Readers of  Toffeeweb may recall that Lyndon recently put out a call for contributors to help the editorial team by way of submitting regular news posts or other regular fan items. I put myself forward and suggested to Lyndon that I might attempt to find out via our opponent's fan websites how they view upcoming fixtures versus the Blues.  The following is my first attempt at trying to get a flavour of the mood amongst those fans whose team are about to try and secure 3 points of their own at the expense of Frank's improving side.


On Saturday evening we host Leicester City. The Foxes currently lie in 18th place in the table with 11 points, 3 behind the Blues having played the same number of games. They have been in or around the relegation zone since the start of the season and that fact colours much of the opinions expressed on their various fan websites.

One constant issue for many is the future of Brendan Rodgers, with many taking the view that the next two games may well define his prospects of remaining the manager after the World Cup hiatus has passed. With that in mind, a mixed bag of emotions about Saturday's game emerge, after roaming through the fans' opinions. 

At worst, many see no hope of there being any possible additional points from this fixture. They believe that if Goodison Park is at its fullest, raucous atmosphere their players will crumble. Their away form is not good and they yield too easily to pressure on and off the pitch. Maybe that's a signal to the Goodison Park crowd to turn up the volume for this one.

Article continues below video content


The perhaps more sanguine see a point in the offing. Frank Lampard's side are no better on paper than theirs and that is reflected in the league table positions.  However, they see Goodison as a bogey ground which will result in a return of what they call Brand Brendan's Football by Death!?  Presumably this means they will be over-cautious and at best seek to stifle the Blues with a view to staving off the inevitable.

Finally, there are some who take heart from the team's performance against Manchester City, particularly in the last 10 minutes. A repeat of that approach, combined with Tielmans's rich vein of form, will see them grab 3 points at Goodison.

So in summary, their fans view this fixture with mixed feelings and it's difficult to suggest they are all travelling north full of confidence. Let's hope that goes for the team.

One thing that did emerge from my research is that a number of them have got a handle on the Board level managerial travails at Goodison Park with particular reference to Bill Kenwright. That led one contributor to take the view that Koeman assembled a good squad of players, and his role was undermined by the Board and Moshiri's obsession with Marco Silva.

So there you have it. My first attempt at setting out how the fans of our visitors on Saturday see the game and its likely outcome. Please let me know your views and don't hold back if you consider this exercise not worth repeating. I hope of course the alternative view will prevail.

COYB


Reader Comments (22)

Note: the following content is not moderated or vetted by the site owners at the time of submission. Comments are the responsibility of the poster. Disclaimer ()


Lee Courtliff
1 Posted 04/11/2022 at 08:46:57
Well worth continuing, mate. I'm always interested in the views of other fans, it's amazing how we all see the game so differently.
Danny O’Neill
2 Posted 04/11/2022 at 08:53:56
Good insight that, Alasdair. I spend enough time around other teams' supporters, both where I live and on my travels to watch Everton home and away, and I always like to get the opposition's view. I often find they are actually fascinated with Everton and generally have a dislike for our red cousins. Maybe that's just my influence.

We should go into this with confidence.

I was at the Goodison fixture the season they miraculously but deservedly won the league. We lost 3 - 2 and I wasn't impressed with them. If anything, we should have won it. The difference between the 2 teams is they had 5 shots on target (one a penalty if I recall), but they converted 3 of them. A good percentage return rate. Goals win games as they say. I told my son there was no chance they would maintain it and win the league. Shows what I know!

This is ours to win and that ex-Kopite manager with "Ross from Friends" teeth equal to his successor, can be sent packing.

Barry Rathbone
3 Posted 04/11/2022 at 09:16:18
Nice one, Lyndon, it's good to hear views from the other camp. It offers greater perspective about where we are as a club, I'm all for it.
John Pickles
4 Posted 04/11/2022 at 09:28:24
Interesting and useful insight, Alisdair.

'That led one contributor to take the view that Koeman assembled a good squad of players.'

Hilarious! I guess all sites have at least one nutter.

Tony Shelby
5 Posted 04/11/2022 at 09:36:15
Re: the comments about Koeman's squad: What The Fuck?!

It was a team in name only. A group of individuals – average at best, or past their prime – wandering around the pitch like zombies.

If you're going to shoehorn in this site's customary Kenwright-bashing, at least pick a plausible argument; otherwise, you come off as desperate.

Brian Hennessy
6 Posted 04/11/2022 at 09:52:57
Tony #5.

The only one I would describe as desperate is Kenwright. Desperate for control, desperate for money, and now desperate to hold on for dear life despite years of desperate failure.

Good piece, Alasdair. Nice to hear the thoughts of our opponents.

Tony Shelby
7 Posted 04/11/2022 at 09:55:58
Thanks for your insight, Brian.

You should repeat that message ad infinitum. Oh wait, you already have.

Dave Abrahams
8 Posted 04/11/2022 at 10:11:05
That made an interesting read, Alasdair. I hope you continue with them.

Very good post, Brian (6) – please post them more often, the more the merrier!!

Derek Knox
9 Posted 04/11/2022 at 12:45:54
Alisdair/Lyndon, I have always enjoyed reading views from the opposition's general level-headed supporters before a match, which I thought this was going to be. I know it's not always easy as other team's Online Fanzones are not a patch on this one (Brownie Points please, Lyndon) but it is good to know what they fear, and see in our set-up that may be a threat or a cakewalk.

We certainly won't be outsung like the Fulham Home Fans last week.

