01 Apr 2025 12:40:41
Ed025, I'd love your insight on this please. I'm not in England so I don't have a common frame of reference, but I don't understand what happened with the "friendly derby"? With many in the city feeling isolated from the rest of England you would think this derby would be a kind of celebration of the city and use it as an opportunity to come together. Cheer for your club for sure, but before and after use it as an opportunity to come together as a community. The vitriol between the two sides is awful. I can only speak for myself and I'm sure most will bash me for this, but if Liverpool don't win the league, I'd want Everton to and I'd hope that Everton fans would show up for the parade when Liverpool win the league to celebrate. I would hope when Everton win silverware again, Liverpool fans would celebrate as well. Why would a city that feels like the country is against them be so divided by something as trivial as football? I'm sure Liverpool fans would blame Everton for being jealous of their success, whilst Everton would blame Liverpool for being arrogant. MMPA - Make Merseyside Purple Again.
{Ed025's Note - thats a wonderful way of looking at things Stone if a little bit naive, i think most of the supporters are decent people but there is a element that are not mate and are not likely to change imo, oh for the halcyon days when the likes of me would be in the paddock at Anfield wearing a blue scarf and having a good time with all my red pals, or at Wembley singing songs in the pubs without an ounce of trouble, sadly that is in the past and days that are unlikely to return, as you say its very toxic now and i feel thats more to do with the lack of respect in society than having anything to do with football my friend..
01 Apr 2025 19:31:49
I can only speak for myself but the relationship between Liverpool and Everton fans seems to have always been somewhat toxic in my lifetime. I was born in 95. And then you look at someone like Rooney who clearly always hated Liverpool with a passion. So it seems to have been that way for a while.
01 Apr 2025 20:08:01
The European ban was a factor in terms of things changing, as has been the relative success and failure of the two clubs over the last decade or so, but as Ed said it’s societal and is reflected up and down the country at lots of football grounds.
Some supporter behaviour has changed since society opened up post Covid, and also recreational drug use is more commonplace including at football. I don’t see a return to the 80s as policing is better, but equally it would be great if local rivalry was just that, and didn’t descend into the type of behaviour you see in Manchester, Glasgow, the Midlands or London at their derbies.
{Ed025's Note - absolutely JS..
01 Apr 2025 21:02:26
Its this generation of kids/ young adults who have zero respect for anyone or anything. The UK is is trouble. The way these idiots act is a joke and that's what's contributed to wrecking the relationship between the 2 clubs.
{Ed025's Note - spot on Marty mate..
01 Apr 2025 21:22:16
Social media has played and continues to play a massive role in the toxic nature of the 2 se.
{Ed025's Note - you are dead right Ashy..
01 Apr 2025 21:23:52
Social media has and continues to play a massive role in the toxic nature of both sets of fans.
01 Apr 2025 21:53:23
I’d be made up if Everton won a cup, as long as they didn’t knock us out along the way of course.
Not holding my breath that it’s going to happen though haha
I think your right in what your saying though ed025, not a lot of respect in society these days, the scumbags seem to have multiplied in recent years.
{Ed025's Note - things have changed in this world Mikey (and not for the better) the lunatics have taken over the asylum im afraid, you can rob a shop now if its under £200 worth of loot, you can murder someone and get out in 71/2 years, rape can be as low as 40 months and these are supposed to be deterrents ffs, kids carry knives like we carried school books and they wonder why, the law is an ass mate..
01 Apr 2025 22:37:02
Ed025 I’ve spoke to you a few times about this growing up in the 80s the Merseyside derby was so fierce on the pitch but red and blue side by side in the crowd. When did it change because I don’t know but with us going head to head for them few seasons little things can snow ball but family’s are red and blue so how is it so toxic but when you hear some local players like Rooney say things like the thing he hates about the city is Liverpool fc does not help.
{Ed025's Note - to be fair Grino Rooney and his type of knob head are the very problem mate..
02 Apr 2025 00:58:03
One of the major issues with social media is that it has replaced real life experiences.
Instant gratification on all things at all times, total lack of awareness of empathy and a resulting lack of imagination and the opportunity to learn by making mistakes gained from real life experiences.
