Celebrations

The recent storms in teacups about goal celebrations are quite interesting in terms of who is actually brewing them. As usual our friends across the park have found yet another cause to bemoan and bleat about. So what if the Ugly Brother (as opposed to nice Phil) got a bit excited, but in mitigation it was the last minute and it was a good goal. We all remember Robbie Fowler attempting to rub our noses in it, which I actually thought was rather witty in the light of the stick we were giving him, or Steven Gerrard running the length of Bullens Road like a demented simpleton, but did we make a big deal? No, we had better things to do like getting on with our lives. Boris Johnson was berated for highlighting the tendency, in his opinion, of Liverpudlians (i.e. the people who live there) to find some kind of comfort zone in being constant victims. Johnson’s generalisation was nonsense but the whining of the Kopites does undermine the image of our whole city. ‘If you can’t take it, don’t dish it out’ is a dictum that Liverpool Football Club would do well to note.

Tim Cahill’s goal celebrations would make a very good PhD thesis for someone. Sent off for removing his shirt, shadow boxing with a corner flag, and then pretending he wished he hadn’t scored out of “respect” for his old club. If this is a new trend why didn’t anyone tell Wayne Rooney? I have to say I’m not with Tim on this one. Asking me to understand as a fan why an Everton player scoring the winning goal in an FA Cup tie doesn’t show at least some joy, even if a bit restrained against former team-mates, is like asking me to clap politely when Wayne tapped in Joey’s little assist. Rooney of course tries hard to please the Mancs with his goal celebrations but deep down he knows that there is nothing to compare with the buzz of scoring for Everton because deep down he knows, too, that although they admire him, they don’t love him.

What is cause to celebrate is the fact that the City of Liverpool has recently acquired a Council Leader who is, like us, a chosen one. It goes without saying that Cllr Bradley, as a Blue, has more than a modicum of common sense and I was very glad to hear of him summoning Mr Wyness to explain his position, for this week anyway, on a new stadium. There is something like £50 million on offer from the NWDA for the ground share option, which if we want world-class is the only option. There will be many Evertonians who cannot stomach the idea of sharing a stadium, but I can only say to them that ‘if you know your history’ we used to share far more than just a ground. The speed of the development of football as a global business means that the Champions League will evolve into a European Premiership and I look forward to winning it supporting a team called “Merseyside” which plays in front of 75,000 fans every week. Fantasy? Heresy? Pragmatism?

The last suggestion won’t win me any popularity contests so while I’m at it, can I ask again how so many Evertonians continue to deify Duncan Ferguson? At Wigan last night I thought Moyes actually waited too long to bring Ferguson on because McFadden, broken nose and gashed leg and all, had run his socks off and we were glad to see him get some support up front. Sure enough Ferguson’s immediate impact was to push the game further upfield towards Wigan and we began to feel that we might just get the winner after all that the first half display had merited. Then what happened? My mates and I just looked at each other and we were asking “Did that really happen? Has he just punched that bloke in full view of everyone?” How can anyone be so stupid? Don’t be fooled by tattoos and macho bravado. Ferguson continues to let Everton Football Club down by not staying on the pitch and doing what he has been paid millions of pounds over the years to do. So how will we celebrate the imminent end of his career at Everton. I’m afraid it will be funny stories about burglars and misty eyed tales of him “terrorising” defences. When he first arrived I remember thinking that in 10 years’ time I’d be celebrating the elevation of another great Everton centre-forward to the pantheon occupied by the Dean's, the Lawton's and the Latchford's. Sorry, Duncan, but you don’t belong in that company.

Being at Wigan last night reminded me a bit of going to Anfield in the way you got funny looks when you spoke with a Scouse accent. However, that apart, it was good to see and hear the massive support that Everton got (apart from a small group of morons in one corner who were more intent on getting to grips with their equivalents in the Wigan section). I’m sure that the team is showing a lot more passion as a direct response to the outstanding support they receive from the best fans in the country. They are starting to understand what being an Evertonian means, and that is something we should all celebrate!

JOE 90. (02/02/06)

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