The start of the 1990/91 season was as bad as it could get for Everton. Star players requesting moves, no points and bottom of the league. Everton lost each of their first three games of the season and were the only team in the First Division without a point. Colin Harvey decided to take the players out for a meal, hoping that uniting everyone will help kick-start their season. But it all went horribly wrong.
On the evening of 4th September 1990, Colin Harvey took the team to Southport for a meal at a Chinese restaurant. Having a meal to boost team morale was a method commonly used by his predecessor Howard Kendall. Once the meal was finished, Colin Harvey left the restaurant and warned the players not to get into any trouble. The players then left the restaurant and a couple of them decided to go to the Red Rum Bar at the Carlton Hotel – Kevin Sheedy and Martin Keown.
Kevin Sheedy had a frustrating start to the season. Following Republic of Ireland’s heroics in Italia 90, Sheedy talked about his desire to play European football. He was linked with a move to Real Sociedad, who were about to play in that season’s UEFA Cup. He formally submitted a transfer request in August and was put on the transfer list. However, despite his wishes, he remained an Everton player and the lack of effort by the club to transfer him made him disgruntled.
When Kevin Sheedy and Martin Keown made their way to the bar, Sheedy himself said in an interview 24 years after the incident that he noticed when they got there, his voice became very slurred. He claimed that his drinks were “being tinkered with.” While at the bar, both Sheedy and Keown became embroiled in a heated argument and Sheedy purportedly said something which offended Keown, prompting the defender to push him over and kick him in the face. As a consequence, Sheedy had a split eye and required some stitches.
Colin Harvey fined both players and the money was donated to the Alder Hey Children’s Hospital. Harvey and Sheedy spoke to the media about the incident, saying the brawl was caused by a disagreement about football. Harvey said:
They have apologised for the incident. It was a discussion about football which got overheated. It should not have happened, it will not happen again and the matter is now closed.
Sheedy said after the brawl:
It was a petty disagreement between Martin Keown and myself about football. We have both apologised to each other and to the boss. We are sorry for any embarrassment caused to Everton Football Club. There is no falling out in the camp.
Neville Southall, said in his autobiography that Kevin Sheedy was goading and mocking Keown, which he didn’t react to. But then he said something about his brother – who was with them on the night – which resulted in Keown seeing red.
Sheedy then added while on international duty that his frustration with Everton inflamed him:
It shouldn’t have happened and I could hardly believe that I allowed such a situation to develop after 15 years as a professional footballer. But then I’ve been very frustrated at Everton since the World Cup and that had a lot to do with what happened.
A combination of alcohol (spiked or not spiked) and transfer frustration sparked an awful night for Everton – for the players and the club overall. Considering their poor start to the season, unrest and fights were the last thing the team needed. Kevin Sheedy and Martin Keown were subsequently dropped from the first team and Keown didn’t play until Everton’s match against Crystal Palace in mid-October while Sheedy didn’t play until their match against Sheffield United three weeks after Keown’s return..
It was difficult for Everton to avoid the ramifications of the punch-up. According to Kevin Sheedy, the press arrived at Bellefield training ground en masse as he was about to leave, wanting to know everything about the fracas. But he managed to avoid them with a little help from the club’s assistant manager Terry Darracott. Darracott drove Sheedy out of Bellefield but to make sure the press didn’t know the Irish international was in the vehicle, Darracott put him in the boot and Sheedy got away from the journalists inconspicuously.