So some of us may still be hurting from the cup exit against Arsenal, (I know I am) so I thought it would be interesting to hear from some fans, what their highs and lows are of being a blue. I enlisted the help of the brilliant guys over at the Everton page and as you may have seen, they asked the question and we received some great responses!
Views from the ‘Everton page’ on Facebook.
Views from the ‘Everton page’ on Facebook.
Views from the ‘Everton page’ on Facebook.
I was also sent this great insight by lifelong Evertonian and Dad of two, Dave Griffiths.
“Everton’s glory days were coming to an end when I was born (1986) and so my early memories of the blues are us having to win the last game of the season to stay up. I remember listening to the Wimbledon game on City and crying at the final whistle with the relief of escaping relegation and I remember thinking how odd it was that I could be so happy at the end of such a terrible season.
My first taste of real Everton induced euphoria was the 1995 FA Cup victory. The joy that Paul Rideout brought me when he put in that header was like nothing I’d ever felt at the hands of football. I recall jumping up and down on the sofa when Dave Watson lifted the trophy at the end of the game and remember feeling a thrill at seeing Paul Ince sitting dejected on the Wembley turf.
Of course since then we’ve had no opportunity to celebrate a trophy (unless you count the charity shield in ’95) but there have still been plenty of highs and lows. Finishing 4th to get a chance at qualifying for the champion’s league and then having that chance taken away by one of the most bizarre refereeing decisions of all time.
Beating Liverpool 3-0 and watching Reina drop the ball on Andy Johnson’s head. Jags smashing in that penalty to take us to the Cup final in 2009, King Louis scoring after about 30 seconds in the final and then losing 2-1.
Losing the penalty shoot out to Fiorentina after playing so well in the second leg stands out in my mind.
Following our beloved Toffees is a never ending story of ups and downs but in all honesty, I wouldn’t trade it for the world.”
David Bernard sent me his thoughts, “I have been watching Everton for over 40 years and in life it has taught me 3 things:
1) You don’t always get what you deserve.
2) It teaches you to get over disappointment quickly.
3) In the case of referees (Clattenburg, Thomas and Atkinson) it really is biologically possible to be born without any parents.
Wise words there!!
I think personally for me, it’s difficult as at 20 years of age, I was only 1 the last time we won a trophy, so while I’m sure I was shaking my rattle, I don’t quite remember it!!
My first match was on the 28th April 2001, we played Bradford City and beat them 2-1, with goals coming from Duncan Ferguson and Nicolas Alexanderson. It was just my Dad and me and I can remember loving every minute of it!
My sister, Dad & I at the FA Cup, Semi-Final – 2009.
April 2009 was pretty special for me, my first trip to Wembley ever, the atmosphere was electric and like nothing I’d ever experienced before. Walking down Wembley Way with that sea of red and blue was incredible. And even better was the match and penalty shootout. I’ll never forget Phil Jagielka’s winning penalty and the sheer elation all of us Blues felt round the stadium! On the flip side though, I can remember being so gutted for Jags when he was tackled and sustained a knee injury which kept him out of the final, he had fought so hard to get us to Wembley.
Another stand out memory is Wayne Rooney’s stunning goal against Arsenal in October 2002 , remember that spectacular curling shot over David Seamen’s head? And then going on to win the match 2-1 and the next day THAT picture which was splashed across the back pages of a euphoric looking Rooney on the back of Kevin Campbell? I have that picture in my Everton scrapbook – yes, I kept a scrapbook, complete with dodgy drawings of Nicolas Alexanderson (where is he now?…) We so nearly missed this game as well, because my Dad had forgotten the tickets and when we were half way there, had to turn around and come all the way back again! So glad we didn’t miss this piece of history!
Photo courtesy of ‘The Daily Mail’
I also remember the 7-1 thrashing of Sunderland back in November 2007?? Chanting ‘we want more’, ‘we want more’.
I loved our time in Europe too, the excitement of extra nights of football! Clubs from all over coming to play on our beloved turf!
Ok so they are more memories, but overall, the high for me, of being a blue, is our rich history, the commitment to the club that each player brings every 90 minutes of the game and that we, as fans, are chosen.
I love that our Club’s owners are all massive Blues and have they have our best interests at heart. As much as we need an injection of money into the club, I would rather not have it from an over seas benefactor who would for example, change our club colours to red!! (Poor Cardiff.…)
With the highs, comes the lows, and I’d say mine are, not taking chances when we get them and leaving it until the last minute to win the game (like last Saturday against Cardiff!!) but I guess that keeps us on our toes! Losing our nerve against the big teams and the constant opinion in the media that we are a club punching above our weight and as though we are the ‘black sheep’ of the Premier League!!
And finally I’ll leave you with Tony Coyle’s opinion: “Highs being a brilliant start to the season, Martinez doing so well with such a small squad. Lows being, we couldn’t maintain the good form after Christmas, 11 points out of 24 up to Saturday’s game. Failure to beat the big clubs (FA Cup etc), still no big money signings and too many players on loan. Leave on a high, the Winners Cup Final of 1986, I was there!”
I have loved reading through all your opinions and I’m sorry I couldn’t feature them all.
Until next time Blues…
The Toffee Lady 