Sorry to see you go Lyndon. Just hope the new owners can keep the site to the high standards you and MK had it. All the best in your new venture.

Lyndon, I think every member of TW would like to thank you and Michael for the outstanding work you guys have done to create this wonderful close knit family. You are a brilliant writer and whatever happens going forward with the new owners, you will be desperately missed. I have noted your next steps and can guarantee this particular Evertonian will continue to follow your progress and, in particular, your insight.
Good luck!!

Paul #1

Our idea is not to let you down guys. This site is all about you : the fans. You are the guys that can help us create the best version of ToffeeWeb.
If there is any kind of article you'd like to see more often here, please let us know.

Charles Taudin, who's the global editorial Chief, has one mission : Keep the high standards Lyndon has created here.

transition is a bit longer than we expected but be sure we are going to make this special !

Thank you again for your much needed support !

Khalid (3) Thanks for your post I look forward to being a continued and contented member of ToffeeWeb.

Lyndon thanks for your post also is there any chance of joining Evertonia — I tried to enlist last week but still waiting for you to reply to me as promised, you will be missed on here as will Michael and many thanks for the years you both provided many Everton fans with that brilliant platform.

ps Get me on Evertonia as soon as possible!

Fair play to you Lyndon for adding a bit of background.

Good luck to you, Khalid, and the rest of your editorial team.
Enjoy

#5 Ian Jones.

Thank you so much for your support ! Let's go get the W tomorrow !

Best wishes Lyndon.

I can only echo what has already been said.

A big thank you for building and developing this platform, where so many of us were able to express our views, swap opinions and build friendships.

Not having the dynamic of you and Michael will take some getting used to, but I'm sure many will follow you both in your new ventures.

Bloody hell Dave # 4………you thank Khalid for his post, then it sounds like you want to get away from TW ASAP! 🤣🤣🤣🤣

Thanks Lyndon and Khalid.
A few questions please.
I know that Lyndon and Michael were the Admins of TW.
Were they also the owners of the TW site?
Has any money changed hands now that TW has new owners?
What were the reasons for the 'sale'?
Just curious.

Welcome Charles and Khalid, I am sure you are well aware that filling the shoes of Lyndon and Michael will be a big ask. I am sure you want this site to get even better if that's possible, and I just wish you the best of luck. Many Posters have been on this site for years and I just hope they stay and keep posting.

Many thanks to you and Michael, Lyndon. This site has meant more to me than I can say. Khalid,nice post. I have been a member for almost thirty years and will continue to remain so.
Many years ago a late friend of mine wrote a well researched guide to fan sites. He was actually a Liverpool supporter but he was convinced that ToffeeWeb was the best site by some distance. I would suggest that taking the site " to a new level", should mean adding, not changing. The site has been renowned for strong opinions and I would urge to let it remain so. The site pretty much censors itself.
I think that Evertonia offers something different and I will look forward to using both sites.
Finally, Khalid,I am at an age where dishing out unwanted advice is second nature, so here's some:
I reckon the biggest issue you will face is that you are nor Blues. Some are born Blues, some are chosen, I was chosen. Believe that you have been chosen late, embrace the passion and you will find yourself among the best around.
Welcome and good luck.

Thank you Lyndon, for giving me a platform to rage against the machine, to vent, to laugh, even shed a few tears that come with memories. First thing in the morning, last thing at night, in the middle of the night when I find myself awake at 3am thinking about the blues, am I the only one?
ToffeeWeb is so much more than a sports site, it's a meeting place, the virtual pub where everyone knows your name. It's a credit to the time effort and expertise both you and Michael have put in, so I'll raise to you you're parting glass, for I am sorry that you've gone away, Goodnight, God bless and peace be with you always..

Khalid and Charles, welcome to the family! This is a special place, a proud place, friendly, confrontational, funny but all with one thing in common, proud to be blues. As days follow you will find yourselves confused, dazed, laughing out loud, angry or in despair, such is the life of a blue. There is a well known saying, "Once Everton has touched you.. you are never the same, you fall in love"

You have that to look forward to.. after 20 years on this site, the one thing I never expected was to see Michael and Lyndon go, but the baton has been passed to you now, good luck!

#10 Brian

I know what it's like to have those kind of shoes to fill in. The challenge is huge for me and my team. But with you guys, i'm sure we'll do great stuff.

The "fan-written" articles will of course remain as you POV is also really important for us. So don't hesitate to summit your content as well.

I really hate predictive txt...

May I echo the thanks to Lyndon and Michael for providing this site for so long, and wish good luck to the new custodians.

Being an exile from Prescot, this website has kept me feeling involved with the greatest football club in the world. Immense respect and gratitude to you both!

ToffeeWeb is a truly excellent resource and has bought me information and humour reliably and regularly for many years now - it’s embedded itself into my favourite websites and bookmarks.

Best of luck in whatever you do next Lyndon, and thank you.

#11 Andy

Thank you so much for your message, means a lot. You highlight one or two things that seems important. Yes, opinions are the core of this website. If there's not such thing, all of us would go to BBC or ESPN or whatever haha.
So we'll keep having these on the site.
Second, "New ownership", doesn't necessarily mean "changing everything". I'm not a big fan of this method ! We'll try new stuff but live forum will remain 'of course !) and all the content you are use too.

Finally, no, we are not as Blue as you are. For sure. But let me re-use something i've see on #13 Christine's post : "Once Everton has touched you.. you are never the same, you fall in love"

So let's see !

The first explanation of this transition left a lot of people in the dark Lyndon, but this post carries a lot more information and has been done in the professional manner in which I have always associated you mate!

Compliments at the end Lyndon, and once again best wishes with your new venture, and welcomes to both Khalid, and Charles, who have a very hard act to follow.

The best of luck to our new owners, who I’m sure will already know that Evertonians, are known for being very loyal, which means I’m sure that most people will stick around and wait to see what is on offer🍀

#20 Tony

Thank you so much for your message, means a lot ! Shoes are massive to fill in, but challenge accepted and with all your support that's going to be much easier.

Many thanks to you Lyndon and to MK. Have spent WAY too many hours on this site over the years but it has always felt like a great and welcoming community despite the ocassional tiff. Best of luck in new ventures.

I've never been a habitual poster, more of an avid reader. When I lived in France for ten years ToffeeWeb was always my go to for everything Everton, because it's always been a great source of information, it will be strange not to see LL or MK writing any articles in future but as many other members do I wish you all the best for the next chapters in your lives.

Thank you for being great Evertonians

Ah no, I don’t like change! What a brilliant website you’ve built, developed, and maintained for all Blues. You should be very proud of it.

Tony, well said sir and I would like to echo those sentiments. I was just about to post something similar, so glad I went back through posts.

Good luck to the new owners and let's wait and see.

If only the reticent Michael K. would post a few words that would be greatly appreciated.

MK, apparently Jerome misses you mate! So C'mon and say summat.

#25 James Hughes

Thank you so much for your message and support !

Khalid, Charles welcome and good luck with the site. Big boots to fill and I'm sure with continued support from true blues on here you will grow into the task.

Apologies if this has already been asked but are you actual Everton fans who have been offered this unique opportunity? I assume you are not involved with any other fansites.

Anyway good luck again. I shall be switching between the two sites so as to maximise my daily Everton fixes, lol!

#27 Kim.

One thing is sure, we're not involved in any other fansites in England (so no worries we're not Liverpool's spys ahah).

The group has in charge Netflu, fansite for Fluminense in Brazil, but i'm not in charge of it.

I'm personally in charge of theplayoffs.news, a dedicated site for US Sports

Good luck to Charles and his team.

A big thank you and very best wishes to you Both. Like so many of us ToffeeWeb has been my constant companion for many years and I have grown to love the individual style of the many regular contributors.
Of course you will both be missed but hopefully you have left us in good hands. You have both covered more heart aches than joys during your time running the web site so let's hope there is a brighter future ahead.
You will of course remain fans, so no doubt we will be reading your comments from the terraces. Very best wishes to you both, in whatever you do.

Add my thanks to Lyndon and Michael, and also a welcome to Charles, Khalid and the new team.

