Brilliant Rafa Quote Re: Everton

[G]

A big club sells shirts worldwide. A big club has a significant international fanbase, members of which turn up in numbers to home games from all corners of the planet.

Success is not necessarily a key to being a big club, but of course it helps. LFC is a significant sporting name worldwide, something which has been compounded with a huge amount of success this century, as well as last.

There are very few clubs that have significant support to any extent around the world, these being Real Madrid, Barca, Man Utd, Bayern Munich, Juventus, Inter, AC Milan and of course Liverpool.

They say most LFC fans at Anfield are not from Liverpool, a nonsense, however there are a percentage that have travelled from all over the world to see their beloved reds. Everton fans say this, yet complain when Benitez declares them a smaller club. An international fanbase makes a club big, as much as money and success.

If Everton want to be a big club, they need to win something (1995 was a long time ago), they need to embrace fans from around the country and the world, you cannot be a big club when the fanbase is from a small catchment area. They need to turn up at places like Anfield and move outside of their goal area (a tactic adopted by small visiting clubs). Everton had injuries, as too did LFC(Kewell, Sissoko and Garcia) but a big club has a big squad, and a big club should never use injuries as an excuse (Jose has something to learn there).

Everton are not a big club, not these days. It seems the truth hurts.

Spot on my good man.the "big club" thing is bandied about far too often.Spurs reckon they are a big club,as do Villa,christ even no hopers like Newcastle reckon they're big.They are not. As was mentioned,very few clubs can genuinely call themselves big and Everton most definitely are not one of them.

[kurtangle01]

They always sing " We don't care what the red****e say!" but after Rafa made those comments blue****e fans and board members alike have vented their anger so I guess we can say that's not true because they obviously do care!

[thesilverfoxlfc]

David Moyes said a few weeks ago in a post match preview that "Small clubs like us dont get the rub of the green like the big clubs"

So there Everton fans in your face

[Fiddy]

Really?

Because I recall a certain Liverpool manager, who is considered a legend and has a statue in his honour outside our stadium, saying amongst other things about Everton that he would draw the curtains if they were playing in his garden, that Dixie Dean had more people at his funeral than Everton get on a Saturday, and that there are only two great teams in Liverpool: Liverpool and Liverpool Reserves.

exactly what Rafa's comments reminded me of.

Who gives a **** - at the end of the day what he says is true isn't it?!!! They are a friggin smaller club in every sense. Only Manure, Chelski & Arsenal could say they were on the same level/above us

[Helios Creed]

David Moyes said a few weeks ago in a post match preview that "Small clubs like us dont get the rub of the green like the big clubs"

So there Everton fans in your face

Lee Carsley - "It were stupid what he said".

[Neil Young]

Lee Carsley - "It were stupid what he said".

It would have been better if Rafa hadn't said it - even though he didn't mean it in the way it's been interpreted - because it's probably better not to badmouth your opponents but all this overreaction from Everton (the club rather than the fans) is petty and provincial. In fact it rather confirms what Rafa said. A bigger club would surely simply have laughed and pointed to the four points, much as Moyes seems to have done.

Of course Sky are simply stoking the flames as usual but Everton don't seem to realise that if they were a big club they, er, wouldn't have to tell everyone they are.

[tomasjj]

It would have been better if Rafa hadn't said it - even though he didn't mean it in the way it's been interpreted - because it's probably better not to badmouth your opponents but all this overreaction from Everton (the club rather than the fans) is petty and provincial. In fact it rather confirms what Rafa said. A bigger club would surely simply have laughed and pointed to the four points, much as Moyes seems to have done.

Of course Sky are simply stoking the flames as usual but Everton don't seem to realise that if they were a big club they, er, wouldn't have to tell everyone they are.

Exactly.
A big club wouldn't have to roll out everyone from the Chairman to the boot cleaners to say they are a big club.

I mean, b a s i c psychology.

[Dhav]

It would have been better if Rafa hadn't said it - even though he didn't mean it in the way it's been interpreted - because it's probably better not to badmouth your opponents but all this overreaction from Everton (the club rather than the fans) is petty and provincial. In fact it rather confirms what Rafa said. A bigger club would surely simply have laughed and pointed to the four points, much as Moyes seems to have done.

Of course Sky are simply stoking the flames as usual but Everton don't seem to realise that if they were a big club they, er, wouldn't have to tell everyone they are.

Exactly.
A big club wouldn't have to roll out everyone from the Chairman to the boot cleaners to say they are a big club.

I mean, b a s i c psychology.

This is the point isn't it. If they are a big club, and Wyness said Rafa is in a minority of one thinking otherwise, why have at least 5 of them (Moyes, Wyness, Carsley, Stubbs and Cahill) come out with comments about how massive they are? I wonder who they're trying to convince.

[G]

Heres how big they are.They've done a deal with Tesco to get a new stadium built!

[Red_Polo]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/merseyside/6335101.stm

New stadium proposals submitted

The council says the plans are at a very early stage
Initial proposals for the preferred location of a new Everton Football club stadium have been submitted to a Merseyside Council.

The club plans to build a 55,000-seater ground in a development that will also include high street shops, a hotel and a Tesco supermarket.

FLMAO it's getting closer and closer to happening

[hertsred]

FC Tesco of Kirkby, playing now in the Freezer Aisle - they're a big club alright

[FatTony]

Heres how big they are.They've done a deal with Tesco to get a new stadium built!

Every little helps