Everton

I have supported Everton now for about 20 years. I can remember when I was a little boy, flicking through my Pannini football sticker book, reading the statictics and comments on every player, for every team. I came across the Everton page, and found to my delight that they had 3 Welsh players in their squad, Neville Southall, Kevin Ratcliffe and Pat Van Den Hauwe (trust me he really was Welsh), and being Welsh myself I was thrilled with this. This is my first memory of how I became to support Everton, and have been a pashionate supporter ever since.

Everton, nicknamed 'The Toffeemen' or 'The Toffees' for short, thought to be due to an old tradition in the early years, when a 'Toffee Lady' would walk around the pitch during matchdays, throwing Everton mints into the crowd. They were formed in 1882, and were first known as St. Domingo, that was until the following year when they changed their name to Everton FC. Everton first began playing their football at Anfield, which of course is now the home of Liverpool. They played at Anfield for about 14 years, until a dispute over rent forced Everton out, and they soon established a new home at Goodison Park, where they still remain today ... at least for a little while longer anyway.

Everton are the in the top five most successful English League sides in history, and have had several sustained periods of success throughout the years. The most notabel periods of success in Everton's history came in the 1920's, 1960's and 1980's. Everton's major successes over the years include 9 times winners of the League Championship, 5 times winners of the FA Cup and UEFA Cup Winners Cup winners in 1985.

Everton have had many great footballers play for the side over the years, but probably the most famous that ever has, and probably ever will, was Dixie Dean. Having signed for the club in 1925, Dixie Dean set the all-time goalscoring record in the 1927-28 season, of 60 goals in a season. His goals that season helped Everton to a league title, and his recored still stands to this day.

In my time as an Everton fan, success has been few and far between. My first memory of watching Everton was during the 1989 FA Cup Final, when they narrowly lost out to rivals Liverpool 3-2 after extra time. The only silverware Everton have won in my time, was the FA Cup in 1995 (they also subequently won the Charity Shield following the FA Cup success, if you can count that as silverware).

Unfortunately, until recently, there have been far more depressing years as an Everton fan than good, although they have led to some of the more memorable moments. I'll never forget Barry Horne's thunderbolt against Wimbledon on the final day of the 93-94 season, which began a famous comeback in a match they had to win to avoid relegation. Everton found themselves in this situation on a number of times again, but each time managed to sneak by and avoid the dreaded relegation. Thanks to these escapes, Everton can still stand proudly as the longest serving team in the top flight of English football.

Thankfully, in recent years, Everton seemed to have turned the corner, and have now developed into a very good team. this is thanks in the main to Manager David Moyes, who has introduced stability into the team, and who has used his fine tactical and transfer market awareness, to create the team we see today. Despite Everton's progress, they are still a long way behind the 'Big 4' teams in the Premier League, both on the field, and off the field. This is obviously down to money at the end of the day. You either have it, or you don't. And when you have it, buying success becomes far easier.

Everton are a great club, and certainly have the potential to break the hold that the 'Big 4' have on the Premier League. Although how Liverpool are included in the 'Big 4' is beyond me, since they've never won the Premier League, surely the 'Big 3' would be better suited. There has been talk in the press recently that Everton are for sale, and that a foreign buyout is possible. Although I feel that there is always a risk with having foreign owners, it is evident that with these foreign owners comes money. And at the end of the day, money breeds success. With more and more Premier League clubs being bough out, and being heavily invested in, do Everton want to be left behind? My feeling is no, and so possibly a buyout is what's best for everyone involved.

With regards to the new stadium in Kirby, my bum is stuck firmly on the fence. I understand the feelings of Everton fans about the team playing outside of the city limits, but being that I'm not from Liverpool, maybe I don't feel as strongly about this. Having a new stadium could be the boost that the team need to push them forward onto the next stage, so maybe the move could be a good thing for the team.

Everton have not had the best of pre-seasons yet, with the CEO Keith Wyness resigning, and the lack of transfer activity is worrying, but I'll never doubt David Moyes and his boys, they have given me many a happy Saturday afternoon in recent years, and long may that continue.

Come on you Blues!