I don't underestimate the amount of time spent developing the website, not just creating, editing and moderating content, but also the myriad technical issues that will have cropped up from time to time. I think I can recall one hosting migration as well as various capacity and technical upgrades that gave you sleepless nights, and the rest of us with withdrawal symptoms.

I look forward to seeing how the "new" site goes, and also how ToffeeWeb evolves. I suspect they will sit well alongside each other.

Robert#9

Really?

Are you serious?

Wtf has any of what you've asked got to do with you?

Lyndon, Michael thanks for all your efforts with TW and look forward to seeing the new venture grow with luck for you.

Charles, Khalid, welcome to TW and the blue family.
Hopefully as promised sweeping changes won't be made and users will notice the positives.
As an initial glance at NetFlu I do hope as an individual we don't get the same number of betting advertising on the homepage but we can only see wait and see what is planned for the site.
Good to hear that the live forum will remain as it was a bit of a shock to log in and find a message saying it had permanently closed on Saturday afternoon.

Brian, agree with that as well, a bit like asking how much do you earn or what did you pay for your house?

Charles. Thanks for the quick come back. I don't think you actually answered my question but hopefully now Everton has touched you, your blood will run blue and you can share the ups and (hopefully fewer) downs along with all of us! 😁

Kahlid, Charles,

Slightly neglectful of me not to extend my welcome to you and the new Editorial team.

I am sure that you will seek to evolve and develop the site with your own ideas, whilst remaining mindful of what TW has been to many Evertonians for many years.

I don't say this with blue tinted glasses on or through bias, but it is the best supporters forum out there, and I read quite a few. Apart from Liverpool ones.

So, welcome to the family. I hope you look forward to the knowledge and words of wisdom imparted by contributors, either through well-written articles or comments.

Standby for the virtual sparring as fellow Evertonians disagree. Sometimes it can get heated, but entertaining and they often end with the word "mate"!! As I say, it's like a family.

And enjoy epic tales of our travels to watch the blues. They are often eventful. And the dedication of those scattered around the globe, getting up in the early ours to watch on TV or a stream.

Not sure what happened with the above @ 37.

Kahlid you have a very hard act to follow, I have to say I'm dubious that you can match the personal contact that existed with Michael and Lyndon.

I hope you pull it off, good luck.

@ 35, read Lyndon’s OP or the comments from Charles @ 19 and 28 properly.

They completely answer your questions. Take it slowly.

Welcome new guys.

Start as you mean to go on include an "ignore" button on the posts and save yourself a lot of moderation time.

The site has been decent for historical information but mostly a place to vent and screech entrenched views leading to drama queens aplenty - not good.

Talk about pot and kettle. -))

I hope this excellent site will go from strength to strength. It's already superb, so I'm interested to see how it may be improved further. As always, proof of the pudding is in the eating - if it's not done the right way, nobody will be back for second helpings!

Lyndon and Michael, thank you for giving me ToffeeWeb, my only go-to place for all things Everton. I have never set foot in Goodison Park, (which I hoped to do before she closes her doors for the last time, but looks unlikely to happen), and TW has been my daily companion. This is the only place where I get to read and contribute to the often vociferous debates after every game, every managerial change, every transfer of ownership. Once again, heartfelt thanks, LL & MK. You guys deserve all the success (and money) coming your way. Nothing prevents you guys from popping in occasionally, I suppose!
Khalid, Charles (and Anjishnu) - welcome to this crazy place and I only hope you continue and improve this wonderful fans' forum. I have seen some amazing posters here - full of passion and humor. And long may it continue. As Christine righty says, this is the virtual neighbourhood pub for all matters Evertonia! ;-)

Thank you to all concerned. You gave us a voice and you gave us a forum to air our views, and a lot of accurate, informative, information to peruse.

It’s been a rollercoaster of emotions with good and bad times, but positivity has always shone through.

Let’s finish the era with a win at Goodisons final Derby game tomorrow, and good luck to the new administrators.

Thank you Lyndon and Michael for the extraordinary work you put into making ToffeeWeb an intelligent, incisive and generous resource for Everton fans around the world.

I thought Lyndon was Evertonia, I've already signed up.

Firstly, let me say a huge “thank you” to Lyndon and Michael. ToffeeWeb has always been one of my first ports of call whenever logging onto the Internet; and by that I mean first among all places on the Internet, not just those carrying information about my beloved Everton Football Club. I myself have been involved in running websites, and clubs for enthusiasts of this and that, and appreciate just how much effort and dedication is required to produce anything approaching the quality and authenticity of ToffeeWeb.

Whilst I wish the new owners/editors of the website all the very best for the future, and intend to give them an opportunity to show me that the website will be worth coming back to, I really should point out that one of the things that made ToffeeWeb stand out (apart from the quality of its material, and the wit amid the cut and thrust of the comments ) is the fact that it was created and curated by two people who are Royal Blue through and through. Sadly, it appears that the new overlords aren't Evertonians. Accordingly, the website would appear to have lost its soul, so to say. There are any number of media sources (not to mention fan sites) where I can get my EFC fix. This place is no longer “special” among them.

Evertonia, a site I once visited before the creation of ToffeeWeb, is now back on my bookmarks bar, alongside BBC News, The Guardian football pages, and Google Translate, among others.

Best of luck to everyone still here - writers, and readers thereof - but I don't think I shall be visiting anything like as often as I have for oh so many years past.

UTFT!

P.S. I might point out that the look of the website’s front page is not enhanced by the big, blank, bland, blue backings to headlines. It's almost as if no one can be bothered looking for an appropriate image depicting anything actually linked to Everton Football Club?!

Thank you Lyndon and Michael for a superb site, and wishing Kahlid and his team best wishes.

Thanks for all your hard work in the past and making this website work, and therefore initiating discussion about our beloved Everton.
Without you and contributors it would not have happened.

24 years? Has it been so long?
This site keeps me connected to the community I've loved since a very young boy.
I'll go find you on BlueSky (Musk can F**K 0FF!),
and,
of course,
I'll still follow TW; you deserve your legacy to be supported by all of us who support this bloody daft football club.
Thanks guys.

Welcome to Khalid and Charles. I’m guessing faith has now been restored to everyone who was getting worried about whether it was the end of TW or not, me included. Hopefully the site will remain as it has for many years, the only change being getting banned or put on post moderation by Khalid and Charles instead of Mr Kenrick! 😂😂😂

Big thank you and best wishes to Lyndon & Michael and a warm welcome to the new team.

It's beginning to feel a lot like ToffeeWeb...

Welcome Charles and Khalid.

Like everyone, I look forward to seeing ToffeeWeb go from strength to strength.

I’d be lying if I didn’t say that I’m concerned at the prospect of non-Blues administering the site.

For all I often didn’t see eye-to-eye with the editorial stance on certain matters (step forward MK’s recent article on Moyes’ appointment), both Michael and Lyndon knew in infinitisemal detail the history of our great club and how that connected to what is happening today. Sometimes I guess that was a hindrance but, on the whole, it gave the site real gravitas.

I have no doubt that you guys will bring professionalism and a new energy to the site. My fear is that, as non-Evertonians, if you don’t know something then… you don’t know it. After all, you can’t Google for facts that you didn’t know existed and you can’t include personal anecdotes if you don’t have any.

Anyway, reservations aside, best of luck. I will keep ToffeeWeb as my preferred site (for now!) and see how things go from there…

Lyndon and Michael

I want to add my thanks to those already proffered.

For me, ToffeeWeb was an oasis of sense in a sea of mediocrity as far as most fan sites were concerned. Not all, but a vast majority of the contributors seemed more astute, erudite and articulate than the average poster on many other sites and that, for me, set ToffeeWeb apart.

Hopefully, Khalid and Charles, you, and other colleagues in your editotiral team will, as the new guardians of this site, maintain it in the spirit and form that I found so attractive when I first found the site many years ago.

The baton has been passed.

Cherish it and nurture it with the same care as your predecessors.

Lyndon and Michael. Cheers for everything.

Khalid and Charles. Welcome and UTFT

#54

Hugh,
Thanks so much for your support ! We will try our best !

I would love to see the return of Jay Wood ( Brazil ) and Steve Ferns.
they were very insightful posters and massive Passionate Evertonians.
also, Mr Darren Hind used to spice things up nicely.
Nostalgia, is nowhere near what it used to be.
welcome to the new owners. NSNO !

