 Welcome to Toffy TV. I am joined by Rob Sloan and Graham Shaw and Andy Gray. Over the last few years, or over the last period of 10, 15 years, there's been a lot of football films out there, if you're thinking of Nottingham Forest one, I believe in miracles. I've watched all sorts of Netflix documentaries, I've got loads of football DVDs, but there's never been one about, for me, the greatest club in the world, and that is about to change. Rob, why is it going to change? One of the things that's always troubled me. If a conversation comes up about the greatest English teams of all time, and football did exist before 1992, but if a conversation comes up about those great English sides, Everton 84-5, it's never part of the conversation. It's not even, somebody goes, oh and you, that team was pretty decent. It's never part of the conversation, and for so long I've wanted to do something about that, and we're now in a position where we can, and we're going to make a film, it's going to be called Howard's Way, and with a little bit of luck it will be out towards the end of this year. And we'll try and give that team a bit of credit, and all the guys are on board, Andy's been fantastic, I knew Andy from way back working together, and Andy's helped me one by one, we got hold of the team, and it's snowballed from there. Everybody's on board, I think everybody feels that that team didn't get enough credit, and it's time to do something about it. Talking to people who were here who had witnessed big games in Europe before, not necessarily Everton, they thought that night of goodness was the best atmosphere, and I'm talking about Ladsford following up with Scotland, Ranges and Celtic, and they said that night here was the best they've ever experienced, and I just thought as a team we grew into it, and we got stronger as the game went on. So the best to have experience I've played in... For me, as an Evertonian, it feels as though that team's almost slipped through the cracks when it should never have slipped behind. This is a team that, you know, won the league twice in three years in Europe, and so we won FB cups. Andy, how important is it to be involved in something like this? Well, when Rob called me, as he says, we've known each other for some years now, and he called me and said, I've got an idea, and I want to put this together, because his love of Everton as well said, I want to try to put this together, and I thought, I thought he was joking at first of the world. It's just a supporter, loving his stuff. I said that to myself. It's a supporter loving his club, and I thought, yeah, I'm more than happy to help out, because I don't know why. I mean, I think in... I don't know why that Everton team, or that cycle of three years, whenever and I think we're not the best team in England, they were the best team in Europe, but didn't get a chance to show that they were the best team in Europe. Maybe that's part of the reason that it slipped through the net, what was going on then, the troubles with Europe, the ban, everything that went around that. It might have played a part in this seventh side, not getting the recognition it deserved, but listen, we get together often. I really think if Rob pulls this off, and I hope he does, I really hope you do, it would be a fitting tribute, not to us as footballers, but to the man who's not here. That's Howard himself, because without a doubt, whether it was luck, judgement, combination of everything, I think he would probably, if he was sitting here now, say, I think it was a combination of, I was lucky, but I had talent as well, because you needed talent to be able to do what he did. But it would be a fitting testimony for Rob to pull this together, and we could all say it was Howard's way. Graham, I mean, obviously, you know, played and now you work at the club as well, and you've seen the way everything are. I mean, I'm probably going to say I'm biased, but we'll look that in the media. Sound it, sound it. We'll look that, we'll look that, we're ignored in the media, I feel. I mean, you as a player and then saying the way the teams fell away, or the reputation of the clubs fell away, how important is it just to remind everyone that, you know what we were, that you are a standard to me, we're good. I think it's massive, not just for ever fans or younger ever fans, but football, football public in general. I think, you know, you can easily be forgotten about, but I think that team deserved a lot more recognition than what it actually got. You know, Andy quite rightly said about the European ban and the team splits up. I don't think people realise what a fantastic team it was, you know, in difficult times in football. But to get the players on board and also to get, you know, have a candle and tell people the story of, you know, how that team evolved and the players come in, I think it'll be fantastic to let people know, because you go to the Everton games now and there's a lot of young fans, there's a whole bit of young fans in the future and everything else, but I just think now you've just got to look and remind them, you know, where we were, what we were all about, what they have to try and emulate nowadays, even for present day players. You know, who come over and probably don't know an awful lot about the history of the football club and what it means and what it means to the Evertonians, you know, so I think it will be fantastic and it's something we're really looking forward to. We've got Colin Harvey, he's going to come on board, he's going to do something for us as well. Colin was sort of historically important because of the Everton's history and the Holy Trinity, et cetera, which will be part of the film, but also he was a big part in a lot of the players' careers back then, wasn't he? Yeah he was, he was, when I came down he was a reserve team coach, so all the younger players on the team went through the reserve and went through Colin, everybody knew what a hard task master he was and he had that instant respect from the players, so these are stories that people probably don't know, you know, and I think it will be a great insight into what was a fantastic team and a fantastic group of people. When I was growing up I wanted to be a footballer and then wanted to play for Everton and what you end up doing, which is, it's, you dream come true and it's something you've always wanted and all of a sudden there you are on the pitch there in front of 60,000 playing football most of all your dad and your granddad. I really wanted it to be authentic to the time and what was going on, not just about the football club but the city, the politics, the music, the culture, it was a big time. People, the kids were coming out of school and they were saying it was pretty grim, it was difficult and obviously Liverpool were winning the league and the European Cup in the same season and so at least their fans had something every