Season 2011-12 Fan Articles

Everton, a relic of the good old days

By Alan   Clarke  ::  12/09/2011   51 Comments (»Last) I'm trying to get my head round some of the apathy gripping large sections of our fan base and why so many seem to be happy with the 'leadership' shown by Kenwright and Co. Despite two failed ground moves, increasing debt, selling 1st team players and not replacing them, no 1st team recruits for 2 years etc etc. The list goes on and we all know it off by heart now. So why the applause on Saturday? Why does it seem so clear to me that this man and this board are the wrong people to lead our club forward yet so many others can't see it or aren't arsed?

I reckon it's because of this ? Our History. It's our favourite song isn't it? "If ya know yer History". It's played through the ground before kick-off and after the final whistle. As a group of fans we have become fixated on it, so much so that it's all we focus on. I just wish we had a song about our future...

We have become a relic of football, like a history museum people and school children visit to see what football used to be like in the olden days. Goodison reminds me of those theme museums like the Yorvik Viking Centre or Wigan Pier. I wouldn't be surprised if the goal posts at Goodison are at some point changed to jumpers.

As Martin Samuel showed, the press love it because we're an 'old fashioned' club. We've an old fashioned chairman in Kenwright who loves the club. It's not his fault he's no money but he loves us and loves the club. He's a fan who used to stand in the Boy's Pen, he's one of us and we should all appreciate that!

We've a good old-fashioned fiery Scottish manager who does all his own scouting and isn't scared to shout at his players. He's the one in charge, he decides who comes and goes. He looks at players 'characters' to make sure they'll fit in at our Everton. He puts the work in on the training ground and still wears a tracksuit. Unfortunately, he still likes good old-fashioned tactics as well.

Amongst the players, we've got this infamous 'team spirit' that money can't buy ? just like in the olden days. A bit like the good old crazy gang. Just read Fizzer's good old banter with his team mates on twitter. They have such a laugh them guys! You wouldn't read Aguero accusing his Irish team mate of living in a caravan or Juan Mata having a laugh at his captain for practising hoofing channel balls on the beach with his kids this summer.

As fans we love being the plucky underdog, the club with no money who punch above our weight. The highlight of the year now seems to be beating money bags Man City. "Two-nil and we spent fuck all" was our chant, sang with pride. But God, we wouldn't want to be like them, would we? That bunch of mercenaries winning every game 3 or 4 nil, playing in the Champions League, winning the FA Cup, challenging for the title in their new stadium. Why would we want to be like them... or 'Chelski'? They've no history like us. They've no Dixie Dean or that night against Bayern. They've no Last of the Corinthians or Holy Trinity.

I reckon this is why Kenwright's piece in the Mail on Saturday struck a chord with so many. As a group of fans we're sentimental old farts just like Kenwright. We love Goodison. We love players with little flare but who work hard. We love our pie and chips and a pint in the Winslow before the game. We love the thought of doing it the old way, the right way, ie, with no money. We love our history.

I'm not saying we should forget it but it's like we're stuck in this time-warp. No one wants to leave it behind and look to the future. Everyone seems to want to preserve this little old-fashioned time capsule of football that Everton has become. It's great for the older generation who watched it all. They can sit back in their rocking chairs and reminisce. They can tell the younger folk what it was like while we all gawp and wish it could be like that again.

But for the rest of us (mid-thirties and below), what do we have? I have vague memories of the 80s and I went to Wembley in 95 so I've experienced some glory but there's grown-up men and women now who haven't seen a thing. All they've got are the stories from the older guys about the good old days. Stories that Uncle Bill himself can't stop himself talking about in every single interview he ever does.

If we want to progress anywhere as a club, we've got to start looking to the future. We've got to find some burning ambition inside us to want to make the club go forward. We've got to move with the times and let go of some of the sentiment. Otherwise, the likes of me have not got much history to reflect on and my kids will have nothing. Our favourite song will become meaningless.

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