Charles - Why did you decide to buy a 30-year old, fan-owned website?

Rob (9), No Rob I wasn’t trying to get away from ToffeeWeb, I said I wanted to continue to be contented member of it, I was also asking Lyndon to get me enlisted on Evertonia as well, but ToffeeWeb will always be my first port of call, you can be assured of that Charles and Khalid—— How’s that for a nice bit of crawling.

Michael & Lyndon, many thanks for your work over the years.

Charles & Khalid, Orright lah...
Get used to a bit of Scouse and if anyone asks what you are looking at just ignore them,
Terrah for now.

Good luck to Lyndon and Michael, both true blues and tireless writers and site-administrators.

I'll say thanks and goodbye now, as I'd rather be part of one of the other sites that are run by Evertonians, for Evertonians, and are clearly labours of love. Not sure what the point is of this place now, but good luck to all of you, though I'm guessing I'll see most of you on Lyndon's new site, or on GOT.

UTFT!

Dave A (4), the only hiccup I had when registering on Evertonia was the verification link email was directed to the ‘Junk’ email inbox.
If that also happened to you, you may need to repeat the registration if there is a timeout on the verification process.
Remember not to open anything else in the ‘Junk’ inbox as most stuff sent there should be left well alone.

I’ve already wished Lyndon and Michael well (still hoping MK will post something / give us a sign he is okay) so now it’s welcome to Khalid and Charles. It looks like Evertonia will remain quite different to ToffeeWeb so you will get adherents if you are able to keep key elements of the site rolling along.
Long live ToffeeWeb and Evertonia! Vive la difference!

I found this site about 20 years ago when, as an Ex-pat, I was looking for somewhere dedicated to information about my beloved Blues. I have spent so many hours here feeling I am amongst friends - too many familiar names to mention - reading articles and comments - making me feel I was in a pub with them, near the ground 'debating' all things Blue. Many thanks to Michael and Lyndon for all their dedication to the site and best wishes for the future.

Charles and Khalid, I also wish you both success in maintaining something that is an essential component of being an Evertonian. As others have said I will also give you every chance to do that and hope I will be a ToffeeWeb reader for many years to come.

An excellent final statement Lyndon.
NSNO.

Welcome to new editors

Let's not use this phrase ever again pls

'Let's go get the W tomorrow !'

Thanks to Lyndon and Michael for their hard work and dedication over numerous years. They turned a website into a lively and thriving community with their knowledge and passion.

ToffeeWeb has been my browser's home page for at least 10 years now, but from the way it's going it will no longer be a place I'd consider visiting.

Many thanks to Lyndon and Michael for providing over 30 years of incredible content and debate.

And welcome to Khalid and Charles who I hope will continue to enhance the lives of all ToffeeWebbers with first class contributions and content.

It's all been said but just to add my two penneth. Many thanks to Lyndon and Michael. We'll meet again (elsewhere). And greeting to Khald and Charles.

Onwards and upwards.

.
"Best of luck to the new guys!"

New guy: "Cheers. Let's go get the W tomorrow!"

"Sorry did you just say 'the W'?"

"Yes."

- comedy pause -

Link

Lots of new ownership stuff going on in the Everton sphere lately.

Brian 32 & James 34 - funny how people see things differently.
Ah well, I suppose you have all the answers eh?

Robert#71.
I certainly don't have all the answers but I'll ask again what has whether money changed hands, and someone's personal business have to do with you?
Unless YOU see that differently and you think you have a right to know?

Si (62) Thanks I’ll try again if I can find the page!

It seems ToffeeWeb has gone both corporate and global. I never realised fan sites were in that category, to be honest.

I would much prefer a local fan site run by Evertonians who understand the nuances of being a blue, know their history, felt the decades of pain, but somehow live in hope!

I hope it works out for the new owners, but I think they have a hard job ahead to emulate what we have had.

Best wishes.

John@74 I agree with everything you say. LL and MK
created and oversaw the most fantastic website for which
I will always be grateful. Unfortunately my experience
tells me things will never be quite the same again.

I got 'The W' when it first came out in 2000.

Not one of Wu Tang Clan's finest imo.

Si (62) I got it fixed, I’m a member now, dead easy really —once my grandson came in and got hold of my IPad— thanks again.

What does "Get the W" actually mean?

Maybe it's a bit like "Get to Falkirk!"

Charles and Khalid, thank you for clarifying this transition -- the stress and mystery had a lot of folks here turning blue, and not in a good way.

Now let's see if we can turn you Blue! Welcome to the madhouse.

Brian 72, As a reader and sometimes contributor to TW I have never envisaged the site being taken over by a 'business' - where my/ your posts will probably count as 'hits' for the site and make money for this new 'business'. Given that is the case it was probably to same when Lyndon and Michael ran the show. Soi to ask the question which I did do not seem out of order, to my mind. Maybe it is proving difficult for you to see something other than kicking a bag off wind on TW? No need to reply Brain.

JB 74. "It seems ToffeeWeb has gone both corporate and global. I never realised fan sites were in that category, to be honest."

Yea, you and me both mate.

It's none of your business how much Lyndon received for selling ToffeeWeb no matter how you try to dress it up.

If you can't see that it's your failing not mine.

Doesn't matter what you did or didn't perceive.

You joined a fansite, you read, you contributed.

Where's the part where it's "normal" for you to know the ins and outs of the sale?

You're just another poster, same as all of us.

'The W' refers to The Win. Originally used in American Football and other slow, advert and fast food orientated sports.

Now becoming popular with Gen Z or whatever they are called this week, especially on t'internet.

I have never envisaged the site being taken over by a 'business' - where my/ your posts will probably count as 'hits' for the site and make money for this new 'business'. Given that is the case it was probably the same when Lyndon and Michael ran the show.

Probably the same but you never envisaged it?

Seems I'm not the one having difficulty seeing things here.

Lyndon, and by proxy Michael, I owe you and ToffeeWeb more than I can properly summarize, but I will try.

When catching Everton games on US TV was a rare and unpredictable privilege and news coverage was almost unknown, TW was a way to keep in intimate touch with the club, the news and fellow Blues.

I've always seemed to know less (and have experienced less) Everton history than almost anyone here, but TW has been a fantastic source of learning and vicarious enjoyment, both from posters and from distinguished historians like David France and Rob Sawyer and Becky Tallentire.

When I was sick, TW was a lifeline. I vividly remember tapping out posts from a hospital bed one late night, literally under the covers like a kid, trying not to wake my wife in the chair alongside. (I'm pretty sure the debate was about Rom and Mirallas.)

When I wanted to get over and see Goodison while I still could, TW people helped make it happen, and arranged a welcome that still blows my mind. I have lifetime memories and lifetime friendships to cherish and grow now, on my return trips as a survivor.

Through the recent grinding years of ugly football and ongoing stress, TW has been a source of pressure release, entertainment and outright laughter when most needed.

And throughout, the site has remained essentially the same -- a virtual pub populated with a cross-section of humanity with intense viewpoints and odd perspectives and absolutely nothing in common except our mutual adoration of Everton.

ToffeeWeb has profoundly impacted my life, and I hope it continues to do so, but at this inflection point I wanted to make sure I properly expressed my gratitude for this place while Lyndon and my friends (many still here, some long ago moved on) might still have the chance to read it.

Thank you.

Before the sale.

Although ToffeeWeb is effectively a commercial venture because of its few advertising affiliations, the site only makes a small profit. Most of the proceeds from the display of advertising banners on ToffeeWeb go towards the maintenance and upkeep of the site (e.g. virtual hosting, broadband charges, ISP subscription, labour etc).

Lyndon and Michael, thanks a lot for all you have done here, always quality, always high standards. A Hungarian Toffee

MG

Beautiful post

This discussion about “Money changing Hands” over the takeover of TW, I don’t think it’s a concern of anyone’s on here. What difference does it make whether we know or not? If the new owners feel the need to tell us, then they will tell us. If they think it’s none of our business then I’m sure they will tell us that as well…….In a nice way of course, none of this in a “Mind your own fucking business” manner.

Getting the "w" ( shakes head )

Get ready for " in the 6 " for the 6yard box !
Or a boring zero- zero draw !

