SuitsBlue
Player Valuation: £50m
Not in those days it didn't
but what the cathedrals stand for was there, and then some.
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but what the cathedrals stand for was there, and then some.
The Esk
Player Valuation: £70m
but what the cathedrals stand for was there, and then some.
Indeed ! One of his daughters (an aunt of mine) brought home a nice young man who asked my grandfather for his daughter's hand in marriage. My grandfather asked which church did he attend, he gave the "wrong" answer and was promptly booted out of the house and told never to darken the door step again. Strangely enough he never became my uncle
TX Bill
Player Valuation: £80m
Why Everton?
Why Not?
Seriously, though, a good question, especially as it pertains to myself. As an American, one would think I would be a likely candidate to support one of the big name squads.
Having been attracted to soccer (football) as a sport at a very young age, I found it increasingly difficult to sustain my interest (having grown up in a very small town in farming country in NE Ohio). I eventually gravitated to other, more popular sports (baseball, basketball, football). However, I always maintained a passing interest in the sport.
It wans't until the 2002 World Cup that I renewed my committment to follow the sport more closely. In addition, I became aware of (and began playing) the great football simulation Champ Manager (Football Manager). I don't play it as much as I did a few years ago, but it did expand appreciation for the sport as never before.
It was a few years later (2004) that I began watching Fox Sports World (now Fox Soccer Channel in the US) on a regular basis. As they televised EPL matches, I would watch matches to see how each team faired.
As luck (or destiny?) would have it, quite a few Everton matches were televised. I remember watching the opening match of the 2004-05 campaign between Everton and Arsenal (Arsenal winning 4-1). I also remember the commentators mentioning that the media were predicting Everton would be relegated (as they had just recently sold Rooney to Man Utd.). I didn't think much of the match at the time, but looking back, I do remember thinking that there was a certain "spirit" about the team that I liked.
Over the course of the year, Everton matches were televised on FSC, so I made it a point to watch to see if my initial impressions were still valid. To my surprise, I continued to be impressed that Everton were a team that deserved to be supported. I suppose it was sometime towards the end of the 04-05 campaign that I solidifed my support of the team.
Maybe part of the attraction to Everton was in supporting the "underdog" - a team that had to fight and scratch for wins and gain respect from the other teams (as well as those in the media). Maybe it's an American thing (we like to root for underdogs; on the downside, though, if underdogs become established winners, then we like to see them fail).
Maybe part of the attraction to Everton was in keeping with my former support of Cleveland sports franchises (Browns, Indians, Cavaliers). While the Browns and Indians have had storied histories (much like Everton), in my lifetime they seemed to always disappoint (and in the case of the Cavaliers - outside the current LeBron James era and the late 80s early 90s era - extreme disappointment).
I'm not a strong supporter of my former US sports teams (I kind of lost interest after the Cleveland Browns moved the club to Baltimore - the current incarnation is an expansion team that began in 1999). Think Bill Kenwright moving the club, not to Kirkby, but to some city that had lost one of its storied teams (Wimbleton? yea, I know) because the folks in Wimbleton were willing to pay for a brand new stadium, in addition to allow for Kenwright to operate the club on a tax-free basis for a number of years (so he could earn obscene profits) and well as pass on ownership of the club to his son. The analogy isn't exact, but you get the idea.
So even though I haven't suffered through the lean years, my past experience in supporting Cleveland sports teams has served me well during the periods when Everton has struggled or hasn't lived up to my expectations at times. It suppose would have been much easier if I were to support Man Utd., Arsenal, Chelsea, or (gasp!) Liverpool. But I don't regret the choice I made.
Wow..it's TW old timers day.
First Inertia3112 and now Eponymous.
Great story Eponymous and don't be a stranger.
trebilcock66
Player Valuation: £8m
Indeed ! One of his daughters (an aunt of mine) brought home a nice young man who asked my grandfather for his daughter's hand in marriage. My grandfather asked which church did he attend, he gave the "wrong" answer and was promptly booted out of the house and told never to darken the door step again. Strangely enough he never became my uncle
My fathers side of the family are all catholics of Irish descent (my name's Garrity and my paternal gran was a Murphy - beat that for irishness). When he met my mum and the relationship got serious, the usual questions followed...where's her family from? (maiden name pritchard - she's welsh but was forgiven) What foot do her family kick with? (she's protestant. That was a bigger difficulty but what the heck, they're in love...) Are her family red or blue? (They were and are to this day koppites through and through. "Now just hold on a minnit arl Terry lad are you sure about this?")
Although these two young postwar lovebirds grew up within half a mile of each other in Knotty Ash, the footy allegiances were easily the biggest impediment to the marriage going ahead but both families eventually managed to co-exist. (There was one memorable boozy brawl at a family wedding when I was a kid...) But with typical merseyside "bury-the-hatchet, let's-all-just-live-together-even-though-we-hate-each-other's-teams" attitude, the marriage went ahead.
My parents celebrated their golden wedding anniversary a few years back.
My son continues the blue allegiance through the male line. One of my daughters with typical female cussedness has gone all "Stevie G..." and turned to the dark side. I take her to matches at Anfield (I just keep my eyes closed and have a shower afterwards) and my boy to Valhalla - another liverpool tradition that continues today.
Which leads me to ponder... despite all the anti-liverpool stuff that all evertonians like to spout sometimes, won't we miss each other when the move comes? I love the fact that the two camps are so close. Somehow, looking back at my family's history over the last 50+ years, that proximity is what makes merseyside football so special. I accept that times have changed, but I deeply regret what we're about to lose
That would be fantastic Esk as pictures or footage of the man is very hard to find.
The Esk
Player Valuation: £70m
That would be a great thing to scan and share on here *nudge nudge wink wink*
Would like to, but may have to delay doing so because of copyright issues with potential publishers
I own the pictures of that there is no issue - it's just I have to be careful where or how they are published.As soon as I can I will
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