Everton's Blue Family Campaign Provides Support For More Than 3,000 Individuals In First Month

Although I'm proud of the fact that we do things because they're right and not just to get press headlines, it would be nice to read about this in the national press occasionally – especially when other clubs have made such mistakes in furloughing.

People may scoff at “The People's Club” line, however, we are a club for the people. Unlike that lot over the park who have empty tag lines that mean nothing when it might hamper their income.

Kevin #1 I agree mate but it seems that the chosen few are always going to make the headlines. One club in particular has a distinct advantage of having the alternative national anthem as its club song - which is now widely tipped to be number one in honour of Captain Tom Moore's amazing fundraising effort sung by Michael Ball and NHS staff. I'm sure the BBC will have Klopp and company interviewed next week when the song makes the Number One spot.

How and why that particular song is chosen for every occasion is a mystery to me but I always have had a strange taste in musc.

Nothing strange about your musical taste, Patrick. It's a tiresome dirge. Turgid even before it was co-opted in the '60s.

Patrick (John), would that be the song from the musical "Carousel", sung by Man Utd fans way before the RS, in honour of the dead from the Munich air disaster?

Gerry and the Pisstakers have much to answer for...

My mate swears Gerry Marsden used to be an Evertonian and even his own family shake their heads at his change of allegiance.

I like swimming against the tide, so I'll have no problem keeping my mouth firmly shut if "The Nation" decides to adopt The Dirge as its Covid anthem.

I'd rather walk alone.

It is a piss-take that we are expected to sing a song that is aligned to a team that wanted to use taxpayers money to protect their £50 million profits. I won't sing it.

We should campaign for an alternative.

Oasis - Stand by me? More widely accepted by the country, regardless of the singer's football allegiances.

Below is an unusual and soulful version of the Z-Cars theme and very good it is too:

Link

https://twitter.com/Kelltheblue/status/1251436992061222914

Patrick, thought that was going to be a video I was sent yesterday on Whatsapp with a soulful version of Z-Cars and a video showing Everton over the years.

Wish I knew how to link it, it brought a tear to my eye!

I think you might mean this one, Brian @10:

Link

That's the one, mate, thanks for doing that!

My mum has been the recipient of a weekly phone call from Everton. She's 91 and is still a season ticket holder with me going to the game. I think it's fabulous that Everton go out of their way to make sure that the isolated are okay. It's not even a cursory call either, they stay on the phone for over a half-hour just chatting.

I couldn't give a monkey's whether the media take notice or not, we know. To coin a phrase, "Those who understand need no explanation, those who don't understand don't matter"

A very big hand to Everton for all they do in the community. Fuck the RS media.

The opening post is one helluva roll call of the value of EiTC to the wider community - not just its own fan base - which goes well beyond shallow and fleeting one-off gestures some clubs indulge in as a PR exercise.

Dave Ganley's example of his mum's weekly call further shows such interventions are not scripted 90-second call-centre type contact, but personal and humane.

There will always be some who use EiTC as a stick to beat the club with, but for me you cannot put a price on their work. I would rather they continued presenting and representing the club in the good light that they do rather than re-direct the necessary funding to buy and maintain an iffy midfielder from the Balkans who can't make the first team.

And Patrick @ 11...thanks for the Z-Cars link. Excellent.

It's time we created some new memories, heroes and glories.

As YouTube is inclined to do, it followed that video up with this suggested one on present day match-going fans.

Link

It's a gud 'un too.

Great work by EFC, and EitC, in these very difficult times for mankind.

EFC is genuine heart and soul, and what EitC do as business as usual, week-in and week-out, for the community is incredible.

The irony but not unexpected choice of the RS anthem for Captain Tom does make you think. I suppose they wanted to use a British Song, so that reduces down appropriate songs, but this song is eternally over-hyped and sung by the RS and a club that the world knows is as shallow as it comes.

We will prevail, but I sense this weekend it's a reality check for this government if they've ran out, or are close to running out, of PPE for their staff. Critical days in view of what's been achieved so far.

Until there's a cure and reading that Hokkaido is seeing a second surge in COViD19, after lifting restrictions three weeks ago, I think the EPL, are playing with fire with their plans to play games behind closed doors.

This will create the temptation for under cover football parties and social gatherings and put added pressure on the NHS and and key workers.

Scrap the season - nul and void, across the UEFA region, to keep parity, tell the RS Echo and the RS TV media propaganda brigade it's tough shit, but man kinds survival is more important and preserving the UK work force and economy, than acting God and deciding who wins, comes second and gets relegated etc.