I little tear just fell in my beer !!!.

You a Hank Williams fan, David?

Don't trust anyone who's not a Hank Williams fan, Dennis.

Paul Conway 57: Darren H has popped up now on Evertonia.

Sound, Liam

Ah, ToffeeWeb - for the Everton evangelists, the more obsessed of the supporter spectrum, a ruthless, informative, funny, frustrating and addictive website that gets hold of you and leaves you feeling strangely annoyed at its gravitational orbit. Once TW has touched you. it will never be the same.

My first post was over 20 years ago and was ripped apart by some and I was comforted at the same time by others that's TW, not for the faint of heart.

Thank-you Lyndon and Michael for your labour of love and welcome Khalid and Charles - it seems the French are having a moment with AI and now TW.

I can't get on to Evertonia under my TW login so have signed up under my Mother's maiden name - Batty.

Change is inevitable.

Love that post Paul. Having a post ripped to shreds is a rite of passage mate.
Again, cracking post. 💙

Gergó - A “Hungarian toffee”?

Are they like normal toffees but with more paprika?!

Paul @97

As long as you're not calling yourself Nora

Thank you to Lyndon and Michael for your tireless work over the years - TW has always been first class and may it continue in the same way.

Welcome aboard Khalid, Charles and co.

If it's not broken, don't fix it!

So now we know!

Lyndon, Michael - ToffeeWeb has been a constant part of my life since it's inception. Bookmarked on every phone, laptop and desktop I've ever owned, pored over in internet cafés while living and travelling abroad and hungry for Everton news, badly missed on the very rare occasions the site had hiccups and, although I wish it needn't have been this way but perhaps above all, a crutch and brilliant supply of counter arguments in 2023-24 to all those lazy fans of other teams, who didn't read beyond the headlines, and thought Everton deserved the disgraceful treatment meted out to them last season by the Premier League.

There are no words that can really do justice to the debt I, and all Evertonians everywhere, owe you for the colossal amounts of time, effort and, in the recent dark times, sheer willpower it must have taken you to run this place. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart.

I will be signing up at Evertonia for sure.

That's not to say I won't give the new ToffeeWeb a look too - I will, of course, and I hope that Charles and Khalid you will be straining every sinew to live up to what has gone before, because by God the shoes are big ones to fill.

Khalid and Charles. You don’t have to be a genius to work out what is going on here. I’ve seen straight through you.

You’ve seen the stunning new waterfront stadium, you’ve seen the return of Moyes with a steely glint in his eyes, you’ve seen the silky skills of Iliman Ndiaye, and you’ve heard about a summer squad rebuild that is going to be so transformational that in no time at all we’re going to be dining at the top table – and you’ve said to yourselves “Everton are going to be absolutely massive again, we need to get a piece of that”.

You then dug a bit deeper and discovered a fan base that is more passionate, educated, witty and wonderful than any other, and found that they all congregate in the same place. And here we are, and now here you are too.

Welcome, and enjoy the ride!

Colin I must be Batty to keep coming back for more ;)

a timely reminder that we can often not truly appreciate something until it's gone. thanks to Lyndon and Michael for a terrific site, and not just for footy. I remember this place being one of the few places I could swear my head off during the Covid farce.
thanks both.

Appreciate all the effort Michael and Lyndon. You've done a great job creating a community of people together on this site.

Jamie @ 103, brilliant.

Many thanks to Lyndon and Michael for creating and maintaining this website, hopefully you will still be active on here as contributors as we await the next phase of TW and EFC. Welcome, Khalid and Charles.

Really looking forward to getting ‘the W’ tomorrow, guys.

Nothing against the new guys or anything, but this site takeover just reinforces my view that modern life is rubbish.

I could write a whole monologue about the global replacing the local, the banal replacing the inspired etc but what's the point. Swimming against the tide.

A heartfelt thank you to Lyndon and Michael,for the tremendous work you put into ToffeeWeb.
I really don't know how you managed it, but so glad you did.

Just to reiterate what many have said - cheers Lyndon and Michael - the site has been a go to for me, especially all the years when I was abroad (living in another county - not posing as a woman in case anyone reads that wrongly). I have joined Evertonia and will use both sites concurrently.

Welcome to the new editorial team - just a word of caution - this lot can smell insincerity a mile off - or trying to curry favour - keep it honest and sincere - and all should be smooth!

Dennis 93 am I too young to know who Hank Williams is ? Can't say the name rings a bell.
It must be the naivety of youth !

Did he have a Tune called "getting the w " ?

Or a hit tune "zero - zero "

Brian Williams - it seems the all we have in common is a name.

At last you got something right Robert.

You are never too young or old for the hillbilly Shakespeare, Hiram King Williams (to give him his full title). At the very top of the Tower of Song, according to Leonard Cohen, no less.

As the great Kris Kristofferson put it 'And if you don't like Hank Williams, honey, you can kiss my ass'

Firstly, thanks for all the wonderful messages of appreciation and gratitude on this and other threads.

I was holding off, hoping that this article Lyndon had written explaining the change of ownership would be published and I could offer my thoughts.

It’s out with the old and in with the new. I had hoped that, with time on my hands after moving back to the UK a few years ago and no longer working full time, I could do more to contribute to the site.

But it really has grown into a monster undertaking — thanks in large part to your fantastic support!

To backtrack a little, it was back in December when Lyndon informed me he was exploring options for finding new owners. I can’t say I wasn’t both disappointed and saddened… but I’d noticed a change in his involvement with the site and it became clear that he wanted out.

Not being a web designer myself, Lyndon deserves all the credit for his incredible creative technical skills behind the scenes in terms of page structure, layout, architecture and database functionality that enabled the main day-to-day content creation and management of the site through a brilliant Dashboard.

It is a challenging idea to think that such a highly committed fansite management approach can be successfully supplanted by a global sports media entity that lacks a genuine connection to our club and its highly discerning fans, so I will watch the transition with interest as it unfolds.

Thanks again for all your great messages.

Liam Hank Williams & Wu tang. Your parties are going off !!!!

MK. Kind of echoing what alot of us think.

All the best with whatever you do going forward Michael.

Quite sad all this, if truth be told.

Thanks to Lyndon and Michael for all their hard work and commitment over the years.

Michael's comments are heartfelt and have real feeling. Which is what this place was all about.

David 118. I listen to music alone mostly, surprisingly enough. 🤣

Ok, Michael

Fair play, and thanks for all the hard work and the funny headlines.
Good luck with everything, and of course, COYB’s.

Michael #117 - appreciate all you've put into this site over the years. As I've said before, the frenetic style of your "in-the-moment", real-time match reports gives a great feel for the ebb and flow in a game, the heart-in-the-mouth moments. A counterpoint to Lyndon's measured and equally good reports some time after the game.

Thanks.

Michael,

Good to hear from you back where you belong.

Make sure when you are next back in the homeland that you get in touch. Come and join us and realise what a diverse and mad but great set of Evertonians we are, just like you.

Stay in touch Michael. Like us all, you are part of this club that we devote so much of our time to, wherever we may be on the planet.

Though thick and thin, or 'till death us do part as the traditional wedding vows go.

Michael#117

I am glad to hear from you. As you says it would have been a tough job for both of you to keep going.ToffeeWeb was moving on to the next stage of it's development and it appears both of you had realised that.Hope you join in on the forum and let the New Owners find out who I am themselves.

I doubt that I will feel that I am progressing up the pitch again, only to find myself tackled and fouled by the referee, only to find myself red carded , which was quite often the case under your Editorship.I do think that in some cases I was proved right, but my determination was instilled by you, to keep going.

Good Luck and best wishes.Thank you for all the corrections.Very much appreciated.

Editorial Team. Off topic, but there is a game tomorrow, is there no pre-match thread ?

Michael, good to hear from you and a very reasoned post.

I do wonder whether Lyndon might reflect on whether a transition to new Evertonian ownership might have been explored. In the same way that I'm assuming the baton was once passed to Lyndon (from Marko?).

In any case, he's entitled to do what he wants. And we have what we have. And we can choose from this point on.

For me the writing so far has gone from generic to trying a bit too hard to be passionate. That's not a criticism of their intent, but authenticity really can't be feigned. Especially not on a topic like this where their readership have lived and breathed the club for most of our lives.

