Ah... what a lovely story that could have been, Mike. Old Man Burgess, his 81 years of diligent and loyal support finally recognised... well, sort of.

I thought seriously about not publishing this in light of the number of readers who love to point out every opportunity we take to do the club down.

I'm publishing it, not for that purpose, but rather as an object lesson for those who are still sucked in by this "People's Club" nonsense, and who expect the club owes them something for their diligent support over the years. Well here's the shocker: THEY DON'T.

As supporters, we choose to support and up turn up and pay for our ticket... or not. It's a fairly simple unwritten contract, their side of the deal being they will try to provide you with a form of entertainment branded as "The Premier League". And that, dear friends, is as far as it goes.

In reality they owe us football and nothing more. I fully understand the graceless retort your mum received.... "Damned fanatics... We're here to do the business of football, and they're here to pay their money, eat their pies and cheer as the goals fly in."

You can argue that, in the modern world, a business needs to be more conscious of the needs of its customers and that such attitudes need to have gone away long ago... along with the dinosaurs. Clearly they haven't.

I see it too as a continuance of the air of elitist power and autocracy that permeates down from the higher echelons of Goodison Park. It's the preserve of the VIP, of Sir Philip Carter, of Bill Kenwright OBE... They may call themselves "real fans" but they have really no desire whatsoever to be mixing with the riffraff and hoipoloi from Third Class/steerage, the Great Unwashed.

For me, personally, I'm actually not bothered by it. I expect nothing of them, other than football. All the rest is bollocks. I'm sure this is not a popular view, but Everton Football Club should be concentrating on making sure the football side of things is the best it possibly can be. Unfortunately, I know they're not.

That is why moving to Kirkby has got nothing to do with Everton supporters and everything to do with Corporate customers and sponsors. Forget the history, the special place that Goodison has in the hearts of Evertonians, its all about brass tacks. What the club is in danger of forgetting is that the only currency that matters is Goals and Points, without real investment in the squad ? this season will once again provide a missed opportunity. But then again a top ten finish will ensure another pay day from Sky.

They don?t rely on gate receipts anymore and therefore do not have to pander to the public. I?m sorry your grandad was treated so shabbily and I?m sorry that Everton have lost that human touch and that touch of class that once made the club stand out. But as Michael said business is business.

I haven’t been to Goodison Park in years, partially because it’s a long way from Texas to Liverpool. Part of the problem, is that the club higher-ups know we have no other choice, it’s not likely any of us are going to start following somebody else. They know our other choice is to ignore football all together and for me, Everton is too ingrained in who I am for me to do that.....

Mike
It?s difficult to put into words how sad and angry I personally feel about your grandad?s treatment by the club he has followed all those years ? a club we always believe does everything in the right way ? the People's Club.

In order that he will quickly forget about the shallow business orientated side of football today, I personally hope now that the team win their next two matches in style ? just for him.

Give the old?n a wee pat on the back for me, and a happy birthday from one old fart to another.

That’s a sad story Mike. It really does depend on who you deal with - something that is typical of a lot of organisations.

I used to work for Everton on matchdays, many many years ago, and the staff then couldn’t do enough for you. The players were hit and miss - some would bend over backwards, others wouldn’t give you the time of day (even at a time when the salaries weren’t telephone numbers).

My last involvement with the club was a couple of years back when I arranged for Tim Cahill to make an appearance for the fans here in Singapore, when he was on duty with the Aussie squad.

Although it was down to the Football Federation Australia, Everton did "have a word" and all was arranged. They did ask how it went, and asked for photos, but I guess it’s easier if someone else is doing the work.

Nice touch by Gordon West though. Players of his era totally understand the fans’ viewpoint.

Sounds like a holdover of the kind of "placate them, get rid of them" attitude that was, if emails we received were any indication, was pervasive under Keith Wyness and, as Michael says, not all that surprising.

It?s worth noting, though, that while Mike?s experience could be representative of the norm, there have been instances where Bill himself has come through with a magnanimous gesture for a fellow fan, be it laying on coaches to London, sending a signed team photo to a lad who?d ended up in hospital with a broken neck following a nasty fall from a window, or the tributes to Bernard Murphy and young Rhys.

