New to Everton? Here’s What You Need to Know!
Image Credit: Followtonians.
Greetings, my fellow Americans. So you want to become an American Evertonian? Welcome! Here’s what you need to know:
Who are we?
We’re Everton FC. Founded in 1878, Everton have spent more time (110 seasons) in the top flight of English soccer than any other club.
Located in Liverpool, Everton are named for the Everton district of the city. They’re often referred to as “The Blues” or “Toffees”.
Goodison Park, where Everton play their home matches, is known as the Grand Old Lady of English football.
Originally opened in 1892, Goodison lacks many of the amenities newer stadiums boast, but few grounds are louder than when Everton score a goal.
The club’s nickname is the Toffees (or the Toffeemen).
Before home matches, different girls will dress up as the Everton Tofffee Lady and hand out the treats to kids.
Everton’s motto is Nil Satis Nisi Optimum.
“Nothing but the best is good enough.”
That delightful and charming Spanish gentleman doing analysis on ESPN is our manager.
His name is Roberto Martinez, and he took over as manager last summer when David Moyes left for Manchester United. Martinez’s impact on the club was instantaneous, as the team immediately began playing a beautiful brand of possession based soccer, taking the fight to their opponents. He’s changed the club’s image from “plucky underdog” to fearless peer.
Supporters have a habit of singing the following song whenever anything good happens on the pitch:
Allez, Allez, Allez Oh
Allez, Allez, Allez Oh
We’re Everton F.C
Roberto’s Blue Army!
Tim Howard has been the team’s first choice keeper since the 2006 season.
He has made the fourth most appearances for an Everton keeper, and has also recorded the fourth most clean sheets in club history. On January 4th, 2012, against Bolton, Howard scored his first and only goal as a professional.
Tim Howard isn’t the only American World Cup hero to play for Everton.
Landon Donovan had two loan stints with the club, the first in 2010 and the second in 2012. He scored twice for the Blues in 2010, and notched seven assists on his second tour of duty. All told, Donovan made 22 appearances, and was named Player of the Month in January of 2010.
That’s not all. Brian McBride made 8 appearances while on loan at Everton in 2003, scoring 4 goals.
The trend began with Joe-Max Moore, who retired from the National team just as Donovan was getting started. Moore made 52 appearances for Everton, scoring eight times.
Unlike some of the more “visible” Premier League sides, we’re not saddled with annoying celebrity supporters.
Arsenal are hopelessly stuck with Piers Morgan. LeBron James jumped on the Liverpool bandwagon. No, Everton can’t match that star power. We’ll just have to be content knowing some guys named Paul McCartney, John Lennon and Pete Best all grew up as Evertonians.
Also, we have Rocky:
We’re the quintessential underdog…not unlike Rocky.
Soccer, particularly in Europe, has turned into a who can spend the most money competition. Everton tend to rank near, or at, the bottom of the Premier League in net transfer spend — the difference between money earned on outgoing sales and the money spent on incoming signings. Still, the club routinely finishes in the top half of the Premier League table, often competing against the six rich clubs (Chelsea, Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal and Tottenham) for places in European competitions.
Speaking of European competitions, we’re going on a European tour!
By virtue of finishing fifth last year, Everton have qualified for the Europa League. While the goal, as always, is to qualify for the Champions League (the top four in the table each year), last season marked a huge step forward for the club. Champions League is the next stop.
Everton have one of the most successful academies in England.
Unlike American sports, soccer teams across the world develop their own talent through an academy system. Everton’s academy, often referred to as “The School of Science,” has produced the two best attacking talents England has seen since the turn of the century. The first, Wayne Rooney, now plays for Manchester United. The second is a lad named Ross Barkley. You’re going to want to remember Ross Barkley.
Tim Howard was not the only player with Everton connections on the pitch in the US-Belgium match.
The tank that ran over back four in extra time, Romelu Lukaku? Although property of Chelsea, he played for Everton last year, and is the club’s primary transfer target this summer.
The Belgian gentleman with the wild hair? His name is Marouane Fellaini, and he spent five years at Everton.
Last but certainly not least is Kevin Mirallas, one of Belgium’s wingers. Although not a primary figure in the match, he features heavily for the Blues and has speed (also known as “pace” in soccer) to burn.
We’re everywhere is the point.
Liverpool FC are the villains in this movie.
Goodison Park and Liverpool’s stadium, Anfield, sit just one mile apart, separated only by Stanley Park. Given the fact the two clubs are neighbors, many families will have both Blue (Everton) and Red (Liverpool) supporters. Matches between the two sides are referred to as the Merseyside Derby, although at times people will call it The Friendly Derby, as it’s not unusual to see the two fanbases mixing in the stands.
You’ll recall Luis Suarez, the Uruguayan striker who bit Giorgio Chiellini, the Italian defender? Care to take a guess which club he plays for? Yep, Liverpool.
When it comes to soccer, the two sides don’t get along. When it comes to matters of community, however, Blue and Red will come together.
Just don’t go rooting for them to win any trophies.
The name of this blog is taken from the club’s crest.
Prince Rupert’s Tower is the centerpiece of the crest, and is located in the heart of the Everton district. It was originally used as a lockup for criminals. Now it serves as a symbol for your new favorite football team.
You can watch every league match on the NBC Sports network.
Be prepared for some early weekend mornings, as most matches are played in the early afternoon in England. The best way to watch is with your fellow Evertonians. Connect with Everton USA to find a local hangout.
Welcome, and Come On You Blues!