The Mail Bag
Always a Blue???
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Although a blue now, it wasnt always the case. I became an Everton fan in approx October 1972 when we were beaten by Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. I am vague on the details, but I think it was 2-0 or 2-1. My 2 mates were both blues, and from that day, although not from Liverpool, I decided the toffees were for me.
Of all the supporters who post on this site, how many of you who were not born in Liverpool or whose fathers were not Everton supporters, became Toffee fans? What was that Damascene conversion that turned you blue? Perhaps with me, I was simply a gauche youngster easily turned by my mates??
And of those born in Liverpool, how many of you were you originally Liverpool fans who eventually saw the light?? Is there any statistical evidence of ToffeeWeb contributers who do not hail from Liverpool?
ps: I am 56 and should know better, but my memories as a kid take me back to the Searchers (my favourite band as a child after the Supremes) and Billy J Kramer. Any evidence who they supported??
Oh, and for this season coming, I will take that kid from Sheff Utd and a midfield maestro from Spain who can collaborate and scheme with Arteta. Good luck to you all for next season, and in the meantime, let's beat the Aussies in the Ashes!!!
John Brenann, Posted 07/07/2009 at 15:34:20
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Well, my support started in 1976 in a village called Colwich, just outside Stafford, with a Panini sticker book. I didn't have a team to support so decided to pick one out of the book. I had only 2 shiney badges and they were next to each other...Everton and Ipswich. I said to myself, ’whichever badge I land on first whilst flicking through the pages, will be the one I will be loyal too for the rest of my life" ... so I flicked through and lo and behold, I landed on... IPSWICH!!!
I then decided I liked the Everton badge better, quite liked the name Andy King and thought Gordon Lee’s bald head was funny, so Ipswich can do one. I later found out that my mum is a scouser (I didn't know this at 6!), and most of her side are also Blues, how good is that!!!
I first fell in love with Everton when I was 8 years old. Everyone in the family supported either bloody Liverpool or Manure. I always like to go against the status quo, and having Greek background, liked the fact that there was a team that was on top in England, wearing blue colours (just like Greece), that was doing really well, and that was NOT, Manure or RS.
I believe the day I became fully fledged supporter was the 1985 Cup Final loss to Manure. Since then, I’ve been a fanatic. I watch live or at least record and then watch EVERY game!! We get the Viewers' Choice here downunder, so if we’re not the main game and I’m already in bed, I’ll set the alarm to get up at 2 or 3 am, whatever it is, press the interactive button, select the Everton game, record it, go back to bed, then get up and watch it as if live in the morning.
Watch all the shows I can get downunder about football to see what they say about Everton, especially Setanta’s football matters and the Friday Football Show.
Love the blues, bled through the tough times like all of you, celebrated every goal and win during those years.
Only been to Goodison twice in my life.... one was a boring 1-1 draw with Southampton in 2000, and the other the heartbreaking 3-0 to the RS when Aussie Kewell opened the scoring and Owen bagged a brace in 2003 (last time I was in UK). That year, I also went to White Hart Lane and saw us humiliated... whatever happened to Kanoute by the way?
It’s a shame, of the limited opportunities, haven’t been to an Everton win... dying for that chance someday... Don’t take it for granted, those of you that can....
Have travelled the world and hung on every word of the BBC World Service (that would be the radio to the younger generation). The majority of fans will be local, but us outsiders have added to every occasion that our beloved Everton have called on us.
Don’t panic about new signings — we want players but not mercenaries.
It had a picture of Roy Vernon prancing on tippy-toes around a (Spurs or Fulham?) keeper. Behind him was this impossibly massed sea of faces. At age of six I thought, how could they stand so close together? And Vernon looked more ballet dancer than footballer. The name, the player, the crowd and the grandstand all knitted together into a life-long love of EFC.
Being Australian, I can never give up Aussie Rules. It is so different to soccer that there is no real comparisons. But i have followed Everton from afar through the highs and lows.
5 Randomly recalled moments
1. Sunday nights at 6:00pm you would get the BBC World Service — the night Ratcliffe’s goals beat Liverpool. I was dumbstruck for days.
2. Stuart McCall’s late equaliser in the FA Cup Final —yes !!!!!!!
3. Getting beaten in FA Cup semi-final by West Ham and Frank Lampard Senior in the 70’s — the tragedy...
4. Seeing my only live match — Sheff Wed 1, Everton 5, 1985 — the cops told me as a neutral that I should not go near the travelling Everton fans, so was perched up high amongst resigned Wednesday followers who were just coming to terms with another Liverpool team now being a major force.
5. Tricky Trev and Pat Nevin playing in the same team, so much talent but it was never going to work.
And finally, we are going to win something this year. Tell everyone, tell Moysey, we are going to win a trophy.
It was the devastation of the Jeff Astle goal at Wembley in ’68, and a determination to put it right ASAP, which we did by winning the league in 1970. Oh, and Bally’s white boots...!
All of one side of our family was red, but the Owens married into it and, one 5th of November, we all went to the game as we were going on to their house after. Bobby Collins vs some 6ft WBA bloke, the ground, the grass the image of coming up into the Gwladys St ... HOOKED. Plus a plain awkwardness.
Go to 108 County Rd and see the colour of the shop sign.
First memories of supporting Everton was during the ’66 Cup Final as a 4-year-old before we moved to Oz — the old man gave me an Everton rosette. He was (and still is!) a mad Blue.
The old man was in the Merchant Navy and I remember as a 6- or 7-year-old was taken to Anfield by my grandad (paternal) whose whole family were reds and was obviously trying to get me to turn — he used to work at Anfield. I was introduced to Shankly, Paisley and Bennett. Remember being told by grandad not to tell my Dad when he returned from the trip he was on that he had taken me there — which of course I did! The old man was not happy!!!
Once a Blue and all that....
I agree with previous poster. The right back from Sheff U and either Moutinho or Defour would be great for us.
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1 Posted 07/07/2009 at 21:12:19
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