Clapping Naismith

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cooperman said:
He came here and cost nothing. We received a fee for him. He did loads of the local homeless. Always gave his best.

I think in all honesty everyone expected us to turn the game around from one nil at that point and therefore were willing to clap him. I like that side of our fans. Plenty of other clubs give a hostile reception to any ex player, regardless of the circumstances under which they left.
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Like Patrick Bateman style??
 

PaulieMc said:
Why has this become such an sore spot issue for certain supporters? It really sounds like the usual people just moaning for the sake of it.

The reason I have a lot of time for Naismith and not for people like Hibbert is because Naismith actually contributed to the club on and off the pitch during his time here whereas some others like the name mentioned above, as far as I'm concerned, stole a living for years without contributing anything. Naismith clearly still cares about us and it's nice that he now knows we still care for him too.

He's not a club legend or anything, far from it and no one was acting like he is. He wasn't even that good a player, he's a useful one who had his moments of absolute brilliance but more than his fair share of poo ones too. But the point is he is clearly an all-round good guy. We're a group of supporters who pride ourselves on having class and I thought giving Naismith a warm yet brief (and it was brief, anyone else who was in the ground will confirm that) applause was something that will have meant the world to him. Hopefully it sticks with him forever and he stays an Evertonian for the rest of his days because he knows, if he didn't already, what a truly special club and group of supporters we are.

People need to sod off with this "I wouldn't clap me dad if he scored past Everton" dribble, it reeks of trying to sound hip. Like a wannabe rapper saying "the ghetto is in my blood" or some garbage like that. We love our football team and are gutted to see them concede a goal but when the person scoring it is a bloke who once ran himself into the ground for us and would still be doing it now had he not been sold I think it merits a wee nod of respect, or in this case a quick clap. And then it's done, everyone on the night quickly moved back onto the game and wanting us to win. I can't believe it's being dragged up by as a controversial topic like this well after it happened.

The bottom line is to all the moaners, stop making an issue out of nothing. It was not a cup final or a derby or even an important league game. Yes I'm annoyed like everyone else it helped send us out but we'll get over it, the same way we do every year.
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Little bit of mixed feelings on this one mate.

If anybody deserves a good reception from our fans it's Naismith. Very honest footballer who always gave 100% for us and really bought into the family/community image.

I'm also proud of the fact that, over the years, we've always given credit where deserved. Remember being played off the park by Villa in 81 and giving them a good ovation. More recently, the quarter final with Wigan when over 20,000 blues stayed behind for what seemed like 10 minutes after the game ended just to clap them off the pitch, despite wanting to go and kick some dogs on the way to the pub. Ex players invariably get a good reception on their return to the club.

Lately though, I just feel as though we're the only fans like this now and everyone else is just takin the piss. Maybe, as fans, we should become nastier and not so sporting to opposing teams. Maybe I'm just becoming an old cynic.

Anyway, it was just a few claps and not as if the LGS were jumping up and down. No real harm done.
 
Naismith was a class act, top guy for us, could not fault his commitment. Only fair to clap him when he scores a trademark naisy goal, proper scummed it with that slip, fair play lad.
 
It felt a bit cringy at the time but thinking about it now, if it had happened in the 1920s we would be lauding it as Corinthian.

Fair play Naisy lad. Only right that we return the respect that he has shown the club and city.

I wish he had missed like.
 

GwladysBlue said:
Class act? Are you being serious?

He was a decent fella away from the pitch, on it he was an atrocious footballer than summed up the legacy that Keneright and Co will leave behind.
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Christ on a cracker it takes very little to fire people up on here. Was he a world class striker?! Not in this life but honestly we've seen much worse. AND he seemed to care about the club. He can get a brief applause . . .
 
SCBlue said:
Christ on a cracker it takes very little to fire people up on here. Was he a world class striker?! Not in this life but honestly we've seen much worse. AND he seemed to care about the club. He can get a brief applause . . .
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Give me £2m a year and I'll care about the company I work for.
 
He received a bit of applause because it was a nothing game. Would anyone get exercised if he'd scored a goal in a testimonial? No, so why get upset over a league cup fixture?
 
SCBlue said:
Christ on a cracker it takes very little to fire people up on here. Was he a world class striker?! Not in this life but honestly we've seen much worse. AND he seemed to care about the club. He can get a brief applause . . .
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Hand on heart wish he still played for us, he was a good finisher (for a back up striker) and would have probably been able to put a few chances away against Norwich which got us in this whole mess in the first place!!

30 pages... yikes!
 

I think fans were clapping because he is not your average footballer given what he tried to do for the homeless in Merseyside.

On the footballing front he is ....well bang average.
 
Some absolute helmets in this thread. He's an ordinary working class lad like most of us in the stands, if you can't relate to that then maybe the stuff he did with the homeless should be enough to give the bloke and wee node of respect. Just because he wasn't Messi, all the good moments he had for us should be erased from memory? Deary me
 
magicjuan said:
Unfortunately that comes across to me as a winning at all costs approach, which is alien to me.

I was raised as a football fan first, Evertonian second, it was that, I thought, which set us apart in that we appreciated the sport regardless, even better if it's done by one of our own, well.

Naismith, imho, made himself one of our own, effort alone got him that, but his off field character made me genuinely proud he was an Everton player.

It's a little bit of humility. It sets us apart. It's reality, realism. It's why we felt pride after that donation up in Sunderland, it brings a human element back to the game. It's pre-Sky, pre premier league, pre money is all there is and success at any costs, we lose little things like that and we become Chelsea, City, Utd and even that other bucket of spew across the park.

So, no, I'm not evading any point, I made it very clear. I am not a corporate whore to sky and success, I'd rather stay an Evertonian thanks.
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