Super Eagles assistant coach and former Everton forward, Daniel Amokachi, tells media podcast that he joined the Toffees because of their famed rivalry with Liverpool ashiwaju.org. monitored the interview
You signed for Everton in 1994 after a fantastic effort at the 1994 World Cup in the USA . How long did it take Everton to make contact after the World Cup? Or was there interest before the World Cup?
My first option was Juventus, but when it came to money, my club then, FC Bruges, was asking for a bit more. Juventus pulled back and a few hours later, my manager called me and mentioned Everton. So I thought, if a Premiership club comes before Juventus, that would be my first choice. After growing up in Nigeria, and following the FA Cup, seeing what Liverpool had done in world football, I thought it would be nice to play for a rival team to Liverpool.
You followed English football as a child. How much did you know about Everton football before signing?
I didn’t know much about Everton, I knew more about Liverpool, Spurs, United, Norwich and Nottingham Forest were on fire back then. But generations of Liverpool players back then you cannot ignore if you know football because they were shooting on top of the world when it came to football. The kind of football and the players they had meant a lot; that was what led me to play for a rival team and I never regretted it; I had fun every second of it.
You were one of the first Africans to play for Everton. Was there a big adjustment you had to make moving to England ?
I left my home and my parents when I was 15 and had to live with foster parents in Belgium. That propelled me towards choosing Everton. When I was at Everton, I already had four good years of experience of how to be alone, away from the family in Africa. When you come to a club and the manager, the players and fans all embrace you; it makes life easy for you. That was what kept me going; I never felt like an outcast when I was at Everton. There was a lot of love surrounding me.
Before you signed for Everton, there was a lot of talk of racism in English football. Did you ever experience any of that?
Yeah. Today, we’re in the 21st century, heading to the 22nd but it’s sad that racism is still out there. I read history about Liverpool city, not the team, being a port for slavery, but all that cannot stop you from striving to achieve what you want in the world. I’m a football player and I’ve said that football is a tool that makes the difference; it can stop wars and bring nations together. It (racism) shows. But when you do your business on the field, it outshines those that are looking at you negatively and they would have no choice but to show you love. You would see it (racism) in one or two incidences but you just ignore and don’t take it seriously and go about your business. That helped me a lot.
Mike Walker signed you at Everton but his time wasn’t the longest at the club. What is your thought on Joe Royle when he came to the club?
It was unfortunate for Walker because he was in a tight situation at Everton with the results not coming in. With the kind of money involved in football, so much was expected (from the team). Administrators need result; without it, you’ll get booted out. Joe Royle had a different concept of it. He made it clear when he walked onto the training ground the first time after calling all the players for a meeting. He said, ‘Guys, we are in a tight situation, we don’t need to go fanciful football. We just have to go old school way and get results.’ Of course, hard work was part of it. With Joe Royle, if you don’t give 120 per cent, you cannot be in his team; that was his mentality. He knew how to push everyone forward to give their best. When he came, we started picking up point and, to everyone’s surprise, went ahead to win the FA Cup.
Who were your big fans when you were at Everton?
I’m a lovable kind of person. I tried to do my things with everybody. The good thing about the 1994-1995/1996 seasons was the love that was around the team. There was a lot of love. We used to hang out a lot. After training, we had showers and just sat back there and had good laughs or we went out to hang out at the pubs. I got on with everybody. I’m not an outgoing kind of person so any time I had, I wanted to whoever was in the mood.
You’re probably more famous with Evertonians for your appearance in the FA Cup semi-final against Spurs. What exactly happened that got you on the pitch because it wasn’t as straight forward as it looked?
Paul Ryder was down and the doctor went to him and gave the signal that substitution should go on. I just jumped up and started warming up. And then Joe Royle was telling the doctor to hold on for five more minutes if Paul could handle it. But Paul couldn’t hold on. So I took the slip to the fourth assistant for substitution but Joe Royle didn’t know about this. I jumped onto the pitch and Joe Royle jumped off his seat. He didn’t make the substitution but I was playing and he couldn’t do nothing about it. It was a good thing because I ended up scoring two goals within 10 minutes I got on the pitch. If it had not ended that way, perhaps he would have been fired the next day. That was one of my breakthroughs at Everton because in the following game against Newcastle at Goodison Park , I ended up scoring two goals. The following game was against Sheffield and I scored another goal. If that (substitution) hadn’t happened I wouldn’t have that chance to start doing what I was paid for.
Joe Royle said it was the best substitution he never made…
The good thing about it is that Joe Royle accepted that it was a substitution I made myself. We talked about it, we laughed about it but it’s not something encouraging that anyone should do.
What was the atmosphere like in the changing room after booking the ticket to the final in Wembley?
It wasn’t just the changing room; it was crazy. Every Evertonian ran to the pitch and we took that spirit into the locker room. Going back home was incredible knowing that we were struggling for life at the bottom of the table and suddenly we realised we were in the FA Cup final. That showed hard work paid off. The good memory was after the game, I was in the locker room when Jurgen Klinsmann came looking for me. He gave me his jersey and I just said thanks. That (relationship) was quality stuff.
You got your FA Cup winner’s medal and a year later, you got an Olympic gold medal. Which one is more important to you?
Being an Olympian is something extra-special when you know what it is. Growing up watching teams battle to be at Wembley on TV, and as a child you never knew you would one day be one of the players people would watch in the FA Cup and walking away with the medal. That’s definitely an incredible story and it makes it more special than any trophy you win anywhere in the world. We soccer players (believed) the best moment was when you got the chance to play at Wembley; and to do that, you had to be in the FA Cup final. That is a beautiful thing, but it’s not like now that you can play at Wembley when you get to the semi-final. Back then, some legends said among their regrets was not playing at Wembley. So for us to play at Wembley at a time we were struggling in the Premiership meant a lot. What could be better than that?
Have you kept in touch with your teammates?
Yes, I am in touch with big Duncan Ferguson. My twin sons are in school at Liverpool but I kept everything quiet. They are training at Everton. I want them to get their education first before soccer, even though they play better than me. The Big Dunc is one of their coaches.
As an assistant coach in Nigeria, do you think there are players Everton should be looking at (in the Super Eagles)?
In football now, it is about what areas the managers want. David Moyes has laid the platform for any manager at Everton to enjoy and have a good run. No matter what is happening to Moyes at Manchester United, he is one of the best coaches around. With what he did at Everton, getting them in top 10 every season with low budget meant a lot; it can’t get better than that. What Roberto Martinez is doing is bringing in the flair.
Goodluck to Nigeria at the World Cup.
Thanks. We’ve had an experience at the Confederations Cup last year so we know what to expect. We’ll go there to enjoy ourselves as much as we can.
