Call Y'self an Evertonian? 1

How did you become an EVERTONIAN? Where you born a Blue? Have you a story to tell the world. Can you call Y'self an Evertonian? e-mail Blue Kipper

30. Paul (always be a blue) Clarke. Being born in the same year as the great 3-2 cup final over Sheff Wed, and with my dad and 4 brothers being blue bellies, I guess there was never a doubt me being me a blue. I started going the games in the late 70's watching my favourite players such as Dave Thomas and Ronnie Goodlass. I played left wing for my school team, and so Idolized anyone who played that position for Everton, then I saw Kevin Sheedy play and knew without a doubt he had the greatest left foot I had ever seen. I moved to Canada in 1989, and have 2 Canadian sons who love Everton as much as I do, my oldest son who is 12 has told me that when he is old enough he wants to get the same tattoo as Duncan Ferguson, on hearing this I congratulate myself on a job well done. (07/10/02)

29. Osmo Tapio Räihälä. I was chosen to become an Evertonian. Living in Finland wouldn't suggest that but in 1973, aged nine, I received the Red Shite team picture from a pen pal who lived in Wirral. I had the picture on my wall for years and still remember all their players from that picture. Next year they were the cup winners, then in two years League champions and so on. Eveybody can understand that I should have become a Red. But no: Everton had chosen me and on 26th of November in 1977 I saw on TV Bob Latchford banging in a hat-trick against Coventry and I immediately knew "That's it - I am a Blue and always will be". Ten years ago I took Everton officially as my second middle name. My three daughters are all Evertonians, too. I haven't had to brainwash them because they are born Blues, too. (07/10/02)

28. Lee Crosby. Being born in Salford most of my family were Man Utd fans, it was about 1977 that I went to my first man utd game, my Dad took me to almost every home game up until we moved to Liverpool, that was in 81. After a couple of years my Dad started work at goodison, that was when my obsession with the blues first started. My first game was in 1983 I think, we played Wolves off the Park winning 4-0.
Now 19yrs later living back in Salford taking a lot of abuse off my family because I'm a proud owner of an Everton tattoo on my arm, and for losing my Salford accent and becoming a Plassie Scouser. I still go to the Everton games because as we all say ONCE A BLUE ALWAYS A BLUE. LONG LIVE THE PEOPLES CLUB. (08/10/02)

27. Chris Bond. My name is Chris Bond and I was 6 last week. I live in Surrey and I'm an Evertonian because my Dad says so. I did mention Manchester United and Chelsea to him and he kindly offered to put a matress in the garden shed so I wouldn't be too uncomfortable. When I said that the r*ds seemed to be a better bet than Everton. At first he seemed to understand because he turned red.......then purple and then blue......then he started to breathe again. (03/10/02)

26. Liam O Dowd. I started supporting Everton when I was about four. It was my babysitter's son who supported Everton. He got me on the wagon. And I've never looked back, thick and thin. I never wished I supported anyone else.
If it wasn't for that guy I could have been caught supporting United, Villa, or, redshite (to think!), possibly even Arsenal or Birmingham. My best memory of being an Everton fan is obviously the 95 F.A. Cup. I wasn't around in the 80's to watch us win the championship and F.A. Cup. Although I dont think I could have beared to watch us lose the Cup final against the shite. I was there for our 7-1 win at the Saints a few years back (that was my first game) and was nearly there for the 5-0 win at West Ham, which would have been my third. Made a bet with my Dad late last season, he said we'd go down, I said we wouldn't. We made a 25 quid bet. Three minutes later we were 1-0 up at Fulham. (20/09/02)

25. Oliver Ferns. I was born in Brighton, in Sussex, where my parents had recently moved to from Waterloo. My Father is a blue. He took me to my first ever game, which was Brighton v's Everton at the Goldstone Ground in Hove (which sadly no longer exists) in 1983 (I think!!) when I was 7. Brighton won 3-1 and I couldn't stop crying for hours. I seem to remember I had gone to the ground with the intention of supporting the Seagulls!! That's how I KNOW I'm an Evertonian....(04/09/02)

