Seasons  »  2015-16  »  Everton News

Merseyside mourns the loss of Johnny King

31/03/2016  11 Comments  [Jump to last]
Former Everton midfielder and Tranmere Rovers managerial great Johnny King has passed away following a long illness. He was 77.

King will forever by synonymous with Prenton Park after steering the Birkenhead club up the Football League ladder from the fourth tier and to the brink of the top flight in the early 1990s.

He also spent eight years at Prenton Park as a player, making 241 appearances in all competitions but it was at Everton where he started his career.

King played 48 times for the Toffees between 1957 and 1960 before moving to Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic. His career would also take him to Port Vale and Wigan Athletic before he made his name as a manager.  

Reader Comments (11)

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Tom Evans
1 Posted 31/03/2016 at 07:59:54
Like many Evertonians from the Wirral the first games I attended as a youngster were at Prenton Park. Johnny King was a player I liked a lot.
RIP.
Ian Hanes
2 Posted 31/03/2016 at 09:58:01
Great man. I recall that he me managed little Caernarfon Town when they had a great cup run. Condolences to his family.
Andy Walker
3 Posted 31/03/2016 at 10:58:54
Rest in peace, Johnny. I occasionally played golf with him at Arrowe Park when I was a lad with my Dad. He was a really nice bloke who took time to talk to me and help me with my golf. A real gent.
Anthony Garvey
4 Posted 31/03/2016 at 11:08:53
Johnny used to come down to Birkenhead Market a lot. He always had time for everybody and loved to talk football. A gentleman. RIP, John.
Nick Armitage
5 Posted 31/03/2016 at 12:29:38
I worked at Tranmere in hospitality as a student many years ago and you will not hear a bad word said about that man by anyone. True gentleman, he was one of the good ones.
Dave Brierley
6 Posted 31/03/2016 at 15:34:23
Remember him well from his time as a player with Everton. Good midfielder with loads of energy and a nice man. RIP.
Phil Smith
7 Posted 31/03/2016 at 16:05:54
"Johnny King's Super White Army" – a legend for Tranmere. Used to watch them for a quid in the Cowshed when they really had a very good team 25 odd years ago. Sad to see where they are now.

Don't know why more of our lads don't get some experience with them. I know Green and Pennington had brief spells. Rest in peace, Johnny.

Clive Rogers
8 Posted 31/03/2016 at 18:31:28
He played in the first game my father took me to at Goodison Park in the late 50s. He stood out especially with his blond hair.
John Raftery
9 Posted 31/03/2016 at 22:03:11
I went to many Friday and Monday night games at Prenton Park in the late eighties and early nineties. The Tranmere of that era played some great football as they climbed up the leagues.

Johnny King set his teams up to play attractively but dig in when they needed to. He knew how to get the best out of his players by making sure they played to their individual strengths. Players like Johnny Morrissey Jnr, Steve Vickers and Chris Malkin thrived under his managership.

His seafaring analogies were always entertaining. Definitely the best manager Tranmere have ever had.

Jason Murray
10 Posted 01/04/2016 at 18:17:19
It's always sad when an ex Everton player passes away. I too enjoyed many games at Prenton Park during Johnny's "Rocket ride to the Moon" period.

There's a strong connection between Everton and Tranmere going back to Dixie Dean, Johnny himself, Gary Stevens, Pat Nevin, Paul Rideout and more recently the likes of James Wallace etc. At least Johnny got to see his statue unveiled and I'm sure he's at peace now.

Mick Davies
11 Posted 01/04/2016 at 19:32:34
A great ambassador for Merseyside and an ex-Everton player. RIP, Kingy.

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