So does any one believe if and when times get back to a semblance of normality, will the international economic slow down, and recession, impact the “Beautiful Game?”

I anticipate, a very back to basics stance and depending on whose still in employment etc could severely impact the game.

Let's see, but all stay safe and well and enjoy this weekend.

Patrick @11, slightly off topic here, but wanted to know if your Uncle (John McF Snr) is okay? I have sent a couple of emails asking if he is okay, but I have had no response or acknowledgement.

He is very well respected on TW as you will be well aware of, I keep in touch with quite a few TW members, by phone or text, and many have asked about John.

While I appreciate there has been little in the way of Football matters recently because of this Covid-19 curse, and many regular posters are having a keyboard vacation, but would appreciate confirmation that he is okay. Thanks Patrick!

Derek #18 I assume that he has turned off his PC or is beavering away on a new Everton project; I have no reason to believe that his health is any worse than is usual. Many thanks for your concern.

Cheers Editor,👍☘️🙏🏼, all stay safe and well.

Just reading on the other thread, and thinking I'm not even missing football, and when I saw Patrick's link yesterday, it was only on my phone. Just saw it again, then watched Jay's straight after it, and honestly think I'm missing our club much more than the game of football right now. If that makes any sense!

Well done, Everton in the Community.

In terms of an appropriate song, what about “All Together Now” by the Farm? An Everton version was popular for the Wembley final in 1995 and it is by a Liverpool group.

Tony, plenty of Everton content here if you need a 'fix'.

The official club YouTube channel with a good number of full 90-minute complete games to watch.

Link

Have you also watched this 25-minute mini-documentary on the club site about the 1969-70 championship winning season? Not much action as not every game was covered in those days, but excellent contributions from John Hurst and Joe Royle, even Ronnie Goodlass. Well worth a watch.

Link

Also, just listened to Seamus Coleman talking as well as ever on a BBC podcast.

I would strongly advise you to fast forward to the 24 minute mark in the 55 minute podcast, unless you want to sit through some really tedious stuff. href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p089tpt9">Link

Opps!

This is the podcast link.

Link

Hi Derek [18] I switched my laptop off for a couple of days because the subject was of the Coronavirus, [and rightly so], and I felt that I had nothing constructive to add to the subject. On turning on tonight, I read your e-mail enquiring of the well being of my 'Young Lady' and myself, I think the term is 'Alive and Kicking' and, although my various ailments place me in the vulnerable category, I think I'm well down the priority list.

Halfway through my 4th week of 'Confined to Barracks' I've just learned of the 'Blue Family Campaign' and I'm immensely proud to be a supporter of Everton Football Club I have long been of the opinion that there are far more important things in life than football, a view that's being reinforced now by the dreadful situation we find ourselves in.

I must add that I believe that the Premier League and its clubs are more concerned by the fact that the TV companies may reclaim fees if the season is not completed, than they are for the welfare of the players and supporters. Clubs like Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur illustrate this by their decisions to furlough their non-playing staff; they were shamed into reversing these decisions.

I acknowledge that football has always been a business, but not to the extent that it is today. There have always been clubs that are richer than others, either by better management or larger fan bases. I'm of an age that saw a smaller difference in financial affairs than the present day arrangement and, in my opinion, professional football both on and off the pitch, is not the sport I grew up watching.

Yes, there's nothing fake or posturing about any of this; it's superb work which makes a significant difference to vulnerable people.

Good to hear from you John Mc, and thanks for those links Jay, even if I can only watch the highlights and never a full game unfortunately, probably because alls I concentrated on in my early years was football, football and football, no wonder I’m not missing it that much anymore!

John Mc Snr, sending you my best wishes.

Great work by the club. It makes me proud to be a blue. Meanwhile I’ll be contacting Capt Moore and asking for my donation back now he’s gone to the dark side! Only messing but I won’t be listening to that horrible song and if people want to sing it during the clap, I’m shutting the door.

John@25, so glad that all is well, and you have responded. You say that you are in the vulnerable risk category.

Well John I don't think anyone is in, or out of, any category, as so little is known of this virus, and they are basically 'moving the goalposts' on a daily basis as they find out more about how it manifests itself.

It seems to be indiscriminate, and everyone is basically at risk, and it still beggars belief that there is a minority who are totally oblivious or ignorant to the advice on lockdown.

Nobody wants to do it, but in the interest of minimising any potential, in contracting and/or spreading it, these rules should be obeyed for the good of everyone, no one is immune, as far as we know.

