Do the media pick on Everton?

According to the Southern Spurs-loving Press, we basically kicked our way to the title, trampling over all those poor delicate flowers liked Dave Mackay, Bobby Smith and Maurice Norman.

But when it came to the BBC reporting these pitch invasions, whose picture do we see on their website? That's right, us, celebrating staying up, and all harmless fun apart from one fan goading Patrick Vieira who lashed out at the fan, but was somehow found to be innocent by the BBC:

Pitch invasions: Offenders to receive automatic club ban under new Premier League & EFL measures

All front, no substance… that's why they get away with it because we make ideal targets. Get them on board or ban them completely.

Whether there is a deliberate anti-Everton stance doesn't seem to hold water, as we're mostly irrelevant from a competitive point of view, and that's been the case for a quarter of a century.

By now, most of us realise where the 'negative' views are most likely to be coming from, so we shouldn't give it oxygen by kicking up a fuss about it.

Still having a go at the club and the fans and changing to see the good side (?) of Kenwright and now some articles coming out about how he really is. A lot of what appears in the media is really made-up nonsense to fill the pages of papers and air time on TV.

As Barry says above, we're an irrelevance in modern football, so of course we're an easy target. We go on about our 'istory and how important we are, but we're not, are we? We're a footnote in the pantheon of top teams.

A top team we are not.

We get the press we deserve.

We got a lot more credit in America than we got from the media in this country but that's not really surprising to a lot of us really, especially the ones who live in the same city as the self-proclaimed best supporters in the world, who are often backed up by sycophantic media in this country.

The better you do, the better you are received, although a lot of the media in this country don't perform any better than our team!

Do we set ourselves up for a fall? Well, we certainly aren't squeaky clean... but we don't actually have to be. If we generally are no worse than most and actually better than some, then we shouldn't be front and centre every time someone thinks an example has to be set.

Just this week, there was another very clear example of the sort of challenge Allan got sent off for when he brought down Saint-Maximin last year, which went unpunished.

Harry Kane hacked at the legs of an Italian player who was leaving him trailing, but missed completely. Not a word from the commentators and no interest by the referee. Reputation can certainly help you get away with things that others are castigated for.

And shortly afterwards, did they not "break" the story that we were up to our tits in amphetamines? The players, that is!

And as for "We go on about our 'istory and how important we are, but we're not, are we? We're a footnote in the pantheon of top teams", yes like Spurs who are now a month shy of 62 years since their last league title (and go back 62 years you get to 6/5/1899 - yes 1899). Since 17/4/1961 we have 62-63, 69-70, 84-85 and 86-87 - 4 titles. So they are the ones who should be the footnote. We have even won the FA Cup later than them. On the other hand, Gary Lineker knows he played for them but he can't remember playing for us.

Joe Fagin resigned from his position as the Liverpool manager absolutely heartbroken, the day after Heysel, but his Chairman was different, and tried to push the blame away from his football club.

I also think a lot of the modern press, realized just how badly their peers treated the Liverpool fans after Hillsborough, and are absolutely terrified of them now, especially since they have become so powerful, and this goes hand in hand with their natural vindictiveness?

Linekar said the best team he ever played for was Everton, but alls he got for his 40 goals that season was a charity shield medal, I think!

Chelsea got a transfer ban, didn't they? Man City are being looked into too, aren't they?

I've said it a hundred times before. Every club has a segment of fans that think they're treated more harshly than any other. I find it remarkable that so many people from so many different clubs feel that they're special enough for the media, FA or officials to focus their energy on screwing them over.

Rs players have been put into places of great influence within the media, no doubt helped by the club, when their playing careers are over. This will inevitably lead to more favourable commenting on that club. At the same time, those ex-players are not averse to jibes against Everton (let's face it, Everton do present them with such opportunities now and again).

I don't see it as paranoia, rather as a smart strategy by the rs to help their image.

I don't think we ever have been in recent times. Even during our brief period of success in the 1980s, it was all about Liverpool and even Tottenham, who they had nailed on for the title. Or was that who they wanted to win the title?

But Neville Southall crushed their dreams.

Then the 95 semi final when we ripped up the semi final text book and sent Tottenham home with their tail between their legs, destroying the media's hopes of their dream final.

And then we had the audacity to go and win the thing against the all conquering Manchester United.

I'm not paranoid, but we've never been fashionable with the media in my lifetime. Maybe those who recall the 60s have a different view as it may have been different in that era?

Bill Kenwright, that all conquering chairman of Everton, has mostly received good press, even though the club hasn't won a bean under his tutelage.

Play the media, and even your lies can end up being factual.

We are a shit show of a club.

Everton are the opposite of the "Ee-eye Addio" approach to football. We haven't, thank God, had a Hillsborough to get long-term sympathy, nor have we murdered almost 40 people as happened at Heysel. There are clubs the media love – Tottenham, Man Utd, Liverpool – and clubs which interrupt the popular clubs; we are at best interrupters.

Press, Government, Premier League would be all over us after our first game accusing us of everything, religious bias, anti-Muslim, Jew, Hindu etc etc.

We have to accept some Clubs can get away with things we can't

Tottenham were late. Wembley was a year late and instead of costing the original £325M, ended up being a £790M investment. I think that's why amongst other things, FA Cup semi finals have become a permanent fixture at Wembley as the FA claw back money.

It wouldn't surprise me if the stadium comes in late. I have actually read it would potentially be 6 months behind schedule. Not uncommon for large scale construction projects.

Tottenham had Wembley for a season whilst theirs was finished and it was a bit different as they were redeveloping and rotating the White Hart Lane footprint.

What would we do? I guess stay at Goodison, depending on what deal we have done to release that real estate and when. But what if, hypothetically, we are bound to hand over the keys to Goodison regardless of the BMD timeline?

No way are we going to Lucifer's Den for even half a season. One match a season as the visiting team is bad enough. Old Trafford wouldn't sit right, although many who can't usually get tickets would get the opportunity. The Etihad?

Let's see. One thing I am confident in is that we are past the point of no return and the stadium is happening. I will be there for that first fixture, even if I have to stand outside.

Sounds like the green eyed monster "jealousy" is starting to kick in.

"It wouldn't surprise me if the stadium comes in late. I have actually read it would potentially be 6 months behind schedule. Not uncommon for large scale construction projects."

Are you portraying bad news, truth and reality?!

I think it will be slightly delayed. It's inevitable. And that's not an Everton thing for once.

Got that off my mind. Yeah!

Getting back to "on subject" I do get the impression that there is an attitude against Everton. Maybe, as has been said previously on here, it is that previous RS players are in the list of supposed critics on TV.

RS seem to have bred a group of players, trained to be on the TV etc after leaving RS. 10 steps ahead of us maybe. We need to be forward thinking as a board/management team, and create some strategies to change our profile through the short and long term future.

Maybe I'm thinking bullshit but we need to make some changes.

Last but not least. Had a nice thing when I was walking our Kelpie dog a couple of days ago. About 10 am. Passed by a local high school. about 8 young lads about 12 yrs old were sitting on a corner behind the school, having a chat. As I passed, one said GO EVERTON (I had an Everton T shirt on), which started a conversation. This is Adelaide, Australia. The young lad said he is an Everton fan and it was nice to see another Everton Fan because there are not so many around Adelaide. Made my morning!