Sorry to see you guys go, but its a time for everything. Good luck in your future.I am aure I will see articles herne in the future.

Adieu

Being a reader of this site for decades, I have gone through the full gamut of emotions. I've been stunned by the brilliance and the stupidity of posters and everything in-between.

During lows, I have visited other fan sites to see if the grass is greener but always return as it seems to just get the balance right between local and global (for a start, not full of 'lids' and 'las'). Everyone is welcomed.

It is the best out there, and that is to Michael and Lyndon's credit.

Thank you!

Now we’ve heard from LL and MK I’m in a much happier state with all things ToffeeWeb.

Much like losing Woolworths pick & mix and tins of Quality Street, things move on.

ToffeeWebs moving on too, a win tomorrow and a competitive EFC should give the new editors a chance to shine.

And long may the comments continue. UTFT!

Not knowing your age, David, I wonder whether you're familiar with The The? Matt Johnson released an excellent, imo, album of Hank Williams covers, "Hanky Panky", a mere 30 years ago - quite contemporaneous by my standards!

Good luck to Lyndon and Michael. Thanks for all the fun, laughter, tears and joy that TW has brought us all since you took up the reins. You will be missed, of that, I have no doubt.

The only way this site survives is if genuine Everton fans write a significant portion of the articles. Everything these days has a price, it seems. But football clubs have deep roots that are tied into local dialect, cultural norms, and sense of humour.

Good luck to the new owners, nonetheless.

Eugene - Nice one mate! The polite side of me thought W for WIN but, there again, W for Wankers might be more appropriate. But I am looking for a win vs the RS Wankers.

Lyndon, 24 years. That's dedication. Thanks to you and Michael from Adelaide, Australia, for the opportunity to keep in touch with real Everton supporters, throughout these years. Good luck to you and Michael, either in retirement or in whatever is your next venture.

It's good to have received some clarification and thanks to Khalid and Charles for your input.

Thank you Lyndon & Michael for setting up and running TW for all these years, all the best for the future. I don't think I've post more than a dozen times or so over the past 20 years but TW has always been my go to source for all things Everton. I've really enjoyed most of the contributions & often been amazed by the knowledge passion & enthusiasm of regular contributors... some have come to feel as if I know them through their articles, match reports and comments.
And to Khalid, Charles & the rest of your team, welcome to the ToffeeWeb tribe & all the best.

Thank you Lyndon & Michael for setting up and running TW for all these years, all the best for the future. I don't think I've post more than a dozen times or so over the past 20 years but TW has always been my go to source for all things Everton. I've really enjoyed most of the contributions & often been amazed by the knowledge passion & enthusiasm of regular contributors... some have come to feel as if I know them through their articles, match reports and comments.
And to Khalid, Charles & the rest of your team, welcome to the ToffeeWeb tribe & all the best.

This has always been a special place. Michael and Lyndon ARE ToffeeWeb. Thanks to both of you for great reading.

I’m another long term reader of this site but haven’t posted before, but wanted to break my drought to offer my thanks to Michael and Lyndon for all of their hard work over the years.

Also a big thank you to everyone who contributes and comments on this site, I really enjoy reading them and all the discussions that take place. Cheers!

Lyndon and Mike my sincere thanks for your excellent service to the Evertonian Global Community over the last 24 yesrs via Toffeweb, which is an Evertonian institution and brought many together as hlobal friends and match day supporters.

it's a DSO to you both!

I like the format and layout of Evertonia, and it's content.
Well done!

Hopefully DSOs, will be issued after tonight's game for the Everton squad after our game with Old Nick.

Everton, are on the up!

"What's Our Name?"

UTFTs!

MK, it's great to hear your voice that I have been on the end of too many times to count. I really appreciate the candidness of your words. Means a lot.

Thanks for everything that you have done for us. You should have been banned on multiple occasions but I valued your passion and it was a perfect fit with LL's more phlegmatic voice. You two bounced off each other like Mike and Bernie Winters - 'eeeeehhh' - and I always enjoyed LL's salutary posts after you went electric.

I truly hope that you become one of us MK, the posters, and I can't wait for your first ban.

Raising a glass of red to you as I type.

Kevin Edward 130 - Much like losing Woolworths pick & mix

Ah, Kevin, it came flooding back, with my mum in Woolworths on South Rd next to Waterloo Station, a bag and pick and mix. I got double when I passed the 11 Plus and St. Mary's entrance exam!

Paul Ferry, if we're reminiscing then I see our new editor in chief is from La Rochelle... Plenty of those who studied secondary school French in the 90s will remember that town.

I wonder if he ever met Claude le clochard? Could you imagine a textbook nowadays having a local tramp as a character?

Ernie, La Rochelle, the most important Huguenot city after the French Wars of Religion ended in 1598, was the scene of one of England’s most shameful defeats, the seige of 1627-28, led by the kopite Dukeof Buckingham.

We have some great historical work on vagrancy in England, but you’re right, Le Clochard as guide to language is pretty unique.

Pepe the Skunk?

Thanks Lyndon and Michael. I've been on here pretty much every day for the last 20 years and I appreciate all your hard work and giving me my Everton "fix". The community on here is truly amazing and that's in large part to you guys. To the new proprietors, good luck and welcome to the best site on the Internet.

“The King is dead”
“Long live the King”

New owners, new stadium and now new folk running ToffeeWeb!

Might be too much for a Luddite like me to handle!

Good luck to our new team and a sincere thank you to Michael and Lyndon, who now might become plebs like us and be frequent contributors to the site and give and get stick in equal measure?

Michael (117), Thanks for your post, you and Lyndon made a great team, nice to see you give a lot of credit to Lyndon for his ability to put this site together but don’t be shy mate give yourself a pat on the back for fronting a lot of the debates on here and joining in yourself.

Good luck good health and I hope you find something that suits your ability and makes you as happy as you always seemed to be on ToffeeWeb, nice knowing you Michael, and Lyndon, even though we never met.

I would like to thank Michael and Lyndon for all of the tremendous committment and effort over the years in sustaining this special place where we could all share our hope and fears .

I can't remember when I joined, it was so long ago but especially in recent years when the team has been poor and crazy changes have undermined everythng Evertonian, this site has helped my mental state.

The people from all around the world, their perspectives and the inside knowledge shared by trusted contributors have all helped to make this my go-to site .

Lyndon and Michael good luck with your next ventures.

I am already on Evertonia and I know it is going to be very different .

Everything changes and i will continue to touch base with Toffeeweb and wish the new Frenchmen well.

It will never be the same though. How could it?

But like a local pub that gets taken over -it's the people that make the place special. I will always be grateful for the service from the old landlords.

I was never short-changed but did have a few headaches the next morning.

Cheers Michael and lyndon.

Michael
Your imput into this site has been just as important as Lyndons, in fact I think you deserve a lot of the credit for this fansite being so successful. I cant understand why the new owners didn't hire you as nobody knows this site better than you and you understand the mind set of us Blues.

I cant believe I have gone on T/W at 9.23 on the day of the Derby and the new editors haven't ran a post on it, I think unless they get up to speed very quickly posters will exit this site.

PF, I don't remember any of that from history. Yet I remember perfectly what "le clochard" means.

Maybe it was a perfect way of communicating with teens.

Love LA Rochelle, would drive over there from our home in the Deux Sevres, many happy memories of the 4 years spent living in France before Covid struck and I escaped to NZ. I have a large painting of the arcades and cafes on the Rue de l'Escale in my bedroom to remind me every night before I sleep! You are so lucky to be there Charles, a fabulous place for inspiration, almost, I say almost as good as our fabulous city on the Mersey!

Charles, j'espère que vos efforts ici sur Toffeeweb vous apporteront du plaisir et du rire. Bienvenue chez nous !

if we are referencing the Covid episode, don;t you mean 'imprisoned in NZ' Christine?

I think Christine means she escaped to a country where 2550 people died from Covid, leaving a country where 227,000 died from the same disease.

