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Boys Pen

Just a line over the Boys Pen, it was I think, 1968/69 Leeds at home Royle was rampant 2-0 up in no time. I'd paid 1/6 to enter the shrine at 1-45pm I'd gotten me Mars bar and fruit pastilles from my uncle's Robert, Jimmy and John.
We were fabulous Bally ran the show, HK and CH assisted magnificently. Johnny Morrissey gave Reaney and Cooper a lesson in wing play.
I was absolutely made up. Royle scored his second and I begun to climb the wire mesh just like the rest......suddenly a hand grabbed me by the neck and before I knew it I stood in Gwladys Street with a f..king huge copper telling me in no uncertain terms what a f..king toe rag I was with me blue and white bobble hat on me 'ead.
There I stood, shocked and tears streaming and the holy trinity running the show in heaven.
A lad about the same age (14) as me comes along and say's "you wanna get back in?" "Is the pope catholic?" say's I.
"O.K. take some if these half time Echo's and come with me".
I'm in the Gwladys St. end selling the half times. Second Half; Bremner begins to play Leeds win 2-3 ..... I still blame that f..king copper for it! By the way I lost me bobble hat as well. AHHHH Memories......
Terry Riley, ex Netherton now exiled in Holland and still a fanatical BLUE!!!!! (06/10/03)

Can't Keep A Blue Down For Long.

Hi blue kipper its mossy here. I just wanted to say we played shite against spurs ! i went with my dad my best mate and his dad we was all pissed off until we got on da train then more evertonians got on my dad started singing we don't care wot the redshites say , then all da train started singing fucking loved it ! EVERTON 4 EVER chris moss 5th october 2003. Mossy. (06/10/03)

When the stereotype fits.

I've just finished listening to a Radio 5 Live "Everton/Liverpool Special" from Liverpool Uni. All the ingredients sound like grounds for a decent programme, except for Jonathon "Bullshit Shouter" Pearce. There were two ex-Blues in Dave "Waggy" Watson and Barry Horne. Two redshites were Jan Molby and Ian St John. Well there seemed to be an uneven amount of Blues to redshite there (a poor representation of the split in the city). So as you can guess, applause was roundly made for every positive redshite comment as negative Blues comment. The audience were perfectly happy to talk about the redshite but as soon as the conversation turned to our game this weekend, Spurs, the audience had the long knives out. I should know better but I felt myself getting wound up. As you might guess when predictions for results, for this weekend, were made, the bias and dislike came out from the weight-watchers failure and the failed laughing tv pundit. But worse was to come. Blood was starting to boil. I calmed myself down by thinking of Sharpy's goal at Anfield, Andy King's screamer at Goodison and Sheedy flicking the V's to the shite. Then came the topic of ground sharing.
As you can guess all the practice to death verses came out. "Were the bigger club, don't need anyone else", "They've got nothing to bring into it", "Just cos there stadium fell through we have to help them out, they wouldn't have done it for us" and then Molby decides to go for a comment which will give him a round of applause that he know's he'll get "But our trophy room will have to be bigger than their's". Ha-de-ha, you useless twat. But Barry came back with a comment along the lines of us having over 100 years in the top flight and a successful honours list and stating it was an unnecessary comment to have made. The show then quickly came to an end.
I honestly can't sit here and say I hate redshite fans, my family are all Blues but Uncles, Aunts, cousins and friends are split in their support, one or the other. The only redshite fans I have trouble with are the blinkered ones, no appreciation of anything other than their side (geordies and red mancs are the same). I care passionately about my club, like any Blue does. It pains me to see a poor performance and makes me happy for days after seeing a good one. The Blues are first and foremost but we do/don't want to share a stadium with them on more reasoning than the size of the trophy room. For those redshites who are blinkered to accepting our history and what we have achieved under Davie Moyes recently I have to quote from Renton in Trainspotting (when he's speaking about the English) "I don't hate them, I just think they're wankers!".
Andy King's goal was a blinder though wasn't it. Come on you Blues! Ste Hewitt (Exiled Blue). (06/10/03)

Is It Any Wonder?

