Kevin Ratcliffe joined Everton as an apprentice in 1977 and made his debut on 12 March 1980 at Old Trafford, Manchester after replacing John Gidman through injury, but was not a first team regular until 1982.
19 Facts About Kevin Ratcliffe
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Kevin Ratcliffe was initially used as a left back with mixed results, but his form improved dramatically when moved to centre back.
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Around this time Ipswich Town manager Bobby Robson was interested in Kevin Ratcliffe, as were Blackburn Rovers and Stoke City In 1983 at the age of 23 he was made captain, just as the club began a highly successful spell.
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Kevin Ratcliffe made 461 appearances for Everton and scored two goals in that time.
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Kevin Ratcliffe was renowned for his robust approach to the game and for being a tough tackler.
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Kevin Ratcliffe was sent off early in his career for a head butt in 1981 on Tommy Hutchison against Manchester City.
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Kevin Ratcliffe was involved in an infamous incident with Vinnie Jones in 1989 against Wimbledon.
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Kevin Ratcliffe has claimed in an interview the hardest opponents he faced were Graeme Souness, Jimmy Case, Mick Harford and Billy Whitehurst, with Whitehurst supposedly being the hardest of all.
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Kevin Ratcliffe was capped 59 times by the Wales national team, often as captain.
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Kevin Ratcliffe represented his country at under-21, youth and schoolboy level.
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Kevin Ratcliffe was a roommate of Liverpool rival Ian Rush's during matches.
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In 1994, Kevin Ratcliffe joined Chester City as player-assistant manager to Mike Pejic, and kept the position under succeeding manager Derek Mann.
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When Mann resigned in April 1995 after relegation was confirmed, Kevin Ratcliffe took over as caretaker manager for the final five matches of the season, and was able to earn two wins and a draw; enough to avoid the humiliation of a bottom-place finish, which earned Kevin Ratcliffe the manager's job permanently.
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Kevin Ratcliffe stayed at the helm until August 1999, when he left after falling out with new owner Terry Smith.
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Kevin Ratcliffe left the club within days, stating that he had to take the blame for Shrewsbury Town's downfall as he had brought in most of their players.
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Kevin Ratcliffe said he supported Everton as a child and said Alan Ball was a childhood hero.
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Kevin Ratcliffe said his father and Everton coach, Colin Harvey, had the greatest influence on his career.
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Kevin Ratcliffe said his most memorable moment was his clubs 1984 FA Cup final victory over Watford, and said his 1985 FA Cup Final loss to Manchester United as his biggest disappointment.
19.
Kevin Ratcliffe's hobby was playing snooker and said he liked sports television shows and pop music.