Paul (142). When were you at St Mary's ? I left in 1958. Did you have O'Sullivan for history ?

did they die from covid though Steve? alot of them were put on ventilators, and a lot of them had 'covid' written on their death certificates, but you know what the really interesting fact t about 2020 was, there was no real uptick in the death rate. So those daily '1100 DEAD' headlines, they were all rather misleading. People die every day. And where is covid now? nobody is taking those vaccines, but covid seems to have done a 'hey presto'.

Oh my: isn't there a Covidiot forum somewhere? Surely Gauleiter Musk can help…

we're half a trillion light though Larry, so who's the idiot?
maybe you're right, best to put it all behind us. it's gone now..
until the next 'pandemic'...

Kevin@156. The interesting thing about COVID is people will believe anything. What's to stop governments coming up with another pack of lies and watching the people just fall into line. It's rather frightening that people are so gullible.

Paul, yes and in fairness the populations had the mother of all psy ops done on them. 'you just hope people look back and think 'hang on, WTF'. and don't get fooled again.

Here we go again with the experts on everything.

Let's not get into the COVID debate pls. It's a football site.

I was hospitalised with it and still have health problems as a result. It's a nuanced issue with plenty of shades of grey. Everyone has there own subjective view, but all it'll do is rile people on either side.

Many thanks to Lyndon and Mike for bringing us all to this wonderful site, I wish you both all the best in your project.

Charles and Khalistan, welcome to ToffeeWeb, wit and passion will be aplenty on here, tough act to follow but I am sure you will both pull it off.

The two main things that fans come to is pre match analysts where you give a bit of a run down on the match coming up, then stand well back before the posts from posters start adding their thoughts to the game, as long as there is something on there with an add your comments after the article, then you will both be fine.

Although I rarely venture into it a live forum when a match is on will be another you get asked about.

So try and find a pre match story to put up today if possible, then just sit back and watch the comments come in, but like a say a pre match comments will win people over right away.

Best of luck and welcome Charles and Khalid.

P.s whatever you avoid an article about Bill Kenwright:-)

Thank you Lyndon and Micheal, I hope he is staying on ?
New guys -new ownership - let's see !

Sorry Khalid, predictive text in my earlier post has renamed you Khalistan somehow, apologies.

Kevin, you failed to mention one thing and yes drs were advised to put Covid on death certificates, but has anyone looked into flu deaths during Covid, on average before and after covid, flu deaths on average in the uk were around anything from 13,000 to 18,000 a year

During the first year of a Covid flu deaths for the first and only time ever, dropped to below 500, any long term illnesses or sudden deaths were also put down as Covid in that first year.

I am not dismissing this, just mearly pointing out of a sudden drop in flu deaths.

Over 30 years and still nothing found to cure cancer, yet a magic vaccine is found in less than a year.

If you want to cause a panic then Charles future king of England, and the prime minester Boris, are one of the first to catch it, what are the odds on both getting it and causing people to panic even more.

There is no denying this was an awful outbreak, but it attacked the very people the old and vulnerable, few years before big outcry on being able to pay pension funds out, remember that about 3 year before.

The very thing that helps you vitamin from the sunshine, they warned people to stay indoors and with the fine summer we had people avoided getting the Natural sunlight.

People will have lost loved ones and I in no way dishonour their memories, but if there is an ounce of a chance that the vaccine was already at hand, then the people at the top have a lot to answer for.

Brian (166), if you are trying to claim the majority of flu deaths were suddenly simply reported as covid-related you need (like Paul and Kevin) to reveal your ‘bona fides’ to explain why you know better than experts in the field, or even the average layman.

By virtue of education and work experience I am far from the level of the standard Joe Public on flu and vaccines.

Flu is a notifiable disease and would be easy to determine if present at death.

One of the reason flu deaths plummeted was because the spread of flu was massively curtailed by all those measures introduced to reduce the spread of covid. For context, the number of flu cases was massively reduced in countries that didn’t mandate such things - because they were after ‘herd immunity’ - because a lot of people voluntarily adopted better hygiene practices.

So if you are credibly educated in the field make that know; if you are simply ‘pissing in the wind’, please don’t.

Nothing magic about vaccines but it is a much easier thing to co-opt the immune system to fight an outsider than get the system to differentiate cells that have the same genetic make up.

I've had a bellyful of 'trusting the experts' Si. they're so easily malleable. Scientists more than anyone know which side their bread is buttered, and who they need to keep happy to ensure continued funding If we'd listened to them, we'd all have had our hundredth three monthly injection to save us from the deadly peril of covid by now. thankfully, possibly through exhaustion, most people have after the first few months ignored the frantic appeals to get injected, and whaddayaknow, we're all just fine.
the testing for covid was completely unreliable. sometimes it was a positive sometimes not. sometimes symptomatic sometimes not. I can't imagine too many doctors testing for flu with someone recently deceased if they've got a covid positive on the chart. There was definitely something nasty floating around in 2020, we still don't know for sure what it was. We do know it's not around now though, and that vaccination had v little to do with its disappearance.

Thanks for all your efforts Michael and Lyndon. I've been reading TW daily for what seems like as soon as I had internet access. I love reading different fans' view points and keeping up to date with all things Everton.

I've signed up for Evertonia and will be folllowing that as well as TW.

You will be a very difficult act to follow on these pages!

Another thread infected with COVID ffs

Sorry Liam mate, someone put an opinion up and I merely put my point of view across then got accused of did I have a phd or was I pissing in the wind.

No more Covid from me mate, I promise.

Up the Toffees.

Thanks for your dedication and commitment to the site down the years. Thanks for the insightful and expertly written articles. Thanks for laughs, the tears, the patience and the platform you have given all visitors to this great site. You'll both be missed. Best of luck.

P.S. hopefully you will continue to publish podcasts on evertonia.com

Michael and Lyndon -

Just seeing this now.

TY for all the hours and frankly years of enjoyment. My best to you both.

Paul and Kevin merely live in a fact-free fantasy world shrouded in conspiracies, but Brian actually dives into flat-out fakery when he starts comparing Covid vaccines to cancer cures. You know these are lines he's used many times before. As if viruses and malignancies are in any way related.

I'm sitting here as a cancer cure, okay?

Well I’ll say this… given some of the absolute shit being spouted above, the moderation has already gone downhill since Michael and Lyndon departed.

Many thanks to Lyndon and Michael - in some ways it feels even longer than 24 years and you've done the most splendid job over that time, Charles and Khalid you've got a big job to do and I hope you are equally successful.

Having read the thread, I was getting a bit depressed at the tone which seemed to be one of resignation that ToffeeWeb would decline and collapse.

But then I got the the bit about Covid. Uninformed opinions thrown around, allegations of stupidity and naivety, half digested (and mis remembered) statistics. and I thought TOFFEEWEB LIVES!

Whether its fish or cheese jokes, passionate discussion of the conversion of one of the Old Swan pubs being converted into a Costa being taken as definite evidence of the End of Days, the spirit of ToffeeWeb is certainly not dead. Let us hope that once more people separated by oceans, by half the planet, by a dozen time zones will be able to call one another wankers, fuckwits, RS supporters in disguise, threaten visits to the car park to sort things out (with one car park in California and the other in Surrey).

We will once again learn of the mystical threads of the universe which link the (retrospectively described in excessive detail) bowel movements of members of the Live Forums to Everton goals, that members sneaking out for a fag at half time have a direct causal relationship to Everton wins (unless we all learn about it, when it stops working).

I've read ToffeeWeb, and commented on the Live Forum from at least 25 countries in Europe, Africa, North America and Asia, and remain astonished that there are still people who will get up in California (which has included me), Australia, Japan (me too) and Zambia (me again) to watch a badly run football club, which has bought some of the worst crocks in sporting history disappoint us all season after season.

Here's hoping TWeb makes it into the next millennium...

Lyndon- thank you (and indeed Micheal), this site has often over the years given me hope and amusement during the bleak Kenwright years, and frustrations shared over the choice of managers, endless stream of non scoring (isolated) strikers and the many thrashings we've suffered.

I still think back occasionally to the banter of Richard (Doddy) Dodd and Tony Marsh. Maybe they are sharing a beer in the Freshy?

I will (eventually) move to Blue sky, but I just added you on twitter/x. (I'm the one who also likes loud music!)

Lets hope for a new beginning in a fantastic new stadium, this club needs to be wide awake and roaring again!

