Season › 2023-24 › Opinion › Talking Points Everton star winds up Liverpool supporters and explains why Merseyside is Blue by Gerry Quinn | 16/05/2024 50 Comments [Jump to last] In a recent interview, Mykolenko spoke about his admiration for Evertonians and explained why their fan base is stronger in the city of Liverpool than their rivals. ‘The fan base is larger!’ – Vitalii Mykolenko winds up Liverpool supporters and explains why Merseyside is Blue Based on YouGov statistics, 49% of Everton fans are based in the North West – while just a quarter (27%) of Liverpool supporters are from the region. I'd love to hear a few comments about that... Return to Talking Points index : Add your Comments » Reader Comments (50) 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 () Danny O’Neill 1 Posted 16/05/2024 at 12:53:15 Nice to see he is bought into the club and the city Gerry.I've always thought we are roughly a 50-50 split, which is amazing considering what we've gone through.I think it depends on which part of the city you come from. Where I am from it tends to be be weighted in their favour. But move north of the city centre and it becomes Evertonia. That's my experience. It's all still pretty mixed though, as we always have been.I talk to my sister a lot and she verifies those figures. It's why I differentiate between genuine Kopites who can't get to the match because of the deliberate tourism. Don't get me wrong, we have supporters who travel a long way to watch Everton, myself included, but they almost escort them into the club shop with a shopping bag ready!! Jon Harding 2 Posted 16/05/2024 at 13:35:31 You're right of course Danny. I (sadly) have a lot of RS mates and the only one worth talking football with is a former Kop STH who has now moved far away with work. The rest are a bunch of plastic-fantastic home counties Southerners (plus one weirdo from Norfolk) who couldn't find the city let alone their ground without satnav. Gerry Quinn 3 Posted 16/05/2024 at 16:00:23 Born in 1951 in Great Crosby, Liverpool 23, but I can't remember seeing more than one or two rs whilst growing up...we were mostly Evertonians and Marine fans. However, during the mid to late '60s, early '70s when Shankly began his reign, they suddenly started appearing - but still not that many in my area.When working offshore on the Norwegian vessels in the early '80s, I noticed a helluva lot of rs fanatics that had never even been to Anfield... they used to get the matches live over in Norway, Thailand, Philippines in those days. Gerry Quinn 4 Posted 16/05/2024 at 16:01:42 ...just like the ridiculous number of Manure fans living in Aberdeen nowadays... Gerry Quinn 5 Posted 16/05/2024 at 16:06:05 ...and, for those who do live abroad, guys like Mike Gaynes, Jamie Cowlie, etc, don't get me wrong - I can fully understand why you "faithfully" support Everton from thousands of miles away - even when they are so shite - my respect goes out to all that have been "Born" and not "Manufactured" by repeated successful league and cup wins... Paul Ferry 6 Posted 16/05/2024 at 19:18:15 I also grew up in Crosby and I think that Danny is right about the north side. Anyone remember the old Lawrenson coaches covering essentially Crosby to Bootle? There were times when it seemed that the only coaches at an away were Lawrensons, though I must confess that only one example springs to mind: Birmingham.I have only had one close friend who was red shite from Thornton, still a very close friend. But the other six or seven in our gang were all blue. This reminds me of something I posted a little while ago, that I could count on two hands the number of times I have been south of town (not counting trains). Even today, I have no clue how to drive from Crosby to say West Derby, Knotty Ash, or Tuebrook, although I could make it to Aigburth. Danny O’Neill 7 Posted 16/05/2024 at 19:37:01 Paul, my family roots are in Speke and Garston.Speke tends to be a Liverpool stronghold aside from pockets like my immediate family. It's still mixed though as is my wider family, it just leans towards red. Tony Abrahams 8 Posted 16/05/2024 at 19:42:58 Deliberate tourism. Danny. Liverpool Football Club have definitely become such a club.They have become that big, you could argue they have outgrown our city and this is why whoever purchases Everton have got so much scope right now.Queens Drive, Paul, unless you know the shortcuts, mate! Tommy Carter 9 Posted 16/05/2024 at 19:43:29 @ Paul and GerryI find that Crosby is overwhelmingly LFC supporting. Parts of the Wirral such as Birkenhead and Wallasey have a good proportion of Evertonians. I would also say that Fazakerley has lots of Evertonians compared to most other parts of the city. St Helens also has a decent Everton following. Most other parts of the city I would say are a 70:30 split of LFC to EFC fans. But yes, as outliers I would say in my experience it's more like 90:10 in Crosby, Waterloo, Bootle and Seaforth. And Fazakerley is probably the only place where there are more blues than reds. Gerry Quinn 10 Posted 16/05/2024 at 20:54:59 Tommy - probably glad that I don't live there