People can only an imagine a world that is limited by their imagination. The idea of something happening that you have never seen before, don’t understand or have no prior knowledge of, frightens people and their reaction is generally to treat it as an enemy. Anybody who puts forward an alternative view to encourage a discussion is, often as not, automatically seen as an enemy.
That said, I’m getting old and perhaps it’s just someone getting old failing to move with the times. I remember my grandad in the 1960’s telling anyone who’d listen that the world had gone to sh1t in his lifetime. Although I’d be interested to get his opinion on kids carrying knives as an everyday activity.
02 Apr 2025 02:49:46
I am 54 and have always hated Everton from birth. I was at both finals at Wembley that 25 refers too, and the hatred from both sides was definitely there then, but not as bad as now. It’s increased since the millennium and probably due to the bitter bile witnessed from the blue half due to our successes.
My daughter decided it was a good idea to marry one of them, so obviously I didn’t attend the wedding and swiftly moved her as far away from Kirkby as possible. The grandkids are only allowed to visit if they wear Liverpool pyjamas when they come over which I bought especially for them!
02 Apr 2025 05:39:51
I'm 52 and was at one of the "Merseyside" Wembley finals. Yes there were always idiots, but by and large there was a feeling of "us scousers" against the rest of the country, from my memory. I went to as many games at Goodison as I did at Anfield because my mate had 2 season tickets at Everton. I never once felt nervous wearing red in amongst some blue, and vice versa with my mate.
I did notice a change in the early 2000s when I came back and went to a derby at Goodison. My sister, a blue, pinned my legs down in my seat when Gerard scored and then Cisse.
I believe social media, the 24 hr news cycle and people saying stuff online that they'd never say in person, have really effected the Merseyside relationship.
01 Apr 2025 22:58:40
Myself and you Ed025 always said that social media certainly changed the friendlies of local darbys.
{Ed025's Note - yeah Barry it did coincide with the internet mate and as much as i like it it certainly has its flaws..
02 Apr 2025 09:40:55
I blame Degsy and his Jag - city has never been the same since he was in charge of the council.
02 Apr 2025 09:16:28
Ed025 with social media I wonder how was started with fans from outside the city that don’t have the same connections and stuff posted then spills over. Am a fan from outside the city but always loved that part of my club and Everton. Some of the abuse local players have taken since then has been awful too when really the city should be proud of its sons no matter if they wear the red or blue the boxers that come from there state there colours but the city gets behind them and they should do the same for the local players too I suppose that’s what makes Newcastle special they have one team and the whole city gets behind it. I don’t know if there has ever been a drive by both clubs to rid this toxic atmosphere growing any more but players should be the start. Was it Ramiro Funes Mori who celebrated after getting a red for injury Origi that sort of thing will never help and most fans don’t want to see it.
{Ed025's Note - unfortunately Grino we are dinosaurs in todays world, there is no community spirit anymore and hell most people dont even know their neighbours, kids dont seem to mix nowadays mate you dont see them playing footy in the street they are all busy playing games on their phones, players are supposed to be role models but all we see really is tales of greed where they want more money bigger houses and faster more expensive cars, i give up with it all mate and when i look back at this thread i just sound like a moaning old git...which it seems i am.. :)
02 Apr 2025 12:03:23
We've spoke before how Merseyside derbies were different - Reds and blues sat beside each other and why wouldn't they? Friends, neighbours, workmates and family members could all sit together and watch the game
The games themselves were far from friendly at times mind, proper full bloody derby games whereby players gave it everything
Then came the internet, keyboard warriors and the general malaise of everything we once took for granted as some people were just complete bell-ends (for lack of family friendly words lol)
People used to leave their front doors wide open and just a glass door open so people would knock or walk on in, unfortunately we have seen society change and the derbies too are not as they were - all for the worse I'm afraid, very sad to see and the issues are on both sides, we both have these bell-ends
I was born in 1980 too, so yes younger than many here, but just shows how recent this shift change has been.
{Ed025's Note - you are spot on Bill..
02 Apr 2025 15:34:54
I went the Derby with both my red n blue mate . one of the worse ones was when Brucie let that pearoller in. the stick i got was bad . but was also great times to watch the Derby. now I seen things at the matches n the boozers which make you doubt your sanity. but won't ever be the same . shame really. now let's hammer the bitters tonight ha.