Whilst this hasn't been a great season for us, across the River Mersey, all is not well at Everton. The club are struggling to retain their Premier League status, caught in a dogfight that will likely go to the wire. Now, some Rovers fans might say this doesn't matter. However, many of us have had to endure years of being patronised by Red and Blue nose supporters, watching at least one of them flounder is no bad thing.
There has always been a perspective that Tranmere need to appeal to the Liverpool and Everton supporters on our side of the water. Dave Russell adopted Friday night football, and an all white strip, in part as a means to appealing to both sets of fans. Whether or not we have ever managed that is debatable. During our more successful period in the 90s gates were higher, but stubbornly stuck around about the 9000 mark. Whilst that's higher than current gates the uplift would, if the theory is correct, had've been higher. Yet we never really have become the third side of the Mersey, instead we have always remained a curiosity, often we have just been seen as a joke.
We have benefited from some great players joining us from Goodson and Anfield. Pat Nevin is arguably one of the greatest midfield players to have graced the Prenton Park turf. Currently Rhys Hughes also started his career with the bluenoses. There seem to have been more Liverpool players who have made the journey. Ian St John, Ron Yeats, Tommy Lawrence, David Fairclough and, of course, John Aldridge. Fewer players still have made the move in the other direction. Tony 'the tank' Thomas ended up at Goodison, and before that Dixie Dean went from Rovers to Goodson, whilst more recent many Tranmere supporters still feel annoyed about the 'theft' of Tom Davies from our youth set up.
The question is, does having two Premier League clubs across the river benefit us? I take the view that it doesn't really. Few supporters of either Liverpool or Everton come to see us. The footballing links aren't that great. Yes, occasionally we take players on loan, but we have taken players on loan from a range of clubs over the years. Added to this Everton seem to be haemorrhaging money. Recent media reports suggest that they have lost £305m over the last three seasons, the building of Bramley Moor Dock is behind schedule and they are currently being investigated for breaching financial fair play rules. Even if Everton aren't relegated this season their future looks a bit uncertain.
Doubtless there are many Rovers fans who could live with that level of uncertainty. The Premier League is awash with money. If a club like Everton can't keep their house in order few will spill any tears. Their's is a luxury of riches we can only ever dream of. Few believe it is possible for Tranmere to now rise much above League 1, those dreams of one day being a Premier League club seem to have evaporated as the gap between the richest and clubs at our level has widened.
If Everton are relegated it is likely to cause ripples in the local football economy. However, it might spur us on. We would be a Division apart, not two. Maybe some Wirral Everton fans, brought up on a diet of media over exposure and cash to burn, will see the light and ditch them for us. Yet that isn't how football works. I couldn't ditch Tranmere for another team. All I can do is watch with interest and hope that any fallout from an Everton relegation doesn't affect us negatively.
Wishful thinking. If Everton do get relegated , which I don’t think they will, they will then be two divisions up from us instead of the current three. Not one and two.
Everton won't go down, the way dyche has them defending as 4-5-1 with no space between the lines makes them solid. They will bore their supporters to death but stay up. Soton, Leeds and Bournemouth for me
H v Spurs
A v Man Utd
H v Fulham
A v Palace
H v Newcastle
A v Leicester
A v Brighton
H v Man City
A v Wolves
H v Bournemouth
By my reckoning it’s only really the Fulham and Palace games that don’t involve either teams pushing to secure a European place or to avoid relegation.
the kav Everton won't go down, the way dyche has them defending as 4-5-1 with no space between the lines makes them solid. They will bore their supporters to death but stay up. Soton, Leeds and Bournemouth for me
Everton will be OK. May even finish above Liverpool! 😂
Either way it will have liitle or no effect on us
This April Fools Day joke from a few seasons ago was a bit of a giggle..
'You can get some 'Liverton' and 'Everpool' trainers ahead of the Merseyside derby, but you have to be quick..Bold Street store Transalpino launched the pair of "coming soon" limited edition half-and-half trainers. Only 40 pairs available paying tribute to the brotherly love that exists amongst our two sets of fans, customized gazelle will come with Liverton on one shoe and Everpool on the other, on sale tomorrow at 18:00 GMT.
I don't want EFC to go down cos their in a perilous position financially - cant imagine they would go out of business but its a remote possibility, and I've been to loads of games over the years and like the club. It might galvanise them, getting promoted from the Championship could be the only meaningful success they will achieve in the next 20 years, and eternally trying to stay up is just a relentlessly grim experience, makes you wonder why they bother (but then they might say the same about us bouncing between NL and L1)
dave-p To be fair, a Birkenhead bluenose got me into the Tranmere Directors' Box for my birthday once.
before our famous win the bhead bluenoses scrawled on the walls in halfway house "tmrw 3pm evton v dog and duck.they werent seen around for months ,they celebrated when we lost on pens to villa and also when we lost to fgr.so you wont find me feeling sorry if they go down ,but they will find a way of surviving ,intimidation beeing 1way
It is a good for football for teams to be reminded that when a board of directors is clueless relegation often follows. Everton has been poorly run for years and if they go down it will be deserved.
dave-p To be fair, a Birkenhead bluenose got me into the Tranmere Directors' Box for my birthday once.
before our famous win the bhead bluenoses scrawled on the walls in halfway house "tmrw 3pm evton v dog and duck.they werent seen around for months ,they celebrated when we lost on pens to villa and also when we lost to fgr.so you wont find me feeling sorry if they go down ,but they will find a way of surviving ,intimidation beeing 1way
too true Loyden. And they always scrape out of it, sometimes by cheating (remember the Anders Limpar dive...).