anymore if Crosby is inundated with red shites!!!!! Didn't realise that my district was so popular with the Norwegians and Cockneys... Paul Ferry 11 Posted 16/05/2024 at 21:03:17 That's the one that goes to The Rocket Tony, right? Paul Ferry 12 Posted 16/05/2024 at 21:05:20 No Tommy. That has never been my experience of Crosby. Quite the reverse. Unless something has radcially shifted over the last ten years or so. Of course, they are there. But we always talked on the north end of the city as more blue and we were right to do so. "90:10 in Crosby, Waterloo, Bootle and Seaforth". Sorry mate but that is utterly ridiculous.Equally ridiculous: "most other parts of the city I would say are a 70:30 split of LFC to EFC".You've conducted city-wide censuses Tommy, broken down to all its constituent areas? Tony Abrahams 13 Posted 16/05/2024 at 21:22:54 Not right, Paul, just keep driving! Paul Ferry 14 Posted 16/05/2024 at 21:31:32 Cheers Tony, I've never gone further south on Queens Drive than that turn to the Rocket and M62. That's on the must dos when I go home over the summer! Should I pack a flask, warm blankets, torch, and guide to South Liverpool scouse? Matthew Johnson 15 Posted 16/05/2024 at 21:36:35 I'm a plastic Evertonian!No links to Merseyside at all.I've been an Everton supporter for over 30 years, I had no family into football at all so basically picked a team to follow, my county has no Premier League teams. Tony Abrahams 16 Posted 16/05/2024 at 21:39:17 You come off at the Jolly Miller, for west Derby, Paul, and also turn left at the next major junction to get to Knotty Ash!Keep driving past the Rocket, and you will come to Childwall Fiveways, and if you take the third exit, and carry straight on, you will eventually end up in the beautiful Sefton Pk!It's probably much easier going along the bottom road, from Crosby, all the way to Otterspool, no wonder you know how to get to Aigburth! Paul Ferry 17 Posted 16/05/2024 at 21:58:12 Copied and pasted Tony - deffo gone past The Jolly Miller before and used to go to larks in the park at Sefton Park. Fiveways is Rob-land, Will deffo be doing this. Cheers! Derek Thomas 18 Posted 16/05/2024 at 22:47:42 I went to a city centre school that took its intake from all over the city and can remember their last 3 seasons in the 2nd Div.It could be said that popularity wise pre Shankly they and football for that matter were not to the forefront of peoples minds.But, helped by the slowly rising post war prosperity... Harold MacMillan's "You've never had it so good" – plus the advent of the 40-hour / 5-day working week and the advent of 'Popular Culture' in the '60s.Anyway, back on topic; in my school the split was 45%/45%/10% with the 10% being the weirdos, nerds, etc.For 10 years, we were neck and neck then came that fateful 5 days in 1971 when we went out of 2 Cups.As was said on here – 'We don't do Dynasties' Danny O’Neill 19 Posted 16/05/2024 at 22:50:17 Matthew,Don't ever say you are a plastic Evertonian. You are one of us as much as any of the blue family.I still pride myself on knowing my way around the city when I go home, but believe me, Tony knows how to navigate those streets better than anyone!! Tim Lowe 20 Posted 16/05/2024 at 23:22:33 I'm similar to you. Matthew, although being from a Villa supporting family and growing up with them and WBA on my doorstep, I definitely had options. It was Everton for me from a very early age. I haven't been to Goodison for nearly 10 years now as I'm in the US now but every time I've visited the city it's felt like home. I've previously been called a Plastic Scouser by one of my Merseyside-born blue mates but I took it as a term of endearment! No such thing as a Plastic Evertonian though. Tommy Carter 21 Posted 17/05/2024 at 15:49:12 @ PaulThere is no census for such and therefore your disagreement with me is equally ridiculous. I'm just going off a general sample of ten people I know from each of those areas and then giving an opinion based upon my own experiences. As for LFC to EFC ratio within the city - that is just a complete guess but I would imagine there are many more LFC fans than Evertonians in this city. Dale Self 22 Posted 17/05/2024 at 15:55:07 That Vitaliy needed to be said. Well done lad Michael Lynch 23 Posted 17/05/2024 at 15:58:31 I can't comment on the fan demographics of Liverpool these days, as I moved down south a long while ago. But what I can say without fear of contradiction is that, when you tell Londoners that you're from Liverpool, they ask you if you're a red, and when they find out your're an Evertonian, they're delighted!For one reason or another, we have a good reputation down here, while the RS are loathed. Brian Williams 24 Posted 17/05/2024 at 16:36:58 There was a survey done recently, can't remember where it was I saw it, and it stated that 78% of Everton's season ticket holders live within a 7 mile (as the crow flies) radius of Goodison while the equivalent rs figure was 56%.Also I believe we have more season ticket holders than them anyway. Their club sees fit to not release as many season tickets as us. Mike Connolly 25 Posted 17/05/2024 