ON an emotional day at Goodison when Evertonians saluted the memory of Alan Ball, arguably the greatest player to wear the number eight jersey in the club’s illustrious history, it was a former favourite now wearing that same shirt for Manchester United who broke their hearts. As talents go, Wayne Rooney was perhaps the most blessed individual since World Cup-winner Ball to turn out for Everton and like the tenacious midfielder who inspired the club’s 1970 League Championship success, it is widely regarded that he departed Goodison Park far too soon. Again, like Ball, Rooney possesses a short fuse which comes from an insatiable will to win, fantastic footballing vision, turbo-charged engine and a demand for all his team-mates to strive for his own Everest peak standards. But while both men share many on-the-field similarities, Rooney, through the highly-controversial and evocative choices that he has made in his still fledgling career, has alienated himself from the vast majority of the community he has grown up with and the supporters who once worshipped him of whom he claims to be one of their own. It was at his spiritual home of Goodison Park where Ball enjoyed his greatest and most enjoyable years that his three children, son Jimmy and daughters Mandy and Keely chose to go to pay their respects to their late great father on this of all matchdays. Hand in hand, the heartbroken but proud and determined trio bravely strode out together across the Goodison pitch to rapturous applause from spectators of all hues before placing a simple floral bouquet tribute in the shape of a blue and white figure eight by the side of the goal at the Gwladys Street End. On returning to the centre circle, the siblings, who lost their mum Lesley – Ball’s childhood sweetheart – to ovarian cancer less than three years ago were joined by Manchester United legend Sir Bobby Charlton, who like fellow World Cup-winning England team-mate Ball, has been no stranger to tragedy in his life. As the clapping continued – we hadn’t yet begun the official period of applause to honour Ball’s memory – there were surely few dry eyes in the house as Ball’s former colleagues in Everton’s greatest midfield line-up, Howard Kendall and Colin Harvey took to the pitch carrying a case containing their pal’s trademark white boots as the ‘Holy Trinity’ were reunited for one last time. Ball was prematurely forced out of the club in December 1971, when Goodison manager Harry Catterick surely made one of his biggest errors of judgement by shipping out a player who was “losing his pace” but while the £220,000 fee was a record at the time, as had been the £110,000 Everton had paid to bring him in five years earlier, it was still a kick in the teeth to fans after Catterick had claimed his skipper was worth £1million just earlier that year. However, while obviously distraught with his former employer’s decision, Ball harboured no bitterness to club that had shown him so much affection and even though he died more than 35 years after ending his official association with Everton he went on record to say “Once Everton has touched you, nothing will be the same” and “I felt that although I left Everton, Everton never left me.” Hailing from Farnworth near Bolton, Alan Ball was not born an Evertonian but he undoubtedly lived most of his life as one and he certainly died one. Compare this to the sour relationship that now exists between the club’s supporters and former idol Wayne Rooney. Footballers will always move on, fans are not so stupid, but it is the way that Rooney has conducted himself since his transfer to Old Trafford that rankles so much with public that used to adore him. As much as Evertonians must hate seeing Rooney scoring against their side rather than for them, they probably accept that it’s his job now that he is employed by Manchester United – after all his well-taken strike at the weekend capped a mature and measured performance from him. All they ask from the man who felt that he had outgrown Everton by the tender age of 18 is that he carries out his subsequent career with dignity. On netting United’s third goal on Saturday, Rooney ran towards the travelling supporters many of whom had spent most of the afternoon venomously showering the people of his home city with insults that could have got them arrested if you substituted the word ‘Scouser’ for ‘black’ or ‘Jew’ and proudly kissed the United crest on his left breast as if he’d somehow been driven out of Merseyside. In the three years since his self-imposed exile from home, Rooney seems to have airbrushed his formative years at Everton out of history in a way that even Gary Lineker could not have imagined. After this latest win, he looks odds on to collect his first league title, which will no doubt help justify the move in his own head. But while Rooney might be able to kid himself, he’ll never kid the Goodison supporters. Sure, like Ball, he’s a great player but through his own actions, he’ll never be a great Evertonian. | 
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