The life of a M'sian toffee..

It is a very long way from the terraces of Goodison Park to the shores of Malaysia and some may be surprised to learn that there is an Everton Supporter’s Club in Malaysia. Given the dominance of Manchester United/Arsenal over the past decade and the recent emergence of Chelsea with their multi million pound signings, why Everton one might ask?

A far cry from the dismal 1990s and the club's present predicament, Everton is a club with a proud footballing tradition and history that is laced with triumph and glory. If you know your history, Everton is one of England's biggest club, dare we say the original big 5 club. An unbroken run in the top flight since 1954 (second only to Arsenal) and the first team to play 100 years in the top flight are some of the achievements that Evertonians, the world over, are proud of. In terms of trophies won at least, Evertonians can still count themselves among the top 5 clubs in England. Only Manchester United, SHite and Arsenal have won more League titles than Everton. A total of 9 League championships, a haul of 5 FA Cups which is also among the best in the country and an European Cup Winners Cup is proof of this. Who know what might have been if English teams weren’t banned from European football. Everton can also boast one of the best and most loyal supporters in the UK. Where else can you find average attendances of over 38,000 (Goodison Park capacity 40,100) for a team that finished 17th in the league?

Everton Supporters Club Malaysia (ESCM) was formed by a group of local Evertonians and is currently in the process of being registered as an official supporter’s club of Everton FC. Currently, there are over 70 registered male and female members who are located all over the country. Even though ESCM is still in its infancy, we’ve managed to regularly get together during the live telecast of Everton games and cheer on our boys in blue. We also try and organise a session of futsal once in a while. An ESCM team (Everton B) won the EPL Supporters Club of Malaysia Cup Tournament held at Sportsplanet recently, beating Tottenham Hotspurs of Singapore 3-0.

It is not easy being an Evertonian in Malaysia where most of the people around you support either Manchester United, Arsenal or Liverpool. Most supporters of Everton in Malaysia started supporting the club in the mid 80s and the Everton side of the time, with its sublime football was a pleasure to watch. Everton and Liverpool dominated the mid 80s and added some extra spice to the proceedings due to the local rivalry. Back then, the only live games that Malaysian managed to watch was the FA Cup final and Everton’s Championship wins, FA Cup exploits and the Cup Winner’s Cup triumph did help attract support in Malaysia. A preseason tour of Malaysia in the late 80s where Everton played the national side was a bonus for Malaysia Toffees who could at last see their heroes in the flesh. The names of Neville Southall, Graeme Sharp, Peter Reid & Gary Lineker, just to name a few, bring back fond memories. It really hurt all Evertonians that we could not play in Europe after winning the Championship. We had a very good side that had won the Cup Winner’s Cup the previous season but were denied a shot at the European Cup because of the European ban in effect on all English teams (BECAUSE OF LIVERPOOL FANS BEHAVING VIOLENTLY!!!). Howard Kendall left for Spain for a taste of European football. That was the start of the decline for Everton Football Club.

By the time league games were being shown live here, Everton was no longer a dominant force. The advent of the Internet and Astro did help us keep in touch with the fortunes of our beloved club. Apart from the FA Cup final win over Manchester United in 1995, there hasn’t been much to shout about lately but all is not doom and gloom. In David Moyes, we currently have one of the best and brightest young managers in the game and a small albeit dedicated squad of players. The thing is, we've been down this path before.

In the early 80s, a bright young manager, Kendall, comes into a relegation threatened team. The star midfielder, a young blue nose from Halewood, Steve McMahon is the hope for all blues, refuses a new contract due to poor terms and he leaves. The manager and board then start to come in for heavy criticism from the fans. Petitions around the ground calling for the chairman and manager to go. A young goalkeeper(Southall)lets 5 in at the derby at Goodison and gets loaned out before the next game. The reserve team coach (Harvey) gets promoted to try and take some of the heat off Kendall. Kendall signs two has been players that could break down at any minute and are criticised for buying the has beens (Gray and Reid). A young forward (Sharp) is always criticised by the fans for not trying. You don't need star players to win the league, cup etc. You need players to have star performances.

Evertonians are a very hardy breed indeed. We’ve been through the good times and the bad and last summer was definitely one of the worst with the boardroom uncertainties and Rooney transfer saga. Although we may be half a world away from Goodison Park, most of us realised what it means to be part of this great club. We feel the highs and lows, the hopes and frustrations, just as strongly out here. Some of us have had the opportunity to experience the excitement of the drumroll and the tune that sends shivers down every true blue’s spine. The players running onto the pitch to the tune of Z-Cars amid the roar that reaches a crescendo. It is a sound that makes every hair stand on. As the saying goes, Evertonians are Born not Manufactured.
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