at 16:58:29 if you look at it Everton out weigh Liverpool for local supporters who go the match. Because we have so many locals going our cousins abroad are mixed in with the Everton culture. which prevents them looking like tourist. so we have the best of both worlds COYB! Dave Cashen 26 Posted 17/05/2024 at 17:07:17 Agreed Michael.I'm in East Mids. I decided to go into the local high street the day after beating Liverpool wearing an old Everton sweat shirt. I only did it for the benefit of the usual multitude of RS who throng the streets wearing that awful red Disappointingly, for the first time ever, I never saw a single red shirt.What I wasnt ready for, was being treated like a minor celebrity by everyone else. I've never had my back slapped so many times in my life. You'd think I'd scored the winner.Of course I knew blue scousers hated them, but what I didnt realise is how universally despised everybody's "second favorite team" actually is. Barry Rathbone 27 Posted 17/05/2024 at 17:16:34 We've lost at least a generation, maybe two, to the dark side crowing about season ticket locals is misleading. If we had the same tourist trade I don't doubt for a moment our local match going support would be equally diminished.It's amazing we still have reasonable fan numbers but allowing the imbalance of club ambitions to continue will result in lots of empty seats at BMD once the novelty has worn off. Ray Robinson 28 Posted 17/05/2024 at 17:16:56 Quite honestly, I think we're being delusional if we think Blue outnumbers Red in the City. However, it is true that we do have a bigger local walk up support and more season ticket holders (because they attach much more importance to match by match tickets bought by tourists who buy far more merchandise). Add to that that there are no hangers on who support Everton, every single Evertonian is passionate about their club and every one of them can tell you the next two or three fixtures. That has to be worth far more than hordes of supporters who regard the Reds more like a fashion statement. That's not to denigrate the many thousands of die-hard Reds, of whom my father was one. Tony Abrahams 29 Posted 17/05/2024 at 17:18:53 Good story Dave, but don't tell any Liverpool fans, because they will only call you a bitter blue, and say you made it all up!Barry@27, you have been away too long mate. Our kids have seen nothing, but look at the way they organized the coach greetings in our hour of need?I have heard from people a lot older than me that when Shankly went to Liverpool, their fans who had been in the doldrums for so long, were absolutely desperate for some success, which is exactly the impression I get of how us Evertonians feel now.Over 30,000 on the waiting list for a season ticket is absolutely unbelievable imo, Barry, mate Danny O’Neill 30 Posted 17/05/2024 at 17:36:41 Dave Cashen,I get the same living in west London. The Manchester City supporting landlord of my local, the Chelsea supporters and my Arsenal supporting neighbour. Whenever I bump into him on the drive or walking the dogs, he always asks me about Everton!They despise them and there is intrigue about Everton.Ray, with there being so many Liverpool "supporters" down here, I often have to (shamefully) educate them on their club as they can hardly spell Anfield. Barry Rathbone 31 Posted 17/05/2024 at 17:40:18 Tony @29,You may find I acknowledged the existing support.But in comparative terms it's almost impossible for us to claim more local fans given the records of the 2 clubs since 1959.Just ask any teacher what the % of reds vs blues are at their schools. Tony Abrahams 32 Posted 17/05/2024 at 17:54:37 Teachers, Barry? I don't think anyone is claiming we have more fans outside the stadium, Barry, but we have definitely got a lot more local fans inside the stadium.I keep saying Everton should already be creating a blue quarter, and because it's very difficult for the local Liverpudlians, (even if they only have themselves to blame for this) to get tickets, then this could really work in our favour, once we get through our darkest hour, because I'm convinced there's a new dawn on the horizon, for Everton Football Club🤞Sensible post, Ray R. I took great delight in Liverpudlians being forced to travel from South Parkway,the last time the two clubs met at Wembley, with the local boys, travelling from Lime St! Danny O’Neill 33 Posted 17/05/2024 at 17:59:38 Depending on what you read, it's still about 50-50 in the city. Some quote 55-45% in their favour, but it's roughly evenly split, even in families.As Tony says, you only need to see it around the streets of County Road on match day. Barry Rathbone 34 Posted 17/05/2024 at 18:08:30 Tony 32The piece is titled Merseyside is blue. If that isn't claiming we have more support locally beyond the stadium, I don't know what is. Peter Mills 35 Posted 17/05/2024 at 18:09:24 I would say Crosby is 50:50 in my experience.But everyone seems to be forgetting that 1 of us is worth 20 of them, so the figures above become 1000:50. Gerry Quinn 36 Posted 17/05/2024 at 18:15:13 Peter - excellent comment: "1 of us is worth 20 of them, so the figures above become 1000:50"I have that coffee mug and, believe it or not, changed it for another Everton one to bring better luck – and it worked over the last few wins!!! Peter Mills 37 Posted 17/05/2024 at 19:00:09 Don't drop it, Gerry! Brendan McLaughlin 39 Posted 17/05/2024 at 19:15:27 Not from Liverpool but almost feel like I should start supporting the shite to improve that stat even further.UTFT! Paul Tran 40 Posted 17/05/2024 at 19:25:54 When I grew up in Crosby, it was 50:50. 