The Mail Bag

Bill 'The Fan' Kenwright

Comments (35)

Well here we go again.............!

After what would appear to be yet another summer of painful inactivity we're now going to get to see just how much of a fan our mate Bill is. To be brutally honest, i thought he would at least wait for the new stadium to be built, but it appears that just seeing the plans approved will see his stock in the club rise sufficiently for him to jump ship.

The truth is that we're all guilty of wanting to believe that the club is in the hands of 'one of us' but it isn't and it might as well be... We all turn up every week and haven't got any of our own money to put in either (just like Kenwright). The worst thing is, we've had to watch the club and squad stand still this summer whilst the value of his stock has continued to rise.

He needs to stop calling himself a fan as I find it a personal insult to my intelligence and i want anyone reading this to ask themselves this question. Would you walk away from 'your club' with millions of pounds of profit in your back pocket?
Gareth Jones, Liverpool     Posted 05/08/2008 at 20:52:04

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Peter Bourke
1   Posted 06/08/2008 at 00:40:42

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On a light hearted note I watched the YouTube piece on Toffeeweb featuring BK and the similarities between him and Ricky Gervais character "David Brent" from the show "The Office" are remarkable. I am a body language expert and his manerisms, speech, eye and head movement are exactly the same as David Brent.

I thought i was watching an interview with David Brent as an older man, and I couldn't stop laughing. Also loved the comment by the person who was watching at the end.

Tony Rice
2   Posted 06/08/2008 at 05:59:49

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How exactly does a person go about becoming a "body language expert " ???
Nick Hobson
3   Posted 06/08/2008 at 06:18:55

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I’ve always reserved judgement on BK as with him and Moyes working together, we seemed to be making solid and steady progress each season. However, now the going has got particularly rough it seems to be exposing BK’s shortcomings.

There is lots of talk of 5 year plan’s being agreed between Moyes+BK as to how Moyes wants the club to progress. Surely in this plan Moyes would have said the type of players he would want, and what they would roughly cost and then asked if BK can achieve this. Now for Moyes to be getting angry in recent days it would seem BK has backtracked on what’s available.
I still have hope for us to pull in a few quality signings but I think BK’s time at the helm is fast running out.

Chris Nolan
4   Posted 06/08/2008 at 07:47:08

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The answer to your question is YES i would walk away if the alternative was having to put up with all the moaning minnies on this and other sites!
Andrew Fearns
5   Posted 06/08/2008 at 07:41:08

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I actually think I might do, and I do count myself as a supporter as opposed to a fan.

If I?d rescued the club from Johnson, appointed the best manager we?d had since Kendall Mk 1, watched as the club finish 4th, 6th, 5th and not panicked when we finished 17th under that manager, broken the transfer record 3 times in 3 years, and through all this time suffered a dogs abuse from a small but noisy section of the supporters for the heinous crime of not being nearly rich enough, whilst in the meantime trying to sell the club to someone who understands what the club is about and not just to people who, well I don?t know, saddle the club with £400m of debt, alienate the manager, alienate the supporters, start charging an arm and leg for fancards, tickets, travel, force the supporters to form their own football team to ensure the soul of their club continues, and never take a salary whilst on the Board of Directors, mortgaged my house a couple of times... then I think the least I deserved would be a little bit of profit when I finally sell up.

Kenwright ain't perfect, but he?s not the monster some of the posters on here would have you believe.
Alan Willo
6   Posted 06/08/2008 at 07:36:04

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Some people just don?t understand and no matter what BK does he is wrong. Based on this post he can?t win whatever he does?. Why would anybody want to invest in us with so many stupid and ungrateful fans around? His failings apart and his biggest is he has no pot of gold! You would ask him to sell the club with no return when he has taken no wage out of the club; both mortgaged his home and business along with cross guarantee recent loans to break the transfer record three times in three years!! Apart from all the financial worries he has, he gets constant abuse both at the match and at his place of work be it on telephone, email or letter form.

If ever a person deserves a return on his outlay then BK in my book does, AVDM takes over a £1 million per year and based on this post would receive well over £4 million pounds in his career at EFC and you want BK to get nothing. I?m very sorry but you don?t have to like BK or even think he has done a great job but to say he can't have a return and be a fan when the company he owns a large amounts of shares in has gone up in value is completely ridiculous.

Don?t worry once (or if) DK is accepted then I can assure you we will all have a new benefactor that I?m certain of, as much as I can be??.. but I?m just a fan! COYB

Chris Dottie
7   Posted 06/08/2008 at 08:15:32

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Gareth, I couldn?t disagree more strongly. He is not talking about walking away because he wants a profit, it?s because he doesn?t have the money that we need. He?s said it many times, to own a football club you need to be a billionaire not just a multi-millionaire. If you think back to the 90s, the choice was between Johnson, a reds fan with more money, or Kenwright a true blue with less cash. We chose the cash, then regretted it, then he bailed us out. He?s then got us into the position we are today, and realises he can?t get us to the next level.

