Martin Keown isn’t known for his time at Everton, and it appears as if there are some memories he’d rather forget.
Martin Keown has taken to punditry after retiring from a successful footballing career.
He’s known for his time at Arsenal where he won 10 trophies, which included three Premier League titles, as well as playing a key part in the Invincibles season.
However, he did spend a chunk of his career at Everton. The Englishman appeared 108 times across four years after originally joining from Aston Villa.
Everton finished fifth in fifth, ninth, 12th and 13th during his time at the club, and things went downhill after he left with a 17th and 15th placed finish in the following two seasons.
However, his time at Goodison Park wasn’t the most enjoyable, as he recently spoke about how a now club legend never welcomed him when he joined and even threatened him.
Martin Keown says Kevin Ratcliffe never welcomed him to Everton
Kevin Ratcliffe is deservedly an Everton legend, joining as an apprentice in June 1977 after playing at Under-15 and Under-18 levels, then later signing professionally.
At 23 he was made captain, and with Ratcliffe as captain, Everton won the 1984 FA Cup Final, the Football League Championship in both 1984–85 and 1986–87 and the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup 1984–85. The Toffees also won the FA Charity Shield in 1985 and 1989 during his 448 appearances.
Martin Keown came towards the end of that period in 1989, and wasn’t greeted with the best of welcomes from Kevin Ratcliffe and co.
Speaking on the Peter Crouch podcast, Keown said that Ratcliffe never even welcomed him to the club and threatened he would hang up his boots if he ever got ahead of him.
“Kevin Ratcliffe didn’t welcome me to the club, said he would hang his boots up if ever I got in front of him, and that is exactly what I was making him do.
“I’d come there to make sure he hung up his boots, but he was only 28 years of age, so he had every right to hang on to that place, and who was I to take that away from him.
“He christened me Bob, Brain of Britain, in a disparaging way and I’m not frightened to say that I didn’t believe that was the case, but he did everything he could to undermine me.
Everton could do with a Martin Keown figure right now
Everton’s centre-back situation has been a talking point this season.
Sean Dyche was slammed by Michael Ball for his Jarrad Branthwaite decision against Southampton, which ended up being a focus point for fans after the game too.
His issue has been consistency with his centre-back partnership, as Michael Keane and James Tarkowski have predominantly been used, but it hasn’t always gone to plan, especially at the start of the season.
One of the most frustrating things, certainly when Everton were in a rough patch, was the decision to turn his back on Jake O’Brien, who still only has 26 minutes to his name this season.
Tarkowski has led the side well at times, but his consistency has dropped recently.
