challenge position.  He will give Everton youth and first teamers every opportunity to develop their natural talent he will give them a training curriculum not based on their peak fitness for any series of matches but aimed, to allow them to be at their best over a nine months season in which most of them will play some fifty games.  Also, he says, we will make their training schedules as free from drudgery and boredom as possible helping them to do necessary chores by means of all sorts of ruses –competitive team games, and the like-to enable them not only to get the best from their week by week preparation, but to enjoy it.  Mr. Carey and his trainer, Gordon Watson will select the new training curriculum with an eye to sustained effort spread not over a series of matches but the whole 42.  Mr. Carey believes in letting the man in charge do the job without interference, he acts in supervisory role.  Players must look forward to coming to Goodison Park for their preparation I’m sure they will indeed our two Scottish stars, Bobby Collins, and Alex Parker already come to the ground occasionally to train and many others, including Hood, King, Blain, and Boner (prounced Bonner)  also turn up on Tuesdays and Thursday’s to keep in trim.  I’m please to say,” added Mr. Carey that Eddie O’Hara whose long standing ankle injury was operated on towards the close of last season is now fully recovered and will be in training again soon.  Mr. Carey appreciates that in football you have to have luck and ability to hit the high spots also appreciates that you cannot make players better than their potentials allows.  He believes that young men should be given every chance to develop themselves, their inherent ability and he has one classic example to guide him of a young Everton player whose performance improved remarkably once Mr. Carey had impressed on him the need to hold the ball and do things rather than take the advice of too many touchline on both sides mentors and try to follow out everyone’s instructions.  Mr. Carey doesn’t mind if a younger makes a mistake or two in the process.  He doesn’t suggest, of course, that every boy can play to suit himself but so long as any individuality is within the pattern set down for the team that is all right by Mr. Manager.  The first class Manager must be a man and a half and something of a psychologist I believe Everton have in John Carey as good a manager as here is in the game.  He knows know and more important when to praise and how (and even more important when) to mention the sage advice armed at putting right what some off-form player is doing wrong.  The luck in football was never better exampled than by the case of Brian Douglas, of Blackburn, whom Mr. Carey discovered as an outside right merely by chance.  Because Blackburn wanted to help Rhyl (from whom they had signed Royston Vernon) a friendly match was arranged at Rhyl.  The local boy everyone had come to watch Vernon, who as playing on the right wing was hardly getting sight of the ball much less a kick at it and thus Mr. Carey switched the very ordinary third-teamer Douglas (who could always beat a man) to the right wing.  There he played so impressively he was tried again in another friendly at Dundalk, Douglas could have had no inkling of his forthcoming fame in his new role, but when Mr. Carey put him against Bury and he literally walked the ball in to the net for a wonderful goal and “made” some of the others he had established himself and it wasn’t long before England saw eye to eye with Blackburn and chose him legitimate successor to the incomparable Stanley Matthews. 

KEELEY GOES TO ACCRINGTON
July 17, 1959. The Liverpool Echo and Evening Express
By Jack Rowe
Jackie Keeley, the Everton inside forward has been transferred to Accrington Stanley the Third Division club.  The deal was completed today after negotiations which began last week and Accrington are paying, Everton a fee.  Keeley made his debut for Everton at Bolton on Boxing Day 1957 and scored in the first few minutes.  Later that season he scored twice in a Cup replay against Sunderland but then sustained an injury which left him unfit for some time. 

EVERTON SIGN BOY STAR
July 17, 1959. The Liverpool Echo and Evening Express
By Michael Charters
The boy they’re calling another Duncan Edwards has signed for Everton as an amateur.  He is George Sharples, 15-years-old Ellesmere Port and Wirrall Grammer School lad, who play for England Boys in all their internationals last season.  Sharples is normally a left half but switched to centre forward in the England team in an attempt to put more punch into the attack.  But it was at half-back that he attracted scouts from many First Division Clubs, including Manchester United and Wolves.  He is exceptionally well built for his age and even at this early stage possesses all the attributes of a class player.  I saw him several times last winter when he captained Wirral Boys.  He stood out head and shoulders, physically and in ability, over his colleagues and he has a calm sensible approach to the game which should enable him to climb to the top.  Although a pupil at a Rugby playing school, soccer has always been his first love.  His father, a newsagent in Ellesmere Port has always been partial to his boy joining Everton and it is probably this which has resulted in him signing for the club.  In addition to his father the boy’s mentor has been George Roberts the Ellesmere Port schoolteacher who is also the English Boys team manager.  It was from Mr. Roberts that I first heard about Sharples promise.  Many other first class judges of schoolboy talent have given rare notices about Sharples.  He may well prove yet another great Ellesmere Port product to follow in the footsteps of Stan Cullis, Joe Mercer, Dave Hickson, and others.  It is satisfying to see that our two clubs have signed the two outstandings players in last season’s England Boys side.  Chris Lawler the Liverpool and now Sharples has centre half has joined Liverpool and now Shaples has come to Goodison. 

