Homepage Article The Fans

[GrandOldTeam]

Thanks to @Bryan+ for the words for the front page;

The Fans

If you’ve been watching Everton, or even following with passing interest, you’ll know we’ve been through the wringer over the last couple of seasons. A well-meaning set of owners, who once saw themselves as custodians of the club, managed to drive us to the brink of extinction, with some saying...

www.grandoldteam.com

 

[msb]

I decided enough was enough when they appointed Allardyce and I stayed away.

My dad explained to me the truths behind your front page - well Bryan’s - I will be there long after the irritation of any one event or appointment, Everton is the fans and the fans are Everton.

Dad was right, so is Bryan.

 

[windymiller]

Thanks to @Bryan+ for the words for the front page;

The Fans

If you’ve been watching Everton, or even following with passing interest, you’ll know we’ve been through the wringer over the last couple of seasons. A well-meaning set of owners, who once saw themselves as custodians of the club, managed to drive us to the brink of extinction, with some saying...

www.grandoldteam.com

I'm not sure I 100% agree with Bryan on this. I think the local and match going fans are becoming less and less relevant to clubs and owners. So much income comes from TV deals, and an increasing proportion of those come from overseas rights, and international marketing and merchandising. Look at how many tickets are now marketed at tourist fans through Seat Unique and Sportsbreaks while more local fans with expensive membership subscriptions miss out on tickets. Look at the introduction and implementation of VAR, does anyone know a match going fans who thinks it's worked well? That it enhances their match day experience? Of course not but it's not for them, it's for the gigantic TV audience globally. Yes, they'll try and sell us as many £6 doughnuts as they can but it's not the local fan that'll drive growth and pay for big player contracts and the club knows that all too well. The football we all grew up with us dead, or at least dying, the PL is a global game now. Local fans just provide a backdrop to a global audience. Sadly.

 

[blulouie]

Thanks to @Bryan+ for the words for the front page;

The Fans

If you’ve been watching Everton, or even following with passing interest, you’ll know we’ve been through the wringer over the last couple of seasons. A well-meaning set of owners, who once saw themselves as custodians of the club, managed to drive us to the brink of extinction, with some saying...

www.grandoldteam.com

Good effort that Bry

Would read again....la

 

[RomanReigns]

in my eyes, and i will tell this to anyone who is willing to listen, 2022/2023 is probably one of, if not the greatest relegation escape you will ever see a club make

how we didn't get relegated that season still baffles me

 

[Ray Purchase]

I'm not sure I 100% agree with Bryan on this. I think the local and match going fans are becoming less and less relevant to clubs and owners. So much income comes from TV deals, and an increasing proportion of those come from overseas rights, and international marketing and merchandising. Look at how many tickets are now marketed at tourist fans through Seat Unique and Sportsbreaks while more local fans with expensive membership subscriptions miss out on tickets. Look at the introduction and implementation of VAR, does anyone know a match going fans who thinks it's worked well? That it enhances their match day experience? Of course not but it's not for them, it's for the gigantic TV audience globally. Yes, they'll try and sell us as many £6 doughnuts as they can but it's not the local fan that'll drive growth and pay for big player contracts and the club knows that all too well. The football we all grew up with us dead, or at least dying, the PL is a global game now. Local fans just provide a backdrop to a global audience. Sadly.

You will enjoy this take from a disgruntled Hammers fan.

 

[chrismpw]

I'm not sure I 100% agree with Bryan on this. I think the local and match going fans are becoming less and less relevant to clubs and owners. So much income comes from TV deals, and an increasing proportion of those come from overseas rights, and international marketing and merchandising. Look at how many tickets are now marketed at tourist fans through Seat Unique and Sportsbreaks while more local fans with expensive membership subscriptions miss out on tickets. Look at the introduction and implementation of VAR, does anyone know a match going fans who thinks it's worked well? That it enhances their match day experience? Of course not but it's not for them, it's for the gigantic TV audience globally. Yes, they'll try and sell us as many £6 doughnuts as they can but it's not the local fan that'll drive growth and pay for big player contracts and the club knows that all too well. The football we all grew up with us dead, or at least dying, the PL is a global game now. Local fans just provide a backdrop to a global audience. Sadly.

I was thinking exactly this,while reading it. The fans are important mainly for the atmosphere they create and vocal support. They can also destroy their own team by undermining confidence with boos. THIS is the significance of fans today - less so their hard earned.

 

[windymiller]

You will enjoy this take from a disgruntled Hammers fan.

He's not wrong, Ray Bloody Purchase!

 

[blulouie]

I'm not sure I 100% agree with Bryan on this. I think the local and match going fans are becoming less and less relevant to clubs and owners. So much income comes from TV deals, and an increasing proportion of those come from overseas rights, and international marketing and merchandising. Look at how many tickets are now marketed at tourist fans through Seat Unique and Sportsbreaks while more local fans with expensive membership subscriptions miss out on tickets. Look at the introduction and implementation of VAR, does anyone know a match going fans who thinks it's worked well? That it enhances their match day experience? Of course not but it's not for them, it's for the gigantic TV audience globally. Yes, they'll try and sell us as many £6 doughnuts as they can but it's not the local fan that'll drive growth and pay for big player contracts and the club knows that all too well. The football we all grew up with us dead, or at least dying, the PL is a global game now. Local fans just provide a backdrop to a global audience. Sadly.

