Everton response to Benitez criticism

[MFletcher]

http://www.evertonfc.com/news/archive/resp...TEZ%20CRITICISM

 

Everton have responded to comments made by Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez concerning the Toffees' travelling fans.

 

Benitez criticised Everton's away support in the wake of Sunday's 207th Merseyside derby, claiming they showed 'a lack of respect' with chants aimed at Steven Gerrard at Anfield.

 

Ian Ross, Everton's Head of PR, issued a statement in response.

 

He said: "Whilst we would never condone the singling out of individual players for vitriolic insults, it is a shame that Mr Benitez chose to ignore the actions of his own club's supporters.

 

"Not only was Joleon Lescott subjected to an afternoon-long barrage of quite disgusting and quite audible abuse, Phil Neville was seemingly spat at several times and was also punched in the back by a supporter as he took a throw-in.

 

"We have asked Merseyside Police and our Safety Officer to look into the matter.

 

"In calling for Everton supporters to respect his players, Mr Benitez should, perhaps, remember his comments of 12 months ago when he sought to belittle one of world sport's oldest and most respected institutions by describing us as a 'small club'. Respect is a two-way street."

 

 

[Spike]

the fact that they bother to respond makes it all the funnier

[Frosty Jack]

one of world sport's oldest and most respected institutions

 

sure.

[Guest Prongsy]

It doesn't help Everton's case when "Ian Ross, Everton's Head of PR" releases a statement that has a blatant lie in it.

 

Oh, I hope Neville gets f***ing rabbies from being spat on. c***.

Edited March 31, 2008 by Prongsy

[Redwire]

"In calling for Everton supporters to respect his players, Mr Benitez should, perhaps, remember his comments of 12 months ago when he sought to belittle one of world sport's oldest and most respected institutions by describing us as a 'small club'. Respect is a two-way street."

 

 

How to prove the small club accusations in one easy step.

[Tetti]

Am I alone in thinking Rafa should have left it? Or was it the "you're just a fat Spanish waiter" that got him riled?

 

There is a petty, at times vindictive streak in him at times that irritates me The Gerrard chant is hardly brand new and it has just raised its profile for those who hadn't heard it..

[Tasha]

whatever the fans were singing about lescott was in response to what the everton fans were singing about stevie, which in my imo was much worse. that's a child involved, jesus.

 

and i admire rafa for pointing out how disgusting it is because its plain stevie never will. i get the feeling rafa's always wanted to say something about it, he was just waiting for stevie to have a brilliant display. obviously, he couldn't last time (and one of the criticisms last time was that rafa shouldn't have pulled stevie out because those chants became louder then)

[Guest Si]

So does this mean Everton have won the PR battle? Will they be releasing a DVD of the press releases?

[madaboutlfc]

Am I alone in thinking Rafa should have left it? Or was it the "you're just a fat Spanish waiter" that got him riled?

 

There is a petty, at times vindictive streak in him at times that irritates me The Gerrard chant is hardly brand new and it has just raised its profile for those who hadn't heard it..

I love Rafa.. him saying blueschite are a small club has riled them for the rest of their lives.. as for for his waiter chants theyve gone on since he came here.. As for gerrard chants youd only hear mancs and bitters using it regularly.. If i hear it on wednesday Id eat my hat.

 

The fact that head of PR had to save face shows its hit it where it hurts..

[Jim D]

I see the small club jibe is still eating away at them.

 

Lets be honest here Everton USED to be a big club, everything they do now on and off the pitch smacks of a small club mentality.

 

I think we should be make a list of why Everton are a small club.......

 

1. They bring out a DVD after beating us in the Goodison Derby 3-0, treating it like one of their greatest achievements of all time.

2. Having "Ladies Day" at Goodison Park.

3. Having to promote and sell tickets, half season tickets on Radio City during the football season.

4. Inviting Sylvester Stallone to a match as a PR stunt from one of their boardroom members.

5. Use the motto "The People's Club" to make them believe they are special where in fact it is used to try to overcome an inferiority complex.

6. Blame their lack of success on anyone but themselves, referees, Liverpool, Heysel etc etc.

7. Their success on the pitch is always measured relative to Liverpool.

 

I'm sure this list can be expanded by the good folk on ynwa

Edited March 31, 2008 by Jim D

[Guest Prongsy]

I love Rafa.. him saying blueschite are a small club has riled them for the rest of their lives..

 

The funniest part is that he didn't even say that.

[DJS]

The funniest part is that he didn't even say that.

 

That's fecking spot on too mate, it always makes me crack up laughing that the daft bitters cant even quote him properly.

 

He never called them a 'small club'.

 

However, what he did do, and correctly so, was identify Everton as a smallER club.

 

They seem happy to stick with 'small' though

[Guest Prongsy]

That's fecking spot on too mate, it always makes me crack up laughing that the daft bitters cant even quote him properly.

 

He never called them a 'small club'.

 

However, what he did do, and correctly so, was identify Everton as a smallER club.

 

They seem happy to stick with 'small' though

 

Yeah, he was talking about smaller teams coming to anfield and defending deep... they are smaller than us, I think that's clear (if a little ungracious to say).

 

Idiots. They are not a small club, they are a medium club of yesteryear.

[growler]

they can't have it both ways either. Moyes said we should be further up the table, and its amazing that lickle everton are even competing, and then the next statement, everton are a big club.

