… Or a potted history of a distant Evertonian
Today is a day I never really believed would happen.
Now then, I’ve been watching Everton for more years than I wish to count, or for that matter, admit. My watching though has been mostly from afar and through the decades it’s taken many a form. During my early years supporting Everton my appetite for all things Goodison were somewhat placated by Match of the Day, ITV’s big match and of course a little Saint and Greavsie thrown in for good measure.
The years moved on and so did football, with the advent Sky and out went any chance of watching live footy on the telly. To get round this I got my mate to record matches for me and bring the tape into work so I could watch it at home, I still had MOTD to count on but the only games we featured in, were when we were in deep trouble and they didn’t usually make for pleasant viewing.
Getting news on Everton was also difficult, as I live in the midlands all footy news was focused on, as you would expect, local teams. National press was no use either, focused, as they still do today, on Man U, Liverpool , Arsenal and their eternal love affair with Spurs. To try and get some idea what was happening I used to get the Evertonian which was OK but not exactly instant news and Teletext was also pretty crap for Everton based things. One reasonable source I had was, back in 95 I think, what was then called Toffeweb, for those too young or for those not wishing to give away their age, was basically a mailing group. You had to subscribe then you got all kinds of topics and news from this system and was a bit like GOT in a very basic form and rather than a browser it arrived in your inbox. I seem to recall that some bloke called Colm was big contributor, I guess he’s still around somewhere, not seen him on here though.
Anyway, as I was saying, watching Everton was limited to say the least, then came a wondrous thing called the internet. This started with live radio broadcasts coming direct from Goodison, OK it was radio but for me it was awesome, listening to the obviously biased commentary was brilliant, this included the first Senior goal for Everton by one Wayne Rooney. All this was good until a friend pointed me towards something called streaming. Now I can see Everton in all their slightly pixelated, frequently freezing best, this was OK but it never seemed enough
I must add though that over the years I have made several infrequent, 3 to 5 per year, visits to the Old Lady. Some have provided everlasting memories, the last day escape against Coventry is one for example, some though have been instantly forgettable, the final home game against Southampton prior to the cup final win in 95 probably ranks up there as, why did I waste my money.
All these different mixes of footy access has kept me going over the years but as I’ve already said, it never seemed enough.
So what’s the point of all this lad? Why the dream realised? OK, I’ll tell you. Today I took delivery of my first ever season ticket! It’s taken a while for me to reach a point where I could afford one and all the travel that goes with it but now its mine all mine. I’m so, so excited perhaps more than a grown man should really be but who cares I’ve got what I always dreamed of. I also got one for the lad as well, I even managed to convince my ex (his mum) that this would be a good bonding exercise for us. I really can’t wait to see an entire (may miss one or two) season of matches at Goodison, including my first ever Derby game.
For the record my lad is also made up, although the list of Jobs I have for him to earn his ticket dulls that somewhat. That said he loves the club, none of his mates are blues they’re either Stoke or the usual glamour club. He still loves being the only one in a Everton top
I bought the tickets back in May, I think the reluctance to renew by some blues helped with availability and one added bonus was, 2 hours after purchasing, Martinez got sacked!
So a new season awaits complete with a new manager, perhaps a couple of signings and a fresh sense of optimism, I can’t wait really.
So essentially this long winded piece of text is me trying to summarise my overwhelming excitement
So baring freak accidents, successful negotiation of the ever present M6 roadworks and a quick saunter down the East Lancs road, I’ll see you in the Upper Bullens.
COYB and thanks for listening x
