OPINION: In this week's Royal Blue column, Christopher Beesley responds to a 'letter to Everton fans' from a follower of Newcastle United

Does size matter? It’s that age-old question for so many things. But if you ever want to spark a fierce argument among football fans, just rank clubs from largest to smallest.

Certain numbers can be applied such as trophies won or attendances through the turnstiles, but can they ever be an exact science? Newcastle United have won four League Championships but this season is the centenary of their most recent success.

Everton have now beaten the Magpies four times this calendar year. On the first instance on February 28, David Moyes’ men triumphed 3-2 with the winning goal going in off Thierno Barry’s backside (right cheek for all those who watched Ian Croll’s end of season quiz on the Royal Blue podcast).

That left one web warrior unimpressed as he embarked on an online rant. Gallowgate End season ticket holder ‘Geordie Josh’ fumed: “He scored with his a**e. My head is on Mars.

“I swear to God, I didn’t even know. I came back from the match and probably three hours later, I realised Barry scored with his a**e.

“I swear to God (again), I was in that stadium at the Gallowgate, I see Barry sticking his tongue out, thinking ‘wow, he must have scored a wonder goal,’ a smash and tap-in. He scored with his backside.

“What are you doing with your tongue out mate? You’ve scored with your a**e.”

In between then and Monday night, the Blues recorded another two wins in head-to-heads, beating Newcastle 3-1 in a friendly at Murrayfield on August 12 and then knocking Matthias Jaissle’s side out of the Carabao Cup by the same scoreline at Hill Dickinson Stadium eight days ago.

However, after completed their quartet of successes with Barry again the matchwinner in front of the Leazes End – well done him, equalling his goal tally for the whole of last season by November 2, having issued a defiant statement after his family home was burgled during the sides’ previous meeting four nights earlier – the Toon Army’s online content creators showed once more that they’re the gift that keeps on giving.

This time it came from a certain Ruby Quinn who describes herself as a Fabian Schar enthusiast as her ‘letter to Everton fans’ went viral. Along with instructing Blues to “stay in your lane please,” one of the more comedic sections of her note was the end of the second paragraph.

Having already remarked: “You’re not better than us and you’re not bigger than us,” the unintentional hilarious punchline was “We have a richer history,” before adding: “with a bigger fanbase.”

Excuse me? Let’s have this right.

At the risk of alienating all my fellow Evertonians reading this, let’s all be brutally honest for a moment so please stay with me. When it comes to sheer size as worldwide sporting behemoths, Liverpool and Manchester United operate in a different galaxy than the rest. By the way, just to be clear, I’m not saying that’s the way it will be in perpetuity before Aston Villa’s legal team try and go after me like they did with Jamie Carragher.

But for now at least, the two north west members of the so-called ‘Red Cartel’ are out on their own. Wikipedia says Liverpool are just ahead 69-68 on combined trophies won but the newly-created ‘Beesley barometer’ isn’t counting Charity/Community Shields, as they were sometimes shared, or the Screen Sport Super Cup – and that’s not just because Everton were beaten in a two-legged Merseyside derby final, it just not a ‘major’ honour.

Such reworking actually puts Liverpool further ahead anyway, 52-47. And here’s a further charitable act of reaching out across the city with a dignified piece of ‘Merseypride,’ I honestly think that United, who are a basket case right now under the Glazers, Jim Ratcliffe and Michael Carrick – a manager who wouldn’t have been hired at any other Premier League club – have to settle for second spot behind the men from Anfield.

This is because their post-war titles have all come under a couple of great managers, Matt Busby and Alex Ferguson – similar to Everton with Harry Catterick and Howard Kendall – while Liverpool have been champions under half a dozen different bosses (Bill Shankly, Bob Paisley, Joe Fagan, Kenny Dalglish, Jurgen Klopp and Arne Slot). Also, while the Old Trafford outfit, currently only outside the relegation zone on goal difference, finished 15th on just 42 points the season before last, the Reds have incredibly never come lower than eighth in the 64 years since they were last promoted.

Before some of my Blue brethren start throwing their phones or newspapers across the room, this is no Kopite love-in, what I’m getting at is how impressive Evertonians are to have remained such a huge and devoted fanbase. Legions from across the globe are attracted to Anfield like moths to a flame in the hope of basking in the reflected glory of following such a club.

My dear old friend Everton superfan Dr David France told me one of the perks of living in Arizona is because there are no Liverpool supporters, but I don’t believe him. I see them everywhere.

Yet despite sharing a city with that team, despite enduring the longest silverware drought in the club’s entire history – as the neighbours will never tire of telling them on derby days with regular raids of the Card Factory for party balloons and chants of: “You haven’t won a trophy since 1995” – the Blues are being watched by the biggest regular crowds in their history. In their first season at Hill Dickinson Stadium, Everton broke their average attendance record from the 1962/63 title-winning campaign with a figure of 52,121.

St James’ Park is virtually identical in size to the Blues’ magnificent new home on the Mersey waterfront and Newcastle United posted an average of 51,914 for 2025/26. But they are famously a one-club city and their own local rivals Sunderland haven’t collected a major honour since they won the FA Cup as a Second Division side in 1973.

