Today's younger supporters

[Blues Harp]

The old moaners are killing it for young uns....hounding out Ross n Stones for the rabble we now have.

Dont tar all older supporters with the same brush... its right across all ages...mind you everyone wants instant gratification nowadays......there is no concept of loyalty from the board, manager, and the majority of players towards the club...I can understand the frustration of going through seasons without winning anything...my longest of those was from 1971 to 1984 so to double that time must be awful. As an auld git myself, I condemn any 'hounding" of players wearing the blue shirt ...had a running verbal battle with another oldie (upper Bullens) about Lukaku and she got piped right down. TBH i am seriously thinking about binning my S/T because the prem is now just about the top 6...the rest of us can go hang.

 

[Blues Harp]

This. My brother and I are massive Blues. He’s got two little ones who’ve been going to the match literally since they could walk the length of Goodison road. They love Everton too. We can afford to take them every match if we want to (tho Theres not much change out of £200 for taking 2 adults / 2 kids these days). To put this into perspective these boys are obsessed with playing football indoors and outdoors at every moment. If they’re not physically kicking a football they’re playing a computer game kicking a football.

The sad fact is premier league football has huge PR and hype but it’s lost any soul it may have had. it’s just not good value anymore, and the kids see it. Apart from being fed only news about the premier league, they don’t actually relate to it anymore. How do I get to this observation? Well, in the last 2 seasons we’ve started watching our local non-league side (conference north) whenever the blues were away (In the past the 4 of us went to away games too) and the reality is that my nephews now love going there more than going to Goodison. We still take them occasionally to Goodison but it’s occasional as opposed to every game. We thought they’d be upset at missing going the game but they’re not. I can see they relate to Everton as much as they relate to playing a computer game as inthey know all the stats etc but they can’t relate to any human aspect of the game or club.

What’s different about their mom-league experience? Well obviously the standard of football. They get fed incessant premier league this and that but they don’t relate to the players whereas at the non league club there are no egos and the players are as likely to say hello to them as anyone. The local players are still local heroes. The kids feel special because they love playing football and they dream of being football players. But the non league players show an interest or even say thanks if one of the kids gives them the ball back. Gotta see it from the eyes of a 7 year old. For example he idolised lukaku but the one chance he waited for lukaku to give him an autograph, lukaku sailed last with his entourage and then left his club. To a 7 year old that was incomprehensible and his older brother couldn’t explain it rationally to him either - so he asked us why don’t the players love Everton as much as we do? Ouch!

The Everton players let him down whereas the Stockport County centre forward actually spoke to him - said thank you for him returning a football - and happily posed for a photo at the end of the game too.

From an adult perspective yes the football isn’t premier league standard but actually it’s a very competitive league and reminds me of the kind of pre-sky football I remember watching at Everton - more than half the league split by less than 6 points with no massive wealth at any of them. it’s a level playing field whereas realistically at the very top of the game money dictates that 7th is now about as good as it will ever get for us with the current regime. Spurs broke through the one season that Man U and Chelsea had a meltdown. That made the top 4, a top 6 - it’s unlikely ever to happen again and now due to their extra financial strength one of them is almost always likely to win both cups so it leaves 14 teams competing for 1 European space by default. there’s now so much money in the game that investors like Moshiri don’t need to win anything to make money and that’s the root of mediocrity and why I’m enjoying watching the excitement of my nephews watching a football match - even tho it’s conference north.

Nail..On.....Head.......Superb post !!

 

[goodisonopheliac]

Our young fans.

I take my hat off to them, I really do.

I was lucky enough to see some of the '80's, I've seen us win things and be boss.

However fans under 30 will have put up with some bad stuff, yet are still blue through and through. They've never seen anything truly great in blue, but follow us still.

I've been a fan since 1996 - I'm 33 and I became a fan the year after my little brother, who at least got to see us win the cup. (I did root for Everton, though, due to really hating Man United.) So I'm kind of used to long periods of crap. I wonder if people who say the Martinez years were the worst ever remember the Smith years, because those were depressing. Kevin Campbell was one of the few good things to come out of that era. I was so sad when he went to West Brom!

