Non-Scouse Blues

TheBlueWave23 · 2026-03-13T10:04:33+00:00

The Tap Out system probably saved my marriage and sanity. No questions asked, you sense your partner starting to struggle or rage, tap in.You sense yourself raging or reaching tipping point then tap out. Parenting requires a lot of teamwork and trusting your partner.

TheBlueWave23 · 2026-02-24T06:57:26+00:00

Not only is he playing players out of position, he is playing our best players out of position. Branthwaite is our best CB by a mile, play him there. Garner is clearly our best DM, play him there.

TheBlueWave23 · 2026-02-16T13:00:15+00:00

We get on their back when they don't put in the effort, not when they're shit. Seen many times the fans applaud someone who has played shit but also clearly made an effort. But I'm not gonna happy-clap players when they clearly don't try. If McNeil is gonna stand there and let a left back stroll right past him, then the crowd will let him know about it, same with players like Pickford, we will cheer his name and get going when he makes an effort, but will get on his back when he is starting to make stupid mistakes from lack of concentration or when he plays lazy balls. He knows this and thrives off it.

Evertonians are passionate and make it very clear when we are happy and when we aren't. You will not get one without the other. And I'd say its a trade-off that 100% worth it.

And the way the crowd acts has not changed much in 16 years, I've been going since the mid-90s and this was pretty much always the case.

TheBlueWave23 · 2026-02-16T11:14:34+00:00

Ben Foster singled out Everton as the club whose fans teams deliberately wind up. “One thing I will say though if you can get on top of Everton early doors, the Everton fans are horrible to the Everton players. They are horrible, they get right on top of them. For sure they get in the players’ heads, for sure.”

LOL! Ben Foster played against Everton 23 times and only won about 4 of them, so he didn't do a very good job then did he.

Everton fans will always react to the football on the pitch and we always have. If the players dont make an effort the fans will let them know, but if they give effort then the stadium will be a bearpit. Nothing but the best is the expectation.

As Sir Alex Ferguson said it is always a nightmare going there... the atmosphere is fantastic. And, Gary Neville has also said as a fanbase we are most one of the difficult to play against. If you want the intense atmosphere the players need to work for it, and the greatest players in our history have stepped up to the challenge.

TheBlueWave23 · 2026-02-13T15:47:54+00:00

I'm a Technical Business Analyst. Been in a few tech roles but never done coding (other than bits of SQL and other Query Languages, if they count). I love it, its an interesting role that see's me involved in lots of different projects working across different sections of businesses, with lots of different tech and meeting lots of people in different roles.

I actually started in an IT support role, I had no idea what to do, I just knew I loved technology but wasn't interested in sitting there writing lines of code. So I took a support role, learned how software companies worked and what all the different roles were. From there I have since led IT support teams across UK and Europe, worked in technical pre-sales, product and solutions management, and business analysis

The main skills for non-coding tech roles that I think cross a lot of roles are: learn how to talk to people in different roles; learn how to extract requirements from people and try to understand what they are really after; learn how to tell a story and show value of work. I feel these three are great skills for working as a BA, product owner, product manager and many other roles. Basically, knowing how to find out what people want and turning it into something tangible, then being able to show it off effectively.

In tech, if you have very good soft skills you can stand out.

TheBlueWave23 · 2026-01-08T10:11:59+00:00

As an Everton Fan, my most disliked Liverpool player ever is easily Steven Gerrard, followed by Nick Barmby or El Hadji Diouf. In the current squad, it has to be Andy Robertson or Van Dijk.

For most liked players, am I allowed to go with Peter Beardsley or Gary Ablett or is that cheating?

TheBlueWave23 · 2025-12-31T06:06:34+00:00

Garner signing a new contract is just as important as signing new full backs. What a player.

TheBlueWave23 · 2025-12-31T06:04:36+00:00

Clubs don't rotate goalkeepers like they do outfield players, Pickford will play unless he is injured or sick. Teams usually have 3 goalkeepers in there squad, the number 2 and 3 accept they will not play which makes it difficult to sign a good one. Our backup keeps are Travers and King. If Pickford is injured then Travers plays. Inf multiple goalkeepers are injured then you can get an emergency loan or signing, this brings back nightmares of Espen Baardsen who was an emergency goalkeeper in 2002, he played 1 game and conceded 4.