Nothing mentioned about tonight’s final Goodson park Derby V Redshite… sorry can’t mention their name….
Are Move up media or anyone else doing a forum or a game headline?

Lyndon your writing has kept me going through the dark times supporting Everton.

I do hope you keep us in the loop as to your next destination as your articles are the only ones I read to the end. You feel like an old friend and I'm sad to see you go. All the best to both of you, you are Everton legends in my book

Can only imagine the hours Lyndon and Michael must have put in between the articles, moderation, and maintenance of the site, a real labour of love. Imagine moderating a large crowd of Evertonians over what has been a generally miserable period for the club and supporters? Many thanks to you both for this great site.

Welcome and best of luck to the new TW preservation society, Khalid and Charles, if you succeed we'll all still be here. If you fail we won't.

Strike another match, go start anew.

Let's beat the shite tonight and strike the last Goodison derby off the list with a victory! COYB 💙

Khalid, Charles (& Anjishnu) - welcome to ToffeeWeb - I wish you all the best in whatever direction Everton go in - and hope that your articles spell and phrase everything in proper English - and not in American - the letter U is important to us all here :) :) :)

Lyndon thank you enormously for your creation which has brought die hard Evertonians (and some outed imposters) together. The dedication and of course, immeasurable amount of time you gave.

no forum?

Can't remember how long i've been on this site, longer than I can remember I guess. One of the few sites I check every day, would feel lost without it. I hope it doesn't change too much or we'll all defect to Evertonia. Please keep things the same and everything will be fine :) Thanks for all the effort boys, it's been a good ride...

Peace n respect !

ToffeeWeb is not looking good, a game as important as the derby is not being reported on in real time. A very bad start by whoever is supposed to be looking after the site. Are we in for the absentee landlord experience?

Lyndon and Michael: thanks very much for everything you have done and I already was at Evertonia trying to sign up! From Buenos Aires, Argentina, best of wishes on what follows for both of you. I'm a journalist/writer too and its been a pleasure reading youre articles since 2020 when I discovered the site.
Hopefully the new people Can keep those high standards, although it wont be easy. Best of wishes too for the new ones!
COYB!💙💙💙💙

End of an era! Thanks Lyndon and Michael, been following the site for around 20 years.

All the best to the new guys.

Thank you for all you’ve done over the years guys. Having been on ToffeeWeb since uni days and fairly early internet, it’s been a constant safe space free of corporate bullshit. I hope the new “owners” recognize that.

I’m sure there’s a few managers and players over the years secretly checked out the forum to check the pulse of the fanbase ;-)

Firstly, what a night !!!
Secondly, hats off to Lyndon and Michael for running this site for so long and keeping it hugely interesting, insightful and lively. It has been virtually the first web page I looked at each day for the past 10-15-20 (?) years. I have only contributed rarely myself, just the odd comment, preferring to enjoy “consuming”. So thank you.
I just added the "(K)" because another David Smith has appeared.
Brought up in Meols (Wirral) like one of the regulars (is it Paul Traill ?), I left the Wirral over 30 years ago. Coming back once a year and managing to get tickets to matches whenever possible for me and my boys.
ToffeeWeb has been the connection and it therefore feels like a sad loss, a part of daily life, an attachment to “home”, is ending with this handing over of the reins.
Intriguing who is taking over : a French media firm, with Charles Taudin, living in France ? Funny because I have been an exiled Blue in France for the last 30-odd years !! So now ToffeeWeb has literally come closer to me !
Bienvenu Charles.
Votre site Internet MoveUpMedia ne donne pas beaucoup d’informations : un choix délibéré ?

Come back Lyndon, all is forgiven

As an avid reader of this site but rare poster, I can't let LL and MK leave without sending my thanks and appreciation for your efforts over the years. I honestly can't imagine how much time and effort it has taken to run the site. I find many of the contributors names as familiar as the names on the back of the blue shirts we all love so much. There are some I hardly ever agree with and others that are almost always right. As the man with the wooden leg said "it's a matter of a pinion." We are all entitled to our views and as admins, you guys did a wonderful job in allowing the debates to flow. I am constantly amazed by the knowledge of ToffeeWebbers and the wisdom, insight and humour shared on these pages has been brilliant. I can't wait for the next outbreak of punning. Once again many thanks Michael and Lyndon.
Finally welcome to Khalid and Charles, you have a hard act to follow and I hope you can maintain their standards.

Best of luck Lyndon. It was actually reading your TW reports in the early 00s that played a role in inspiring me to try and become a sports journo. The world's changed a lot since, but the passion I saw in them is something I always try when doing my own reports (on Flashscore).

Thanks for everything LL!

Eugene Ruane for you it can really be said you did hold a candle to Rudolph Nureyev.
Andy Kings drive for me too, was my principle footballing moment.
Putting an end to seven years of not beating the spawn. Almost to much to bear.

Kevin (168), what utter tripe! All of it but I’ll pick out one thing.
Just because YOU can’t imagine it Kevin doesn’t mean it didn’t happen. You are just revealing your limitations, not anyone else’s.
Please stick to commenting on the football.
Great game last night, made better simply by all the whingeing it has prompted. For 20 seconds VVD had me thinking there might be a decent personality in there somewhere when he appeared to be calming the situation after the red cards were doled out. Then he spouted the typical poisonous bile in an utterly ungracious post match interview and I realised how wrong I’d briefly been.
That’s how they catch you out - they can seem normal and reasonable but you have to be sure you can actually hear and digest whatever it is they are saying.

Man. Thank you. From the bottom of my heart, all this time, I've checked in on ToffeeWeb from Nuuk, Greenland, or wherever I am, I've felt the content and the comments spoke to me as a toffee. This place is special and will continue to do so, as it seems. Cheers.

Just a huge thank you to true, intelligent and perceptive Evertonians, who've run the best football site for a quarter of a century.
Thank-you.

Massive thanks Lyndon and Michael. TW has been a big part of all our Evertonian lives for a long while now and that's all thanks to you.

You've brought Evertonians from all over the country, and the world together. I've met people I would never otherwise have met because of TW, been to games I wouldn't have been able to get a ticket for, and wasted numerous hours talking mostly nonsense to strangers because of you.

As someone who doesn't use social media, TW has been such an outlet and I thank you both from the heart for all your hard work in making TW my 'go-to' site for all things Everton.

I liken the ToffeeWeb change of ownership to when a manager changes pubs.

Sometimes the new manager takes a while to settle in, other times the manger takes his old customers with him.

Most of the time the same locals gather and have the same conversation regardless of manager.

I have always enjoyed the variety of opinions on here as there isn't much debate if your in an echo chamber of similar opinions. I hope the eds try to keep the tone to a similar level as before.

Huge thanks to Michael and Lyndon for everything. I’ve been coming to this site since near the start but only posted very occasionally in the last few years. Great work building it up and for the brilliant articles and no doubt the huge time investment!

A welcome to the new team also, hope you keep it going nicely.

Huge thank you to you both. The site has been excellent and give some great reads, which are both informative and thoughtful.

#3 Khalid one of the best blog I have ever read on Everton is here https://theexecutionersbong.wordpress.com/2012/05/16/201112-statistical-tactical-deconstruction/

It would be great to get some more in-depth tactical articles.

Yes fellas I have to say what a double act you have been.

Lyndon with his professionalism and informative approach.

Michael with his passion and his opinionated style never afraid to cross the parapet.

At first I really enjoyed Lyndons outlook and thought Michael was a little unprofessional at times. But as I grew more familiar with their styles I grew to appreciate Michaels ballsy approach and his ability to cause mayhem.

I will never forget spending an age writing up an article a bit nervous because it was such an opinionated inflammable piece which I knew would be open to a lot of hostility. What I didn't expect was the moderator MK posting the first comment tearing me to shreds for having to wade through such drivel and causing him to lose the will to live.

Mk brilliant, funny and so unique.

You complemented each other so well.

Sincere thanks and best wishes to you both

Just wanted to say a massive thanks from me to both of you, Lyndon and Michael.
I may not have always agreed with editorial opinions, (certainly not on Moyes MK - how's that humble pie? ;-p), but I did respect them!

