Nil Satis Nisi Optimum

It's coming to be that time of year everybody. I'm not talking about the NFL season getting ready to kick off, I'm talking about proper football kicking off. We are 10 days away from the FA Community Shield, and less than three weeks away from the kickoff of the Premiership season. I've gotten some flack for the few football articles I've posted, mainly from G, but I'm going to write them anyways. If you don't like it, don't read it, I'll continue to post everything else just like normal, but if I can bring a few more fans of the greatest sport in the world, into the fold, than I've done a helluva job. I'm going to post Power Rankings, as well as keeping up to date with the latest in the Premiership, Champions League, and Internationals. I'll also try to touch on La Liga and Serie A, but not as frequently. Along with that, I'm going to attempt to help show readers some of the past of football. Personally, like baseball, the most appealing aspect of the sport is its rich and deep history. I'll try and write as many pieces as possible highlighting some of the more famous clubs and events in football along with the current stuff. Again, this won't interfere with anything that is currently being written on the site, it will just be in addition.

So, after this introduction, what will I be kicking off with? I'm sure most of you expect me to start talking about Chelsea, but I won't. I'll leave that for a little later. Instead, I'm going to start by talking about a club rich in history, but one that most people probably don't even know about. Everton FC. Why Everton FC? Well, there are a few reasons. First, they are the chief rival of my most hated club, Liverpool FC. G has recently decided to adopt Liverpool as his club of choice, and my goal is to make him regret that as soon as possible, by tormenting him on this very website. Second, Everton are the best club in the history of English football. (That stat is semi-accurate. If you calculate all wins, all-time, on a two-point scale, than Everton are just barely ahead of Liverpool.)

Everton FC play at historic Goodison Park in Liverpool, England. Like most cities in England, Liverpool plays home to two major footballing clubs, Liverpool FC and Everton FC. I could go down the line and recite exactly what Wikipedia has, but I'll only touch on the major points. They are one of the oldest clubs in the history of football, founded in 1878. They have played at Goodison Park since 1892, the year they were pushed out of Anfield, home of Liverpool FC, over a rent dispute. In that year, 1892, when Anfield lost Everton, rival club Liverpool FC started up and moved into Anfield. Thus, the rivalry began.



The Merseyside Derby, Liverpool is situated on the River Mersey, is different from other famous derbies like Glasgow or Madrid, in that there is no real social, political, or religious divide between the clubs. For all intents and purposes, it's the same as Jets/Giants or Mets/Yankees, except that they compete in the same league. They just dislike each other because of their extreme proximity to one another, and even more of it comes out of the Liverpool hooligan problem from the 1980's. I don't want to go to into all of that, but Liverpool made a lot of enemies in the 80's, and Everton are chief among them.

Recent history hasn't been too kind to Everton FC. They've been left behind the big Four, and their rivals Liverpool, and struggle to finish higher than fifth place. A few years ago they cracked the barrier, only to be embarrassed in the qualifying stages of the Champions League. Still, they have and spend more money than most clubs in the Premiership, and that keeps them consistently in the top ten. They definitely have one of the better managers in football, in David Moyes, and the club has shown a keen eye for young talent. Their most recent young prodigy goes by the name of Wayne Rooney, maybe you've heard of him? Without a doubt the Premiership is stratified right now, with the Big Four on top. But right below Chelsea, Arsenal, United, and Liverpool is another group of clubs. Everton, Tottenham, Aston Villa, Portsmouth, and Newcastle all make decent enough money, and spend quite well, too. They make up that second class, and out of that group I think most people would agree Everton and Tottenham are ready to make the jump.

If that isn't enough in the case to root for Everton, there is also the American goalkeeper. Tim Howard has turned into a superstar keeper for David Moyes, and he's a good of a reason as any to root for the OTHER team from Liverpool. Everton are definitely in the group of clubs that I would encourage new fans to the sport to follow. They are fun, scrappy, play nice football, and best of all they hate Liverpool FC. Finally, when someone is choosing a new team, you should choose them based on the idea that you may want to go to a game live. That rules out a lot of the clubs in England, but Liverpool is a visitable destination. Not the nicest city in the world, but a city worth visiting nonetheless. While the odds are against them to win the League title, they get their chance twice a year to beat up on Liverpool, and I promise those wins are as good as any to win a championship.

The title of the article is the motto on the crest of Everton and it means, "Nothing but the best, is good enough." Now that sir, is a damn good motto to go by.