I?ve been critical of Kenwright in the past, but I actually think that were it down to him, Mike?s granddad would have been treated a bit better. The devil-may-care attitude that some are experiencing may start at the bottom with the low-level staff who may or not be Evertonians and may or may not have the depth of feeling for fans like Mike?s dad who has paid to watch the Blues for 81 years.

Typical of Everton. This club’s PR is awful. If it was my grandad I don’t think I’d take him because I’d know I was setting him up for dissapointment.

We know the club didn?t have to do anything.... You would like to have thought they may have wanted to (bearing in mind 81 seasons is £37,000 in today's money, without pies and drinks and programs....etc)
If they said they couldn?t, then fair enough, but to build his excitement up to saying this and that will happen... then for him to be treated like a chore... well it's just disappointing.

I do see the good things they have done mentioned above, been very moved at a lot of them, championing the club for doing so... but it shouldn?t take a tragedy or transport malfunction to bring out their human touch.

But as they are only custodians, we will be back in the stands, cheering on the blue boys as always...

This is a real shame this story because it totally conflicts with past experiences of many blues being treated superbly by the club.

For my personal experience I go back to the mid-80s when, as a 13-year-old kid, I was doing a school ?design? project with a mate on football stadiums. One Sunday, my mum drove us over to L4 and we literally turned up to see if we could get in to any of the two grounds to take photos etc for the project.

For some reason our first stop was the pit, where we were subsequently charged a king?s ransom to be taken on a very brief and tacky tour and weren?t really allowed to do anything we wanted to for the project. Even 25 years ago they were a souless odious shower.

After this, we went to Goodison and literally knocked on the wooden door on Goodison Road. We were greeted by a lovely lady who invited us in and arranged for us to be taken on a private tour around the ground and trophy rooms / boardrooms etc. We were there for ages and they even made us tea and biscuits.

It was such a lovely touch and the difference of approach between the two clubs has always explained to me the very crux of what the difference was between Liverpool and Everton. It is therefore very sad to hear of stories like the one of your grandad, although I am aware that the club in recent years have still done some fantastic gestures when people have died or got married etc. and just hope that your experience was more of a ?one off?.

Sorry to hear that mate, but I?m afraid thats the way its going watchin EPL. You?ll probably get an arse lickin letter off BK tellin you how sorry he is to hear blah blah etc etc. Tell him to stick it up his blue arsehole.

I?m getting ill with the whole situation at EFC after years of going home and away to have the piss taken out of me. You should be proud of your granddad. Tell him I?m proud of him too. They should stick the fuckin club on Ebay but then again, no-one will bid for it.
Nil Satis Nisi Optimum my arse.

Sorry to hear of the much less than perfect day your granddad experienced. Surely a club the size of Everton should be able to handle such things better and have better staff with brain enough to avoid some of the clangers they dropped.
Some people of "The People?s club" are great (or even living legends such as Davey Hickson), that could not do enough for ya and are employed by the club on match days. Shame your granddad did not get treated better as he deserved.

Whilst Everton are having to chase the ?corporate dollar? to compete, they also recognise the importance of the core support (as evidenced by the current CEO?s initiatives to identify how to improve ticketing policy etc.)

Everton handling such situations better is not just based on sentimentality, but business sense as well. Alienating core supporters (?customers?) is hardly the way to increase the ?customer base?.

Good points by all, and in particular Lyndon. I?m wary of being branded a bitter (and paranoid) Blue, mired in conspiracy theories, but, when they?re hired, I?d be interested to know whether staff are questioned about their footballing sympathies. I?ve worked in customer service myself, and know that one disgruntled or mischievous frontline employee can do a company serious damage.

