The Mail Bag
Thank You
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Thank you all for making yesterday, in spite of the result a memorable, memorable day. Evertonians, together, optimistic, drinking laughing singing. The support during the game was awesome, and after losing, we showed dignity.
A special thanks to everyone who got the train home to Preston. It was chokka, but everyone was brilliant and what made me very proud was that just before all the Liverpool bound hordes got off at Warrington, the train manager came over the tannoy to say how impressed he was with our behaviour after such a defeat and personally thanked each and every fan and said it had been a pleasure to have had us on the train. Thanks boys and girls you made me so proud to be an Evertonian. Next year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
John Hunter, Posted 31/05/2009 at 08:10:36
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...now while you’re feeling magnanimous can we have Joe Cole please?
On a serious subject, I wanted to say a big thank you to the 50,000 or so Evertonians that made the day amazing. Couldn’t get a ticket, but I did the Wembley walk and ended up in the pub just down the road, singing my heart out for the lads...
The vocal support, good humour and all round class of Everton football club was there on the day for the world too see. This is a proper football club, with proper fans, built on a strong, proud history and I believe the current side has been built the proper way. Although we might not have all the stars earning the annual average wage every day, and we certainly don’t have a second 11 to match the first (in fact we probably don’t have a second 11 at all! ;-)), we do have a close knit team with talent, strength and the passion to play the heart out for the badge and I wouldn’t trade that for anything in the premiership.
So, all in all, yes it’s a shame we didn’t do it this year, but we’ll be back again soon enough and stronger for it, with a better team and even more fans. Watch out sky 4, this giant is waking up again - Everton are on the march!
Moyesy’ll have his work cut out to get him back to his fighting weight I tell ya!
I?m afraid to say I was lording it up in a corporate box with the prawn sarnie brigade (look, I missed out on a proper ticket and took what I could). The spec was just right of the royal box in the Chelsea end and I can tell you after the final whistle went I could only hear one end of the ground singing, and it wasn?t the Kings Road lardy-dah?s.
Amazing support and everyone who was in and out of the ground did themselves proud. I know some kopite fools will say it?s a novelty so we made the most of it, but the Sky 4 don?t know what it means to love your club so much it hurts.
Let's take that reputation on the European Tour next year!
Without being contentious, I also wanted to comment on the so called "Football Family tickets"; I managed to get a ticket and was in the FA stand and was expecting to sit next to neutral fans without any alligance to the Mighty Blues but, to my surprise, the noise was fantastic. Nearly took the roof off when Louis smashed that one in !!
Cant wait to get back; Bill, dig deep this summer and let's get the talent fit and ready for another Wembley visit next year.
In Moyes we Trust
Paul Wilson in "The Observer" today says -
"Everton brought the best support ? it is quite a feat outsinging your rival supporters to a Z-Cars theme that has no words ? but had to be content in the end with soaking up the rousing Cup final atmosphere their fervour had gone a long way to creating. Even the Chelsea cheers as the Cup was raised were muted, one appreciatory roar for Hiddink apart, whereas had it been Everton going up the steps the din would have been a danger to passing aircraft."
Cup Final day was just the best though, first services and a group of jeering fans were making fun of a disabled lad. Second services and chants of "you fat bastard" directed at a guy with his 2 young boys (by the way guys....check out your own waist sizes!).
Then let's not forget our ability to play the "Everton are white!" card!! I even received a txt from another supporters club secretary telling me their day was being ruined by a group of supporters they had offered spare seats to. Yes their gratitude was the usual drunken behaviour with some good old racist chanting to round off the trip home.
I usually find some excuse or dismiss the accusations thrown at my "fellow supporters".... but I cannot do that anymore. I had an elderly gent with me who had flown from New Zealand, poor guy was gutted but pleased to see Everton for probably his last time. His thoughts as we drove home.... "what the hell happened to our supporters?... they've turned bloody feral". Indeed he had a point.
Quite clearly the majority are good fans, the atmosphere generated was electric in our end but there are more than just the "odd one or two" that do nothing for our team nor the city. I can't stand it anymore, it's a disgrace. After 30 years I will no longer follow them away and will make do with the home games.
Finally, hard luck Everton, it just wasn't our day :-(
I posted below before reading your contributuion.
We’re all scourged with scum. Every constituency within society is blighted with a nasty, insensitive, moronic and, in my opinion, small element. However, I bet if you sat down individually with the people who behaved so badly in the incidents you described, you’d find people who in a group, on Cup Final day, didn’t behave very well, and are maybe not as bad they seemed in a ’pack’ mentality situation. Still it’s no excuse,’ and to think your friend traveleled from New Zealand to see that sort of nonsense, is very sad. Still, I hope you may conclude, on reflection, that you may have been in the wrong place at the wrong time, and not on the Preston train where the driver felt compellled to thank a ’pack’ of disappointed Evertonians for their exemplary behavour!
And please, keep going to the away games. If I lived in England, I wouldn’t miss one.
For Everton fans, yesterday?s result was a bitter pill to have to swallow and to be fair the Chelsea fans in general did not seek to rub salt in the wounds. It was reminiscent of the scenes many years ago when both sets of fans would remain to the end. Sadly the game has lost the sportsmanship and good humor of the fans that it once enjoyed.
I hope you come back to re-read the posts here as I want to say thanks for being gracious in victory. We didn’t perform on the day and perhaps we didn’t adjust to the ferocious heat level on the day.
And also, a compliment to one of the gentlemen of football in Guus Hiddink who commiserated every Everton player at the final whistle. He will be badly missed in the Premier League and I actually hope Abramovich brings him back as Chelsea coach when his contract with Russia expires.
Ian Martin,
it’s a shame that this kind of thing happens and normally the actions are alcohol-induced. I’ve seen it happen on away trips to Fulham and all I can do is agree with the vast majority like Martin who say that most football clubs have scum like this, not just Everton. It’s the way society is going in Britain and one of the reasons I moved abroad in the first place.
So after 30 years of going to away games, you are turning your back on away games. Would you like to go back to the way it was 10 years ago, with police randomly cracking our fans over the heads with bats?
Maybe 20 years ago, with the inflatable (and real) bananas, and monkey chanting?
How’s about 30 years ago when there was a riot at every other away game?
Get a grip, lad.
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1 Posted 30/05/2009 at 19:20:08
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