I was wondering does Everton have the same problem as Liverpool when it comes to soccer hooligans? Just the other day, 4 Liverpool fans were kicked out at Millwall for ripping up seats and tossing them at other fans. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/m/millwall/3957769.stm The one black spot I have heard about the Toffees is a past problem with racial baiting. But has that pretty much been quelched? Also, I was curious if there's much difference between the "typical" Everton fan and the typical Liverpool fan when it comes to social class, religion, etc. Is there any River Plate (the millionaires) vs Boca Juniors (the working man's team) social class conotations to the Liverpool/Everton derby? Or is there any Celtic/Rangers religious flavor to it?
You know, I found your topic strangely intriguing so where do I go for more information? Google, of course! In my quest for demographic makeup of Reds and Blues, I discovered that there are towns right here in American named Everton -- Missouri and Arkansas to be specific. Relevance? None whatsoever. I couldn't find any information about the makeup of the supporters, but I did find more information than I'll ever need to know about Liverpool, not as much about Everton: Liverpool and Everton Now, my friend who lives in Liverpool says that only dirty cheats and scoundrels support those bloody Reds, but I think he may be a bit biased.
Liverpool has more old spastic-plastic fans, since at one time they were the best team in England. It seems to me that they are more disgruntled in general, so that makes them angrier... I've only met two Everton fans in person, and they are both charming people, rooting for your guys because they care about the team, not because they were flavor of the month (although to be honest, Liverpool was flavor of the decade...)
Ok a quick history lesson here. There's no obvious sociological divide between both sets of supporters,What with both teams being firmly rooted in traditional working class area's of the city. Stastically everton attract more fans from within the city boundaries than our loveable rivials,who attract a greater proportion of fans outside,from such footballing hotspots as devon and parts of scandanavia.Although to be honest walking around the city you'd never be able to guess who claimed the most support. Firstly you have to take into account that liverpool as a city has/or had a big irish population,what with them all coming over here after that problem with the potato's a while back.With most of the majority of the immigrants settling into the tenemant dwellings near the docks in the everton area of the city. It dosn't really mannifest itself so much these days,but come july 12th(king billy day) there's ususually a big parade along an old protestant heartland road celebrating the protestant restoration of the monarchy,and there still are regular orange parade's each sunday..Which used to upset the local catholic population a tad who tended to live half a mile away down the hill on a parrell road. Incidentally this occurs within the everton area,and the march actually goes past everton brow,were the old lock up featured on the club badge is located. Anyway,getting back on track,everton attracted a big local irish following in the early days of the sport,especially taking into account that we were the only team back then of course. Of course come 1892 and the split the new club tended to attract a more protestant following.The reason being that local religious bigotorys were more prominent a hundred years ago. Fortunatly things hav'nt developed along a rangers/celtic divide.Partly due to the fact that everton have never pursued a' catholics only' policy,That the old catholic/protestant areas were basically flattened thanks to hitler and the local council and were not as daft as them lot up in Glasgow.Im not to sure about the reds,because I read somewhere that they'd never signed a catholic player till the 1960's,but I can't confirm this. The irony of all this is that st domingo's(the church were the club was formed) was actually methodist,so I dunno what went on there. There was a book out a while ago on the subject,but I can;t remember what its called.Pointless information,but it at least should hopefully convince you that Im not talking out of my arse.
Thanks for the info, dove. How do kids end up supporting one club over another? Are there Blue families and Red families? Or is it more a matter of which team is playing well while the kid is growing up?
No probs vw. With regard to how you end up following everton or liverpool generally boils down to family influence.Whoever your old man or brothers/uncle's supports then your usually indoctrinated into that clubs particular sphere. There's no terrtiorial idifference's either.Unlike say moss side in manchester which is predominatly man city,or say east ham in London(which is west ham) its pretty much a 50/50 split throughout the city.There's just as many reds in everton as thier are blues in anfield. Personally speaking all my family are blues,so it was only logical that I should end up at goodison park each saturday. Having said that its not exclusive,there's two brothers who live next door to me,one of whom Ill go to watch everton with,whilst the other goes off to anfield.So it does split through families a fair bit. It dosn't follow so much a success pattern up here,which is lucky because if it did then there would'nt be many everton supporters left,considering we've been generally crap for the last 30 years.Although for out of town supporters its a different story,hence liverpools bigger nationwide following. Pretty much any one growing up in the 70's or 80's from devon/cornwall etc were gonna lean towards that era's most succesfull team i.e Mostly liverpool .These days those kids are more likely to follow man utd. It all goes in cycles.Hopefully soon they'll be a load of southern kids with stupid accents all deciding to follow everton.Were overdue our place in the sun.
