58 arrests total for the entire season - we were actually fifth overall. The majority of our arrests were for pitch invasion and bringing pyrotechnics to the ground.
26 football banning orders were issued to our fans, I know one was for throwing a bottle during the Villa game and half a dozen were issued for racist chanting.
Presented without comment, just for context.
Yeah, spot on that. Everton does not have a fan problem, just it's % of louts that's ordinary anywhere.
We do as fans need to condemn and report this when it happens. And EFC needs to foot the bill for Wardens, Police, and outreach etc that controls and reduces it longer term. Every club has to do this, and it's not something that characterizes EFC. It's just football's weekly 'platform' for wrong'uns.
I remember thinking "err... " at the scenes after DCL's header crashed in. Given everything the fans had endured, (and the way they rallied for the players and Lamps), it was understandable - but a bit surprising.
EFC in general ... Take out the arrests after 'that' header, and EFC's behaviour stats generally falls in line with most and better than many. The fine is lenient and contextualizes the club's general excellence in the community and stats around fan behaviour.
Football and safety This doesn't happen at Rugby, Cricket etc don't. I live in Czech Rep... My son plays Ice hockey, it's brutal. There is NEVER any problem. Football? At the top level, pretty regular flare-ups of chained-up Ultras that meet and hospitalize each other (same in Holland, Italy). Euro 20 final showed mentality does exist here, too (drugs, alcohol, peeing everywhere, foul language), and the charging of an entry gate. Again, you can point to Covid and a ground swell 'release', but we do have this element and it gravitates to football in the UK.
A big issue is.. The margins are fine from disorder to disaster (look at the horrendous experiences elsewhere today and in the past).
Fans
want our ground to be uncomfortable for away teams. We also want our players to be 'at it', stronger, faster. We want see opposition bullied, outfought, wandering off beaten (and class of course, like Gordon and co). The lining of streets into those relegation battles put hairs on players neck - FL referred to it himself. It helped. D
id anyone else fancy Rotherham or Luton next weekend instead?
My pov / experience at GP.
I think EFC does a good job in the main part. Yes we have a few beer'd up wrong'uns who are there everywhere in life, unhappy or unpleasant or just struggling Monday to Sunday and it's a release. I believe the balance we have in place at grounds is right.
My own experience is this: my disabled mother came with me last year to GP (unfortunately for the Watford home game). We then sat in a pub on the Sunday (Mum's a red) and watched RS hammer Utd. I'm never bringing her again
She said on the train back the only other venues in the UK where the help at the ground was so accommodating, warm and helpful as GP were: Wimbledon and Trent Bridge when England are on. Those venues do that once a year. GP does it every fortnight. Even a Red at the hotel say they love going to EFC with a disabled friend because of the help and support.
As wools, we pushed Mum's wheelchair from GP, round Stanley park, along the front and up to Ropewalks where we stayed and it was
brilliant. People lovely, fascinating history along the way. Everton remains one of the most endearing and unique football clubs in the world, representative of it's location and history. I'm sure we'll retain that at Bramley Dock.
Hope this is helpful as a proportionate perspective on the stats above.