ToffeeWeb - Season 2009-10

The Mail Bag

Thank the Lord that I support Everton

Last night I turned on the highlights of the Charity/ Community Shield. Before the half-time whistle blew, I was thinking, "I’m not enjoying this. I’m not enjoying watching football". Unfortunately, nout much else was on, so back to the football, and I stuck with it.

It then dawned on me that I had forgotten something from last season. That is I don’t care for football other than Everton.

I sat and watched the two best teams in the country battling away with their egos. The chasing of the referee by Ferdinand and others, the asking for cards to be shown, and then not shown through intimidation. And the face of Rooney, losing long ago his goal-scoring smile, which had now been replaced with ugly aggression at Wembley.

The mind games of managers in the post-match interviews, and the biased player evaluations on the ref too were just ugly to watch. Oh and throw Andy Townsend in there too. He makes Lee Dixon full of gravitas.

The Premier League must be doing something right in marketing the top 4 abroad but, to me and many people I know, they are no advert for football. They’re unpleasant and undignified and turn me away.

Thank the lord that I support Everton, if they were not the best team of honest professionals in the land and instead had the likes of Ferdinand and Lampard shouting in the ref’s face, I’d give up on football all together. And to think some people want Joey Barton… Pah!
Nick Entwistle, London Posted 10/08/2009 at 07:50:01

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Tom Bowers
1 Posted 10/08/2009 at 14:27:03

Nick I agee completely. The prima donnas earning big wages are an usightly part of the game and when referees as poor as Foy are in charge they get away with it. You have to blame the FA to a certain degree because I feel a number of referees are not attuned to the deviousness of many professionals who are also not punished severley enough by their own clubs when showing bad behaviour on the field.

Mark Murphy
2 Posted 10/08/2009 at 14:25:39

I know this isn't strictly relevent but I was watching (avidly — I’m a Saints fan) the RL semi-final yesterday. James Roby of Saints was tripped (pretty clearly too) as he chased a kick through the Giants defense and as a direct result, Huddersfield picked up the loose ball, charged up the other end and scored what pretty much turned out to be the game-sealing try.

Not one Saints player went to the ref. No ganging up and harangueing him a la Ferdinand & Co and nothing was made of it in the aftermath. The commentators briefly discussed it, agreed it was probably a trip but "hey, these things happen" and moved on! I too, let it go. I love Saints almost (about 60%) as much as Everton and dearly wanted them to win but it's just not worth blowing a gasket over the refs (non-)decision.

Football is rapidly overblowing its own importance and the obscene wages and transfer fees, and as a knock-on, ticket prices, together with the behaviour and lifestyle of some (not most) of the players is turning me off as well!

On saying that, I really feel that Everton still display enough of the old spirit, class and dignity of the game and for that, I agree with you, Nick.

Ciarán McGlone
3 Posted 10/08/2009 at 15:03:49

I thought it was a superb match... Chelsea trying to get to grips with a new 4-4-2 formation... and United looking sharp and crisp at times and rather poor at others.

Comparing football with high scoring sports is a bit silly... not to mention you’re eulogising about a game that’s full of thugery in all sorts of unpleasant ways... oh, but as long as they don’t annoy the referee eh!

I am always astounded whenever people selectively think we’re above this sort of behaviour... we aren’t. FFS Tim Cahill is constantly tring to get people wound up and sent off... Fellaini is the human elbow... and Phil Neville screams at anyone who moves!

James Greem
4 Posted 10/08/2009 at 16:38:36

Congrats again Ciaran on another enlightening post!
Have you ever actually posted anything positive about Everton. I think you need to lighten up a bit and don’t forget to smile!! :)

Ciarán McGlone
5 Posted 10/08/2009 at 16:48:10

Which point in particular do you disagree with James?

Or are you simply advocating mindless positivity and fabrication...irrespective of reality?

James Greem
6 Posted 10/08/2009 at 17:03:09

Well RL is hardly full of thuggery, its hard but fair, with no players complaining constantly, all the players know that if they cheat that in 99% cases the ref will blow or he’ll get a boot or a whack.

Back to Everton:- in the grand scheme of the PL we are one of the better behaved teams, again hard but on the whole a fair team. You’ve bought into MOTD’s demonising of Fellaini over his elbowing — it's a natural way of leverage. Cahill is probably one of the most discriminated players — he rarely gets free kicks- although his moaning at not getting any decisions last season was starting to piss me off!
As for Phil Neville — as long as he keeps screaming at our boys when they need to be screamed at, let him!

Mark Murphy
7 Posted 10/08/2009 at 17:37:09

Ciaran, how very dare you?

Thats Rugby Union your thinking of!

Tsch!

But I’m confused - are you defending football or attacking it?
I’m not eulogising anything — just pointing out the difference between two approaches to two very similar incidents. Whether you like RL or not is not of the slightest interest to me but it's a sport that HAS very much sorted out this aspect of its game — disrespect and abuse for the referee is simply not tolerated and is indeed penalised.

