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At the portal "EuroFootball.com" - "Fans' Thoughts" section! Before the most important, interesting, and highly publicized matches, we talk to fans who passionately support the clubs entering the field.
Approaching the match between Liverpool and Birmingham in the English Premier League, 'iris' forum member hippopotamus agreed to answer our 10 questions.
"EuroFootball.com": Introduce yourself briefly.
hippopotamus: Good day. I am 29 years old, one of the five Lithuanians supporting Everton.
"EuroFootball.com": How did you start supporting Everton? Have you been a fan of this club for a long time? What were the first 'iris' matches you saw and what was the result?
hippopotamus: I chose Everton because I thought supporting such a unique club would make a bigger impression on girls than ordinary GloryHunters supporting big clubs. But it quickly became clear that I was wrong, as most girls can't even distinguish Real from Barcelona, let alone Everton… But I didn't want to switch sides and have remained loyal to my supported club until now.
All this happened about 15 years ago. The times were tough, high technology was undeveloped, and only top clubs' matches were shown on television. The first Everton match I saw on TV was a derby at Anfield stadium, it seems in 1998. The match ended in a 1-1 draw, Duncan Ferguson scored a goal, and the intensity of both teams and the derby atmosphere left an unforgettable impression. Slaven Bilic's performance also stuck in my memory, who is now the coach of the Croatian national team.
"EuroFootball.com": Who is your all-time favorite Everton player? What stands out from the current squad?
hippopotamus: I always said Duncan Ferguson - tall, strong, and aggressive, as described by John Terry when asked which striker was the toughest to play against. Ferguson was and still is the truest Everton fan.
However, this season, he has been replaced at the top of my ranking by Tim Cahill. They have a lot in common - both are true fighters, passionate Everton fans, and genuine club ambassadors off the field. They both even have Everton tattoos. However, the Scotsman has one major flaw - his uncontrollable character and outbursts of anger have cost the club dearly. Meanwhile, although Cahill also has an aggressive style, he always keeps a cool head and plays very intelligently. Additionally, I have a weakness for playing in the "second tier," and even though Ferguson was also very tough in this area, Cahill is the smartest player I have ever seen on the field.
I almost like all the players from the current squad. Leighton Baines, who has led the Premier League in most assists for the third consecutive season, never complaining about a substitute role, and academy products Leon Osman and Tony Hibbert, who are true grafters dedicated to the club. Captain Phil Neville, the best Everton player since Wayne Rooney's time, Marouane Fellaini, the best academy product since Rooney's time Jack Rodwell, Seamus Coleman, bought for peanuts, who started playing more seriously at the age of 17, and so on.
"EuroFootball.com": Your supported team is not very popular in Lithuania. Could you briefly overview the most significant Everton news and inform the readers of the portal about them?
hippopotamus: The most current news - injuries affecting the team's leaders.
This season, Fellaini and Saha are not playing anymore. Arteta will definitely not play against Aston Villa. Cahill's foot injury, received at the Asian championship, has not healed. There is still hope that Coleman and Rodwell will recover before the match.
"Everton" - "Aston Villa": fans' thoughts (Part II)
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