Kevin Campbell arrived on loan at Everton from Trabzonspor in March 1999.
I absolutely love the story of him flying in from Turkey to sign and meeting a Blue on his flight but not letting on immediately. Really sums up his humour and the rapport he built with fans.
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Kevin Campbell: “My agent got on to me and said there’s five clubs interested. He mentioned Everton first and I said: ‘Stop right there. That’s where I’m going’. I know the club, big club.”
“I packed up in one afternoon, I just pack. I get to the airport (in Turkey) and get on a plane to come back. I land in London and then I’m getting a flight up to Manchester where they (Everton) picked me up from.”
“So I get on the flight in London and sit beside this lad. I said, ‘Hi mate, how are you?’"
Campbell realised the fella was a Scouser and saw an opportunity.
“I said, ‘Oh right, are you Red or Blue?!’
“He said, ‘I’m a Blue.’ So I asked ‘What’s going on with Everton now?’”
“The whole flight was about 50 minutes and he gave me the whole rundown about Everton, what the problems were at the club…”
The Evertonian then asked what Campbell was up to, oblivious to the fact he was chatting to the striker.
“I’m going to meet a Mr Smith in Liverpool,” Campbell hinted. “Apparently it’s near Goodison. Do you know him?”
The Blue shook his head, “No, I don’t know a Mr Smith.”
With his fellow passenger still not catching on, Campbell asked more questions.
“What is it with this number nine shirt?”
“Dixie Dean wore it,” the fan explained. “Bob Latchford, Graeme Sharp, Andy Gray… all the boys wore the shirt. It’s a big number for us Evertonians.”
Only a short flight, they started the descent to Manchester.
“As we’re going down, I said ‘Actually Mr Smith is supposed to be here meeting me.
“I don’t know what side of the thing he’s on (Red or Blue),” Campbell joked, “But he’s going to be meeting me here.”
“He (still) didn’t clock on to who I was but as we’re coming through customs, there’s Walter Smith.”
The Toffees manager shook Campbell’s hand and said ‘Alright Kev. It was only then that the Evertonian finally twigged.
“F***ing no way. You’re Kevin Campbell aren’t ya?!”
“Obviously he got autographs and we swapped numbers.”
Campbell promised to get him to a game at Goodison though the Blue was still in absolute disbelief.
“F***ing hell, you b*****d, you’ve done me a kipper there,” he laughed with Everton’s new signing.
Campbell continued to tease his new mate and turned to Smith.
“‘Gaffer, he’s been filling me in with everything - what’s going wrong, what you’re doing wrong.”
“Oh really, did he?” Smith laughed.
“Kev, I’m off, see ya later,” the fan joked before going their separate ways.
Kevin Campbell had made an instant Everton connection before he’d even reached Merseyside.
He had time for everyone and took a real interest in people. He scored goals too but that’s what made him a legend on and off the pitch.
Super Kev. Absolute hero.
This story was one of many Everton memories Campbell shared on the @UndrTheCosh podcast a few years back.
RIP Kevin Campbell
@UndrTheCosh “I invited the guy from the plane to the West Ham game. It was our penultimate match and we beat them to stay up. I scored a hat-trick.
“What a night… the lad who was on the plane was in tears, crying his eyes out. ‘Ahhh, Super Kev’.
@UndrTheCosh It would be great to find this Evertonian if anybody knows him.
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