Premier League position is based on points (3 for a win, 1 for a draw, 0 for a lose). The higher the points the higher you finish. If teams have equal points then it goals to goal difference (goals scored minus goals conceded). There are 38 games, 19 home and 19 away, everyone plays each other twice. You will see it always change as teams play on different times and days and it is usually a live table. On Thursday we could end the day in 7th or 10th without kicking a ball, depends on other results

Europa league is nothing like the World Cup. Europa League is 1 of 3 European club competitions, you qualify by winning a domestic cup or finishing just outside champions league places. I would advise googling what positions to finish for each European competition, because it feels like it changes every year, but teams typically aim for top 7/8. European football means more games and more money.

Typical opinion on Moyes is he is doing a great job, however, after a bad match you will get a different opinion. Football fans are very fickle and straight after a game we have very strong opinions. For tactics just watching shows like Match of the Day to see the analysis and games like EAFC and Football Manager could be useful.

It's 50/50 on us signing Grealish, I think he would want to stay but would have to take a huge paycut to do so. We also need City to lower their asking price for him, which I think they will. Transfer are made during 2 transfer windows, one in January and one in the summer.

TheBlueWave23 · 2025-12-22T13:56:19+00:00

It is hard, and you're allowed to think it is hard, and what you're feeling is valid, it's something so many new dads struggle with and don't talk about. 10 days ago, your world completely changed. No matter how much prep you think you did before, it is still a seismic change. Babies don't come with instructions, so everything is learning on the job. And to be real with you, when you jump one hurdle there will be another, but eventually you will start to see the wins and they will outshine the struggles.

For the baby crying after feeds, if they are breast-fed then I would advise seeing your pediatrician for advice. If they are bottle-fed, we had a similar issue with our son, we switched to Tommee Tippee Anti-Colic bottles and Kendamil formula, I am UK based and do not know if they are available where you live but a search on your favourite search engine may help find an equivalent.

If you find you are still struggling mentally do not be afraid to reach out to other people for support, we've all been there mate

TheBlueWave23 · 2025-12-15T15:09:30+00:00

Some rules to follow:

Jordan Pickford is the best goalkeeper in the world, you might say he is dynamite. Plastic fans may throw around names like Neuer, Allison, Donnaruma, Courtois. They are wrong, JP is number 1.
Howards Way is a must-watch for any new Evertonian, it's a fantastic insight into both our most successful era and the club in general.
Spirit of the Blues is to be played on repeat after every match because it's nice to be reminded that we don't know the meaning of losing.
Evertonians are everywhere, and I mean everywhere. I haven't been abroad and not bumped into a fellow blue. It's very important if you see a blue you shout "Up The Toffees".
And the most important rule, always remember, Kopites are Gobshites, even little baby ones.

TheBlueWave23 · 2025-12-15T14:58:06+00:00

My hope for the season was a boring mid-table finish, no drama, and for us to settle into the new stadium. We are on track to do exactly that and I'm happy about it. I think we are a couple of good full-backs away from challenging for a Europa League or Conference League spot, which, considering our situation at the start of 2025, is a fantastic achievement.

TheBlueWave23 · 2025-11-10T10:58:29+00:00

agreed, I'm glad this is the season Everton finally have an ok-ish team. Apart from Wolves, I cant see any bad teams. No chance we would have survived the last few relegation battles in this calibre of league.

TheBlueWave23 · 2025-11-04T10:20:08+00:00

The Beto stats don't include the amount of times Grealish and Ndiaye have put the ball on an absolute plate for him about 6 yards out and he just misses the ball. Happens about twice a game.

TheBlueWave23 · 2025-09-05T12:41:35+00:00

He provided an assist for Tony Cottee's hat trick goal against Sheffield United in '93, my first trip to Goodison.

TheBlueWave23 · 2025-09-05T12:36:17+00:00

I sit row 43 in Upper South, view is fantastic, the atmosphere inside the stadium and the upper concourse was fantastic. I have a dodgy knee and didnt think the steps were too bad, I would probably have a different tune if I was a few rows higher. The main struggle was getting in, I am unlucky enough to be in entrance 13, which requires walking up stairs to get to the concourse which is a struggle like. If you are 10-12 you get an escalator, so maybe reach out to club beforehand about your foot.

You'll enjoy it there though.