Mike, sorry to hear that your Grandad's day was ruined. However all Blues everywhere appreciate and are in awe of your Grandad's dedication to the club, the experiences he?s gone through seeing Everton in the 30s, thought the 50s, with the likes of Hickson. The wealth of knowledge he must have, the memories he has are priceless though, have you ever thought of ggetting something published on his tales of following Everton in the 30, 40s and 50s? Or arranging via yourselves a question and answer session? There are many fellow Evertonians who would be fascinated by his experiences. For examples, what chants were there in the 1930s? How many did we take away with us??

Yor Grandad is a legend, there?s not many around like him anymore I bet!

Over recent times, I got to know a number of individuals at the club fairly well and I have never come across anyone who would use the phrases you quote:

’if you put the ball on e-bay it could fetch upto £100’

’he may be important to you cause he’s your dad, but it’s all ten a penny for us.... we get this stuff all the time"

Whilst not wishing to doubt the accuracy of these quotes, I think you should name names so that we can all seek a proper explanation from the individuals concerned. You must appreciate that without this, supporting corroboration, your comments will lack the credibility required to get to the bottom of it.

With regard to the location of the seat, I can only assume from your description of events that you hadn’t fully explained in advance that only a seat at pitch level would have been appropriate. Also you have to specifically request acknowledgements over the tannoy or on the big screen. It sounds like there was a lack of communication all round (including from yourselves) which has contributed to your disappointing experience.

I fully accept that the day did not go the way you had hoped and I’m sure the people I know at the club will be equally disappointed. As I say, if someone had behaved in an unacceptable manner, then you should name names and report this directly to the club to get to the bottom of it. Have you formally complained to the club through official channels? We’d all be interested to hear how the club has responded.

Steve Williams ? unbelievable and almost hateful comments. Have you been on the top balcony? How on earth could anyone consider putting a 90-year-old up there??? And doubting the accuracy of the quotes is exactly what you are doing. As the editor has said, the thought of us being the Peoples Club is nonsense. If it suits Kenwright to get some publicity then he will appear concerned but no-one else. And what makes you think any further complaint would be of any interest to the staff at the club? The damage has been done now ? a grand old Evertonian has been badly let down by the club he loves; shame on you for suggesting otherwise.

Mike - gutted for your family and especially your grandad.
He has put up with some dissappointments through his long life I am sure and it won?t shake his love of our club. They made them tough back then didn?t they. There is still so much good from his day and I am sure he will tell you so.

As far as the club is concerned, unfortunately it reflects what goes on with the growth industry of PR and image. They are so full of their own self importance that they forget who really matter.
Michael Kenrick - who makes Everton the People's Club? We do mate ? the ordinary people who love and support Everton. not the club flunkies, not the managers nor the players but people like me and Mike?s grandad and even you.
You become more bitter by the week and you are losing your objectivity. Go take a look in the mirror mate and don?t take yourself so seriously. People's Club - always.

What do you feel the club owes you? (This isn't a challenge, it's a genuine question.)

Steve Williams, if you know people at the club then surely you would know who the liason officer is. All I have done is tell of our experiences, if you need to doubt this then it is your own prerogative, but if I feel the need to keep a little dignity without this becoming a witch hunt, I would like to think you could respect this also.

Mike, sorry to hear about your disappointments. My Dad is 90 in July (is also a season ticket holder) and I was interested to see what effort the club would apply to this VERY RARE opportunity to publicise the longevity of its support and the loyalty of its supporters. To say I am flabbergasted is a massive understatement, but when you look at the PR side of the club then I suppose we should have expected it.

Put this alongside the Liverpool 1 fiasco with no representation of the club and the debacle of the Kirkby move. If I am sitting in my office and something like this had dropped on my desk, the possibilities for promotion of the club would have been endless and all for making a veteran Blue and his families day unforgettable. This guy has seen Dixie play watched Tommy Lawton, Alex Young and told all his kids, grandkids about these heroes, which is why they are now lifelong blues.

They could have interviewed him for the programme, asked him the first game he went to, who was Everton's best ever player, a million questions that my Dad has told me the answers to and I now tell my son. A spot on Granada reports and the BBC... do you really want me to go on?? What a sorry bunch and what an opportunity missed.
I will still contact Everton re my Dad when the time is right, possibly write to Granada and BBC also, but based on your experience I don't expect too much from the Everton side.

