Everton fanbase - how to make a positive contribution to the team's success

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Legend Barry Horne

Player Valuation: £6m
It seems that we are in an endless cycle of hire and fire. We hire a manager, expectations are high, inevitably they go through a rough patch (i.e. hovering around mid table) and quickly face uproar and cries for the axe

Expectations are higher than they used to be. Moyes wouldn't have achieved what he did in later years without being given time early on to find his feet. Yes, the money is now there, but the Premier League is tough and it's very difficult to deliver top 6 instantly. Also, it's hard for us to attract a top, top manager. There needs to come a point where we back someone through the peaks and troughs, to incrementally strengthen our position. Perhaps then, in time, we will be able to attract world class

Re the Everton fanbase - there seems to be a somewhat toxic culture. 'Fans' like to go along to games, sit back with no accountability themselves and then happily rip into any perceived shortcomings of the team on the pitch, often with no real thought the the big picture, what's really going on and whether 'carrot' or 'stick' will be most effective

Player psychology is a massive part of football and hugely important. Whether players play with confidence or fear makes the world of difference. Unrealistic fan expectations / trigger happy approach to criticism has the potential to instill fear into the manager and team

I believe the focus needs to be turned on to the fans themselves. The team are training incredibly hard every day in a professional way, driving for 1% gains. But it seems there is massive potential for efficiency gains in the way fans contribute to Everton's success - at least a 50% gain. Fans contribution to positive player psychology could be the difference between an upward spiral and a downward spiral - intelligent support could really have some effect on results, giving players that bit extra when playing at Goodison

I'm not sure exactly how this should be executed, but the Everton fanbase leaders should really consider it. Whoever runs this forum can see all the negative threads on here and the patterns over time of slagging off these expensive and previously successful international players who have been brought to the club. But none of this has any positive effect on results. If fans put more thought into how every action they take can contribute to positive player psychology and in turn results, as the manager and players are doing, this can only help. In this age of social media, the fanbase leaders should be able to reach out more widely to build a strategic and educated approach amongst the fans at large

This would be pioneering as I'm not sure how many other teams are trying to optimise fan contribution at the moment or looking at the correlation between fanbase culture and success. You can certainly see it in international football - where at times smaller nations with great team spirit and lower expectations play with much more confidence and positivity...

Now that Everton has greater resources, an intelligent army of fans behind the team could help unlock the potential...
 
The fans have had the life sucked out of them with false dawns false promises, broken promises and watching our 'peers' move quite considerably ahead of us.I think it's remarkable we still sell out.

Does the negativity effect the performances, I'd wager yes but given the last 24 years it's easy to see why.
 
If the sans could see attacking, exciting football, and a coherent plan to take us forward on the field, they'd be more enthusiastic. Witnessing the negative, lifeless football and the same mistakes being repeated time and again drains the enthusiasm out of the most dedicated fan.

It's a miracle that we pretty much sell out every game considering what's on offer.
 

It seems that we are in an endless cycle of hire and fire. We hire a manager, expectations are high, inevitably they go through a rough patch (i.e. hovering around mid table) and quickly face uproar and cries for the axe

Expectations are higher than they used to be. Moyes wouldn't have achieved what he did in later years without being given time early on to find his feet. Yes, the money is now there, but the Premier League is tough and it's very difficult to deliver top 6 instantly. Also, it's hard for us to attract a top, top manager. There needs to come a point where we back someone through the peaks and troughs, to incrementally strengthen our position. Perhaps then, in time, we will be able to attract world class

Re the Everton fanbase - there seems to be a somewhat toxic culture. 'Fans' like to go along to games, sit back with no accountability themselves and then happily rip into any perceived shortcomings of the team on the pitch, often with no real thought the the big picture, what's really going on and whether 'carrot' or 'stick' will be most effective

Player psychology is a massive part of football and hugely important. Whether players play with confidence or fear makes the world of difference. Unrealistic fan expectations / trigger happy approach to criticism has the potential to instill fear into the manager and team

I believe the focus needs to be turned on to the fans themselves. The team are training incredibly hard every day in a professional way, driving for 1% gains. But it seems there is massive potential for efficiency gains in the way fans contribute to Everton's success - at least a 50% gain. Fans contribution to positive player psychology could be the difference between an upward spiral and a downward spiral - intelligent support could really have some effect on results, giving players that bit extra when playing at Goodison

I'm not sure exactly how this should be executed, but the Everton fanbase leaders should really consider it. Whoever runs this forum can see all the negative threads on here and the patterns over time of slagging off these expensive and previously successful international players who have been brought to the club. But none of this has any positive effect on results. If fans put more thought into how every action they take can contribute to positive player psychology and in turn results, as the manager and players are doing, this can only help. In this age of social media, the fanbase leaders should be able to reach out more widely to build a strategic and educated approach amongst the fans at large

This would be pioneering as I'm not sure how many other teams are trying to optimise fan contribution at the moment or looking at the correlation between fanbase culture and success. You can certainly see it in international football - where at times smaller nations with great team spirit and lower expectations play with much more confidence and positivity...

Now that Everton has greater resources, an intelligent army of fans behind the team could help unlock the potential...
Been saying this for yonks. I can understand fans getting frustrated and angry, especially when they see men who earn more each week than the fan does in a year not trying, but I entirely agree we consistently see a confidence issue.