Saturday, Wednesday to look forward to et cetera and Everton. They didn't have that, it was a really difficult time to be an Everton fan, you know, just prior to when Howard came in the 70s because 60s were not bad, there wasn't a particularly dominant team in the 60s but Everton were up there and then the 70s were pretty unkind, we were unlucky a couple of times, very unlucky and then Howard built something from a fairly difficult starting position and I think it's a great story and we'll try to tell it properly and the music will be a big part of it. We've got Keith Mullin from the farm, he's looking after the school, I believe so. We've got Dave Feely who you know well on this show, he's involved so we're going to try and do it right and everybody from the squad's involved and I'm so excited about what we could do. I mean for me it's a massively important story because people, it wasn't just about winning the league, the team we had to overcome in this city were the best team in Europe and not only did we overcome them in this city, we went on and conquered. You were better than them? We were better. When you look back at this, if you think back to October, November 1983, Everton were probably 5th from Bop, 6th from Bop, really bad, really bad. This is a story that's from around October, November 1983. Wasn't that when you got on the team? Yeah. They're just console me. No. No. No. But what I'm trying to say is when the film and if the working title becomes the title, Howard's Way, it will absolutely sum up what those years were all about. It was Howard's Way. He turned something that was broken and not working. Almost overnight, as I've said, with the great judgement, with some good fortune, I'm sure, into something that, if you were to tell an Evertonian tomorrow, do you know next season? Cos it would be like, where are we sitting at? We're in March. We're in March. If you were to say, you know, in nine months' time, we're going to be top of the league in the final of the FA Cup, and we're going to win a European trophy. Would you take that? You'd have no answer. You'd literally have one of them, aren't you? Well, there lies the magnitude of what Howard did, and I could not be more pleased that Robb's decided to do this and put it together. I can't wait for the finished article. I really can't, because I think there will be, like Robb said, like many people have said, there are a lot of people around the country, younger ones, who Everton's mentioned in passing. By the way, that team in the mid-80s, they were good. No, they weren't good. They were very good. In fact, they were better than very good. And we also should think of Live Aid. We're going to compete with Live Aid stuff again. We're going to compete with Live Bloody Aid as well, good on, when we were winning Everton. You know, we're competing against all that sort of thing as well, but I just think it's an amazing story, and I think it's one that should be told, and I think it's one that will be told. And I do think that, you know, not like the Damn United that I watched and the one you mentioned, I believe in miracles, that was a fantastic one. I think this one will be received in that same vein. I think Howard deserves it, and with Colin and Mick Heaton, who put such a lot into it as well. You can't compare Eris particularly, but you couldn't do, there will be a lot of storytellers in this film telling a lot of great stories. And you know, if you have seen I Believe in Miracles, the players' stories are the key to it. They're funny, they're silly. You can't believe some of the stuff that basically, it's not that long ago, but you know, they didn't have enough large pairs of shorts for the big back sides that they were in. So, you know, big tush. So, it's incredible. You know, the modern day football fan won't believe, as Rob's quite said, how it went and how close we were as a team and how close we were and we bonded together. And Howard was instrumental in that, and his style of managing, would it happen nowadays? I don't think so. I think people will be surprised, especially looking at the way Liverpool was in those times, their unemployment. So, excuse me, a bit of an absolute fantastic insight into the makers of what was a great team and also a great city. Alcohol played a part, didn't it, Graham? No, Howard didn't touch a drop there. It's only when we finished. No, it would never be a part of my game. Rob, just to cap it often. What are we hoping to get out of there? I mean, if the players will see, I know these two others, have everybody been quite convinced of the idea? Yeah, we've got in touch with everybody, so one or two are slightly more difficult to get hold of than others, but some of them... You've got some on the other side of it. Yeah, so we've got a couple, but they're on board as well, so we'll get out there, we'll do that. Adrian's obviously in Minnesota, so we'll get Adrian as well. And Mike Lyons who can talk about the 70s as well. So, yeah, we're going to get to everybody, hopefully. And I would like to think that come October, November that we've told the story pretty well. And how is it? I mean, what's the plan availability and stuff where will we be able to get it? Or is that still possible? Okay, a little bit TBC. Oh, well, that's fine. That's fine. If you want to leave it at that, that's fine. But we would like to think. So when Forrest did Miracles or when Johnny Owen made that film, the premiere was at the city ground. I think they got 3,000 or 4,000 into the city ground to watch it. And I'd love to do something like that at Goodison. 3,000 or 4,000, come on. 3,000 or 4,000 at Goodison to watch it, surely? Well, it's a jumbotron, Andy. You can only see one. Don't care, still feel it. I'll let them see what you don't feel about it. The Evertonians will come there and just to hear it. And to hear how it is. So that's what we'd hope for. We hope we could do something at Goodison and it would be fairly spectacular for Goodison. I mean, to me, I can't wait because you can't help, especially with what's going on now, you can't help but look back at those days and just it takes you back. You know, I've been at a school kid going in and getting all kinds of stick because the other side were winning things and then all of a sudden turned and I was bouncing it on a Monday with a big smile. It takes you back and I think it'll be fantastic and I can't wait. So we'll be monitoring this progress as we move along. But there you go. Absolutely fantastic. Thank you, sir. Good luck. Listen, look out for it how it's going to be called. I'm quite sure it's going to be on social media and we'll certainly be pushing it all the way up until the launch. Make sure you get behind it. This is what our club stands for. None of this is trying to stay up. None of this getting 40 points. It's about winning stuff. Rob's going to make it real. Get behind it. Thanks very much for watching. See you later.