Everton in the city

[Simon Buttle]

I am from Liverpool but now live in London. I was staying with family for the weekend of the home game against Fulham.
I went to see the Minton tiles at St.George’s Hall and then to the Liver buildings to see inside the city’s landmark(it was never open to the public except for a couple of weeks in August when I lived in the city).
The guide for our tour gave a little spiel before we went to the viewing deck and outlined who were current tenants of the building.She went through a list of names and then described Everton’s tenancy as controversial. I was the only Scouser in the tour group of 12 and asked her what was controversial about Everton being tenants in the Liver building…she had no answer.
Given the fact that Moshiri owned the building it’s another example of how our presence in the City is being airbrushed piece by piece because the clubs hierarchy have no idea how to market and protect our football heritage(past,present and future).

I'm guessing the lady you spoke to was a red, you should have reminded her that EFC were actually the original club in the city and the original tenants of anfield. Not sure what is controversial about the Liver buildings, it's just an office block these days, why shouldn't we rent offices like anyone else?

 

[barneygumble]

Travelled over to the Wolves match with the Mrs in tow for once, i went the match, she went shopping.

She's no interest in football but one thing stuck with me when i got back to town after the match, she says why is there hardly any mention of Everton in the city centre, of course there's the club shop in Liverpool one and a couple of shops and stalls have dedicated small corners but most nearly seem like an afterthought.

Liverpool FC merchandise seems to be everywhere and I'd say a lot of the overseas tourist's walking about don't even know there's two clubs in the city.

Does the club need to do more to promote the 'brand' in the city or with Liverpool being the size of club it is, would it be banging its head against a closed shop? Have Liverpool fc the city sewn up to casual visitors (tours etc)?
Results need to improve of course to get people to take an interest but a marketing campaign promoting the club to visitors (match day, tours, merch etc) surely isn't a big ask.

Or are we happy to let Liverpool fc have the casual tourists?

Need to think bigger imo.

Commercially were a nightmare.

The deal we agreed with Suntan Bob/Kitbag meant any official merchandise was not able to be sold outside of the club shop or online shop.

It was only recently after pressure that they loosened that and made some available in other retailers and places like the airport.

But equally we’re in our worst position for 20 years whilst Liverpool have appeared in multiple European finals, won the lot on the past 5-6 years their peak has never been higher.

I also think it’s a “thing” for Liverpool fans to show they’re Liverpool fans, so you see far more fans wearing shirts than you do with Everton.

 

[davek]

What would you do to fix it?

We’re the Espanyol of England until we start winning something

I'd recommend outside John Lennon airport a Three Billboards Outside Ebbings, Missouri attack on the Kopites for the benefit of clueless out of towners...

 

[Verbal Kint]

A major major bugbear of mine..... We absolutely have given the City away to the other mob.

Merchandise disaster, we've had Americans, Chinese,Colombians, Scandinavian, Africans and we couldn't capitalize on any of it. Absolute moron's

 

[Daytripper]

And this is what some people who think it’s alright to just exist in the Premier League and frown at change don’t acknowledge.

The longer you become irrelevant the more you risk losing more and more mindshare and with it there is a chance your fan base becomes stagnant and grows in minuscule way.

It’s alright having a nice new stadium , how do you expect to continue to fill it long term or even expand it, if your giving people , particularly those outside the city very little reason to emotionally invest in the club outside of family traditions.

It’s amazing how these self indulgent b******* have been allowed to stagnate the club for so long.

 

[dannyboy]

In the tourist shops around the likes of the Albert Dock there's obviously more LFC stuff, but there's still Everton merchandise available. We can't really push places to sell products they aren't going to shift. It's less a problem with marketing and more the gradual process of taking one of England's best clubs and turning us into also rans over the last 30 years.

 

[dannyboy]

And this is what some people who think it’s alright to just exist in the Premier League and frown at change don’t acknowledge.

The longer you become irrelevant the more you risk losing more and more mindshare and with it there is a chance your fan base becomes stagnant and grows in minuscule way.

It’s alright having a nice new stadium , how do you expect to continue to fill it long term or even expand it, if your giving people , particularly those outside the city very little reason to emotionally invest in the club outside of family traditions.

It’s amazing how these self indulgent b******* have been allowed to stagnate the club for so long.

This is very much correct. The last two seasons have given us a big problem to overcome and that's going to be the contentment among the fan base to accept finishing in around 10th to 14th because the memories of those 2 relegation dog fights are fresh in the memory.

Tbh, I talk about it being the last two seasons but these standards we used to have were probably eroded even before Moyes arrived.