Having just seen the photos of Jo's day out at Bellefield, all i can say is, is it any wonder the boys were "brilliant" and "really friendly"!?? Or maybe I'm just a cynical old perv. Keep it up lads, you've the best site on the net. BLUE 4 EVAH.
The Moonlight Dribbler. (06/10/03)

The Duke

He's a truly great player and will be an all-time great, but I think Everton should be using him in an advanced mid-field position, where Scholes plays for England. Ferguson and McFadden should be up front and in mid-field as anchors Carsley and Gravesen with Watson as the fourth mid-fielder. Radzinski, not Rooney should be the one to come on for the last half-hour.
Rick Tarleton. (02/10/03)

Joey Yobo

I think joey was tremendous last season and one of the main reasons we did so well, he doesn't get the appreciation he deserves. He is without doubt are best defender (close behind hibbert) I can see him as a future everton captain and if we can keep him happy we will have the best defender i the world! The team needs 2 improve First! Jak. (02/10/03)

Boys Pen 5

Situated in the top right hand corner of the Street End(viewed from the pitch) it was certainly a horrible little hell hole from where to view the match.

But I do have one or two good memories from there; Tommy Ring for starters, I saw his debut from there, A 6-1 mauling of Notts Forest, and a few weeks later we beat Chelsea by the same score.

It was a weird season really, we couldn't win away at all but although pretty inconsistent at home, we seemed to have the odd purple patch where we used to destroy teams at Goodison, which kept us up at the end of the day.

Ring, Lill , Vernon and Collins were beginning to put it together and everyone sensed it was the start of bigger and better things to come; how right they were. Dave Kelly. (02/10/03)

Boys Pen 4

I was born in 1953 in Gwladys St opposite the boys pen, I used to bunk in by crawling through my cousins legs under the turnstile, until I was to big, then I had to pay. It was a tanner (2 1/2pence)to get in in those days and was stuck in the corner of the Street end and Bullens Rd at about the same height as the lower Bullens now. The only chance you had of seeing the game was to get right to the front, to the wire mesh then you got crushed to f--k every time there was a corner at the church side, or a goal, but it was a great atmosphere and the best place to learn the great anthems of time like " Oh we ate bill shanklee and we ate saint john"you know the one

I can still remember Labby, The Golden Vision , Cheeko ; and stuffin the shite 4-0, and Fred Pickering's hatrick on his debut. When you got to about twelve we then used to climb the wire and bunk into the Street end but you then had to hope some ole feller would squeeze you in, in front of the steel terrace or worm your way to the front behind the goal.

The boys pen was real, and I've still got the scars to prove it, my big downer though was having to go to Anfield comp, still there was more blues went there than Shite. Brian /True Blue/ Wirral. (02/10/03)

Boys Pen 3

In response to an e-mail re the boys pen. I remember going in once,it was stuck in the corner between the street end and bullens road. I sagged school because everton were playing spurs I think during the day??Could have been around the times of power cuts/strikes etc. Christ how long ago was that ! We bunked in over the wall as we had no money to pay to get in then climbed up inside the boys pen into the rafters, crawled along then dropped into the Gwladys Street.It was like a scene from the great escape. Needless to say I never went in again,it was like a loony bin for kids? Regards. Alan Bennett. (02/10/03)