To be fair it sounds like the Liverpool lads were baited with chants of "You Should Have Died At Hilsborough". Long and the short of it - tragic day, many died, and i was sickened that milwall fans (allegedly) used it as a way of taunting opposition fans. Im sure google will yield detailed accounts of what happened at hillsborough if you are curious...
I'm somewhat familiar with Hillsborough. Didn't Liverpool get banned from playing football on the continent for a number of years because of their fans' conduct at the game?
It was called Scallies, just another hooligan book, there's so damn many these days. Everton or Liverpool don't really have that big 'Firms' compared to some like Chelsea, West Ham Millwall. Scousers are normally up for it though if it occurs but don't call themselves a firm, really but every single person from Liverpool i've met have been great never even had an argument with one! But there are small groups Liverpool call themselves the Urchins and Everton call themselves the Scallies.
Hillsborough was an accident pure and simple really, but my mums friends who are Wednesday fans said that some of the Lpool fans were 'animals' at the game, but it shouldn't be used to make taunt other people, in that sort of situation blame can't really be given to anyone. I'm sure some other people will disagree though.
Cheers dellci. Actually the book I meant was a bit of an insight into the roots of the old religious rivalries between the two teams.Loads of stuff in it I did'nt know about. Ive read the scally book,its an interesting read if your into that kinda thing,but personally I think football hooligans are all just boring arseholes who need to chill out a bit. Dellcis pretty much got it spot on with regard to the firms. Vw I think you've got mixed up between the heysel and hillsbourgh disasters. Hillsbourgh was a monumental ******** up which resulted in 96 liverpool fans being crushed to death at the 1989 fa cup semi-final.No fault of the fans there. Heysel was a different matter,were rioting Liverpool fans caused the death of 39 juventus fans at the 1985 european cup final.This led to not only liverpool,but all english clubs being banned from europe for 5 years.This is particulary galling seeing as everton were that seasons champions and probably the best team in europe at the time,and we were looking to win the big prize at last. So the most succesful spell in our history and we were banned from europe because of those bastards from across the park.We've never recovered from it, and they wonder why were bitter? Just to rub salt even furthur into already deep wounds the ********ers even denied us the double in 1986,which they won! God,I hate them.
No they still have terraces today, in some lower league grounds. I don't know much about Hillsbrough but i'm gona take a stab, that this was probably round the time where they started sticking to the attendances the Fire Brigade said they were allowed.
Liverpool fans are hard working, blue collar and the pride of the merseyside. Everton fans are lazy and don't chant much.
Or from Texas?? Interesting thread, and some info about the two teams' supporters that I did not know. As for vw..... Everton and Dallas? I'm Liverpool and Chicago. Almost fighting words there.
Yea...all those "glorious" titles they've won the last 12 years have been bringing in the gloryhunters I love how bluescum love to throw out "gloryhunting", and then turn around talk about how the club is a shadow of it's former self. BTW...while it's generally accepted that Liverpool fans are to blame for Heysel, one cannot overlook the fact the deaths were caused by the stadium collapsing when Liverpool fans rushed taunting Juventus fans. The structure of the stadium had been complained about prior to the game.
I became an Everton fan 4 years ago so the gloryhunting knock doesn't quite apply to me. In fact, you could say I'm an anti-gloryhunter since I used to be a Man Utd fan 30 years ago but stopped cheering them on when they became super-dominant in the 1990's.
Oh, yesterday I was looking something up on Toffeeweb and came across this... Some startling facts about Everton, and their upstart neighbours across Stanley Park: 1. Without Everton, Liverpool FC might never have existed. 2. In 1892, following a disagreement over rent, part of the Everton club split off to form a second club. Everton FC Athletic Grounds Ltd, the team that stayed behind, were forced by the Football League to change their name to Liverpool. 3. Liverpool still play on Everton's old ground at Anfield. 4. Although the surrounding stands bear no relation to the Anfield that Everton occupied, Liverpool still play on the same pitch. It is still in the same location. 5. Everton won their first championship at Anfield in 1891. 6. Everton hosted an international at Anfield, such was its reputation at the time. Not surprisingly, Liverpool fans find these facts quite unpalatable.
I think Liverpool would have come about if Everton hadn't had been, it's pure and simple to see, that basically every major city has at least one team.
Actually, this is widely known information that listed even on the official history section of the Liverpool website. It's hardly a fact that anyone tries to hide or downplay.
Also to add more pointless history we used to be called St Domingo's before we formed in 1878 and used to wear black and white stripes hence the famously coloured sweet the Everton mint.