As you so rightly say too, there are far more important things than football, the game which we all love, and which has brought us all together via this wonderful website for Evertonians.

Take care, John, and everyone on TW, we will get through this together, and hopefully come out better human beings at the end of it.

It would be nice if those who do not hesitate to criticize our Chairman, CEO, Board and, indeed, the Club in general (you know who you are) could come on this link and, just for once, compliment them for what the Club is doing.

I agree completely with John (#25), there are more important things than football and this exhibits the Club's care for others from the top down.

Well done to the blue family because, at a time like this, winning trophies is not important to us, and looking after the people in our community is definitely the most important thing, which is something that the people within our club are definitely doing so well right now.

Come on, Terry. What the club is doing is magnificent and being done quietly, decently and in, what I am not embarrassed to say, the Everton way is. But you are being a little churlish here. Our chairman has been, rightly in my view, criticized. No one is doing it now.

What a magnificent effort by this magnificent club. I'm going to that link right now to help.

Kevin #1 and Patrick #2, it's easy to blame the media, but the fact is that Everton is flat-out awful at public relations. Richard Kenyon is a marketer and corporate communications guy with absolutely no experience or emphasis in PR, and it shows. For better or worse, our club simply doesn't care much about generating positive, recurring media exposure. Damn, what I could do there in 30 days... just give me a desk and a phone, Denise, and show me where the coffee pot is.

John #25, great to see your byline again, my friend... glad all is well.

Just a sudden additional thought -- I've been irregular here the past couple of weeks... have any TWers gotten sick?

I too saw the Michael Ball article yesterday, and yeap, it's gonna happen. The Covid-19 anthem. Everton never get any national credit for anything. But it also begs the question what our communication dept/press office do?

Also I'm not his biggest fan but I do believe Bill Kenwright should be knighted. People in media and sports are.

Mike G @34, reading your post it has initiated my concern: "I've been irregular here the past couple of weeks"... can I recommend Imodium?

Bravo Roma, that's a real uplifting story, at a time when football means nothing. 👏

Tony, I assume you mean about Roma players taking a 4-month full pay cut. Great move by their players. I also see Juventus have said they will refuse the Italian title if Serie A is finished early. No fucking chance the RS will do that is there.

I don’t expect them to Rob, because I expect them to finish the season, that should have already been cancelled, simply because there is to much money at stake, for everyone concerned, or so it seems?

Hi Tony [40],

I never thought that I would ever say the words "I am falling out of love with football" – not the game, but the greed that the authorities who control it have clearly demonstrated in their quest to fulfil the current season. It appears to me that the game is being taken away from the match-going supporter, and that TV coverage (and its rewards) will govern the direction it takes. The first steps were the decision to dispense with replays by introducing penalty shoot-outs, claiming that it would add to the excitement when it was plain to see that match-going fans disliked it, and probably still do.

I'm on record as saying that the only improvements I've seen in recent years are the goal-line technology and the referee's 'free kick shaving cream'. The control of the game by a referee 200 miles away has robbed the fan of his ecstatic celebration, on the pretence of 'It has to be seen to be fair'. If that was the case, then every ground at every level should be equipped with the facility to exact this 'fairness'.

Football, in my opinion, is a game played by humans and refereed by humans, and there have been more changes in the last 20 years than in the previous 100 years. I have no doubt that there will be some who have a different take on this issue. (We all have that right.)

I think there is a “desperate need” to continue with the season John Mc, because of the desperate financial position, most clubs now find themselves in, because of the unbelievably crazy wages, they pay their players.

This desperation might work against them in the end, with fans no longer being prepared to pay astronomical ticket prices, or even stop going all together because they don’t agree that football should even begin again whilst the world is suffering so much pain.

Everything is pure speculation at the minute, but who wouldn’t give football up for good, if it kept their family safe? Which is obviously the most important thing for most of us right now.

I'm sure everyone on here is an avid listener of Woman's Hour on BBC Radio 4, so will not need their attention drawing to an excellent feature on Everton's activities in the Community. Extremely complimentary. Next week, Songs of Praise is going to have a segment on The Holy Trinity.

No surprise here with this article. Best club in the world.

As for the dirge "You'll never stalk alone". Always hated that song.

The stalk is intentional...

Over many years, I have complained that our publicity dept has let the club down.

Here in Australia, we are continuously fed the RS and other so-called top clubs propaganda but never a word about the good work of EitC.

When other clubs leap on tiny morsels of news, we do not get a mention.