watching Everton on the telly on their way to Roterdam. that same year they broadcasted the FA Cup, and everybody was talking about a side that was about to win the treble.
Then my parents bought me a ZX Spectrum and all footy games were about English football... Guess which team I would choose everytime?
Then, came that FA Cup final where McCall scored twice. People were talking about John Barnes. The tv commentator was saying that Trevor Steven was a great player. And I was overwhelmed with McCall's prowess.
So, I think that from that time, when I was 6 or 7, Everton was the team Sporting wasn't allowed to be. Information was very few, at that time.
When I went to college I got to access more info, but Everton was in a very hard period... Bakayoko and Madar were proeminent.[/quote]
for a supporter who has followed us from afar to still show an interest during those days and after is remarkable, especially when you consider that even then it wouldve been difficult still to follow it(we didnt have all this media access then kids) although that may have been a blessing in disguise tbh. you are one of us for certain sotnas.
And a proud one, I must say.
Somehow I just fell in love with english football and atmosphere. That entrance at Wembley was something magical. There was no cable tv at the time in Portugal (we only had 2 channels) and no sports channels. But because of the fa cup, sometimes they would broadcast the road to wembley show. At some point I had some special interest in Clough's Forest, but never came close towards the feeling I always had for Everton.
I miss those days. I remember once in a friends house, he had been given a VHS tape about the hammers history. I drooled when we reached the part about Cottee and McAvennie partnership, just because Cottee had been signed.
I digged every piece of info on Everton. I think I still have newspapers that mentioned Everton's matches, which were so few.
I had a computer game Soccer 7 and Everton were the toughest. It was the only time my friends shared my passion for Everton, because there was a brawl all the time when we were choosing the teams to play. I chose it for love, they would choose it for convenience and "greed".
In 95', my father stormed into my room because I couldn't stop shouting "Toma! Toma!" when Rideout headed the freackin' ball in. He thought I was crazy, and maybe I am.
The best source of information was Championship Manager saga. I would spend hours just looking at the players history, trying to find what had happened during the days I couldn't hear from them.
When private tv channels were allowed (in the same year that Leeds won it) one of their first english matches broadcasted was a Merseyside derby. We won 1-0, courtesy from Mr. Mo Johnston. That was the first time I heard about Billy Kenny and Stuart Barlow

.
At college, things were dark. I remember once saying in a forum "we could sign Figo for 25M" and someone replied "are you [Poor language removed] mad?!? he had to be 10 times better than Collins".
After all these years I have a special feeling for those Dogs of War. Because of them I won't forget the look in my dad's face.