24. Barry Dutton. I grew up in a place called Huyton. Me best mate as a kid was a lad called Barry Jones. He was the son of Tommy Jones the Welsh Everton Center Half and the Welsh Captain I believe. He used to bring a sackfull of them old leather caseys they used in them days. Me an Barry would get out in the back of his yard and try and kick those things. Anyway, right next door to Barry Jones lived Mick Meegan, the (Irish) Everton full back at the time. At least once a week these two were visited by some of the other Everton players like Roy Vernon, Alex Young and Derek Temple to name a few. Over the course of the season we would
see them all driving up the street in their old Anglias. It was great !!! My Everton support grew from those days in the early sixties. When I was a teenager my family moved to Ormskirk where I took a paper round for some pocket money. One of the houses I used to deliver the evening paper to was The Golden Visions house in Aughton. He always used to come to the door in person to get his paper from me. He always had a kind word to say. A great man !!
So I was a True Blue forever. Much later in a place called Darwin in Australia I was coaching the University soccer team for the Universities games. We felt we needed something "more". At that time a guy called Mike
Trebilcock was living in Darwin and I called him up and asked to met with him. He brought his FA Cup Winners Medal with him when we met and we had a great old chat. He told me lots of fascinating things about the old team, about the final, about his two goals. Great stuff! He did go on to coach the Unbi team for about 6 weeks but unfortunately the NTU didnt fare well at the games. I never saw him after that. I'm now living and working in Papua New Guinea but my Everton blood is a blue as it ever was. (19/08/02)

23. Sam Howlin. The only person interested in footy was my Grandad who supported the other lot, my dad was not interested either, so I suppose my interest started because of my brother, who became an obsessive blue overnight, I went to see them come home after the 85 cup final and they touched my heart, then I finally went to my first game in 1987 against Newcastle and the feeling I had as walked to my seat in the Upper Gwladys was amazing the view of the ground, the singing everything about that moment, I can still remember today, We won 3-0 a hattrick from Wayne
Clarke and I became a diehard blue from that day on, me and my brother Paddy following the blues together from the Lower Gwladys once my dad who as I said had no interest got sick of our nagging to go the games, and after much footstamping and sulking from both of us we were finally allowed to go the game on our own.

A lot has happened during the years, thats the way life is (including being married to a redshite, (oops should have listened to my brother its over now of course, mixed marriages never work!!) and we are still sitting in the st end together now, I had a brief spell were I stopped going the game due to circumstances, but after our mum died a couple of years ago, the first thing my brother did was buy me a ticket for the game to help cheer me up and I felt all the same emotions and passion I felt at 14 walking into that game against Newcastle, never again I thought, no one would stop me going the game. Last year I got an Everton tatoo, a rare thing for a girl I suppose, but the motto of our club means more to me than anything,
Anyway that tatoo caught the eye of a rather nice young blue one saturday night and needless to say he showed me his (tatoo) that it is!!!!! and we have been together ever since, and share all the highs and lows together and go to away games etc.
I am looking forward to another season in the St end with my brother as well, as for calling myself an Evertonian, I would say they are my life. (19/08/02)

22. Des D'Arcy (parkend121). It was forty year 's ago, I was seven at the time, and my sister had a pet shop just down the road from Goodison Park, I visited every weekend can't remember the date but we were playing Leeds, I was riding my bike around Stanley Park, that's when I heard the roar of the crowed, it was like a calling, I made my way the the noise and found the "Holy Ground", I took the bike back to my sisters and paid 2/6 to get in at half time and have supported them ever since. Thank god the reshite was not at home that day. (13/08/02)

21. Gaz Sawyer. My Dad took me to the Bayern Munich match when I was a kid. It was that simple. He was a rozzer at Walton, so we used to sneak in through the police entrance. But it was that Bayern Munich match which made me forever blue. (13/08/02)

20. Stewart L MacLaren Torrevieja, Costa Blanca, Spain. Despite not being born on Merseyside, I have been a True Blue Evertonian for Twenty Seven Years Standing now. My Grandmother was a Blue Hot Evertonian from Wavertree & I wanted something special, magical & different to support in a Football Team, consequently I chose Everton. Bob Latchford, Duncan MacKenzie & Andy King were my first heroes & Alex Young & Andy Gray are my favourite Blues players of all time. I endevour to keep the Pride & Spirit of Everton alive & well from my home in Sunny Spain. (05/08/02)

19. Juta Breytenbach (Melbourne Australia) - Born and raised in South Africa,as a 10 year old in junior school in 1984, I had started my football career, and the school teams for my age group teams were split up into a Red Team and a BLUE team, needless to say I was in the blue team, then I remember cleary watching the FA Cup final that year The Blues VS Watford, and I had to support the blue team, due to me being in the blue team at school, I learnt that they were called Everton, being a bonus they won the cup and the match, and the rest as they say is history.In those days our coverage of English football was limited to the FA Cup finals, and as it happened my BLUE team called Everton happened to be in the 85 and 86 finals.......although runners up, my loyalty could not be swayed, and hasn't since......ONCE A BLUE ALWAYS A BLUE....(05/08/02)

18. Liam Padden. I was born a scouser and came out to Australia when I was 3. I never really took any notice of UK football and so was a token redshite (the shame the shame) supporter until I went to the UK to live for a few years in the early 90’s. My cousins (all my family are Evertonians) took me to see them at Goodison and the blue Everton blood was stirred in my veins – a lifelong passionate Evertonian was awakened.