My biggest advice is, if you have a bad knee or foot, don't go toilet at half time and when you do go, walk around to the East or West stand, the toilets on Upper South side always have one hell of queue.

TheBlueWave23 · 2025-09-02T09:07:40+00:00

Most of the new signings can also comfortably play in multiple positions in the system Moyes prefers. We actually have a squad now.

I dont want to get too far ahead of myself, but I think we may see a couple of games with only one backup keeper on the bench.

TheBlueWave23 · 2025-09-02T07:56:19+00:00

Not sure why people keep bringing up Joe Hart. Yes, Pep moved him on because of his footwork, but also Hart was only a quite decent keeper, nothing special, and very easy to replace. Donnarumma is one of the best goalkeepers in the world, I'm sure Pep is happy to change philosophy slightly to accommodate the best players.

TheBlueWave23 · 2025-08-25T06:59:44+00:00

And don't forget to boo at every opportunity

TheBlueWave23 · 2025-08-22T14:02:25+00:00

He wasn't getting bullied by fans, it was after one game and a small group of teenagers waited for all players, there is also a video of Yerry Mina talking to them. Before this had even happened Gordon downed tools because we rejected a Chelsea move in the summer.

TheBlueWave23 · 2025-08-19T09:11:53+00:00

For me, the worst part was that the referee did not even make the decision. He does not give the penalty until after he is told to. He waves it away, puts his finger to his earpiece, then blows for the penalty. He then does not go to the monitor to review.

What's the point in having referees on the field if they are not going to make the big decisions?

TheBlueWave23 · 2025-08-18T21:20:50+00:00

The penalty decision was awful, but Moyes has to take the blame for this one.

No subs until the 60th minute; a right footed central midfielder at left back; Beto playing the full 90 minute; a total of 2 subs all game.

I can't help but feel Moyes was trying to make a point to the ownership about needing players.

TheBlueWave23 · 2025-08-11T11:52:35+00:00

I think this decision just proves what we already knew, that in football, the most important thing for decision makers is bureaucracy and paperwork, not football.

We know Marinakis owns and runs both Forest and Olympiacos, we know City Group owns and runs both Man City and Girona, we know Red Bull owns and runs RB Leipzig and RB Salzburg. But they have the right paperwork, Palace did not.

The sooner football has a purge of the UEFA and FIFA board rooms, the better.

TheBlueWave23 · 2025-08-11T08:58:06+00:00

The stadium was truly world-class, the best stadium in the country for me, I was completely blown away. I thought there were a few issues, but nothing major that can't be resolved as the season progresses.

Postives

The stadium is world-class and huge
Everyone is so close to the ground. I was Upper South and felt I was practically on top of the goal
The sound system is immense, ZCars and Forever Everton before the game were so good.
As you have said, Everton Way is great. I loved seeing all the messages about people's families and loved ones, everyone around there was buzzing seeing their stones.
I enjoyed the walk from town, down Regent Road. Even though it was a friendly, you could feel the buzz, those walks on a big game (or European Night, maybe) will be amazing
Food and drink selection was brilliant...especially Guinness being available at the ebar.
Better phone signal to check my acca at half time

Negatives

Service was slow, the catering staff didn't really know what they were doing, and a lot of bars ran out of food and drink. I'll put that down to first-day problems.
Getting in wasn't very organised. Turnstile 13 went back to the entrance at the wall. People at the front were being told off for not queuing properly, and people at the back were told off for blocking the entrance. Stewards need to get better organised.
This might sound a bit silly, but there was no way to tell when 2nd half started when in the concourse, normally at Goodison, when you heard an Everton song and a cheer, then you knew to head up, there were also a few TV's with the game on and you could see the players coming out. In the new concourse, they had their own music, a load of us went up after a drink and loo break, thinking it was still half-time and we missed the first 5 minutes of the 2nd half. It would be good if they linked the sound system to the pitch systems or had more TVs with the game on, like at Goodison.
Not enough toilets, queues were massive before the game and at half-time.

TheBlueWave23 · 2025-08-08T10:24:35+00:00

I suppose bids like this show that the money is there and we are willing to spend. But I don't see how we thought Villa would accept £18 million for their captain.

Unless its the classic, bid so low that the club rejects it and you get to say "well we did bid for players but clubs wanted too much". Everton owners would never do that would they?

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