I remember the "Everton" Echo made constant fun of us (their report Len Cappelling, or Len Crappelling we used to call him). Silenced forever with that 0-3. Thank you Steve Yates and Jason Koumas ... and of course Aldo!
Most relegations are deserved, with the exception of Blackpool to league one when Jose Vega got the job. Oysten left him with 8 players in the squad a week before the first league game, Lee Clark inherited the remnants of the farce mid-season and the club was about 20 points from safety with 6 games left and dropped.
When you have 8 squad players a week prior to the season starting, then unless the manager is seen as a weapons grade @#$%& trumpet, that 0% of available players would touch with a turd spattered stick, then you have to look at the boardroom and wonder what the guy in charge is doing for the best part of 3 months.
The most unbelievable turnaround I recall, was a few seasons back when Hamilton Academicals had a slim chance of pipping Ayr United to promotion to the Scottish Championship. A win and a slip-up by Ayr would hand Hamilton the promotion.
Hamilton were then docked 30 points for financial mis-demeanours and needed to win their final game against Queen of the South just to stay up. They lost and went down, but then proceeded to get 3 consecutive promotions to the SPL.
Not a bad way to bounce back.
However it should be said the same was not possible for Tranmere, although what a turnaround it would have been to be relegated on PPG, then be starting this season with a home game against a side like Chelsea.
Unfortunately Tranmere have failed to recreate the Hamilton effect, but then in a league system that includes 72 EFL clubs, it would be considerably more challenging.
Then I ate his Liver.......... with some baked beans and a can of coke.
Matt34 Most relegations are deserved, with the exception of Blackpool to league one when Jose Vega got the job. Oysten left him with 8 players in the squad a week before the first league game, Lee Clark inherited the remnants of the farce mid-season and the club was about 20 points from safety with 6 games left and dropped.
When you have 8 squad players a week prior to the season starting, then unless the manager is seen as a weapons grade @#$%& trumpet, that 0% of available players would touch with a turd
spattered stick, then you have to look at the boardroom and wonder what the guy in charge is doing for the best part of 3 months.
The most unbelievable turnaround I recall, was a few seasons back when Hamilton Academicals had a slim chance of pipping Ayr United to promotion to the Scottish Championship. A win and a slip-up by Ayr would hand Hamilton the promotion.
Hamilton were then docked 30 points for financial mis-demeanours and needed to win their final game against Queen of the South just to stay up. They lost and went down, but then proceeded to get 3 consecutive promotions to the SPL.
Not a bad way to bounce back.
However it should be said the same was not possible for Tranmere, although what a turnaround it would have been to be relegated on PPG, then be starting this season with a home game against a side like Chelsea.
Unfortunately Tranmere have failed to recreate the Hamilton effect, but then in a league system that includes 72 EFL clubs, it would be considerably more challenging.
Morning Matt, slightly related to this, if Queens park go up this season they will have achieved 3 in a row since casting off their amateur status. All without a home ground.
They did the right thing stopping being amateur, it was holding them back and considering the ground they have to use, they had a big advantage over rival clubs, but then the no money aspect was killing the advantage.
Play in our massive stadium for nothing, or a player can get £250 a week to play in a 4,500 standing room / partial seater stadium.
One of Dwight Gayles early teams was Stanstead, playing in front of 20 people, it would have looked a bit odd if he was playing for nothing and Stanstead's stadium had been Wembley.
Then I ate his Liver.......... with some baked beans and a can of coke.
They are developing lesser Hampden next door to Hampden. It's mad that within a mile Glasgow was Hampden, lesser Hampden, old Hampden, which is still used and third lanarks old, preserved ground.
Their supporters are worse then ours. They are always screaming for someone to be sacked like it's some kind of magic wand that will turn things around.
They have realised they are being laughed at calling for the manager to be sacked every 3 months and have moved onto Mr kenwright now.
The club cannot cede to them again, even if they go down, the supporters cannot run the club. If they sack kenwright the supporters will be screaming to sack his replacement if they get off to a bad start next season.
It's not rocket science what the problem is at goodison this season, they needed to break the bank and buy a goalscorer, not keep sacking managers
gary anderson I don't really care not interested in Everton or Liverpool where they finish what they do .my only interest is Tranmere rovers fc the team I support.