Dear Bill,
Just a couple of points of business in relation to this incident given that football is considered a "business".

1. It takes 10 times more effort and money to generate a new customer than keep an existing one.

2. If happy customer will relay his positive experiences of your "business" to 10 people, then a pissed off one will do the same to 100 people.

3. The gutter press love to build you up then knock you down. I wonder if the "Liverpool Echo" will print this story and so consider the effect of it on a large number of your "customer base". Consider the headline ? The People?s Club snubs its oldest Person. I would put extra staff on the PR phoneline with apologies at the ready.

4. When there is an obvious PR failing, here is the best solution in my opinion:

- Admit it with full humility and sincerity. Yes you Bill.
- Invite the old boy back for the Arsenal game to get his 2 minutes of appaulase on the pitch.
- Invite any other old boys (fans of say 60 years+) to come along as well and give them a table in one of the corporate suites. There can?t be that many about.
- Get Tabacula to interview these old boys on the day and get these gem supporters recorded on film as part of our EFC digital history. Once these old boys have passed on their memories go with them. The fact that these people are still about is as important as those original boadroom documents found in the Skip but now luckily part of the David France Collection.
- Use a bit of Spin doctoring to turn this PR disaster into a right good story. Bill you could speak to your lovey media pals and make sure Sky, BBC and ITV give some coverage to the story.

I suggest the above not out of any sentiment but purely from a hardline business point of view. I am typing this up with my big Everton mug on my desk "branded" with "The People?s Club" down the side. This kind of incident can really do immeasurable damage to the value of YOUR own chosen brand identity. Your customer base never came up with the brand concept. It came from within "your business" and your customer base have merely bought into it.

If you no longer wish to be known as the People?s Club, other brand concepts to appeal to a new target market audience could include: "The Corporate Kirkby Club", "The £100 a Game Club", "The Give us Yer Money and Fuck Off Club". These are straight to the point, honest brand concepts that allow all your customers to know where they stand and what they are buying into. More suggestions from YOUR Customer base may follow.

As a final note I would just like to apologise to Mr Burgess on behalf of all loyal Everton fans who will be outraged by this. Let?s hope Bill gets his business brain into gear and takes on board the feeling of disappointment from his loyal customer base, and sort out the issue before the competing "business" across the park use it as an opportunity to undermine your existing brand identity of "The People?s Club".

My Grandad got me into Everton too. He used to watch them play Earlestown, his local side when he was a kid (who apparently we won our first ever trophy against by beating them in the final of the Liverpool Cup). He loved Dixie and collected cigarette cards of all the Everton players that he would pinch on his paper round. He died last year days before his 90th birthday. He gave up following football when he couldnt pronounce half the foreign players names! :-)

Why not just have one (or two) fan appreciation days a year in which you get those (such as the gentlemen mentioned here) who have supported EFC for a long time and give them a ceremony before the match, a gathering with some ex-players and so forth. It?s good PR and it?s easier to do it all at once. Instead of doing these things every now and again, one person at a time (and doing them half-arsed), just get everyone in once a season all at the same time and do it right. How hard is that? It?s LESS work for the club and MORE rewarding for the fans.

Tony I'Anson ? great post. You are spot on there. I?m glad that others realise that fans who have been going the match in the 30s, 40 and 50s are as valuable as parts of the David France Collection. Their memories must be recorded somehow, they are priceless, you just don?t get books on what they know.

From the previous generation, stories of following Everton in the early 20th Century are gone forever. How long will it be before stories of following Everton in the 30, 40s and even 50s are gone forever?

Chances are, the person who left you with "the club's" parting shot, was simply some mumbly-kid who mans the phones.

Possibly.

Mike sorry to hear about the treatment your Grandad received, but in all honesty it does not surprise me. Many years ago I was arguing the virtues of the club and an old guy who was not involved in the conversation chipped in with a simple "Try going to the turnstile two bob short and see how your years of support really count for..."

Sadly, after all these years, I think he is right. To us, we support; to them, we are customers ? nothing more... So, The People's Club? It's a myth and I?m a season ticket holder and regular for 50 seasons.

