school_of_science
Player Valuation: £225k
I’m talking about the whingers, people who obviously don’t come to enjoy the game or, heaven forbid, support the team, but instead whenever a slight opportunity arises, whinge and hurl abuse at our players.
This is no new phenomenon, it has been going on for years. In 87 people complained that we didn’t win the title with good enough football. Campbell, a man who virtually single-handedly saved us from relegation, came under a lot of abuse in his last 2 seasons, despite being top goal scorer, Moyes has come under pressure for playing a defensive 451 formation which has made us one of the highest scoring teams in England and so on.
Last night, with some very good football on show and a fully fit squad performing on form with spot on tactics, Everton walked their way into an easy 6-1 victory, the biggest victory in the competition that night. Surely there was no room for whinging was there? Apparently there was. Moyes rightly took off Cahill and Carsley in order to rest them, replacing them with Fernandes and, shock horror, the wolf in sheep’s clothing, Hibbert! A lifelong Evertonian is substituted on at half time as we lead 2-0 in the UEFA Cup, and he is welcomed with a chorus of boos, when a man who turned us down in the summer walks to the field to applause! I cheer Fernandes as I cheer any Everton player, and hold no hard feelings against him, but I must question the mentality of anyone who boos a life long blue who, after nearly dying from a tropical illness just over a year ago, has remained 100% committed to Everton, yet cheer on a player who turned our summer transfer plans on their head. What has Hibbert done to deserve such treatment? Has he confessed a love of another club, admitted his desire to move on to further his career, or used provocative hand gestures to taunt the fans? No, he’s quietly and professionally got on with his job, fighting for his place in the team he loves, 18 months after fighting for his life.
Last night was the perfect example of how these “fans” seem to only see what it is they want to see. After the chorus of boos heralded the entrance of the only locally born lifelong Evertonian on the field that night, the team started to pass the ball about well when, under no pressure whatsoever, Arteta gives the ball away, I wait for some dissent from the fans, silence, then a few minutes later, Fernandes, in the centre, under no pressure gives the ball away, silence, then Pienaar, in an attacking movement from the team passes the ball to the opposition, silence. Then suddenly, in the centre, Neville collects the ball and passes it out to the right at an awkward height at pace, Hibbert stretches to control this difficult ball but fails and concedes a throw in, suddenly this wave of abuse is directed at the apparently ‘useless’ Hibbert. And then, the moment of the match from a personal perspective, Brann score from a free kick, only for me to hear the immortal words “I knew they’d score when Hibbert came on”.
This is no new phenomenon, it has been going on for years. In 87 people complained that we didn’t win the title with good enough football. Campbell, a man who virtually single-handedly saved us from relegation, came under a lot of abuse in his last 2 seasons, despite being top goal scorer, Moyes has come under pressure for playing a defensive 451 formation which has made us one of the highest scoring teams in England and so on.
Last night, with some very good football on show and a fully fit squad performing on form with spot on tactics, Everton walked their way into an easy 6-1 victory, the biggest victory in the competition that night. Surely there was no room for whinging was there? Apparently there was. Moyes rightly took off Cahill and Carsley in order to rest them, replacing them with Fernandes and, shock horror, the wolf in sheep’s clothing, Hibbert! A lifelong Evertonian is substituted on at half time as we lead 2-0 in the UEFA Cup, and he is welcomed with a chorus of boos, when a man who turned us down in the summer walks to the field to applause! I cheer Fernandes as I cheer any Everton player, and hold no hard feelings against him, but I must question the mentality of anyone who boos a life long blue who, after nearly dying from a tropical illness just over a year ago, has remained 100% committed to Everton, yet cheer on a player who turned our summer transfer plans on their head. What has Hibbert done to deserve such treatment? Has he confessed a love of another club, admitted his desire to move on to further his career, or used provocative hand gestures to taunt the fans? No, he’s quietly and professionally got on with his job, fighting for his place in the team he loves, 18 months after fighting for his life.
Last night was the perfect example of how these “fans” seem to only see what it is they want to see. After the chorus of boos heralded the entrance of the only locally born lifelong Evertonian on the field that night, the team started to pass the ball about well when, under no pressure whatsoever, Arteta gives the ball away, I wait for some dissent from the fans, silence, then a few minutes later, Fernandes, in the centre, under no pressure gives the ball away, silence, then Pienaar, in an attacking movement from the team passes the ball to the opposition, silence. Then suddenly, in the centre, Neville collects the ball and passes it out to the right at an awkward height at pace, Hibbert stretches to control this difficult ball but fails and concedes a throw in, suddenly this wave of abuse is directed at the apparently ‘useless’ Hibbert. And then, the moment of the match from a personal perspective, Brann score from a free kick, only for me to hear the immortal words “I knew they’d score when Hibbert came on”.
