Everton FC. Legendary club from the city of Liverpool. The Toffees (a nickname that comes from the two toffee stores close to the stadium, Goodison Park) are recognized as one of the best clubs in all of England. Their trophy cabinet includes 9 league titles, 5 FA Cup titles, and a UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup. Sam Whyte, 34, aspiring legendary comedian from the city of Manchester, has been an Everton fan since before she could talk. She has been there for the club all her life, in the good times and the bad ones…
Q: What is your first memory related to Everton FC?
A: I guess being very little and hearing the score come in on the radio and my parents telling me who we wanted to do well. It’s so hard to pin down a “first memory” because football was a background presence for as far back as I can remember. You’re put in a blue shirt and taught to kick a ball before you can even talk.
Q: Do you remember your first match at Goodison Park?
A: I do. It was a midweek evening in 1992 against Man City - long before Man City were any good. I think your first game should always be under floodlights because there’s a real buzz to it. I was fixated on goalkeeper Neville Southall because his pedigree was so well known. He actually had a poor game but seeing him in the flesh was incredible.
Q: Do you have a "favourite" memory regarding Everton? Perhaps going to the stadium with family/friends?
A: There are some brilliant cup adventures, but purely in terms of a perfect day out it’s beating Chelsea 3-1 at Goodison with a perfect hat trick from Steven Naismith (an enrage player but a smashing bloke). Spring sunshine. Goodison bouncing. There was a lot of hope and goodwill in the air.
Q: How do you feel about Everton's recent European adventures in the Europa League? Do you feel a team like yours ought to be qualifying more often, even if it is difficult?
A: The last time we were in the Europa League we were really poor, which is a shame because I love being in the Europa League. Under Moyes, there were a few times we really could’ve challenged too. It’s increasingly difficult to break into that “Big Six”, which is a shame because European football is such a joy. We’ve spent poorly and need a bit of a rebuild, but regular European football is the goal.
Q: Have you ever been to the Merseyside Derby. If so, what's the atmosphere like? (I'd love to go to one of them)
A: I hope you manage to get to one! Yes, I’ve been to many. It’s a combination of excitement, tension, and fractiousness. Derbies used to be very contentious games with plenty of cards, but they’ve been more cagey in recent years because the stakes are so high. It’s sad that when we finally won at Anfield this year - for the first time since 1999 - there were no fans present because of Covid.
Q: Do you believe it is getting harder to fight against the economic power of the Big 6?
A: It is and if plans for reforming the Champion’s League go ahead to include UEFA coefficients and historic prestige this is only going to get worse. Financial fair play, far from levelling the playing field, actually crystallised the economic power of the Big 6. There’s also the constant threat of a European Super League, and there would be no way back from that in terms of smaller clubs aspiring to compete.
Q: What is the most rewarding and the most unrewarding thing about being an Everton fan?
A: I guess it’s the same for every fan - the reward is the buzz, the community, the friends you only have through football. The downside is it’s always going to be an emotional investment that doesn’t pay out very often. Technically the lows will always outweigh the highs, but once you’re a fan you have no choice.
Q: Did you ever made a stand-up with only football-related jokes?
A: I’ve always tried to make football jokes part of what I do, but recently I’ve been doing some very Everton-specific material. I’ve been doing some podcasting with a good friend of mine who’s also a female fan and I’d love it to be a bigger part of what I do. There are a lot of jokes to be made about Everton unfortunately.
Q: What are your predictions for the Men's National Team? (Is Euro 2020 coming home?) And the women's team being hosts of Euro 2022?
A: For the first time England men are in the unusual position of having too many good players to include in a squad. We’ve got some brilliant creative midfielders and fullbacks, so a lot rests on Southgate committing to an effective way of playing rather than trying to cram in the maximum amount of talent. Dominic Calvert-Lewin is unlucky he’s in the same squad as Harry Kane and won’t get much game time. We should make it out of the group and a semi-final is realistic. Given how crammed the season’s been I would expect a smaller nation, with a more refreshed squad to do well. It’ll be really interesting.
England’s women will have some advantage through being hosts, but I’d be surprised if they excelled. There’s been a lack of leadership with the national team, which is a shame because there’s some real talent there if it can be managed properly. At club level, women’s football has come on leaps and bounds in the past few years so hopefully, that’ll translate to national success eventually.
Q: What does football mean for the English? And in North West England with its connection to the working-class and the factories?
A: Football is a great unifier. If you have nothing else in common with someone you can always connect over football. Culture's saturated with football; you only have to see the national uproar in response to the proposed European Super League to see how much it means to people.
Sadly I think it’s becoming more disconnected from its working-class industrial roots. When I started going I could get in for a few pounds but ticket prices keep a lot of kids out these days so a lot of people only experience football on TV. We should all be more aware of its historic significance.
Q: Do you have any pre-match “rituals"?
A: If I’m going to the match I walk there and back a certain way. If I’m eating I have rice peas and curry from the takeaway opposite the ground. I’ve had loads of rituals over the years; I used to buy a hot Eccles cake (pastry with raisin filling) before kick-off and not eat it until it was cold at half-time because we won the first time I did it.
Q: Could you describe "England" with one word, "Football" with one word, and "Everton FC" with one word?
A: England - Rainy. Football - Family. Everton - Home.