Mick and Mike,

I assumed that the post was intended not only to highlight poor treatment of an elderly fan on what should have been a red (blue) letter day, but also to act as an admonishment to those that you feel led to the poor experience.

Personally, whilst I have been let down by the club in the past, I have never come across any individual who has acted with such crass insensitivity. Consequently you have a duty to help weed these people out so that it doesn?t happen again.

I see far more value in identifying those individuals (and taking them to task about it) so that our great club is held in the best regard, rather than just beating it up for no positive (future) purpose. I had asked if you had formally reported this and what the club?s response was. This way there would be no ?witch-hunt?. Unfortunately what?s done is done. Nothing can be done to improve your grandad?s experience on the day, but action could be taken for remedy and to ensure this doesn?t happen in the future.

However, none of this is possible without having the names. It is this point that I am making. I assume you don?t want me to raise it with the club next time I meet them?

By the way, I did say that I wasn?t looking to doubt the accuracy of the quotes ? and I mean that. I just wish people, just for once would take what people say at face value rather than look for some (unintended) ulterior motive.

Just an aside to my post earlier. We all remember the fuss made by the club when Rocky/Rambo was introduced to the crowd ? what a contrast to the above ? this guy had no idea who Everton were, never attended a game, put zilch into the club, yet was treated like royalty. Mr Burgess has followed and promoted the club for 80+ years and was treated like a liability.

If this Kirkby fiasco really does come to fruition then there are going to be some cold and lonely nights at the Tescodome because me (50 years a blue) and a lot of people like me will not follow this club out of the city. I am born and bred in Liverpool and a scouser first, an Evertonian second, if this is the path we are going down and how we treat lifelong supporters then the future of Everton will be a soulless club run by soulless people.

Disgrace ? one reason why the club survives is because of the passion your grandad has for Everton. And to think everytime our chairman comes on radio or tv and shouts that he used to be on the terraces blah blah and he's a big Evertonian... does this "Bill" mean you are more important than other Evertonians who have also attended Goodison over the years? Here's hoping whenever (if) we get new owners, they will regard ALL fans as an important factor, whether they are from the past, present or the future!

Do you know how many people support Everton, and how many of them have supported the club for 40 or 50 or 60 or 70 years?? Do you not think that, as the club stated, they receive these requests constantly, fans asking for this, for that, etc etc because they feel they are due to be repaid for their loyalty. As Michael stated and correctly so, the club owes the fans nothing other than providing the football and entertainment that you have paid to see.

Do you think that West Ham, Portsmouth, Liverpool, Newcastle and on and on roll their elderly fans out onto the pitch during every half-time? They don?t, and they have just as many if not more fans than we do and receive just as many requests from fans asking for this or that. The club did give him a seat, a signed football, brought him onto the pitch with Sharp. But you wanted more, of course you did, we always do.

At the end of the day, for all of you saying this is a soulless club and you won?t follow this type of club when they move stadiums, would you please show me a team who roll out their old fans every half-time and give away seats close to the pitch to all of their elderly fans on their birthdays. Because I watch a lot of these games, actually nearly every premier league match each weekend, and I don?t see this happening. So please, come to reality and get over this feeling that Everton treats it?s fans worse than anyone else, it?s childish and extremely naive.

I think everyone?s right in their skepticism about the "People?s Club" and their questioning of how much interest the upper echelons at Goodison really have for those ordinary folk who provide the money week-in, week-out. I can even imagine some of the board and shareholders laughing up their sleeves at the simple devotion and handing over of well-earned cash each week by the loyal fans.

To my mind, what happened shows not just how uncaring the management is, but also how unthinking they are from a business acumen stance ? it would have been a great opportunity for some really good PR and they threw it away.

I imagine many of those staff involved in this just didn?t care, and probably never do no more than the absolute minimum, and that sloppily. However, that they weren?t upper management at the club isn?t an excuse.