Football may well have changed and continue to change .

But let's have no doubt about @Bryan+ s content.
These past 4 or 5 years without the fans fighting every corner to keep this club in the Premier league.
The protests , the marches , the ruckus over the points deductions ,the Blue smoke choked Coach welcomes .
Goodison becoming a snarling cauldron.

These weren't victory parades , this was a fanbase that actually stood up to authority and wrong doing .
This should never ever be allowed to be forgotten by whoever owns the club at any time in the future and most of all we as fans should never forget.

Every season we see teams relegated with nothing more than a whimper from their fans .
Sorry , but this fanbase won't accept it no matter how the game changes.
Without these fans we would have been relegated long ago.

 

[chicoazul]

Thanks to @Bryan+ for the words for the front page;

The Fans

If you’ve been watching Everton, or even following with passing interest, you’ll know we’ve been through the wringer over the last couple of seasons. A well-meaning set of owners, who once saw themselves as custodians of the club, managed to drive us to the brink of extinction, with some saying...

www.grandoldteam.com

Good words B-man if I disagree with the wider point. The days of fans are gone, the days of customers are here. We’re a client database to be exploited with some low key engagement for the sake of tokenism.

I’d also like to open up the wider debate of if Everton fans are good for the Everton players please?

( shoutout).

More of you need to write by the way.

 

[windymiller]

Football may well have changed and continue to change .

But let's have no doubt about @Bryan+ s content.
These past 4 or 5 years without the fans fighting every corner to keep this club in the Premier league.
The protests , the marches , the ruckus over the pints deductions ,the Blue smoke choked Coach welcomes .
Goodison becoming a snarling cauldron.

These weren't victory parades , this was a fanbase that actually stood up to authority and wrong doing .
This should never ever be allowed to be forgotten by whoever owns the club at any time in the future and most of all we as fans should never forget.

Every season we see teams relegated with nothing more than a whimper from their fans .
Sorry , but this fanbase won't accept it no matter how the game changes.
Without these fans we would have been relegated long ago.

I suspect that you are right and that the match going fans are very important when you're in the mire, in not sure they are as important at the other end of the table, however. I suppose my point was more about where you go after a club is clear of relegation fears and given all of the PSR limitations and how club revenues are now the be all and end all when it comes to pushing a club forward (sugar daddies can't just upend the current order of things any more, just ask a Villa or Newcastle fan) that means income from outside your traditional sources. In my opinion, the direction of traffic is clear, maximise your global income and succeed or don't and fail. The inevitable, and regrettable, consequence of that is the increasing marginalisation of the local fan. Hence the despicable moniker floating about, "legacy fan".

 

[Eggs]

….i think our fans are amazing, to go through what we’ve been through and keep turning up in the numbers they do. Nothing fickle about that level of support, I just hope younger supporters see some success as they deserve it so much.

 

[jaycee]

Good words B-man if I disagree with the wider point. The days of fans are gone, the days of customers are here. We’re a client database to be exploited with some low key engagement for the sake of tokenism.

I’d also like to open up the wider debate of if Everton fans are good for the Everton players please?

( shoutout).

More of you need to write by the way.

Difficult question moonhead, look back at Stoke v Everton fa cup 3rd round when Mr Kendall opened the dressing room window, look at the support home and away the last few seasons when we should have been dead and buried, the flip side is there are fans who just can't wait for the slightest thing to pick apart and rush to post it on every available channel, players with less than 2 hours of game time are called useless and a waste of money

 

[Neiler]

Its interesting the assumption and definition of fans.

For most its the assumption of local lids with flares carrying a dog up and down Goodison Road - it is, but its beyond that now.

The PL sold it parochial community based football clubs to the world - to be successful now you need fans all over the world. We need a world wide fan base in a global game.

If you are the commercial dept here, you aren't worrying about the local fan, they are captured fish, with a season ticket waiting list stretchihg into 10s of thousands - you are targeting Asia, America and Africa and emerging markets, multiple commercial points and multiple platforms to cultivate, market to and sell to - before you talk about streaming/tv rights etc of the actual game.

Football is and will be increasingly consumed and commercialised over multiple paid for platforms rather then just the 50k who will go the game. You make money of 100k's instead of just your attendance in the ground and local community - why wouldn't you. The mindset will be and has to be global instead of local.

The big clubs aren't national anymore they are global - we need to be that to. Its part of the reason we've brought the likes of Grealish here.

 

[blulouie]

I suspect that you are right and that the match going fans are very important when you're in the mire, in not sure they are as important at the other end of the table, however. I suppose my point was more about where you go after a club is clear of relegation fears and given all of the PSR limitations and how club revenues are now the be all and end all when it comes to pushing a club forward (sugar daddies can't just upend the current order of things any more, just ask a Villa or Newcastle fan) that means income from outside your traditional sources. In my opinion, the direction of traffic is clear, maximise your global income and succeed or don't and fail. The inevitable, and regrettable, consequence of that is the increasing marginalisation of the local fan. Hence the despicable moniker floating about, "legacy fan".

In the broader sense football sold its soul many many years ago.
I remember Trevor Francis being the first £ Million player , totally unheard of in those days .
And its changed quicker and quicker every season and will continue to do so until inevitably the bubble bursts.

The money men will head for the hills.

Which leaves .....The Fans.

I dont think their importance should be over estimated or taken for granted.

Now where's me 6 quid donut ?