Although I didn’t see them kick a goal the first four times I saw them (I was labelled a jinx), I took the drive from London to Goodison the last day of the 94 season to see us play Wimbledon in win or be relegated match. Down 2-0, we came back to win 3-2 and it was one of the most incredible experiences of my life – 40000 people from the depths of depression to complete joy. Who needs Cantona when we had Barry Horne? The next year we won the FA cup. (31/07/02)

17. Dave Woosey. me arl fella was a blue, (he was at the 1933 cup final.) One Saturday in the late 50's when I was a nipper he told me he was taking me to watch a game. He took me to Anfield, the shite were in the second division then and got stuffed by Sheffield United (4-1 I think). The following Saturday he proudly announced he was taking me to see a proper footie team and begin my education for real. Off we went to the school of science and the rest is history. 43 years a blue, and never out of the top division in that time. (31/07/02)

16. ROBERT CORRIGAN. The arl fella was a Blue, as was his arl fella and his before him (can you believe cuntin Microsoft doesn’t recognise the phrase “arl fella” and is underlining it in red. Twats) Any road up, when I was very young, we lived in the maisonettes on Barnfield Drive and every other Saturday I’d stand waiting for the team bus to go past on its way to the ground. Bobby Collins always waved. That meant more than I could say at the time, probably because my vocabulary comprised about three words (“chips”, “chips” and “make them like chip shop chips” – put loads of salt and vinegar on.) I was gutted when he as sold on. Even the arl girl was moved and she was a redshite. (Another word Microsoft does not comprehend)

First game I went to was in 1967. Everton Res. Vs Bury Res. The Blues won 7-1 and although I felt a bit sorry for Bury, I was totally hooked. By the way, I still have the replica Brazil kit the arl fella bought for me in 1966, when the shameful treatment of Pele by the Portuguese and the Bulgarians dented his faith. Pity it doesn’t fit any more… (20/07/02)

15. Ben Voss. I was born in Manchester in 1987 in a Man Utd mad family. When I reached the age of 3 I became football mad and was a Man Utd fan because of my family. I didn't even know about Everton. One day when I was about 4 I went shopping with my mum in Stockport and she bought me a model of a footballer. It was Kevin Ratcliffe of Everton and I placed it on top of my TV. A few weeks later my mum said that I could finally get my Man Utd shirt so we went to a sports shop in Stockport and the second I took it off the hook I spotted my favourite colour (ROYAL BLUE) and I noticed it was the same shirt as the model so I told my mum I wanted that shirt and she got me it and I still have it this very day, and the Kevin Ratcliffe model. My family were disgusted that I was a blue but nothing would change my thoughts because once a blue, always a blue and never again red shite! (20/07/02)

14. Shaun the porn. It was the season 1986-87 when I became an Evertonian. I was becoming interested in football at the age of six when I was watching final score on the BBC 1. A match report appeared from somebody saying that a team called Everton had won 4-0 against West Ham. Straight away the report had finished I ran into the kitchen and told my mum that I'm going to support Everton.
I remember it like it was yesterday. I've looked at the history books and the match was played on the 11th April 1987 and the scorers were Clake, Reid, Stevens and Watson.
I never even heard of any other teams at that time so as the saying goes ONCE AN EVERTONIAN, ALWAYS AN EVERTONIAN. (20/07/02)

13. David (Slugger) Greenock MORTON Evertonian. Back in 1982-83 when I was 7 or 8 and in primary school I thought I would start to like a English team since I supported Greenock Morton in Scotland and chose Everton because of 2 things.
1 - The "TON" at the end (MorTON/EverTON)
2 - Morton's colours are Blue , White and Yellow and at the time so were Everton's !!! SAD OR WHAT ??? (20/07/02)

12. Joe Rafferty. I used to live in St Helens and was at a cubs' sports day in 1966. Everyone kept going mental as the news came in from the FA Cup Final and I remember the great joy at the end of the game. I was so taken by the experience that I ran home and told my dad that I was now an Everton Wednesday fan. Couldn't understand why he was laughing.

A couple of years later we moved to Scotland. The first week at my new school I got the Belt - the equivalent of getting the cane in England- for the crime of writing 'Joe Royle is God' on my Chemistry Jotter. Most of my school were Celtic fans but I managed to convert many of them from having the Mancs to having the Blues as their English team - in those days the Redshite hardly existed.