Boys Pen 2

When I used to go it was shilling to get in. Unbelievable!! In the '62-'63 season I can't remember which game it was, but I can remember buying 2 tickets for myself and kid brother for the title decider against Spurs a month later and some thieving little shit swiped them out of my duffle-coat pocket some time during the game. Then a few weeks later I had my new blue scarf dragged off my neck by some older kids as I left the ground and could only watch helplessly and as they scarpered up Gwladys Street. But the memories weren't all bad! The best was when I took my renegade kopite cousin to the opening home game of the '64-'65 season against Forest. It was a warm end-of-summer night and a bit of a tight match, then towards the end, at the score 0-0, Fred Pickering hammered in a screamer from outside the box into the Gwladys Street end and Goodison erupted. Above the din my cousin yelled out "you never see goals like that at Anfield" and from that moment he converted to an Evertonian like the rest of the family. Brilliant. Dave Hughes, Melbourne. (02/10/03)

Alex Nyarko

Just a quick story. Leaving work last night in Chester, waiting at the traffic lights, a big blue bus stops across the road from me. It was the Everton reserves on their way to play some bunch of no hopers. Anyway, I could see inside the bus clearly, most of younger lads were at the back (without their seatbelts on I hasten to add, little scamps,) Weir and Super were involved in deep discussion, and guess who was sat at the front all on his own? Alex Nyarko! Staring into space and dreaming of China no doubt. Regards.Neil T. (30/09/03)

The Boys Pen 1

Hi Fellow kippers. Here's a question for the older Evertonians born in the sixties. I can't quite remember who the opposition was but the Blues were playing... I went to the footy with my Dad and my uncle, thinking I would be sitting there in the crowd with a great view of the match, singing away, but NO I was ushered of to the boy's PEN it was a cage full of screaming kids kicking around about 50 footballs at anyone to small to defend them self. didn't see much of the game peering through a small gap. This was a pretty nasty experience and only cheered when we scored coz everyone else did. Did this place really exist or was it just a bad dream.....? Let me know Chris Gregan Melbourne Australia. (30/09/03)
Send your memories of The Boy's Pen to info@bluekipper.com

Pisto

I don't think pisto has had a good start to the season, his one good move against charlton is not enough. He fills me with worry every time he gets the ball. Yes he has skill I just wish he had the brains to go with it ! Allan Garnham. (30/09/03)

Team selection

Just read an email from a veteran Evertonian- who thinks we should play the duke in the middle and steve watson holding??? hmm, a right back and a centre forward in the middle of the park, i think not. We should have either Duncan, Chadders or Super Kev starting week in week out. Probably Duncan first choice cos he really wants it this year. In an ideal world the Rad and the Duke would be a great strike force that causes defence's all types of problems but lets face it, our midfield cannot create- we were subjected to long balls to a towering opposing centre half against RS, the skunks and Boro. Not good enough- we need someone to hold the ball up and keep it up there, it would also allow a Rooney, Jeffers, Rad more options as they could feed off them. Mcfadden HAS to start week in week out on the left. Kilbane has been exactly what i thought he would be - boo boy target. Watson has done ok at right mid ( when he starts feeling better ) , In the middle Gravesen- if Moyes drills into his head to imagine he is wearing a Denmark shirt. Alongside Linderoth/Osman- why not. Right back Hibbert, left back Pistone/ Nace. Sorry diagonal aimless ball Rhino and Centre half's Stubbs and Yobo with Wright in goal. January Sean Davis. Would understand if the Rad was sold to bring in another centre half, right winger-etc. He is probably the only one we would get money for, despite being player of the season- we have Rooney and Jeffers now. Other areas need looking into. John Reece. (26/09/03)

Pistone

I agree we look much better with Pistone at left back and Hibbo at right.With Davie Weir in the centre with Joey that's a rather good back four. Ken Stewart. (26/09/03)

Pisto and More

Pisto is the best left back in the club not so good at right back naysmith is very good too,watty can play left back also ,sorry unsey[you cant pass a ball very well100 per cent bla bla blue,but if we could get a cool million for you its bye bye and thanks, Graveson to hot and cold,and has know pace or postional sense there are clubs out there willing to buy him for big money, then get savage and davies in january,gemmill fergeson cambell and randinski[ 30] could raise 7 million ,get ashton and the cardiff lad robbie earnshaw up front or ellington.at the back get dawson [forest] best young centre half in the country ,stubbsy and weiry getting past sell by date and start blooding clarkey. then we will have a good young squad,that will get better and better. RHarrycharles. (26/09/03)

Pisto & Hibbo, for me!

