Born Not Manufactured

There is a classic saying that declares ‘Evertonians are born, not manufactured.’ It’s a maxim that captures the heart and soul of one of English football’s most famous clubs.

Author Ken Rogers has written many Everton history titles, but this book is like no other – a humorous, fascinating and sometimes unexpected journey behind the scenes at Goodison Park. It gives fans a unique personal insight into many untold stories about the stars he worked with in a career reaching back to the late 1960s.

As a journalist at the heart of Merseyside football, Ken observed a seismic revolution across the decades during which he covered Everton’s most successful era – Howard Kendall’s glorious 1980s – as well as some turbulent campaigns. He was trusted by players and managers who went on to become legends in the days before training grounds became no-go areas for reporters.

There are tales aplenty. The day he interviewed a Blues goalscorer on a 75 bus. How he got to know Dixie Dean as the Goodison immortal, his career long over, worked anonymously in a city centre garage. The night he watched in Kendall’s hotel bedroom as a transfer swoop for a British midfield star took place. The unexpected run-in with Bill Shankly and the more predictable falling out with the Peter Johnson regime. The special friendships with Dave Hickson, Colin Harvey and Brian Labone. He even quizzed golf icon Seve Ballesteros about Everton.

Ken also reveals the secrets behind some of the biggest news stories at Goodison in the last 50 years including the ‘Howard Quits’ exclusive in 1987 and the dramatic ‘Everton for Sale’ headline in 1993.

If Everton Football Club has been in your heart from day one, you’ll love the hidden gems in Born, Not Manufactured.