Everton announce Asia Trophy dates

Last July, when they came to Bangkok, they only had the new shirts for VIPs and there was absolutely no Everton merchandise to be had anywhere.

I just wonder what if we need to play the qualifying round of the Europa League...

The fact that itÂ’s in Singapore says to me itÂ’s not well-planned at all.

Sorry but I have no idea why Singapore/Bangkok etc are thought to be beneficial locations for pre-season for any British team.

Firstly, youÂ’re talking about a long flight to get out there.

Secondly...well for those who havenÂ’t been to Singapore, next time youÂ’re taking a Frey Bentos pie out of the oven, shove your face in for a few seconds and youÂ’ll get the idea.

Basically, if youÂ’re not standing directly under an air-conditioning vent, the sweat is pissing out of you.

We donÂ’t play our football in this climate, so why do any pre-season there?

I can still remember KilbaneÂ’s performance at left back in Thailand - running round like a fucking lunatic, losing pints of water (I remember being genuinely concerned for him).

Imo, we should always play our pre-season in Europe (not too far away either).

Oh and I donÂ’t buy into Â’well Singapore is a good business opportunityÂ’ (specially given the ineptitude of our hopeless marketing Â’expertsÂ’).

From a business perspective, selling 17 extra shirts in Thailand didnÂ’t change much and neither will this trip.

Where the Asia market is lucrative is in commercial sponsorship opportunities. Obviously we have the deal with Thai Bev, and previously had Keijan, but there are lots of companies there who are desperate to break into the sports sponsorship market. If you ever watch a live game, or highlights on MOTD etc., note how much of the perimeter advertising is in a foreign language, or is dual language.

At one stage Vietnam was threatening to block broadcasts due to the amount of Asian internet gambling sites being advertised.

Man U has tier 3 and 4 sponsors ranging from watch manufacturers to paint producers - none of which you or I would have heard of, but itÂ’s not important as the UK isnÂ’t their market. They are paying for the right to include the association on their marketing campaigns.

Asia is full of marketing agents who will offer to hawk your brand around for the usual 10%. Less if you give them exclusivity. Most of them arenÂ’t worth bothering with but there are reputable agencies out there who would do an excellent job of promoting the Everton brand on a commission-only basis (i.e. no up front opex commitment from the club) but they just donÂ’t seem to be interested.

Pre 1992 it was a sport, itÂ’s now a global business with brand equity an important part of it. The likes of Arsenal, Chelsea and Man Utd have representative offices in Asia to advance their commercial reach. WeÂ’ve never even tried. WeÂ’re small time, and weÂ’ll stay small time with this lot in charge.

As a Kiwi Toffee (who saw them play here in 1987 as Champions) IÂ’d be pretty keen to see them back! My two sons ... Whose middle names are Â’EvertonÂ’ and Â’William RalphÂ’ would think all of their Christmases had come at once!