N.B. I may not have been quite as respectful, and definitely didn't agree with many of the more strident 'glass half-full' folks on the forum, (although I do now recall my verbal battles with Tony Marsh, Victor and others with some nostalgic fondness - even the temporary 'yellow card' I received from the forum!).

As someone who runs editorial sites myself, I know very well how much goes into the creation, management, policing and upkeep. To keep this passion project not just alive, but thriving for so many years is something that deserves an incredible amount of credit. I also hope the exit was decent for you, although I know this was never about the money.

I've been with the site since the earliest days, (at the time I'd alternate between here and the transfer gossip and irreverence of Blue Kipper), and whilst I'm certainly going to stay around and give the new owners a chance, I will also make sure to frequent Evertonia too and keep in touch with your insights and work.

Nothing last forever though, as I keenly felt when I said my goodbyes to the Old Lady on Wednesday night - what a game, what an atmosphere! Indeed, it is a huge year of change all round when it comes to the Toffees - new stadium, new owners, new (old) manager and, I'm sensing, a new spirit of optimism bubbling under the surface, hopefully with professionalism and better financial management too!

Hopefully it'll be the start of a great period for blues everywhere and this incredible club we all love, after some very miserable times...
I was lucky enough to start my fandom in the 80s, when we generally were the best in the country (if not the world), and as we all know the Premier League years have not been the best. Nonetheless, 'IF...y'know yer history...' you'll know that ToffeeWeb was always an important and much-loved part of the fabric of this club and the Everton community.

You'll probably not get a statue outside Bramley Moore, but you do deserve our heartfelt thanks!
Best of luck to you both and, of course, COYBB!!!!

Just a simple heartfelt note of appreciation and thanks for all your superb efforts over the years - thank you Lyndon and Michael

I don't post often, but I've used your website daily for easily 15 years. This has always been my first stop for any Everton content.

Thank you both so much for all the work you've put into this website which has become such a massive part of my life. The time and effort you've put into it is second to none and has been so greatly aporeciated.

Have a tremendous future, you both deserve it.

Chris (204), Your name seems very familiar to me, did you write for the Echo at any time?

Hey Dave, not the Echo, although I did start my career with some work at local papers (not in Liverpool though)!

These days I run Fantasy Football Scout, and also a videogames business (Steel Media/Pocket Gamer), so maybe its from there? I do some podcast stuff and have been on the radio and FPL show a couple of times. And I've been commenting on here for years.

Also, its a pretty common name I think! So there's likely a few more famous footballing Chris James knocking around somewhere ;-p

Chris (208), I most probably know your name from ToffeeWeb and if your previous posts were as sensible as (204) I’d have liked them as well and your obviously one of us so what’s to dislike.

Thanks Dave (209), that's probably one of the nicest things that's been said to me on this site!
Shall watch out for your commentary too in future.

They say all good things come to an end, ToffeeWeb has been a family that has grown over the years into something really special. It's hard not to feel abandoned after so much emotional attachment and the site now feels a bit rudderless, adrift without a crew.
Michael is probably enjoying some well earned down time, while Lyndon has branched off back to Evertonia, which many, self included, have migrated over to. It's not ToffeeWeb mk2, Lyndon wants a more upmarket magazine football site rather than the diverse, tangents of life that got thrown into ToffeeWeb, not always about the blues, but content always written by fans. Controversial, funny, never dull, but to MK and Lyndon it was herding cats. Football. In particular, Everton Football club.
New owners trying to find their feet, it was never going to be the same, so time will tell if they can grow into the fanbase and improve the site. First impressions are not encouraging, but many are still here.
But one cannot escape the sense of sadness at the passing of a friend, almost grief as we mourn its changes.
Both sites will not be the same as it was, both are seeking to improve, one to build on its success, the other a football site with a more refined article led magazine.
The success of ToffeeWeb was undoubtedly due to Michael and Lyndon, but also the depth and breadth of its members. From all walks of life, from every continent, it's threads joined all of us. It's success was due to this unholy alliance of Everton fans through wars, pandemics, scandal, politics but always blue. Football memorabilia with personal reflections on life, fans of Everton FC all.
ToffeeWeb will morph or die, Evertonia is not ToffeeWeb, indeed, Lyndon does not want it to be, a tighter reign on content, more focused on articles than their tangents. So what of the thousands of contributors who made ToffeeWeb different? Time will tell if the new ToffeeWeb will suffice or exceed expectations, whether Evertonia can provide the cut and thrust once of this parish. Lyndon and Michael deserve every praise for giving all of us ToffeeWeb, so no matter the success of meeting expectations, change is sometimes sad, as we reflect on what we have lost but the future, like the club itself, is new, fresh and invigorating.
But to every single fellow contributor on ToffeeWeb as well, thank you for making my life so enjoyable, educating me, making me laugh, cry or be proud.
The baton has been passed..

Thank you Lyndon and Michael.

You've done a super job over the years and your written contributions have been superbly crafted, sensible, emotional, amusing, balanced and just plain quality.

I hope you will still appear with articles and comments.

Good luck in your respective endeavours.

Michael & Lyndon,

I just wanted to say well done.

Bill

Just when I write an obituary Michael returns to breath life into ToffeeWeb! Well thank goodness for that, Charles sign him on.. it will make your life so much easier!

I'd like to express my personal appreciation to LL and MK for their hard work and astute writing. I've enjoyed reading your work through the ups and downs we've endured and experienced together.
Thank you both so very much and may I wish you the very best of luck with your future endeavours.
UTFT

Michael and Lyndon. I have been an Evertonian for 55 years and a seasoned ToffeeWebber for about the last 15. Throughout that time I have been an avid TW reader but never before commented. However, your departure has left me strangely emotional ! So I have finally signed up to allow me to thank you both for all of your hard work and dedication, which has indeed created a fabulous community and family. A real gem. At times, some of the comments here have caused me to burst out laughing whilst on my own. Wishing you both well for the future. COYB !

A Personal Note seems the most appropriate place to put this:

March 1978, my uncle Tony and me nan took 10 year old me on my first away trip, to Old Trafford. Looking it up now, Manure had battered us 2-6 at Goodison earlier in the season. I grew up in a red family but had declared blue a couple of years earlier, Tony was the only other Blue. Me nan just hated United, like all good hearted people, and fancied a day out.

We got to our seats near the halfway line and the steward took one look at (2 of) us in our Everton gear and said "you can't sit here". He then led us down through a gate and along the side of the pitch to the away end, opened that gate, and up we went. Was all standing there, our Tony sat me up on a railing about halfway up and when Latchford scored his first I must have got surged forward about 20 rows. It was absolutely terrifying and completely exhilarating in equal measure.

Super Latch ended up scoring 2 on his way to 30 that season, and we beat the pricks 2-1. When we tried to leave they had these big roll down warehouse/garage type doors locked and made us wait, then we had to run a gauntlet of gobbing, shoving, angry Manures on the way out. I was flying my scarf out the car window on the way home and it blew away, funny the things you remember.

Was already blue to the core but that day just cemented it, thanks to our Toe and me nan for taking me. Got word today that Tony passed away, it's always heartbreaking when we lose a blue but this hits extra hard for me.

RIP Tony, I love you and will never forget that day in 1978 as long as I live 💙💙💙

ETA: Tony Daly in case any old timers knew him

Lovely, Neil.

Condolences on Tony's departure.

Thanks Mike

Your welcome, thanks for all hard work lads!

Neil@219

Great story Neil and condolences for your loss.

So MK, what’s your side of this story? When it seems that you haven’t left ToffeeWeb at all, LL seemed to be saying your goodbyes for you, but you haven’t actually “stepped away”.

RIP Tony (Daly).

Lovely post Neil (217). Love that your nan came along for the ride.

(Boxing Day 2-6: ouch, remember that one well)

I'm sure that you have many precious memories of your uncle and it will not be long before smiles help with your sadness.

Take care.

Great memories Neil @217. Sorry for your loss.

If you were 10 in 1978, we're roughly of the same generation, although you've got a few years on me!! Like me, you'll have witnessed those 4 great players who will receive their accolades on the pitch at Goodison today.

Here is to the younger generation having their own heroes to idolise as they bring home a trophy or two. They deserve it, if only to stop having to listen to the likes of me!!