I have now moved back down to England -Cumbria - and get to as many home games as I can afford. I spend most other Saturdays sitting in my car on a mountain just south of Whitehaven where I can pick up dodgy reception of the commentary on Radio Merseyside. Nil Satis Nisi Optimum. (17/07/02)

11. Alex Langley. Well it was definitely not down to my grandad (he was a closet red) nor my own arl fellow who took little interest in the game. Mine is quite a common story - my uncles were die hard Evertonians, even though it was only my Uncle Jack that ever lived in the city. I know we all laugh at wools (sometimes with good cause/sometimes not) but let me tell you its a lot harder being a wool in Stockport surrounded by City and United fans than living round the corner of Goodison off Cherry Lane.

Growing up in the 70's I used to beg my uncles to take me to the game. My first Goodison Experience was not a good un 4-1 home defeat by Coventry first game of the season in the early 70's. Probably my best two pre-work experiences of the blues were actually away in Manc Land - Stockport in the league cup with the famous pitch invasion when Latchford scored and the aeroplane night at Old Trafford again the league cup. At the same time two of my biggest let downs were at OT and Maine Road both within days of each other.

Why Everton and no one else - well everyone laughed at Stockport County (including me - even if I used to go on a Friday night), United a "ted" team with little local support and City an arl arses bunch of no marks. I would say in many respects its easier living away from the city of Liverpool and supporting Everton than living close to. Now I live on the doorstep, I sometimes want to switch off after a full day of banter - when I lived all over was desperate to pester my mates for info and gossip. (17/07/02)

10. Martin. I was born. That was all that was required for me to become an Evertonian. And I was named after Martin Dobson. (17/07/02)

9. Simon Paul Gangel. Having supported Everton for most of my 25 years on this planet and having had quite a transient childhood I have travelled from most places in the UK to watch the blues and my favourite memories, and what kept me begging my dad to bring me back, are from the mid eighties when I was between the ages of about 7 and 10.

Sitting on the blue barrier-type-thing behind the goal in the Gwladys Street and being absorbed by the most fantastic atmosphere created by the most fantastic group of people you could wish to be surrounded by singing along to "We're on the march with Howard's Army, We're all goin to Wem-ber-ley, and we'll really shake em up when we win the FA Cup, coz Everton are the greatest football team!!"

An atmosphere and feeling that will stay with me forever and is what keeps me coming back to the Gwladys Street, the best stand in the best stadium with the best fans in the world. Sod bricks and mortar, this is about the people who make this club the biggest.

These days the journeys are a lot shorter, as I moved to Everton, L5, but just as exciting on match day, looking forward to another emotional rollercoaster alongside 40,000 fellow Evertonians. (17/07/02)

8. Dermot Ferguson. I was 5 years of age and my dad supported Manchesrer City because he lived there.My mum and dad divorced and I watched Match of The Day.I remember well that it was Everton's first home game against Arsenal and Everton won 3.1.That made me want to go to an Everton match. I went to one. My mates brother took me to one. It was Everton against Tottenham. We won 3-1. What made me turn to blue is the atmosphere and the passion from the Everton fans and that leaked out on to me. So from then I have bin an estatic Evertonian and I love it, One problem! Most of my mates are red sh*tes. (13/07/02)

7. Steve Cummins. (The Rock, Australia) Hello Blue Kipper. Born in 1954 into a typical Everton mad family I cut my teeth on the Alex Young Albert Dunlop Mick Meagan Roy Vernon Billy bingham Bobby Collins etc etc era, Watched the blues with a passion through the 60's& 70's, saw all the mgrs. players come and go, broke my heart when Ball left, and "Harvey England ! Harvey Harvey England ! never happened. emigrated to Australia in 76 and have watched from a distance through the highs of the 80's with Howie, to the lows of recent times. Married to Aussie (converted to blue)
My 11 year old son Rhys is an Everton nut. We came back in 1999 for a holiday watched the blues beat West Ham 1-0 at Goodison. no fights. good banter. great to see. will be back in 2004 Go Moysey! Steve and Rhys Cummins (We live at a place called THE ROCK half way between Sydney and Melbourne) (01/05/02)

