The '40%'

Some people ? maybe by that I mean some of our fans; maybe I don?t (I?m confused) ? really are lazy and ignorant. They don?t bother to truly investigate the matter and weigh up the pros and cons of all the possible options. The majority of people I have asked who have voted ?Yes? to Kirkby either have never heard of the Bestaway or Walton Hall Park options before, don?t really use the internet and confine their reading to The Echo, which usually means the annoyingly obstinate reply of "There is no plan B, lad"; "Everton will always be Everton"; and most annoyingly "We don?t have to pay for nothing lad".

A simple look at the facts would tell them the real answers are to the contrary. I find it amazing that all these ?facts? they have taken on board have come from the mouth from a man who has been under investigation and threatened with civil proceedings for his business conduct and (these facts have been NOT proven ? a fact I must make very clear).

Moreover, to trust a person who is directing you towards the biggest change in our club since 1892, a man who (it is said) oversaw the sale of Finch Farm before we even moved in, the sale of our own club shop to a retail company that stocked our merchandise in some little corner, and has considered selling Goodison, which menat we could?ve ended up not owning our own training ground, stadium or club shops. Some would argue they trust his ability to keep businesses in the blue but personally I don?t believe the spin; I just think corners are cut, after all, we sold Wayne Rooney, if we were financially sound where?s the money gone?

Now in some way this tells you about the words of the man; it also tells you in paradox to my argument that we couldn?t afford to move to Kirkby without a retail partner. But this fact alone points to whether we can trust him or not, with his ?Deal of the Century? quote reffering to Tesco?s contribution towards the move, when in actual fact figures for OUR contribution would be as high as £ 35 million pounds.

The fans who voted for Kirkby also seem to forget that some fans simply don?t have accesss to a car. All this "it's only right up the motorway lad"... Well that?s fine for them but if you live in Larkhill or West Derby, try finding a train station, never mind a bus to Kirkby.

Just before the ballot, we were promised top-notch transport facilities. After the ballot, Bill Kenwright conceded that the whole transport thing was a ?work in progress?. It's a case of what's said before and after the ballot here. It?s a trend that runs on and on. Some members of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport have looked over the planned transport scheme for Kirkby and were not impressed. As written in this KEIOC article, the whole thing's a mess. Let's not forget by the way the Evertonians hold the highest numbers of supports in the league who walk to the stadium, and Kirkby isn?t exactly rambler friendly, particularly if you remember that a lot of our support comes from the areas nearest and easily linked to Walton/Kirkdale, for example West Derby, Bootle, etc.

Then we have the whole Tesco ?thing?. Some of the rhetoric emanating out of their CEO Terry Leahy?s mouth has really perturbed me beyond belief. His dismissive arrogance and unsupported claims that there is ?no plan B? do my head in, but even more infuriating was his emotionally blackmailing claim that was an attempt to hurry us along with a move whilst there was only one option in site. He said/told us, and I?m paraphrasing here, that if we didn?t move now and stayed at Goodison we would be looking across the park at a glittering new Anfield whilst Goodison was ?falling down?. Rubbish and emotional blackmail.

A lot has also been said about Goodison. We "can't redevlop", the ignorant and simple proletariat fans say when asked about staying at Goodison, and the odd "it can?t get a safety certificate". I do not hear any Building authority doubting Goodison could get another safety certificate, something Keith Wyness evidently has ignored with his persistent mentioning of the ?safety certificate? point. As a matter of fact (wished I?d've bookmarked the link) I?ve read a few articles saying Goodison would fit the criteria for more safety certifcates.

After this we have the claim that redeveloping Goodison is ?non-feasible? (or so the club say) . They say (or should I say, said), or did before the vote, that its impossible. Funny how its STILL plan B on Kenwright's list of options. I have spoken to the Structural Engineer KEIOC liaise with who compiled a huge analysis and investigation into whether Goodison could be redeveloped and at what cost; his conclusion was Yes, it could and at good value. He sent off his findings to Everton and guess what? He awaits a response.

Still. The only conclusion I can make goes in tandem with the allegations thrown at Wyness drawing the Q&A at Crofts, that it?s a ?done deal? and they simply just don?t care and are relentlessly steamrolling to a project appropriately named ?Destination Kirkby?. Heed the warnings...

The best way I can describe how the Board are at fault in all this is through this analogy, which I explained to Mr Wyness at the Q&A at Crofts and received a round of applause. The American?s went to war in Iraq SAYING it was for the good of the Iraqi people and not for Oil; well, I see parallels to that with Everton saying they're going to Kirkby for the good of Evertonians when I think it IS for Tesco?s money. Even then there is doubts on their contribution. The ?deal? has gone from a freebie to astronomical costs.