As an aside, I also like going to lower division games - I'm trying to get to a Sheffield Wednesday match or two, Bury as well as I have a mate who supports them - because it's so refreshing after all the drama and stupidity of the Premiership. Cambridge United, my second team, are not glamorous and won't be winning titles, but it's nice to watch football in a smaller stadium with my family, without being surrounded by adverts for the UAE (looking at you, Man City) or tourists wearing those stupid half and half scarves. Plus the tickets are affordable, which is great for my stepdad as he supports Chelsea and he can barely get to Stamford Bridge now because of not living in London and ridiculous prices. As for other Premiership stadiums, I don't mind Old Trafford too much, if only because it's near a residential area and still has that old school feel about it, but the Etihad leaves me cold. It doesn't even feel like a football stadium. It's on this weird concrete concourse thing with its own tram stop.

 

[Darth Toffeeman]

This. My brother and I are massive Blues. He’s got two little ones who’ve been going to the match literally since they could walk the length of Goodison road. They love Everton too. We can afford to take them every match if we want to (tho Theres not much change out of £200 for taking 2 adults / 2 kids these days). To put this into perspective these boys are obsessed with playing football indoors and outdoors at every moment. If they’re not physically kicking a football they’re playing a computer game kicking a football.

The sad fact is premier league football has huge PR and hype but it’s lost any soul it may have had. it’s just not good value anymore, and the kids see it. Apart from being fed only news about the premier league, they don’t actually relate to it anymore. How do I get to this observation? Well, in the last 2 seasons we’ve started watching our local non-league side (conference north) whenever the blues were away (In the past the 4 of us went to away games too) and the reality is that my nephews now love going there more than going to Goodison. We still take them occasionally to Goodison but it’s occasional as opposed to every game. We thought they’d be upset at missing going the game but they’re not. I can see they relate to Everton as much as they relate to playing a computer game as inthey know all the stats etc but they can’t relate to any human aspect of the game or club.

What’s different about their mom-league experience? Well obviously the standard of football. They get fed incessant premier league this and that but they don’t relate to the players whereas at the non league club there are no egos and the players are as likely to say hello to them as anyone. The local players are still local heroes. The kids feel special because they love playing football and they dream of being football players. But the non league players show an interest or even say thanks if one of the kids gives them the ball back. Gotta see it from the eyes of a 7 year old. For example he idolised lukaku but the one chance he waited for lukaku to give him an autograph, lukaku sailed last with his entourage and then left his club. To a 7 year old that was incomprehensible and his older brother couldn’t explain it rationally to him either - so he asked us why don’t the players love Everton as much as we do? Ouch!

The Everton players let him down whereas the Stockport County centre forward actually spoke to him - said thank you for him returning a football - and happily posed for a photo at the end of the game too.

From an adult perspective yes the football isn’t premier league standard but actually it’s a very competitive league and reminds me of the kind of pre-sky football I remember watching at Everton - more than half the league split by less than 6 points with no massive wealth at any of them. it’s a level playing field whereas realistically at the very top of the game money dictates that 7th is now about as good as it will ever get for us with the current regime. Spurs broke through the one season that Man U and Chelsea had a meltdown. That made the top 4, a top 6 - it’s unlikely ever to happen again and now due to their extra financial strength one of them is almost always likely to win both cups so it leaves 14 teams competing for 1 European space by default. there’s now so much money in the game that investors like Moshiri don’t need to win anything to make money and that’s the root of mediocrity and why I’m enjoying watching the excitement of my nephews watching a football match - even tho it’s conference north.

Great post and a reason why the game has died so much. SKY can talk of record tv deals and huge transfers but the atmosphere is dead at most games. Teams know their finishing positions before a ball is kicked. If anything Leicesters fairy tale has made the situation worse as the powers that be have seen the top 4 or 5 move even further away in terms of quality.

Football was exciting when Ipswich, Derby, Forest etc could be promoted and then have a chance of winning the top flight too. Newcastle and Blackburn where the last to have that opportunity in the infancy of the precession that is the Premier League.

It's dull and most young supporters can see it.

 

[Nymzee]

I've got BT Sport to escape to when we're having a shocker so it's not all bad this generation.

 

[goodisonopheliac]

That's the other thing I hate about the Premiership. The same six teams win everything. Since we won the cup and Blackburn won the league, there have been only two times when a team who weren't Arsenal, Chelsea, the RS, or one of the Manc teams won the cup (and even then, it's nearly always been Chelsea, Arsenal or Man United). Wigan in 2013 and Pompey in 2008. And of course Leicester did a Blackburn 2 seasons ago. It's the same across Europe. Bayern Munich always win the Bundesliga. PSG always win Ligue 1. Barcelona or Real Madrid always win La Liga and I may be wrong, but AC Milan or Juventus always win Serie A. If you support anyone else, forget it. At least it's a bit less predictable in the lower leagues.

