Season › 2024-25 › Opinion › Talking Points We come in peace — brilliant fans by Alex Saunders | 19/08/2024 16 Comments [Jump to last] I've followed Brighton up and down the country for well over 30 years, including Hereford and Chesterfield as well as Man City and Wembley. I just wanted to say that, without doubt, Everton fans last weekend were the most friendly, generous, funny, helpful we've met. We stayed off County Road and headed to the Medlock Hotel to meet some Evertonians we knew. Along the way, people stopped for a chat and friendly banter, asked about the journey, hopes for the season... The Medlock isn't an obvious place for away fans, so, as we turned off towards the pub fans checked if we'd got lost, invited us to join them for a beer at their local, pointed the way. One wag offered us advice, "Make sure you wipe you feet when you leave the Medlock!" 😂. As we walked in, the landlady asked if we were away fans and I worried maybe it wasn't okay to be there. Far from it, she pointed me in the direction of the free food and insisted we help ourselves. Article continues below video content There were a couple of Reds acting like knobs in the main bar watching the lunchtime game, but in the back bar, full of Evertonians, we couldn't have been made more welcome. Even after the game when we might have expected some stick, people took the time to wish us well for the season and a safe journey back. The Everton fans we met are a credit to the team and to your brilliant city. We went down to Bramley-Moore Dock on Sunday morning before heading back, to glimpse at the future. It looks stunning and will be a stadium fit for its brilliant support. Good luck for the season. Return to Talking Points index : Add your Comments » Reader Comments (16) 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 () Peter Mills 1 Posted 19/08/2024 at 20:53:48 What a decent post, Alex. Thanks. Derek Knox 2 Posted 19/08/2024 at 20:59:16 Thanks, Alex, for something positive said about Everton, more especially the fans. Glad you had a decent trouble-free day and all your fellow supporters, that is the way that all football should be, and kudos to you my friend for not only recognising that, but also having the gonads to display it on our ToffeeeWeb. Joe McMahon 3 Posted 19/08/2024 at 21:03:33 Thank you, Alex, for your warm and friendly post. Glad you were made welcome. We ain't all bad up north. Good luck for the season, and hopefully we'll be playing Brighton at our new stadium next season. Brent Stephens 4 Posted 19/08/2024 at 21:11:50 Brilliant, Alex. Both your experience, and for taking the time to write that.Sorry I can't wish you the best of luck in the return match! Do the decent thing and bung us a few points! John Raftery 5 Posted 20/08/2024 at 17:41:03 Thanks for the post, Alex. There's far more which unites genuine football fans than divides us. Paul Birmingham 6 Posted 20/08/2024 at 17:54:04 Alex, thats a tremendous gesture, and many thanks, for your kind words.Style and manner is what most Evertonians have and they will always help and assist genuine supporters. Fair play to you and best of luck for this season. Danny O’Neill 7 Posted 20/08/2024 at 18:16:25 Alex, tremendous gesture. It is great opposition supporters can get on together. I travelled up with a few Brighton supporters and spoke to a few on the way back. All good spirited. I always tell away supporters not to worry about going to County Road. They'll always be welcome.Glad you had a good day in our city apart from the result obviously. I wish you a good season.Bramley Moore Dock is looking special. Barry Rathbone 8 Posted 20/08/2024 at 18:20:14 Lovely words delightfully put together especially identifying reds as knobs. but don't be making a habit of that 3 nil shite.Only kidding good luck for the season, pal. Edward Rogers 9 Posted 20/08/2024 at 20:58:18 I was chatting to a couple of Brighton fans on the way back to Sandhills, great guys who said pretty much what Alex outlined.One of them still hadn't got over the mauling we dished out at their place! Tony Abrahams 10 Posted 21/08/2024 at 08:04:54 Going the football, having a laugh, meeting decent people who support the opposing team and even getting some free food, that the locals dare not touch!!What a start for the travelling away fans, days that make everything worthwhile!!! Trevor Powell 11 Posted 21/08/2024 at 14:23:25 A great post. I have been a bit of a nomad for the last 50 years. Whenever I meet a Blue away from Merseyside and I ask them "Why?" — the response has some sort of emotional level. Their family were Merseysiders etc. I have never met a Blue, even from the glory days of the eighties, who just latched on like Liverpool, Man Utd plastics etc. I can remember being asked, "How many Man Utd supporters does it take to change a lightbulb?" Answer, three: one to do the job, one to video it, and the third to drive them back to Torquay! Subsitute Oslo for Torquay and the RS! That's my theory about why EFC fans are some of the absolute best! Lee Courtliff 12 Posted 21/08/2024 at 22:27:31 Great stuff, glad you enjoyed the day and good luck to you as well, Alex. Neil Copeland 14 Posted 21/08/2024 at 22:48:48 Cracking post that Alex. The Red Shite truly are knobs so well said! I have always enjoyed going to the Amex and found your support to be welcoming also. Hope to see you post about our new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock soon.Enjoy the season and thanks for your kind words. Ben King 15 Posted 21/08/2024 at 23:10:40 What a lovely warm and generous post, Alex — thank youAnd well done, Evertonians, for being the best fans in the world! Brian Wilkinson 16 Posted 22/08/2024 at 13:04:21 That's a great post, I always enjoy engaging with the away fans, chatted to a few after the game and some at the train station, about the match and each team.I always get the same response, Everton fans are friendly and welcoming, but when opposition fans go to Anfield, all they do is talk about their own club and how mighty they are and not a bit interested about the about the other team or fans, look down at other supporters as if to say ain't you lucky visiting this ground.Any away genuine football fan will always get a warm welcome at Everton. Mark Murphy 17 Posted 22/08/2024 at 20:39:43 Nice one, Alex. Brighton are my nearest away, so close I get free rail travel, and I always enjoy the day down the south coast. I travel to many away grounds and I've yet to find another team that, unlike ours, doesn't segregate fans in the local pubs. As long as they behave, they're welcome along County Road. We're a proper club with proper fans. If you have any influence at the Amex, please ask them to restock the Harvey's in the away end!Good luck for the season. 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 © ToffeeWeb