DEATH OF ALBERT VIRR
July 22, 1959. The Liverpool Echo and Evening Express
By Leslie Edwards
The death has occurred, suddenly in hospital, of Mr. Albert Virr, Everton wing half-back in the Dixie Dean era, headmaster at Dingle Vale School and a man acknowledged in professional football and in school mastering as a sterling character.  He survived a lung operation five years ago and died in Sefton Hospital the day after he had gardened at his home in Aigburth Hall Road.  The trouble which killed him was an aneurism a relic of his days as a player.  Six feet tall, long-legged Albert Virr was the local boy who made good twice.  He first gave up his position as an average adjusted to take up football professionally with Everton and graduated to the first team through the “A” and Reserves sides in 1929 when he was at his best, he suffered the cartilage injury which virtually ended his career.  At that time he was under the notice of the Football League and F.A, selectors.  He was a scrumptiously fair player, though there was no sterner half back n tackle or tussle.  He played his last game for Everton against Sheffield Wednesday on Christmas Day 1929.  When his career ended Virr a married man with a family set to work to prepare for the future.  Part of his convalescence in hospital after his cartilage operation he spent studying for his matriculation. 

LAVERICK HAS RUSH OPERATION
July 25, 1959. The Liverpool Echo and Evening Express
By Michael Charters
Bobby Laverick, the young Everton outside left, had an emergency appendix operation at Lourdes Hospital Liverpool last night.  His condition today was satisfactory and hospital officials said he had a good night.  Laverick was training with the rest of the players yesterday morning and did not complain of pain until the afternoon.  He was seen by a specialist at 5-30 p.m. and the operation followed immediately.  It is expected that he will be out of hospital very soon but convalescence is a more lengthy business and he may not be able to play again for some seven weeks. 

EVERTON PITCH IMPROVES
July 25, 1959. The Liverpool Echo and Evening Express
By Leslie Edwards
The chairman of the Everton Ground Committee, Mr. John Sharp is well pleased with the state of the playing pitch which gave so much concern during the wetter months of last season.  The new drainage system stood up well to the effect of heavy rain during the summer and the re-seeding has been so successful it is proposed; within the next week or two to fertilize the ground.  A minor alteration carried out in connection with the general refurbishing of the pitch concerns the areas near the corner-flags where a season ago, there was a sharp shelving down to the running track.  Some leveling out has been carried out and any winger now essaying the in swung corner-kick will find his approach to the ball a little less steep.  Mr. Sharp and his committee feel that the whole problem of pitch drainage has been overcome and that there will be no danger next season of the pitch becoming a quagmire.  Given reasonable weather and not the deluges which caused serious flooding last season it seems likely that Everton will have no trouble from their playing surface this time. Not everyone would be prepared to climb Everton’s immense flood-lighting pylons to make personal examination of the state of the lights or the metal carrying them, but the club chairman, Mr., Fred Micklesfield, does so fairly often and enjoys it!  Manager John Carey was telling me of what had happened at Blackburn soon after lights had been installed there.  The team had joined their coach for an away fixture when it was noticed that goalkeeper Harry Leyland was missing.  “Where’s Harry?”  asked Mr. Carey.   “He’s up there, said one of the team, pointing to the top of one of the lightning pylons.  And sure enough there was Harry right at the top and apparently enjoying himself immensely.  He’d gone up to win a 6d bet that he wouldn’t dare climb to the top.  “I wouldn’t have minded” said Mr. Carey but he was the only goalkeeper we’d got at that time.” 

SHANNON CONSIDERS EVERTON POST
July 30, 1959. The Liverpool Echo and Evening Express
By Leslie Edwards
John Carey, the Everton manager, has offered the job of coach at Goodison Park to 33-years-old Liverpool born Leslie Shannon, the famous Burnley half-back.  Burnley who have had splendid service from the player since he joined them in November 1949, are quite prepare to let Shannon go; indeed Manager Harry Potts himself a former Everton player has told the player that he is being offered a wonderful opportunity with a grand club.  The position now is that Shannon is considering the offer which would probably involve him in a slight loss financially for the time being Everton have had no coach since Mr. Ian Buchan (now learning the business of multiple store management) and Mr. Harry Wright ceased to be associated with the club.  Leslie Shannon born within half a mile of the Anfield ground joined Liverpool as an amateur in 1944 when he was working on the docks and made many appearances in the first team.  In 1948 after he had become a professional, Shannon made ten first-team appearances at inside forward.  He asked for a transfer in 1949 because he felt he had little chance of a regular first-team place.  Burnley play him at inside forward for some seasons and then discovered that he could play equally effectively at wing half-back.  His return to Liverpool would be popular with the fans.  For Mr. Carey it would be great satisfaction, too, since Shannon is the man he set his sights on at the outset when deciding that a coaching replacement was necessary.