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E-mails 86 E-Mail bluekipper.com Back
to Your My Nan Would Do Better hello to all... i went to the game to day and I'm a bit pissed off.. we made them look good. Naysmith... who the hell is he??? my nan could have done better! John P. (26/04/04) With impeccable timing Everton chose this match to announce in the programme an increase in admission prices for next season while serving up a load of tripe on the pitch as an appetizer. Normally I just skip over anything Dunford writes in the programme, but this time I thought I might risk rigor mortis by reading his pompous thoughts justifying the rise in prices. Maybe, I thought, just maybe he’ll say, “Look, Evertonians, let’s all be together on this. The Board want to raise prices to raise funds for DM to go out in the Summer and strengthen the squad and this is your chance to help.” Then reality bit. Dunford making the usual platitudes about “it’s not a decision that has been taken lightly” and “we want to compete with other clubs.” Yes, we do, but it would help if DM could rely on you to do your job in securing the serious external revenue that makes other clubs far more successful both on and off the field. Two years of Kejian sponsorship, two years of opportunity to break into the biggest global market share, two more years of wasted chances to provide DM with the resources to compete at the level he and we expect Everton FC to be at. Dunford, this is Everton, does that mean anything to you? So just when I thought it was safe to look at the league table again, we deliver the playing equivalent of Dunford’s verbal posturing. As I wrote recently, DM is the manager, he is the only boss, and we should get behind him. Most of us do, but despite paying far too little for the privilege according to Dunford and the Board, we are also entitled to be disappointed when DM appears to settle for a home draw. There seems no other explanation for his decision to replace the flying Faddy with the pedestrian Watson and make the substitutions he made. Still, DM is Everton through and through and I certainly think he’ll learn again from this experience. Talking about learning from experiences, can we not give Francis Jeffers a break? Some of the bile directed at him recently is way over the top. Jeffers has learned that Arsenal’s grass wasn’t greener, that there can be nothing better than playing for the club you grew up supporting. Yes, he was a greedy bastard, but he is trying to say, “I’m sorry, I want to play for Everton again.” And when he feels, rightly or wrongly, that he is not being given a chance to show what he can do, he makes more mistakes. Probably because he lacks the means to explain his feeling in the proper way. I’m glad that DM was big enough to accept his apology, and now let’s get behind DM and a player who may well be with us next season and who will reward us if we can give him some confidence. In my opinion, it was Jeffers’s intelligent movement off the ball as much as Kevin Campbell’s goals that saved us a few seasons ago. Now whether I can lend my personal support to the cause next season is open to some debate. Of course I’ll never stop being an Evertonian, but after 43 years (with one break of 5 years) of having a season ticket I am having some doubts about renewing. It is not just the 15% increase in my case. It is the arrogance of Dunford and the Board who expect us to underwrite their ineptitude. It is also finally getting to me that I am working hard to pay silly money to players who think that a tattoo on their arm means that they can be excused thuggish behaviour on the pitch that gets them banned at a crucial moment in the season but does not stop them picking up their weekly wage of more than the average annual salary of lesser mortals. …..Maybe I’m just disappointed that we did not go out and attack with pace a very wooden Blackburn defence. Joe 90. (26/04/04) Supporting Style Council 2 Re: Zac
below. I can't believe there are actually blues who can take such
a philosophical stance on match days. We were brought up on stories of
raw emotion, and fanatical support. We celebrate like there is no such
thing as a hangover, we feel every defeat as a personal kick in the bollocks.
