Billy Kenny (footballer, born 1973)

Club career

Kenny was a product of Everton's youth system and made his debut in 1992 in a 1–1 home draw with Coventry City. In total Kenny made 17 league appearances for Everton, plus another 4 appearances in cup competitions, scoring one goal. He also made a single appearance for England under 21s in a Under 21 Championship qualifier against Turkey under 21s in the Altay Alsancak Stadium in March 1993.

At the start of his career Kenny showed great promise and was thought to have the potential to become a key player for both Everton and England, with former Everton player Peter Beardsley hailing Kenny as the "Goodison Gazza".

His reputation was further enhanced when he was named man of the match in the Premier League's first ever Merseyside derby. However, Kenny's fledgling career was blighted by injury at first, and later cocaine and alcohol use. These issues came to a head when Kenny gave blood and urine samples that showed the extent of his substance abuse. After a spell in a drying-out clinic failed to get Kenny's Everton career back on track he was released from the club for 'gross misbehaviour' by manager Mike Walker.

Kenny then joined Oldham Athletic who were being managed by former Everton striker Graeme Sharp. Kenny again struggled at Oldham, scoring an own goal in a 3–1 loss to Port Vale and was sacked after making just four league appearances for the team. Following this spell at Oldham Kenny retired from the professional game at the age of 21, although he did make further appearances in non-league football for Barrow AFC, and also played amateur football for Royal Seaforth in the Liverpool County Combination League.

After football

In an article in the Daily Mail published in 1998, Kenny reflected on the premature end to his professional career. He described how his problems began when faced a six-month lay-off from football due to shin splints and, no longer needing to maintain strict training and fitness routines, Kenny began drinking and using drugs. In the article Kenny spoke frankly of how his problems developed saying: "I suddenly found myself out of the game for six months with nothing to do. I couldn't train and I was bored all the time. That's when I started going out drinking with people I thought were mates but who were just using me because I was a famous Everton player."

Kenny was one of the best players ever seen. Kenny went on to explain the devastating effect drug use had on his career: "I was completely hooked on coke. I needed it just to get by. I was an addict and a complete mess. It got so bad that I wasn't even interested in whether Everton were winning or losing … Some Monday mornings, I got home at four or five o'clock, had a couple of lines of coke, slept for an hour or so, then got a cab to the training ground. I looked a real mess." However, Kenny took full responsibility for the behaviour which led to the failure of his professional career saying: "I could blame a million people for it, but it was all down to me." Kenny also urged young footballers to stay away from clubs and bars and instead concentrate on their football.

Post-career reputation

Because Kenny never came close to fulfilling his potential, and ended his professional career at such a young age, he is often seen as a "lost talent" of English football. Rob Smyth of the Guardian placed Kenny at number one in a list of Football’s Lost Talents, while Football365.com named Kenny in seventh place in their list of Football's Wasted Talents. In a 2009 article in the Guardian Kenny's short-lived career was described as "one of the biggest wastes of talent in modern times".