Backed by the sovereign wealth fund of the Royal House of Saud, the Magpies ended their own 70-year domestic trophy drought by lifting the Carabao Cup in 2025. Yet despite a whole generation of Evertonians having been brought up on a starvation diet with some now pushing 40 but still too young to remember Joe Royle’s Dogs of War who triumphed against Manchester United thanks to Paul Rideout’s goal, they’re turning up in their numbers with a season ticket waiting list of over 30,000.

The last three decades have been the toughest in Everton’s history and it’s no coincidence that the barren patch corresponded with Goodison Park becoming no longer financially viable – the document for the club’s points deduction appeal in 2024 cited how it was in the Premier League’s bottom three for generating matchday revenue. However, the Blues have been massive ever since professional football began and that’s the reason they became founder members of the Football League in the first place.

Before Liverpool FC even existed, their local rivals were Bootle who arguably had a better playing pedigree when the league was being put together in 1888 but Everton’s pulling power at the turnstiles ensured they got the nod. The organisers were vindicated as Everton boasted the highest average attendance for every season during the competition’s first decade so they can claim to be the game’s first major fanbase.

Less than two years after it opened, Goodison Park became the first Football League ground to host an FA Cup final in 1894 and it staged another in 1910 when Newcastle United of all teams defeated Barnsley in a replay. Three years after that, King George V became the first reigning monarch to visit an English football ground when he and Queen Mary came to Goodison Park.

For most of her existence, the Grand Old Lady was the pre-eminent ground in the country. Everton were the first club to have two-tiered stands on all four sides of the ground; they were the first to have a three-tiered stand; the first to have undersoil heating and Goodison Park of course has the distinction of being the only British club ground to host a World Cup semi-final.

The only founder members of the Football League and the Premier League to also be ever-presents in the latter, the Blues have spent a record 124 seasons in the top flight. Newcastle United are 29 behind in seventh place on 95.

While we’re at it, let’s take a quick look at some other selected teams whose fanbases have claimed they’re bigger clubs than Everton in recent times – ‘Two titles’ Tottenham Hotspur, eighth, below the Magpies on 92 seasons, alongside London rivals Chelsea; West Ham United, 15th on 68 seasons and Leeds United, way down in 25th on a measly 55 seasons.

Even though Everton are enduring that record-breaking trophy drought, only the aforementioned Liverpool and Manchester United can actually top their longevity of winning major honours across nine separate decades. The Blues could have folded 87 years ago in 1939 when the Second World War started and they’d have still won more League Championships than Newcastle United!

As the Everton terrace anthem ‘It’s a Grand Old Team,’ states: “And if you know your history...” It’s clear that Ms Quinn and many others are sadly very ignorant in this respect.

Another double win for the Blues

Everton in the Community (EitC) is celebrating a double win at the UK’s biggest regional football awards. The 19^th Worldwide Shipping Solutions Northwest Football Awards ceremony returned to Manchester on Monday evening, celebrating the players, clubs, organisations and individuals making an impact.

With categories spanning footballing performance, community impact, inclusivity, lifetime achievement and more, the North West Football Awards was established to recognise excellence on and off the pitch and honour the community contribution throughout the region. The official charity of Everton Football Club was crowned Premier League Community Club of the Season – for the fourth time in five years - after supporting more than 46,000 people through its programmes during 2025/26.

Dedicated to breaking down barriers and tackling social inequality since 1988, Everton in the Community supports some of the most vulnerable and underrepresented members of its local community through more than 50 evidence-based, inclusive programmes. One such programme is Safe Hands, which took home the prestigious title of Premier league Community Initiative of the Year.

Safe Hands supports children and young people aged 10–19 who are unable to fully engage in mainstream education due to SEND, neurodiversity, emotionally based school avoidance (EBSA) and other complex needs. It delivers personalised support plans alongside one-to-one and small-group sessions tailored to each participant. First launched in 2023, the provision was developed in response to the growing challenges affecting children and young people across Merseyside, including high demand for SEND support, limited access to appropriate provision and withdrawal from education.

Merseyside has some of the highest numbers of children with SEND nationally, with seven of the UK's 20 constituencies recording the highest levels of identified SEND located in the county. Funded by the Premier League and supported by the Professional Footballer’s Association, Safe Hands provides a tailored support package to young people, offering one-to-one guidance from staff and small targeted group work, with the primary aim to support them to successfully reintegrate into education where appropriate or progress into post-16 education, training or employment pathways.

Sue Gregory, CEO of Everton in the Community, said: “Both awards are a testament to the unifying power of football to build stronger communities and create brighter futures. They recognise the incredible work taking place across Everton in the Community every day, from supporting young people to overcome barriers to education through Safe Hands, to reaching more than 46,000 people through our wider programmes.

“None of this would be possible without the unwavering dedication of our brilliant staff, volunteers, participants, partners, donors and supporters. Thank you.”

• Find out more about Everton in the Community’s life-changing work here.