It will break his heart the day he has to hand the club over, but he will do it because he wants the best for the club.

He has been insulted for many things many times, especially on this site, and in my mind unfairly. But to accuse him of not being a real blue crosses the line in my opinion.
Anthony O'Sullivan
8   Posted 06/08/2008 at 09:17:39

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Even if we got investors to spend £400M on the squad, you would still get the moaners on here complaining its not £500M.
Micky Norman
9   Posted 06/08/2008 at 09:27:04

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If I were BK I?d walk away now. Why does he need this grief from supporters when he has overseen the change from relegation favourites to regular top six finishes? He?s done what he could for Moyes by selling assets, and allowing him to stretch the funds to the absolute maximum. We?re struggling to buy players. But we're not talking about bench warmers here, it?s £20M 21-year-old internationals! Without Kenwright we?d be another Forest, Leeds, Leicester City , Sheff Weds.......

On most weekends for the last few years, Evertonians have been happy because the team is doing well and now he?s hit the ceiling of his wealth we slag him off. FFS give the man a break! He might not be rolling in cash but he?s trying to get some success and at least by appointing DM he will leave us with a decent foundation.

I work with fans of lots of other clubs who would all swap their chairman / owner/ dodgy money launderer for something closer to what Everton have. Why would they want this? Because they play in the Championship (or lower) and they used to beat us regularly. If you look at the wealth of the teams around us it?s a bloody miracle that we stay where we are. Look at Sunderland. new ground, rich backers, big name manager, great fans, hopeless team.

Surely Kenwright deserves some credit for doing what he can for Moyes. Or would you rather have someone who dips into the club?s back pocket when their own business starts sliding? Remember Peter Johnson.

Patty Beesley
10   Posted 06/08/2008 at 10:05:04

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Well said Andrew and the rest of the guys - my sentiments exactly. None of us are without fault and I think that BK has given his all to this Club even if he has told us a few porkies now and then. We all tell white lies don?t we?

I hope he does read this site and take heart that some supporters think he is "the bees? knees" in his loyalty to our wonderful Club.
stan sheppard
11   Posted 06/08/2008 at 10:12:11

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More good news on the transfer front...... not!

Everton target Stephane M?Bia is planning to sign a new contract with Rennes to stay at the club for one more season.

Stephane said "Listen, all the world knows that Everton and Sevilla are after me," M?Bia told skysports.com.

"But I have a contract with Rennes and I do understand that Rennes want to keep me.

"My contract with the club expires in June 2010, however, I am staying this year because I have a good relationship with Rennes.

"Next year maybe I will want to further my career, but I need to respect Rennes. They gave me the platform to be who I am."


http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11661_3939819,00.html
John Dawson
12   Posted 06/08/2008 at 10:15:28

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I agree with the supporting posts of BK here. Would the negative folks prefer that the clubs stock had gone down so BK walks away with nothing? Don't be ridiculous. 99% of prem football clubs stock has risen in the last 10 years. If we weren't worth more than when he took over we would be deep in the shit and probably playing Leeds this season. Fair play to Bill for bailing us out and sticking with Moyes. I seem to remember a lot of calls for his head from fans on here. Lucky we don't have someone like Frank Sinatra at city in charge to pull the trigger after a weak season when in the long run we would have suffered.
Paul Chisholm
13   Posted 06/08/2008 at 10:02:18

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Without getting into silly arguments about BK’s true blue credentials, let’s get one thing straight, his tenure has been an absolute fiasco. The Kings Dock palava, mythical investors, CEO’s coming and going, Desperation Kirkby, and thats just to name a few. BK would have been hounded out a long time ago, if he had not been blessed with a manager such as DM, which is just about the only positive thing he has managed to do. As for him walking away with a handsome profit.... if it takes a billion quid, it would be worth every penny just to see the back of him.
Gavin Ramejkis
14   Posted 06/08/2008 at 10:33:16

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Got to disagree with the BK fans, have you EVER heard an Evertonian quoted to say they feel anything let alone pride when they hear the RS anthem? Yes nobody is perfect but a stream of lies and fuck ups, christ you should all be quids in to heaven with your constant forgiveness at the charlatan's constant yearly fuck ups and lies in order for him to retain control of his trainset.
Joe Clitherow
15   Posted 06/08/2008 at 10:30:34

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Paul Chisholm:

Yes, an absolute fiasco.

Regular relegation battles to regular European qualification.