No Evertonian ever has to justify their emotions on match days. All I
can say is if you can stand on the terraces and be so cold and unfeeling,
you may belong to the wrong side of the city. Imagine the atmosphere at
the game if we all had the same attitude. Bally on his Way Back
'I hear that Michael Ball is currently having a new £600,000 house built in Formby. Assuming that this is not the singer, and as the other has not played for Rangers since December 2001 with a cruciate ligament injury, but is now not on Rangers injury list but and due to return at the start of the new season, I wonder if there is anything "Fishy" going on here? Anyone know the local milkman? Check that kitbag on the way home from Ibrox!! Alan. (25/07/03)' Alan. (24/04/04) Danny Szetela This was taken from a Match report of England U17's vs USA U17's. Where man of the match Danny Szetela inspired USA to a 2-1 victory. "The next time we saw Szetela with the ball at his feet just after the hour mark, the Meadow Lane crowd was given a real treat. With his haze of blond curly hair, the boy from World Class Olympic started and ended the move that saw him finish in a fashion suited to any football occasion. From 20 yards he unleashed an awesome dipping drive that fooled Joe Lewis and fizzed into the net. If they weren't happy at being one down, England must have been mad now, but nobody could have denied Szetela his goal celebration and the man of the match award." Lets hope Davie gets his man (for a change) John Reece. (23/04/04) Just an observation on methods of support - whenever I look at your site I see people who are exiled blues commenting they dream at being back at Goodison Park watching us play, and yet this view never fits with the reality of almost everyone there ranting insults at the lads when a move breaks down, or if we are just playing badly in general. Why is there no middle ground? why do those that go every week rue their fortunes, and those that cant wish they could? Does this just break itself down into a rose tinted spectacle approach versus reality, or is it that you don't know what you've got till its gone? I'm not sure, but I do know that I don't spend a second berating our boys, no matter how terrible we invariably perform - I take some pleasure in the little things (is there anything bigger?) - a satisfyingly crunching tackle from Unsworth or Gravy, quick feet from Fadd or Radd,Weir being no ones mug, Kilbane taking on three, a nice piece of control etc. I find that when I focus on the little things, it helps ease the difficulty of defeat, or a mundane forgettable draw. My dad couldn't have a more different approach - he has loyally followed for 50 years plus, but now adopts the James lyric approach of "If I hadn't seen such riches I could live with being poor" referring to the mid 80's all conquering side, and I concede that from that perspective it must be very difficult. But don't people agree that there is ultimately no profit from insults and general terrace bile, and that it all only really contributes to a feeling of despair at the end? It breaks my heart when I hear kids talking about us being a fucking joke or a waste of time, Everton are magic, the club if not the current crop of players. Who hasn't dreamt of playing for them when they were (maybe not so) little? Its an institution that has given you hope, and at times complete joy and elation - why not remember and appreciate the great times and try and be philosophical about the present? the point of this note isn't to make people change their ways, I'm aware it takes significantly more than this to effect that, but rather to try and get people to question what it is they eventually receive by supporting us as they do - you end up bitter and aggrieved, and eventually just stop going in disgust - that's a real shame when you've given so much and must have had so many good times you've overlooked or dismissed. If it's the case that for some reason some people are only happy when they are upset or have something to whinge at then I'm no psychologist but this cannot be a healthy approach to life - enjoy us, what other real options are there? Zac Levy. (23/04/04) All Points North Charity Challenge - July 2004 I live
in Barnsley in South Yorkshire, and I am currently organising the All
Points North Charity Challenge, which will take place on 25-26 July 2004.
Myself and Euron Hughes (both Everton season ticket holders), Richard
Clark (Sunderland) and Gregg Bellham (Rotherham) will be attempting to
visit all 42 football league grounds in Scotland in a single 24-hour period.
We will be starting at Berwick Rangers at 6pm on Sunday 25 July, and hope
to arrive at Ross County in Dingwall, 791 miles and 41 stops later, before
6pm the following day. As far as we know, this has never been attempted
before, so we believe we will be setting a record, as well as raising
what we hope will be at least a 5-figure sum. So the
club has announced that we have a new
'sponsor', JJB Sports. In keeping with the typical woeful communication
between club and its faithful support, they tell us nothing more. Maybe
they think we don't need to know, just so long as we keep turning up. What Do You Think? Have your say! e-mail bluekipper.com |