 

[tommye]

...She went through a list of names and then described Everton’s tenancy as controversial. I was the only Scouser in the tour group of 12 and asked her what was controversial about Everton being tenants in the Liver building…she had no answer.

'Controversial'
The kopites are seething

 

[Dr Baxter]

I am from Liverpool but now live in London. I was staying with family for the weekend of the home game against Fulham.
I went to see the Minton tiles at St.George’s Hall and then to the Liver buildings to see inside the city’s landmark(it was never open to the public except for a couple of weeks in August when I lived in the city).
The guide for our tour gave a little spiel before we went to the viewing deck and outlined who were current tenants of the building.She went through a list of names and then described Everton’s tenancy as controversial. I was the only Scouser in the tour group of 12 and asked her what was controversial about Everton being tenants in the Liver building…she had no answer.
Given the fact that Moshiri owned the building it’s another example of how our presence in the City is being airbrushed piece by piece because the clubs hierarchy have no idea how to market and protect our football heritage(past,present and future).

You should write a letter of complaint about her, I would. Maybe she was one of the Kopites who tried to set fire to that very building. Anyhow, fear not, my fellow Blues, because that fantastic, new stadium down on the river will raise our profile enormously all by itself. UTFT.

 

[Daytripper]

This is very much correct. The last two seasons have given us a big problem to overcome and that's going to be the contentment among the fan base to accept finishing in around 10th to 14th because the memories of those 2 relegation dog fights are fresh in the memory.

Tbh, I talk about it being the last two seasons but these standards we used to have were probably eroded even before Moyes arrived.

I’ve seen it myself mate. Whenever I’m out in the city centre shopping or around the Merseyside area I see far more kids wearing Liverpool merchandise than Everton, far more. It’s all about mindshare and the more the clubs continues this way or settles on being “fine” the more the mindshare moves away and less mindshare means less market share to grow the club.

It really annoys how some go on about our history but don’t acknowledge the concerns for the future.

Take Melanie Prentice for example, her husband is employed at the club and a man well known to leave a certain horrible ego maniac out of any critical view during his time at the Echo. She defends the people and the culture here at Everton and she also rightly idolises her Grandfather Dixie Dean , who many others idolise too.

What she doesn’t realise is or does but doesn’t care, is who are the potential supporters of the club going to idolise in the future? Where are their heroes going to come from? Because the people like her, her husband and sadly the many others like them , want the status quo to remain at the club, who are incapable of creating such a platform to build teams future generations can worship and if there is a glimmer of a player or two like that, they are sold to balance the books and actually try to win things elsewhere at the highest levels.

How long are we going to look to the Dixie Deans, Southalls, Alan Balls , Sharpy etc for comfort when any remaining future supporters might not have heroes of their own?

It all adds to the collective issues we have.

Sorry for the rant but it grates me how the club has continued to decrease in relevance year after year.

 

[Gareth Gibson]

It's very sad how inept our club's custodians are. We have won the league more times than Chelsea and Spurs combined and yet most people from outside of Liverpool even know that we are a north west club.

I was at Spurs last season and one of their season ticket holders asked me how long the journey from Stoke had been - I'm from Kirkdale!! He thought Everton FC were based near Telford.

 

[If You Know Your History]

Had we been relegated last season we would have become completely irrelevant and possibly even unheard of to most youngsters within a few seasons.

 

[banno]

I am self employed in retail. I sell stencils of all types. Football stencils are popular and the most popular is the Liverpool stencils. Mates say how can you sell RS stencils and I say in business you have to go with what is popular and when on holiday drinking a beer I always raise my glass and the Mrs raising her cocktail to all the Liverpool fans that have given us a holiday (sarcastically and laughing). Side note....all addresses of the stencils lead to outside Liverpool. I have sold a few Everton and 90% of addresses are on Merseyside.

 

[SLAVEN BILIC]

People blaming the club or saying the club needs to more in the city centre are quite wide of the mark.

Apart from the official shops for both clubs there is nothing else that Liverpool are doing differently in that department.

The market stalls are full of stuff they know will sell (Liverpool scarves, hats, badges etc) some of them have little bits of Everton gear. There’s a Liverpool bar called Jurgen’s. That’s obviously done by fans.

And then there are the two hotels. Dixie’s and Shankley’s.

Both clubs are very undersold (officially), it’s other businesses that give this perception.

Now to get that perception, it totally is Everton’s fault. Until we start winning stuff and get our name back on the map, tourists etc aren’t gonna waste there money on our scarves or drink in an Everton themed bar.

 

[Eggs]

….there’s only one way the situation changes & that’s with success.

I’ve always said become the best team in this City and the rest will look after itself.