As for the thuggery, thats addressed too in most cases. Personally though, I’m just always surprised that refs in football dont just brandish the cards at the first show of dissent.

Brian Waring
8 Posted 10/08/2009 at 19:10:00

It almost gets to the vommiting point, the way some of you paint us out to be this whiter than white club. At the end of the day, we might not be the worst, but we are just as bad.

John Martin
9 Posted 10/08/2009 at 19:34:24

We cling to being a nice club who don't harrass the ref etc we are old school. We do this to cover up we won't win anything and being moral victors is the only thing we have over teams that actually win trophies. That's part of our problem, clinging to our history and reputation rather than planning for a succesful future. Nil satis nisi optimum.

Alan Clarke
10 Posted 10/08/2009 at 20:36:23

I hate every single other team in this league and a hell of a lot of other teams in the lower divisions. I hate every set of opposing fans that turn up at Goodison. I hate all their songs and I hate the way any of them celebrate if their team scores. I hate the top 4 but I’d hate any other team that entered the top 4. I’m not one for hoping "if it’s not us then I hope it’s Villa/Spurs/etc" because I hate Villa/Spurs/etc. I could not imagine supporting any other team and I can’t understand why anyone would support any other team.

I love Everton.

Simon Kirwan
11 Posted 10/08/2009 at 21:02:18

Ciaran is spot on - I gotta add as well that there is far more justice in rugby with the video ref every 2 mins, which I think would make a bad decision easier to accept (although that could swing the opposite way I admit).

We are not the saintly team some of us like to make out. Just part of the modern day package.

Jamie Crowley
12 Posted 11/08/2009 at 03:33:02

We are saintly compared to Manure and Chelski. Anyone with eyes can see that. Ciaran, you’re nuts.
Cahill might toss his arms out, palms upward... Big Fell definately had an elbow issue - but it DID calm down considerably the last 10 games or so. And Neville yells a ton: at his teamates usually b/c they have a fuckin stick up their azz and they’re wearing snow shoes!

PLEASE compare that with Chelsea players literally surrounding the ref on all sides screaming at the guy! And they do it all the time!! I’ve never seen an Everton mobbing of the ref. Never. How bout ManU guys chasing a ref down 1/4 to 1/2 of the field length? I’ve seen that more than a few times, but never ever seen and Everton player do it.

Sorry, we’re 10X better behaved and I think we are a team to be proud of, the way we conduct ourselves.

There’s a massive difference between Cahill getting caught up in the moment and giving the ol 2 armed shrug and Chelsea boys surrounding the ref and berating him like they were raised by fuckin wolves.

Ciaran, you and Waring are way, way off on this. You shouldn’t be astounded at someone thinking this. Everton, at least the current crop of players, are above this. And it isn’t selective opinion / judgement on my part - it obvious to anyone with eyes.

Differing view, but yours in all things Blue...
Bring back Big Dunc and have him pot shot someone in the gut and maybe you’ve got a point.

Ciarán McGlone
13 Posted 11/08/2009 at 11:50:15

Jamie,

I love the way you conveniently label our bad behaviour as ’getting caught up in the moment’..

Wasn’t that Drogba’s defence at his shambolic UEFA trial.

Bóllocks.

And I haven’t even mentioned Yakuku’s diving or Vic’s petulant child routine.

Take your glasses off.

Jamie Crowley
14 Posted 12/08/2009 at 02:58:25

Ciaran-

Again, a 2 armed shrug isn’t even in the same ballpark as a team wide circle the ref shout and dress down. Not even in the same galaxy.

I concede the VIc diving. Jezuz it would piss me off to no ends. Tank of a body and going to ground when a friggin feather hit him.

Let’s keep score this season of player berating of refs and team surroundings of refs in the Chelsea and Everton games. Season end total will be like Chelsea 23 - Everton 2.

Then give me you address and I’ll personally send my glasses to you for your use.

Cheers. And BTW, of all the Premiership teams aside from the shite I hate the most it’s easily hands down Chelsea. So I admit I do not see this overly objectively.

Still think I’m right.

Stewart Littler
15 Posted 12/08/2009 at 10:12:28

Ciaran - do you ever actually do anything other than post on this site???

Seriously, trying to make out Everton are as bad as the rest when it comes to discipline is ridiculous; just a few others to add to the rest - that fuckwit Terry with his thigh high challenge on Osman last season, Stevie "I gave him 3 uppercuts cos he stood up menacingly" G with his 2 footed assault on Naysmith, Nolan with his disgraceful challenge on Anichebe. And that’s looking just at Everton - how about the challenge on Eduardo (sick!).

I’m also curious - why do you support the Blues? Serious question, it’s just everything you post criticises the club in one way or another.

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