(I completely forgot Millwall got into the FA Cup Final. Daaaang. I bet there was carnage when they lost, considering how they reacted to getting promoted last season.)

ETA: on the subject of Arsenal, it always amazes me how much their fans whinge about Wenger when he gets them into Europe every season and they've won tons of trophies with him. Their idea of a bad season is ending up in Europa, FFS. Talk about entitled.

 

[tim cahill]

So much negativity in here!

It really isn't as bad as people are making out. We're struggling at the moment but we'll come through it. We will find a way of getting results and we'll go on a good run some point soon.

 

[Azzurri]

So much negativity in here!

It really isn't as bad as people are making out. We're struggling at the moment but we'll come through it. We will find a way of getting results and we'll go on a good run some point soon.

Could have been said every year since 1995, when we last won something.

Are we as bad as some other teams? No. Is this acceptable for a Everton Football Club? Also no.

 

[TraffordBlue]

That's the other thing I hate about the Premiership. The same six teams win everything. Since we won the cup and Blackburn won the league, there have been only two times when a team who weren't Arsenal, Chelsea, the RS, or one of the Manc teams won the cup (and even then, it's nearly always been Chelsea, Arsenal or Man United). Wigan in 2013 and Pompey in 2008. And of course Leicester did a Blackburn 2 seasons ago. It's the same across Europe. Bayern Munich always win the Bundesliga. PSG always win Ligue 1. Barcelona or Real Madrid always win La Liga and I may be wrong, but AC Milan or Juventus always win Serie A. If you support anyone else, forget it. At least it's a bit less predictable in the lower leagues.

(I completely forgot Millwall got into the FA Cup Final. Daaaang. I bet there was carnage when they lost, considering how they reacted to getting promoted last season.)

ETA: on the subject of Arsenal, it always amazes me how much their fans whinge about Wenger when he gets them into Europe every season and they've won tons of trophies with him. Their idea of a bad season is ending up in Europa, FFS. Talk about entitled.

I have to pick you up on this because Spurs do not win things, and even more recently, neither do Liverpool.

But both can still challenge the others at the top of the table and it's just so disappointing that Moshiri today has pretty much admitted to the rest of the Country who love to pat us on the head that we can't possibly challenge the 'big clubs'.

Same with Koeman complaining about how we don't stand a chance and dismissing Mourinho's claims that we should be challenging the top 4.

 

[tim cahill]

Could have been said every year since 1995, when we last won something.

Are we as bad as some other teams? No. Is this acceptable for a Everton Football Club? Also no.

None of us are happy with the performances so far this season but people need to get a grip. If you thought we were going to overtake City, Chelsea, Manu and spurs after losing our best player and bringing in a load of squad players then you were wrong.

A couple of wins and a few goals will change the mood around here. It'll come.

 

[Zezti]

Saw us get 72 points once.

That's about it.

 

[Blue Pride of Brum]

None of us are happy with the performances so far this season but people need to get a grip. If you thought we were going to overtake City, Chelsea, Manu and spurs after losing our best player and bringing in a load of squad players then you were wrong.

A couple of wins and a few goals will change the mood around here. It'll come.

Keep the faith mush! Your a grand old team.

 

[SeanyD]

Our young fans.

I take my hat off to them, I really do.

I was lucky enough to see some of the '80's, I've seen us win things and be boss.

However fans under 30 will have put up with some bad stuff, yet are still blue through and through. They've never seen anything truly great in blue, but follow us still.

I was born in 90 and the earliest proper memory of me being a toffee was the 97/98 season with Gareth Farrelly scoring in the last game, saving us from relegation. I believe I cried.

 

[Cork Evertonian]

So much negativity in here!

It really isn't as bad as people are making out. We're struggling at the moment but we'll come through it. We will find a way of getting results and we'll go on a good run some point soon.

At the moment!We've been struggling for the last 20 to 30 years!lol

 

[Cork Evertonian]

None of us are happy with the performances so far this season but people need to get a grip. If you thought we were going to overtake City, Chelsea, Manu and spurs after losing our best player and bringing in a load of squad players then you were wrong.

A couple of wins and a few goals will change the mood around here. It'll come.

We didn't expect to be just above the relegation places either mate.