37 years since I lived there, so it may have changed.Another reason to like Vitalii, though! Tony Abrahams 41 Posted 17/05/2024 at 19:27:49 I didn't realize Barry, thanks for putting me wise, mate. Barry Rathbone 42 Posted 17/05/2024 at 19:51:04 Tony 41,No probs, Tone, but it's family get together evening which means the sons-in-law have to suffer my domination of the karaoke.I've put the chair for the red right next to the amp. Oh yes! Tony Abrahams 43 Posted 17/05/2024 at 19:59:54 Enjoy your evening, Barry, hopefully you're worth listening to when you're singing, mate! Paul Ferry 44 Posted 18/05/2024 at 06:50:31 Tommy, 21, appreciate your reply. Given your specified certainties my request was not ridiculous.You relied on subjective perception mate, so nothing that would stand up in any sort of respected tribunal whether people or the law. Your samples are piss poor mate. Well, having grown up in and covered most inches in Bootle and Crosby, I can confidently say your one-in-ten is wrong and actually insulting. But you're an Evertonian and that's all that matters.All the best to you and yours. Danny O’Neill 45 Posted 18/05/2024 at 07:38:54 Tommy @21, in fairness, asking 10 people doesn't reflect a city with a population of half a million and a city region of 1.5 million.If I look at my family, 11 Evertonians, 12 Liverpudilians. It's a close call.And it does vary depending on the area, but it is mixed. Colin Glassar 46 Posted 18/05/2024 at 09:40:41 Growing up it was 50-50. Nowadays, I have no idea but after 30+ years of pain and mediocrity I doubt those percentages remain the same.We have to get real. While we've regressed to be virtually unknown outside of these shores, they've become a PR, media driven monster. They are a money making machine for UEFA, the EPL, the FA, the printed media, TV companies etc…. We can't compete with that so an entire generation has been raised on the myth of their greatness.It's no use trying to kid ourselves. All we can do is hope and pray that one day we might become a serious, ambitious club once again and inspire a new generation of Blues because if we don't we could go the way of former giants like Torino FC, Schalke and Red Star Belgrade. ps: I know Torino have made their way back but you know what I mean. Danny O’Neill 47 Posted 18/05/2024 at 09:52:05 Colin,The Konigsblauen (Royal Blues), Schalke 04 fell from grace. I follow them. Languishing in the second tier of German football. At one point, I feared they were in danger of dropping down to the 3rd tier. It didn't do Manchester City any harm in the long term.Schalke have dragged themselves up the table and sit comfortably in 10th place on 43 points.We won't hit 10th, but can finish on 43 points. Tommy Carter 48 Posted 18/05/2024 at 11:34:35 @ Danny and Paul. A sample is all it is based on. Call it poor if you want. But until you can prove me wrong with facts and statistics, then my opinion holds up. Danny O’Neill 49 Posted 18/05/2024 at 11:38:34 I didn't say that, Tommy. Your opinion is yours. Mine is mine.As I've said many times, my sister works at Anfield. She can tell you a thing or two about the Liverpool support. Danny O’Neill 50 Posted 18/05/2024 at 12:02:06 Tommy, on a lighter note. Some experiences of that place.I used to, meet the better half. I was never allowed in as I wasn't trusted.My son went in and called Fowler fish face. Not sure where he got that from.Apparently there was a gambling culture and David James' wife would restrict his money on away trips. John Barnes was a was a touchy womaniser.Outside, I once bumped into Roy Evans. I childishly blanked him.The best one though, was watching Neil Ruddock and his wife pull up in some sort of open top sports car, then having a massive row.It was like a scene out of footballer's wives!! Si Cooper 51 Posted 20/05/2024 at 02:05:46 Seems to be a poor understanding of what the percentages can tell you and the difference between looking at match attendance (not measured from what I can see in the OP) and residing in the North West.49% of our total global support isn't necessarily a bigger number of people than 27% of their total global support (and most probably isn't).It's a little weird (inverted snobbery?) to be extremely proud of the ‘local' make-up of the home crowd if it essentially means the club just doesn't have the broader appeal of our rivals.I'd be pleased if the club was maintaining its historic relative level of support in what is the home region, but I don't see how anyone arrives at that conclusion from what is 49% of one thing and 27% of something else. 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