6. Mark P. Sadler. (Arizona, USA) My Dad was a minister and as a teen I was forced into church on Saturdays so I was never allowed to go football games. In 1966 I was 10, Everton won the FA cup and Alan Ball became my hero. I had red hair, a blue shirt and white boots (and I was probably as tall as him too!) I lived in the Wolverhampton area and all my family were big Wolves fans. In the last week before I left, 1975, to move to America, I went to see Everton play Wolves at Molineux and we lost 1-0. On the train home to Stafford I was accosted by a gang of leather gloved teens and picked up a black eye before I'd ever give up that silk scarf! On my first trip back to England I went to Goodison Park for the first time, to see an F.A. Cup tie against Telford, we won 3-0. I lived in Oklahoma City for several years and imagine my surprise to find Jimmy Husband playing for the local U.S.I.S.L team, managed by Colin Harvey, Brian's brother, and I got to play a 5-aside scrimmage against Husband! I always kept close ties, and to this day look at the web site daily. I'm now 45 and when my brother came over last September for his first visit to the States, the only gift I wanted, and got, was an authentic Everton shirt! Go Blues! (21/01/02)

5. Nick West. (London) My arl fella moved us to the Wirral in 1974 when i was 11, to become head of PR for Littlewoods and because he was a journalist and John Moores owned the Blues at the time he was asked to edit the match day programme and do the media liaison on a saturday - which was top, cos me and our kid got to sit in the press box every game and go down to the tunnel after the match and meet the players. but apart from that there was great nose bag in the press box and a tv - and the press lads were a great laugh. they used to have a sweep on which advertising hoarding behind the opposition goal - Imre Varadi would hit first. and one big game (i think it was the Arse), when there was lots of journos in the box and therefore a big pot - Varadi, bless him, rattled a board nearer the corner flag than the goal, and this fat journo - who thought he´d had a cat in hell´s chance of winning the cash - jumps to his feet and starts celebrating wildly - to the bemusement of the surrounding fans. happy days. anyway, me and our kid moved to london and became part of a big group of Evertonians who do all the matches in around the capital. (21/01/02)

4. Steve Wetherall. (Scouser) When I was a kid I was in a house full of redshites. I was playing out in the street, & I found a wage packet on the floor. I took it inside to my mum. It turned out to belong to Joe, my next door neighbour. The next day he came around to say thanks with a fiver & an Everton scarf. I was made up. My dad & 2 brothers didn't like the idea of me having an Everton scarf, but from then on I was an Evertonian. (19/01/02)

3. Bernard McAlyvn. (Wolverhampton) I first saw Everton play at Molineux in a 3rd round replay against Man City in 1966. The game was just around the corner from where I lived. I was hooked. They played great flowing football. Everton won 2-0. Goals from Fred Pickering & Derek Temple. I started going to watch them every week, home & away. I loved the laugh & joke with the Everton Supporters. I still live in Wolverhampton, & now bring my daughter to the games. I travel up for the home games & have a couple of pints in the Bluehouse before & after the game. (19/01/02)

2. Craig Knight. "Bloubul" (Cape Town, South Africa) I've been a fan since I joined my local club, Everton United in 1978. The local club was formed in 1970, and named so because of the English League winners that year! We obtained permission from the "mother club" to use the name and adopted the same colours. Tough to follow the fortunes of the club in those years and had to rely on the old "Shoot" magazine. Snippets didn't do much, thank god for the telly and these days, Internet. Thanks to Blue Kipper for the info.
I am currently Secretary of the club and one of only five Everton FC supporters in the entire club. Cape Town is filled with supporters of the red shit. Vodafone's, Carlsberg's and Sega's everywhere. I wear my One 2 One's (effing hard to obtain) proudly.

Best moments; the Championships in the '80s but especially the FA Cup in '95. (Still have the CD- "Everton's gonna win the Cup, Let's go, altogether now for Everton").
Worst moments; Wimbledon 2-0 up in first 20 minutes, and since then having to rely on teams below us to keep losing for us to remain in Premier division.
Hopes; for us to be in Europe soon and for me to be able to see the boys still play at Goodison. Don't know which will be sooner as the exchange rate is killing our currency. Any of these "Rich Evertonians" out there willing to assist with the latter? Contact cknight@pawc.wcape.gov.za
"Bloubul" (Afrikaans word, when translated means "Blue bull", our local club's nickname. It's pronounced "blow bill" something Monica Lewinsky did!) (19/01/02)

1. Colin Everton (Staffs) Way back in November 1977, at the tender age of seven I settled down to watch the highlights programme on what was then ATV. The featured game was Everton V Coventry City and the result was 6-0 to Everton. Little impressionable me thought 'Wow they look good I think I'll support them!' After all look at the choices I had: The rest of the family were Villa fans and my only local teams were Villa, B'ham City and WBA. But since that day I have stuck through thick and thin forever blue!!! (19/01/02)

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