Leicester’s result last night at least means it will go to the final day. Everton have to win, Leicester also have to win. A draw for Everton and a Leicester win mean Everton go down. Leeds have to win by three clear goals and hope Everton get beat. Looks to me like Everton will survive but football can be cruel, let’s hope it is to the blue noses.
Even then though, Everton might not survive, Noises about a legal challenge from the relegated clubs as the Fair Play investigation has not been completed and any penalty will be carried over until next season. It may run and run.
Crazylegs Cranebird Its in our interests that the reds and blues mess up. We want them out of Wirral.
Last time I looked , they were across the river. And if you simply mean supporters, by definition they will support them regardless. It’s what being a ‘supporter’ means. None of this fair weather nonsense that has crept in to Tranmere support. ‘
Leicester may have blown it when Madison missed that penalty against them when it was 2-1. The 1-1 draw between Leicester and Leeds may also have saved Everton, well at least as Zint says, until the financial fair play team has completed its investigation - they are also scrutinising Man City as well.
If Everton get relegated, that surely jeopardises the Bramley Docks project and puts many Merseyside based jobs at risk. For that reason I hope they stay up.
NickNotTheGreek If Everton get relegated, that surely jeopardises the Bramley Docks project and puts many Merseyside based jobs at risk. For that reason I hope they stay up.
Not sure it will but if it does I am with you. Let's be honest we play a different sport, certainly different rule book
NickNotTheGreek If Everton get relegated, that surely jeopardises the Bramley Docks project and puts many Merseyside based jobs at risk. For that reason I hope they stay up.
I dont think it would. Leicester built their Kingpower stadium whilst in the 2nd tier, Derby Pride Park as well. If they go down they also get parachute payments
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NickNotTheGreek If Everton get relegated, that surely jeopardises the Bramley Docks project and puts many Merseyside based jobs at risk. For that reason I hope they stay up.
My understanding is that if they go down it increases the likelihood of us ground sharing with them whilst our new stadia is built. Rumour has it that they refused overtures from us in December hence the delay, or abandonment, of the Bidston feasibility study. However, the loss of Premier League income may mean that option could be back on the cards.
NickNotTheGreek If Everton get relegated, that surely jeopardises the Bramley Docks project and puts many Merseyside based jobs at risk. For that reason I hope they stay up.
My understanding is that if they go down it increases the likelihood of us ground sharing with them whilst our new stadia is built. Rumour has it that they refused overtures from us in December hence the delay, or abandonment, of the Bidston feasibility study. However, the loss of Premier League income may mean that option could be back on the cards.
err great rumour zint, im sure 2000 tranmere fans would make a big difference to everton costs for a matchday held at bramley dock🤣
Hope Everton win today. Supported them till I moved from Liverpool to Wirral and went to see Tranmere play in 1967. Since then, it's Rovers for me. However, I don't really understand the mindset of those who express such antipathy for a local club. Would I rather Leeds and Leicester go down? You bet I would.
Just had a quick look on an Everton fans forum, and this comment made me chuckle...
'Well, she's in luck...The Missus is getting an extra 30 seconds tonight, lucky girl. Although I think I will have to employ some time wasting techniques.'
Yesterday it was delicious for a short period. That bit of the game where Leicester were a goal up, and the blue noses looked in a panic. Bournemouth never really threatened and looked like they were playing for a 0-0 draw.
They will likely face a heavy points deduction and, I suspect, may be barred from signing new players as part of their punishment, in which case we might be here this time next season. Yet I doubt it. Luton will be one of the favourites for relegation, and I suspect Wolves and Bournemouth will occupy the other two berths. Time will tell.
Not sure how them going down benefits anyone and it surely would not help the local economy of which we are part. Not as if a derby match would be much closer.
Whilst I understand the argument about the damage to the local economy, in reality this could be compensated for by increase in activity around our own club. Additionally, the poor financial management of Everton suggests that much of the damage has been inflicted by the current ownership making poor decisions. Even without relegation the signs are that Everton’s finances are somewhat precarious. Bramley Moor Dock looks like a project that should have been delayed. We know already that costs are rising (and there is a warning to ourselves regarding ground relocations and capital projects).
In the end celebrating Everton’s demise would have been about tribalism. Sometimes, tribalism matters.
I've been reading the Relegation 2022/23 thread on Everton's forum for the past few weeks. I think there will be a similar thread next season. I'm probably interested in who they sign this summer. Liverpool supporters wanting points deducted from Everton for a pitch invasion is just bitter and sad.
Plenty of satisfaction to be had in seeing both Fat Sam and the self entitled, sneering midlanders flushed out of the PL.
Massive summer for the Bluenoses if they’re to avoid another relegation battle. They should improve, but you still wouldn’t back against them shooting themselves in the foot again.
Bitterness might best be saved and directed towards the nouveau riche media darlings of North Wales next season.
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