Andros Townsend: Everton players were ‘failures’ and ‘disgraces’ last season
Andros Townsend has claimed that Everton would have been relegated last season if not for the club’s fan base.
Everton wriggled to survival last season after a hugely disappointing campaign, but Townsend believes things would have been very different if not for the Toffees fans.
Evertonians flocked to Goodison Park in their thousands in the lead-up to matches to support the squad as they arrived at the stadium. It clearly had an effect on the players, but Townsend has said the team hardly deserved such treatment.
Speaking to Sky Sports (15 October) ahead of the Toffees’ clash with Tottenham, Townsend said: “That experience I have never experienced anything like it in my life, it was incredible.
“We were failures, we were disgraces and so small, but then to turn up to a game and have the fans greet us like we were kings it made us feel so big and that we could run through a brick wall.
“Ultimately that support and fanbase at Goodison Park got us out of the situation we were in.”
The People’s Club
Everton supporters do deserve credit for last season’s survival, and the Toffees fans proved that they truly do stick by their side when the going gets tough.
Performances last season under Rafa Benitez were absolutely dire at times, and while boos could often be heard ringing around Goodison Park, it was out of love for Everton Football Club.
Frank Lampard obviously came in to rescue the side, and he recognised the importance of the fans in a way that Benitez wanted to ignore.
Lampard closed the gap between fans and players and gave the club a family feel. After all it would take effort from everyone if the Toffees were to avoid the drop.
In the end, fans will have some very joyful memories from last season. Whether it be turning up and chanting for the team as they arrived or watching some very spirited displays at the tail end of the campaign, the club came together as one.
That spirit has been carried into this season, and there is suddenly an excitement and buzz around Goodison Park.