To Lyndon L, that Kenwright occasionally manages a gracious gesture and that it may have been lower management who were involved in these arrangements, doesn?t exonerate Kenwright. Just like in any business or in the military, ultimately it?s the upper management who give the lead and need to stand up and take the can when things go wrong. If Kenwright does nothing, then we?ll at least know how he regards the faithful fan.

To Marco B, I?ve no evidence to suggest it applies to those at Everton involved in this affair, but I know from a good source at EFC that not all the staff there are blue and that some in fact are red. I don?t, however, think that means the reds there can?t do their jobs well in the service of the club.

To Larry B, why not suggest to your Dad that he and Mike B?s Grandad get together for a chat about their Everton memories, and tell the Echo or Radio Merseyside or Granada or the BBC in advance about their proposed meeting, and/or film and tape their conversation and send it to one of the media. They may then take it up and give these grand old Evertonians the moment they deserve. A TV channel could even come up with footage of the players and matches the men spoke of and make a whole programme or two (pre-war, post-war) of their memories.

To Steve W, I think?s it admirable that you are prepared to take up the issue next time you meet the club, but maybe an open board isn?t the place for names to be named. Maybe Mike B should email you the name? Btw, how is it you are able to meet responsible people at the club?

To Michael K.,
You wrote ?As supporters, we choose to .. turn up and pay ? their side of the deal being they will try to provide you with a form of entertainment ? they owe us football and nothing more.? ? I think that?s a bit simple and perhaps why the club get away with some things. If you go to the theatre, a concert or the cinema, the facilities aren?t unimportant, and so it should be at a football club too.

I don?t know how it is a ManU, Arsenal, etc, but I know the large continental clubs provide much more than EFC for about the same ticket cost ? seating at steeper angles so you can actually see without standing up (I?d guess the terraces converted to seating at Goodison rise at an angle of 10-15 degrees, whereas a slope of 25-35 degrees is needed for everyone to see); no post;, extensive car and bus parking at the ground (okay, not possible at Goodison); free public transport on the day as part of the ticket cost; more facilities and more seating for (blue card) handicapped and more space for wheelchairs and at very reduced ticket prices (one third the normal, accompanying person free); better catering facilities but food no dearer than Goodison; moderner toilets, etc. Bayern Munich even have a kindergarten and small Legoland in the stadium where you can hand in young children while you watch the match.

To Paul J,
You ask what makes a people?s club. Yes you are right in one sense, it?s the people and their affiliation and family tradition, and all that that means. But like in any relationship, it has to be a two-way thing.

Some years ago I lived in Frankfurt and the top-level club there, Eintracht, is what I call a people?s club. You can actually join the club, annual fee £100-200 depending on what facilities you want to use. For that you can join any or all of the over 20 different sport groups they run, from football, triathlon and darts to ice hockey, volleyball and frisbee-throwing, you get reduced-cost season tickets, free magazines and (very importantly) voting rights at the AGM. It?s at these AGMs the ordinary club members and fans at Eintracht vote in or out the different chairmen.

Can you imagine the so-called people?s club Everton ever letting us rabble have voting rights???

Heath Pearson?s idea of an annual Veteran?s fan day (let?s say the first home game of each new year!!) is an absolutely brilliant idea and PR gem.

Hey let?s call it something like the Granddad Burgess Veteran?s Day.

Each year, lifelong Everton Granddad?s get a Telegram from EFC inviting them to this day (better than waiting to be 100 to get one off the Queen). Their attendance on the day are filmed and recorded and added to the David France Collection. They will then truely go down in Everton?s history for all time.

I can just see it now when they wheel me out in 2050 and I tell the story of how we beat the RS twice within 6 days and went on to win the League and Cup Double in 2009 (Steady on, Tony).

Can anyone contact David France to Champion this idea that will add even more value to his collection?

Sorry to hear about the day, Mike. The "People?s Club" ? it was okay for a few months... now it just makes me cringe everytime it?s brought up. I reckon the club have milked it to death now, and should drop it, especially the banner you see when coming to the ground.

Tony, Sorry that you missed my article on the Everton Collection Charitable Trust, but the David France Collection no longer exists.