 

you either are, or you're not mate. Make up your mind!

[John am Rhein]

"In calling for Everton supporters to respect his players, Mr Benitez should, perhaps, remember his comments of 12 months ago when he sought to belittle one of world sport's oldest and most respected institutions by describing us as a 'small club'. Respect is a two-way street."

 

Haha! Amazing they'd bring that up again!

 

They know they're a small club!

[John am Rhein]

There is a petty, at times vindictive streak in him at times

 

[kop205]

whatever the fans were singing about lescott was in response to what the everton fans were singing about stevie, which in my imo was much worse. that's a child involved, jesus.

 

In truth, I really don't think it was a response to the Gerrard chants at all. I think it would have been chanted at Lescott anyway, whether they'd sung at Gerrard or not. I also don't think one chant can really be said to be objectively worse than another, given how Lescott came to acquire his freakish looks. I knew when Benitez made those comments that this song would be dragged up as well, so of all the derby's in recent years for him to raise this after, this was the worst one though the Neville stuff is b******s.

 

That said, they are f***ing absolutely pathetic still twining on about the 'small club' stuff and it is funny to see how much Benitez gets under their skin. What was the famous 'people's club' remark if it wasn't a jibe aimed at us designed to win over their support? At least Benitez had the excuse of the language barrier and the fact that it was said post-match when feelings run high. In any case, by what standards over the last twenty years do they qualify as a 'big club'? Trophies won? Nope. Consistent capacity crowds? Nope. 'One of world sport's most respected institutions' my a***. Seriously, other than major football anoraks how many people from outside of the country know anything about them or even that they exist?

 

I agree entirely with Benitez's sentiment, just the timing is infortunate given some of our songs on Sunday. This could and should have been said before now, as anyone who has to endure disrupted Hillsborough minute's silences, 'murderers' chants, '39 Italians Can't Be Wrong' banners, songs about our prevous manager having a heart attack/dying etc etc etc could testify.

Edited April 1, 2008 by kop205

[Redkop]

Now the bitters are accusing a fan of punching Neville in the back, front page I believe of the scum rag.

[intense enigma]

The bitters are one of the saddest f*****s i've ever seen

[Benitez]

I dont think Rafa should have commeted on their t***tish fans. Cos at the end of the day, that is what they are like, it happens every derby game.

 

But it is really funny how they actually releases statements like this, commenting on something that was said a year ago (and a comment they don't seem to have grasped). It just brings it back to people's attention. Everton are embarrassing themselves. It would be better if they shut up about it, rather than humiliate themselves further by reminding people bout their insecurities.

[Tim]

And yet Mr Ross ignores the other chants his clubs supporters sing, namely the hillsborough ones. But then it should be expected since everton have had the s*n do some in ground sponsorship not too long ago.

[Cunny]

both clubs fans sing stuff about invidual players, in this case what you deem acceptable/in bad taste will probably differ from person to person.

I didn't think the Lescott chants was funny or called for.

 

 

However, when that lot start using Heyel and Hillsborough in their songs, it's bang out of order and they should be criticised for it. The Echo is always strangely silent on the subject.

If Rafa was going to criticise them for what they sang, it should be about this and not the Gerrard stuff. Which no matter how distasteful you might find it, is par for the course in these games.

[meredithmathieson]

First of all, fair play to Rafa. He obviously doesn't like the Blues**** and knows how to wind them up (which admittedly isn't hard).

 

My point is this, though: we will lose the PR war on this, because we always do. We are just not geared for the modern PR world. Everton employ ex-Guardian journalist Ian Ross, who although as bitter as the rest of them (and he's from Yorkshire originally), at least knows the industry and how to get a response out quick, which they have done. Gerrard = Lescott etc.

 

Our equivalent is who? Ian Cotton? Not really, don't think that dealing with the media as such is in his job description, he seems to be more of a 'Player X will be back from injury in 3 weeks' type spokesman.

 

The Mancs used to have Paddy Harveson, who was headhunted by Prince Charles.

 

Is this kind of thing important? I think so - having people like this on board turn negative stories (Mancs charge Italian bizzies in Rome) into positive stories (Innocent Mancs battered by baton-wielding Italian thug police - Foreign Office demands explanation and an apology) etc. See how the perspective changes? And yet anybody who goes the match and saw the Mancs in Rome knows that (with the ODD exception) they got what was coming to them.

 

Having opened up this argument, we should now focus on Everton's complete inability to prevent the singing about murderers, Hysel and the anal rape of Michael Shields, and ask whether or not this equates to tacit consent.

 

Make no mistake, the Bloos are too far gone to bring them back into the 'Scouse' umbrella so we may as well go for it, for you can guarantee that the local media are either too scared - or too Blue- to do so. Then watch them explode.

[Guest Anders Honoré]

"In calling for Everton supporters to respect his players, Mr Benitez should, perhaps, remember his comments of 12 months ago when he sought to belittle one of world sport's oldest and most respected institutions by describing us as a 'small club'. Respect is a two-way street."

 

That is a hilarious statement for a club to release. Well in, Rafa.

[Swipe]

God, they make me cringe.

 

Everything they say sounds like it came from a deluded bitter 12 year old, who is annoyed that his bigger brother is better with girls than he is!

 

Surely an official statement should have any trace of 'sounding like it was said by an individual person' removed?

 

Their spokesman is rubbish.