Danny Broderick
10 Posted 04/11/2022 at 15:50:28
Hi Alasdair,

I think you've come up with an interesting angle.

Personally, I would like to hear about who is playing well for them – who to look out for – and is not playing well, maybe things we can look to exploit against them.

Cheers.

Jay Harris
11 Posted 04/11/2022 at 15:53:55
The first season under Koeman was moderately successful but then Koeman lost interest when Blue Bill sold Lukaku and brought Rooney back, neither of which he approved, so he took the attitude, rightly or wrongly, that "If you want to run the playing side, I'm off to play golf!"

As regards Leicester City, they are going to be tougher than we imagine because they are desperate for points and have some very good players.

Hopefully we can get our goalscoring ability sorted out and take the game to them.

Tony Abrahams
12 Posted 04/11/2022 at 15:59:50
The first season under Koeman took me back to the Walter Smith days when watching Everton was a very painful experience.
John Raftery
13 Posted 04/11/2022 at 16:06:31
Always interesting to read about the opposition's perspective. Leicester have improved of late. I doubt tomorrow's game will be a walk in the park for us but it is one from which we should be able to eke out 3 points.

As for the suggestion from one contributor that Koeman assembled a good squad of players, what nonsense! We are still recovering financially from the summer of 2017 when Klaassen, Sigurdsson and Rooney were signed at great expense for one position while the gaping hole left by Lukaku's sale remained unfilled.

It was not all the fault of Koeman but he failed to manage upwards. He was far too passive as the club embarked on a mad spending spree which made no sense at the time and looks even worse 5 years later.

Joe McMahon
14 Posted 04/11/2022 at 16:21:13
Tony @12,

I'm sure if Walter was given the money Koeman came into to blast away, then he would have done a much better job at making us more attractive to watch. Walter of course was a much nicer man than Koeman (but of course most are).

Billy Roberts
15 Posted 04/11/2022 at 19:24:28
Excellent idea, Alisdair.

Keep it up... I'm always interested in what opposition fans think of us. Sometimes, you get a more balanced idea of where your club is at.

I know this is what your thinking is here... as well as the surprising knowledge other fans have of our club you also get the odd observations, eg, "Koeman".

I thought you would use direct quotes from the fans though, even still your overview was good. Not sure Tony Shelby understood this was what your quirky article was about.

Sean Kelly
16 Posted 04/11/2022 at 20:20:52
I'm not to sure about this. I couldn't give a continental flying fig about Brenda or Lineker's luvvies. All I want is 3 points, a good performance, and a clean sheet. I really don't care what any opposition thinks about us.
Mike Gaynes
17 Posted 04/11/2022 at 20:52:31
Great intelligence, Alasdair.

Please continue your undercover spy operations in enemy (online) territory.

As always, should any member of your team be caught or killed, the secretary will disavow any knowledge of your actions. This post will self-destruct in five seconds.

Andy Meighan
18 Posted 04/11/2022 at 21:07:27
Great stuff, Alisdair. Always great to get a handle on how the opposition view the old lady. Personally being a "glass half-empty" sort of blue, I'm quite relaxed now to hear how the majority of Leicester fans view this fixture as a tricky game.

Hope Frank reads ToffeeWeb and shows them this, yeah sure. 5-0 to the toffees.

Alasdair Mackay
19 Posted 05/11/2022 at 11:34:14
Great name. Great article.

Love the fact that someone thought Koeman put together "a good squad of players". Haha.

Shows how unaware some people are of Everton. We had 46 No 10s, no left-winger or goal threat, and he signed Ashley Williams and Michael Keane to be centre-backs.

So much of the long-term damage was done by that clown.

Steve Little
20 Posted 05/11/2022 at 11:52:24
Koeman spent £200 million in 15 months creating some of the most stagnant football in my longish memory.

He has a lot to answer for, though, to be fair, he never seemed that keen to come in the first place.

Alasdair Jones
21 Posted 05/11/2022 at 13:09:09
First up, many thanks to all those who have taken the time to post comments in response to this piece about the visit of Leicester City. I am encouraged to continue with the idea. My next article in this series will be before the home game vs Wolves on 26th December.

Tony @5. Just to clarify, the views expressed about Koeman, are not mine. This is a summary of a view expressed by a Foxes fan on one of their websites.

Danny @10. I take on board your observation about the opposing team's in-form players, if any! Will pay more attention to that in the future as it could sharpen up the content.

Billy @15. Direct quotes. I am a bit hesitant on this matter. One site I came across had some form of copyright protection.

Mike @17. Loved this Mike. You deserve an award since you even made my wife chuckle and she is no lover of the game.

Alasdair @19. Yes, we are blessed with a "distinguished" name. Scots on my mother's side, Welsh on my father's. Hence, Alasdair Scott Jones is my full name.

Finally and as Derek@9 observes. Navigating other fans sites is not so easy as it is with ToffeeWeb. Nor, if I dare say it, is the content as good. Lyndon and the team, in putting this site together, have done an excellent job in that regard.

James Flynn
22 Posted 05/11/2022 at 17:47:57
Thanks Alasdair. Good stuff.

Great idea. Hope this becomes a regular feature.


Add Your Comments

In order to post a comment, you need to be logged in as a registered user of the site.

» Log in now

Or Sign up as a ToffeeWeb Member — it's free, takes just a few minutes and will allow you to post your comments on articles and Talking Points submissions across the site.


How to get rid of these ads and support TW


, placement: 'Below Article Thumbnails', target_type: 'mix' });