It has been merged with Everton?s own archives and an expanded collection, known simply as The Everton Collection is moving forward a pace.

Please see the article on:

www.toffeeweb.com/season/08-09/comment/fan/article.asp?submissionID=10336

I am happy to raise this concept at the next meeting of the Trustees.

Great, Steve. I recall your post now and I even commented on it.

I?d love this to happen as would a great many fans. What a wonderful Birthday present to give any granddad who was around long enough to attend.

I?m sure you could even manage a swift email to the trustees pointing them to this post so the issue is on the agenda for the next meeting.

I think the media will pick up on this an add more exposure about how "The Everton Collection" is also looking to the future as well as the past.

It?s sad that your grandad was treated like that. I have to say that my experience of the club was completely different. I was working on a GCSE English project with a few friends about all-seater stadiums. We thought it?d be a good idea to see if we could have a tour of a stadium, so we phoned Everton - as we were all blues. We were told that we would have a tour of the ground with the Health and Safety officer. So, we turned up one morning and amazingly, we had a guided tour of the ground ? what a result!
Shame your grandads experience wasn?t the same.

To those arguing cold hard logic, ie: that Everton only have to provide football and suggesting there must be many requests, well of course technically, you?re right.

But logic and football, well it?s like the Tescodome ? very dodgy ground. I would simply say that if Everton want us to forget ?sentiment? and apply logic, they should expect no more than 7 people at the next home game. Because there is NOTHING logical, about watching a team, that plays in a league.... IT CAN?T WIN!

And sure, there are all sorts of requests, but lumping them all into one pot is disingenuous. The fact is, if you ask ?how many people have held a season ticket for 80 years or more?? the answer is almost certainly.... erm one. So.... not really a problem, you just have to apply a little thought.

In my opinion, a club that?s as badly run as Everton and has under-achieved the way it has, should have Mike?s Granddad carried around the ground at half-time by Kenwright and the rest of the major shareholders, EVERY week, while he drinks free Champagne and flicks his fag ends at them.

(Although come to think of it, if he?s 90, he probably doesn?t smoke...)

I posted the note below to the Guinness Book of World Records. I will let you know if there is a reply.

Mike Burgess ? you can sign up for free and submit your grandad's claim to fame as a true blue.
---
There is an Everton supporter aged 90 (still living) who has been a season ticket holder at Goodison Park (Everton Football Club) for 81 consecutive years. Can anyone tell me if this is a World Record? I?ve looked on the website but cannot find out if even such a record has been recorded.

Please come back to me as this may just make a true blue Evertonian very happy.

Tony I?Anson.

I personally think its a tad harsh to be slamming the club over this ? they probably did more than most other Prem clubs would do by giving free seats and taking photos on the pitch with Sharpy.

In reality, they probably do get a lot of requests such as this and your experience was probably soured by the phone operator, who obviously doesn't give a toss about Everton or anyone else. I agree with Steve Williams that that matter should be followed up before that clown ruins even more people?s perspective of the club.

Mick Wrende ? I think it's a bit ridiculous to say Steve Willliams's comments were "hateful". And you also say, "And what makes you think any further complaint would be of any interest to the staff at the club? The damage has been done now". It makes perfect sense to make a complaint so that this doesn't happen again. Rash comments by you in all fairness.

Willie Norman - good post mate and excellent points about German clubs. Regarding my People's Club comments - they were aimed at super cynic Michael Kenrick and I don?t agree that it has to be a two-way thing ? ever heard of unrequited love? I love Everton and nothing has ever shaken that and never will. Mind you I am probably going a bit daft now at 54.

Tony l?Anson
A record for 81 years plus - I doubt it and I am sure the great supporters across the park will have many more - all of whom were in the crowd of at least 120,000 of them in Istanbul and never missed a game on the kop since the May blitz in 1940.
KAGS

Paul Joy, as a number have pointed out, the more sensitive amongst us find the "People’s Club" brand thing not only cringeworthy but a verging on hypocrisy. High time the whole thing was quietly dropped. It does us no favours, and only encourages the small club jibes.