Thanks for your... er... contribution, Michael. Hopefully we can fix the dead links to the Middlesbrough (H) match reports file. I assure you, nothing as been deleted.

I'm also glad for you that you have a season ticket to Goodison. It's good that you can do that, and help to provide income to the club; my brother has one too. He often calls me up to discuss the match and comment on how well we have covered it at ToffeeWeb.

I agree that watching the game on the Internet is not ideal, and it certainly is not my first choice: I prefer live TV, as I think I get a better view of the football than I do from anywhere but the Top Balcony... but that's just my personal preference.

Interestingly, though, you imply that it is not possible to be an Everton supporter unless you attend home games. Let's examine that for a moment. Say you once went to home games, when you lived in the area. But then you moved away... perhaps far away... and were no longer able to attend games... do you stop being an Everton supporter?

I'll give you as long as you need to answer that one.

ToffeeWeb was actually created to take advantage of the Worldwide Web. It was one of the first dedicated websites of its type, providing fans around the world with information about their beloved Blues. I guess that's something you're not particularly interested in from your tone, and that's fine. You probably still live locally, and asking you to consider the postion of the hundreds of thousands of Evertonians who live abroad would probably be a step too far. We now have an unparalleled library of match reports extending back over more than 10 years of doing this, but you're probably not interested in that either.

The purpose of the Matchday Updates and Match Summary I prepare on an almost-live basis is primarily for those fans you decry -- the ones who are not at the game. It is also a way to record a comprehensive record for future reference of what went on during the game, as well as all the related stats concerning goals, teams, subs, cards, etc... you trying doing that AND watching the entire match from the stands, and having it online and accessible to thousands virtually as it happens. Trust me, you can't do it.

Lyndon typically produces his excellent reports only after studying the game on TV, and he usually gets them online within a couple of hours, whereas Paul Traill and Ken Buckley attend the game (like you) and perform the most gracious service (unlike you) of providing their detailed match reports for us to publish, albeit after a day or two.

So, in this great big wide world of ours, we have 20,000 or so real Evertonians like you, who have season tickets and attend most/every home game (what about the aways? --- didn't you know they are the REAL fans but there's probably only 3,000 or so of them) ... and then we have the ones who attend the games without season tickets. I'm guessing there are another 20,000 to 40,000, depending on the minumum qualification you would require in terms of games per season (is one enough to make you an Everton supporter, by your definition?).

And then there's this other group. The ones I refered to earlier. The ones who cannot be Everton supporters based on your definition. What should we call them? If they were so-called Liverpool fans, you'd have great fun ridiculing them for not going to Anfield... but what are you going to call them if they calim to follow Everton? How about displaced armchair fans? Does that fit the bill. You clearly despise them as much as those Liverpool fans but have you ever thought just how many of them ther might be?

Just a few years back, the Club estimated the number of such displaced or distant supporters to be in the humdreds of thousands. I think it's around 800,000 to perhpas 1 million thoughout the world. Now where does that leave you, Michael?

I'll tell you; In a monority. A priviledged minority, but a minority all the same. Almost all games are now televised in their entireity (we're not talking MotD hilites here), especially overseas in certain markets. As a result, far more Evertonians around the world will have watched most complete games on television than will have been at the game itself.

Now how do you feel? Starting to think globally perhaps? Thought not.

Micheal (T) your talking absolute wank my old son.

Most Evertonians would rather be in the FA Cup, and be fighting on 4 fronts. If you wanna be one of the big boys then you wanna be in all competitions. In any case out of sheer dignity you dont want to be getting reemed by Oldham in your own back yard.

Secondly, I find at times I get more passionate about a game when I wach it on tv at home or in a pub - as I'm getting a better view and im only cocentrating on the game. When sitting in the Park End I dont get as good a view and I can get distratced from the game itself.

Finally, almost everyone who visits this site fully appreciate what Micheal and his team do to make Toffeeweb what it is: a superb website for Evertonoans all over the world ? the result of a fucking shitload of hard work 24/7 from several different people. I know i wouldn't have the time or patience to run something like this. To claim that they are not real supporters is beyond ludicrous and actually extremely niave.

I ask you now to go and find another site like ToffeeWeb for another prem team. Trust me there are loads but they are all shite compared to ToffeeWeb. To set something up like this and run it like the guys do surely says to you that Everton is a massive part of their lives and doesn't just consist of a Saturday afternoon between 2 and 6pm like it probably does for yourself. Anyone can get a ticket and go to the game and say ? I was there?.

Running a website like this is a bigger task than 4 hours on a Saturday afternoon consisting of having a drink and watching a game of football!!!