Sandro is a must for left back. the sooner we settle our defence with Hibbo on the Right and Sandro on the left the sooner we will get our first Premiership clean sheet of the season.

Our other problem is knowing which strike force is our most effective. Rad always causes problems (even though is strike rate is not what it should be) Rooney is...well Rooney, Big Dunc looks as good as he ever has, Fadd plays for fun and then there is the undoubted class of Dumbo. Not sure if Super will play again if he has to oust this lot, and Chaddy is simply not up to it.
Norman Turner. (26/09/03)

Al Pisto !

Sandro is a classy full back, not something we are used to at Goodison, that is for sure. It is a great advantage that he can play on either side, however, I would always have him on the left. Hibbert should be first choice at right back now when he is fit, as regular matches will only make him a better player...Who plays with Joey in the middle is a bigger question.. Rich Flaherty. (26/09/03)

Team For Sunday

Pistone is the best left back we've got at the club, Unsworth shouldn't be allowed to put on a blue shirt anymore, if he loves the club so much he should admit to Moyes that the team are better without him and retire. My team for sunday would be:

Goalkeeper Martyn
Defence Hibbert Pistone Weir Yobo
Midfield Mcfadden Gravesen KIlbane
Forwards Rooney (in the hole) Ferguson Radzinski

Ray. Kirkby. (26/09/03)

Put Pace In Midfield

Tony Daley sending his first ever letter in over forty years of watching Everton. Far be it from me to tell Davy Moyes how to pick his side, but unfortunately harsh decisions will have to be made if we are going to win football matches in the Premier League this season.

First and foremost we must have the slowest midfield in the league, not just in pace but in thought, application and sheer hard graft. It takes them so long to get into the game, which means we only play thirty to forty minutes of any game. With so many teams in the premiership having genuine pace and craft in midfield even mediocre sides are taking us to the cleaners. Lets be honest we had Rooney and the Rad up front at Boro, and they hardly had
a worth while pass all day.

Harsh decisions are now of paramount importance to us right now. Sadly someone is going to to be the sacrificial lamb. If we have not got the personnel to pass to the likes of Rad he may have to be rested. It really pains me to say this.
I HONESTLY THINK FOR THE BENEFIT OF OUR TEAM. Put the big fella upfront Jeffers or Rad along side. Rooney centre mid. Mcfadden on the right of mid. Kilbane on the left and Gravesen or Watson as the holding midfielder. I think this will inject pace and craft into our midfield. Rooney's best work has always come from deep positions. Mcfadden has genuine pace ,and will put his foot in, score goals and make the opposition take notice of him. Kilbane has a decent left foot I think. I like many thousands of true blues who love our club, believe we have the right man in Davy Moyes to lead us to greatness once again, but as everyone knows
we cannot buy anyone till the window is open in january. If we don't make changes to the midfield in particular, the house will have fell down already by then. Tony Daley ex Rhonda FC. (24/09/03)

Boro Game

Lately we seem to be a gift shop for all the teams who need to kick start their season, like the redshite, the skunks and now even Boro. We were fucking diabolical in the first half, why did we start with that formation, everyone wanted Rooney to play behind two strikers like he does for England not wasted in a pairing with the rad. It wasn't till later in the game when Dunc came on that Wayne started to get some space. What's happened to Osman surely he's got to be better than fucking kilbane who's just a fucking passenger I hope he bucks his fucking Idea's up, We've got Leeds next and Reidy must have his eye on another gift off us to kick start them. Its up to us to start with our best team if we want to get to the same standard as last year, as we've still got much harder teams to play. McFadden looks ok but he needs longer on the pitch so come on Moyesy sort it out.
Chris Simpson. (24/09/03)

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