Look at Vardy - the marginal difference between a player working away in the conference, and a top scorer in a championship winning team IS confidence and belief.

Fans who play must surely understand the effect confidence has on their own game. Just a simple word of encouragement from the sidelines can get an extra yard of pace and determination from a player. Being told you're [Poor language removed] by 30000 people and you're going to start believing it. You become hesitant and scared, you second guess yourself and hold back. Sound familiar?

As a coach at school footie I would sub off or drop any player who started to be negative about another's performance (or cheat/dive/argue) I coached the team to encourage one another. Players know when they've made a mistake, they really do. My players said things like "never mind mate, just make sure it doesn't happen next time". The captain was under orders to praise even if they had to lie through their teeth! Parents cottoned on and did the same. I had a lot of very successful teams made of well drilled, disciplined, ordinary but confident players.

As I say, I don't blame people getting angry and booing. I want to do the same, but really we need to be a bit smarter as fans, grit our teeth and encourage. Put the support back into supporter ffs.
 
The fans have had the life sucked out of them with false dawns false promises, broken promises and watching our 'peers' move quite considerably ahead of us.I think it's remarkable we still sell out.

Does the negativity effect the performances, I'd wager yes but given the last 24 years it's easy to see why.
But the expectation is on the men on the pitch to relentlessly perform - if the men and women sitting in the stands are also contributing to the outcome (in some way), and being demanding of the men on the pitch, then they should also be holding a mirror up to themselves and showing the same resilience as those on the pitch are expected to. And after all - the job of the people in the stands is easier than those on the pitch, as in many cases they won't be going through the same sort of rigorous traning regime day in day out or be put under anything like the personal scrutiny...

It's an opportunity. Many of the players are young men remember also
 
Been saying this for yonks. I can understand fans getting frustrated and angry, especially when they see men who earn more each week than the fan does in a year not trying, but I entirely agree we consistently see a confidence issue.

Look at Vardy - the marginal difference between a player working away in the conference, and a top scorer in a championship winning team IS confidence and belief.

Fans who play must surely understand the effect confidence has on their own game. Just a simple word of encouragement from the sidelines can get an extra yard of pace and determination from a player.

As a coach at school footie I would sub off or drop any player who started to be negative about another's performance (or cheat/dive/argue) I coached the team to encourage one another. Players know when they've made a mistake, they really do. My players said things like "never mind mate, just make sure it doesn't happen next time". The captain was under orders to praise even if they had to lie through their teeth! Parents cottoned on and did the same. I had a lot of very successful teams made of well drilled, disciplined, ordinary but confident players.

As I say, I don't blame people getting angry and booing. I want to do the same, but really we need to be a bit smarter as fans, grit our teeth and encourage. Put the support back into supporter ffs.
Interesting that you agree with the sentiment

The question is whether this is actually a BIG point??

We are hiring and firing managers but is there actually an equally important piece of work that could be done / an opportunity to somehow improve fanbase culture and expectations and the effect on the team

I see a team like Wolves punching above it's weight. I haven't looked into it but a wonder if a more positive club / fan culture has something to do with this
 
But the expectation is on the men on the pitch to relentlessly perform - if the men and women sitting in the stands are also contributing to the outcome (in some) way, and being demanding of the men on the pitch, then they should also be holding a mirror up to themselves and showing the same resilience. And after all - the job of the people in the stands is easier than those on the pitch, as in many cases they won't be going through the same sort of rigorous traning regime or under anything like the personal scrutiny...

It's an opportunity

You can moan about the fans and I do agree a positive atmosphere would be better for all but the club has done this to the fans not the other way around, it's the lies and deceit and silence over the last 24 years have done this to the fan base. The club is to blame for the moans and groans because wenever seem to go anywhere no matter how many times we sell out.
 
Right lads, I want you all in Stanley Park for a series of coordinated fan training sessions. In fifteen minute blocks we will cover the following:-

1) Synchronised Booing
2) Pie eating
3) Abusing the Referee and his assistants
4) Singing practice. Obviously not a whole song just Everton, Everton, Everton, Everton , Everton .... until we get bored and it slows down.
5) Early bus dash
6) Media skills and typing doom and gloom no matter what the result or performance
7) repeat item 1 and add shouts of ‘oh ffs...*insert name’
 

Right lads, I want you all in Stanley Park for a series of coordinated fan training sessions. In fifteen minute blocks we will cover the following:-

1) Synchronised Booing
2) Pie eating
3) Abusing the Referee and his assistants
4) Singing practice. Obviously not a whole song just Everton, Everton, Everton, Everton , Everton .... until we get bored and it slows down.
5) Early bus dash
6) Media skills and typing doom and gloom no matter what the result or performance
7) repeat item 1 and add shouts of ‘oh ffs...*insert name’
:) Almost the opposite of this could work well....

It is a serious point - I don't know how it's achieved - it could have a big impact. It would need some fans to take the lead
 
If the players are concentrating on the game the crowd noise doesn't make a difference.
Or so we've been told.
Huddersfield fans are happy clappers.
Look at them.
Our away support puts up with utter dirge but with the booze in them encourage the team.
I'm sorry but our form and the Goodison crowd is the players excuse.
 

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