Then we have the whole business of the identity of Everton. For me Everton cease to be Everton if we move to Kirkby. Knowsley Borough Council are already planning on a money-spinning sign scheme upon entry into the borough with embarrassing signs of ?KNOWSLEY - THE HOME OF EVERTON FC?. Everton in my own personal opinion have absolutely no business at all in Kirkby. Never mind it not being in the boundaries of Liverpool, we simply don?t belong there.

What's even more annoying is that Liverpool are going to be staying on our old patch and kids who did have the choice of two teams will now probably go for the only one notwithstanding when asking daddy "Where?s Liverpool?"
Dad:"Just over there, son"
Son: "Where's Everton?"
Dad: "Way back in Kazakhstan, son... er sorry, Kirkby".

We?d be so far out from the city we?d almost be out of sight, out of mind. Don?t people care about what a move to Kirkby would do to damage our image? Didn?t they see that horrible banner from the kopites with ?One City, One Club, One Love? which basically made up my mind that over my dead body would I see the club I love move from where it belongs. Chants of "You're not scousers any more; the city's all ours" further did my head in particularly with Liverpool?s dominant out-of-town support. Like the lady cites in this article Everton cease to be Everton outside of Walton.

Then we have the actual vote issue. Was it conducted fairly and properly? In my opinion, No, it certainly was not. I?m with KEIOC here. My thanks for not missing a game home/away/abroad for 4 years? The non-receipt of a ballot form??but then others received multiple forms and even some Man Utd fans I know, who have a fan card to cut corners to watch United play at Goodison, got one. Against all fair practice in the ballot form there was a very biased leaflet with pictures of the Kirkby project urging the person to vote Yes, something I thought was not allowed in terms of impartiality and not directing the voter where and how to vote.

By far the most annoying thing about the whole Kikrby argument comes in this area and one simple comment endlessly spieled out of our CEO?s mouth that he has a ?clear mandate?. I wish Keith Wyness would spend 5 minutes with my Politics lecturer in University who would waste no time in telling him that 40% is a LOT of what he would call ?wasted? votes. I?m sure he?d tell him to picture getting all those people who are part of the 40% into a room so he?d see just how many people (and that would be a lot percentage-wise turned into numbers of people) are against his plans.

He still has just under HALF of Evertonians' concerns to allay. What annoys me is if you read the Official Site we are treated like we don?t exist. Us ?40%? don?t matter. Despite the fact that as opposed (so I?ve observed) to the 60% a massive amount of ?the 40%? go every game. They are alienating the bulk of its best support. They are not listening to them. No wonder some are considering throwing their Season Cards away.

Then we have the actual Kirkby Dome, sorry stadium itself. The place really does look like either a piece of tin or some sort of miniature feature from an old Subbuteo set. It was supposed to be a world-class stadium but in the planning application it was termed as a ?mid-level? arena. When Keith Wyness moved to clarify why it was termed as this he more or less moved the goalposts by saying what is world class is also mid-level, despite the fact that planning applications can be classed one higher than mid-level.

We have endless enthusiastic rhetoric usually from the direction of Tesco about the whole match day experience. The experience they?ve been pedalling for a football match turns my stomach to almost vomit. Can you seriously imagine going to a match, rucksack on back, off to Tesco?s to buy some Chunky Chips for the kids and some fish fingers for tea, a quick look in JJB then off to a rather oversized and empty (with no evidence that we?d fill it) stadium devoid of pubs? The people who dispute this are almost always people who?ve never been to away stadiums like Wigan, Bolton, Boro or Blackburn which testify to how dull and drab moving out of town can be.

Equally annoying is many fans wrongly assume that Tesco Terry is the only person willing to fund a stadium project for us and that the Loop site on Scotland Road in Walton Hall Park has no funding. How wrong. Mr Bestaway has the largest cash and carry business in Pakistan with a turnover DOUBLE to that of those two yanks doing our unruly neighbours bother across the park. The fans then ask ?what about retail??, well the council and Everton did quite a good job of keeping Saninsbury?s quite about that??

Basically I just think many fans, particularly the ?Yes? voters, have been misled. Many of them I?ve heard from if they?ve known what they know now would not have voted Yes. Look at the comments before and after the vote and see how far away they go with not coinciding with what Keith Wyness says in this interview with the Official website.

Despite my display of sentiments of pity and understanding to those ?Yes? voters who were misled in voting Yes, I still hold them responsible for not investigating the pros and cons properly, for not being shrewder, and for signing away our heritage and letting one of the most important things in our history pass them by without proper thought. I ask these ?Yes? voters to look at the pictures of the proposed Kirkby stadium and ask whether its standard fit?s the motto ?Nil Satis Nisi Optiminum????

But then again, I doubt anyone care?s. I am merely somebody in the ?40%?.

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