What a fiasco that I can no longer see the talents of Claus Thomsen, Marc Hottiger and John Spencer and have to watch Mikel Arteta, Steven Pienaar and Yakubu instead.

What a travesty that I don’t watch regular 4, 5 and 6-0 drubbings anymore and have to make do with seeing my team win and climb the table week on week.

I forgot also about the divine visitation you reminded me about which ’blessed’ Everton with David Moyes. I forgot also that I have you and people like you to thank for ’hounding’ out Peter Johnson a while back, because that was easy wasn’t it? A few e-mail posts and *bang!*, hounding complete, everything rosy again. That’s what happened, wasn’t it?

I must take more fish oil, I think my memory is failing.
Jay Campbell
16   Posted 06/08/2008 at 10:47:08

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Seriously after watching that interview on Sky Sports does Kenwright inspire confidence???
Paul Chisholm
17   Posted 06/08/2008 at 11:04:29

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Joe Clitheroe, I am referring to matters off the pitch, not on them. Sure things have improved (on the pitch), but that's soley down to DM and not BK. As I said in my previous post, the appointment of DM is about the only thing BK has managed to get right. Care to remind me of anything else.... .or is it me who needs to take the fish oil?
Rod Boyd
18   Posted 06/08/2008 at 11:18:49

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The support of BK is admirable. If we were hearing what he is saying for the first time. Then ok give him some slack.

BUT he has proved over and over again that he speaks with a forked tongue. Why oh why did he not speak earlier? The fans or supporters (what the difference is I don't know) have had enough. It boils down to crisis mangement with decisions made on the hoof.

I am not a body language expert but his interview on Sky revealed his uncertainty. Remember BK started out as an actor. What's more ? he still is.
James Marshall
19   Posted 06/08/2008 at 11:33:21

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Has Bill Kenwright been Chairman of any other football clubs? Was he experienced in these matters before he came to Everton? I don’t think so, and he’s lived the dream that we’d all love to do - as with the rest of us, he was never going to make it as a player so whats the next best thing? Running the club right, and if you think you can do better, pull your finger out and make yourself enough money to buy Everton, then run it for a while - once you’ve done that you can stand back and see what a mess/success you’ve made then comment. Until that time BK should be cut some slack by certain sections of supporters - he’s never claimed to be the best Chairman, the greatest businessman or the man with enough money to take Everton to the top, but I tell you one thing; he’s put us in a much better position than we were in before he came along and for that he should be commended.

All this sniping is crap, he has always said he was looking for investors and the news that the club is ’up for sale’ is bollocks - the club has always been for sale!

BK may not be perfect but I’d rather have had him for the last 5 years than someone who didnt know shit about the club and was in it for the money. If you think he’s only been along for the ride financially then I would suggest you need your head read.
Marc Williams
20   Posted 06/08/2008 at 11:31:33

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Just watched the Sky interview and sunk back into deep, deep depression. I suspected indeed posted my concerns about this summer very early whilst many were still willing to stick up for this ?carpet bagger?. We don?t need body language experts we just need to hook him up to a lie detector.... Now that would make good television (though the revelations would be heartbreaking) imagine it:

And on today?s JEREMY KYLE show it?s
?SECRETS & LIES?
Fresh from their appearance on the TRISHA show and the revelations of their body language expert we?ve got the Everton family from Liverpool. The head of that family is Bill (cue mixed applause & boos), he?s accused of lying (gasps), splitting the family, running up huge debts (more boos) & trying to move the family to an unsuitable flat, above a shop in Kirkby (laughter).

Today we?re going to put Bill on a lie detector & let me tell you the results will be shocking! We?ll be right back after the News, so stay tuned.
Danny Broderick
21   Posted 06/08/2008 at 11:53:40

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What a stupid post. Bill Kenwright took over when no-one else was interested, and if I remember rightly he mortgaged his house to get some of the money. He doesn’t have any money to take us further, but he has simply done his best. Unfortunately this has meant taking out more debt to fund the signings of Baines, the Yak etc. But he personally has never added to that debt by taking dividends etc, which a lot of other investors would have done.
To accuse Bill of not being a fan is not a serious post. And if his investment has doubled in value over the last 5 years, good luck to him.He deserves it because he had the balls to put his money up front in the first place
If he is to sell up, if it is to someone who will bicker over £20 million, that is not the investment we need - we need some serious investment to the tune of hundreds of millions of pounds.
Jem
22   Posted 06/08/2008 at 12:02:16

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Guys, we’re frustrated we’re still in the slipstream of the RS. But we finished 5th YES FIFTH in the league last season and we have an excellent manager that many other chairman would have sacked a long time ago.
He had the balls to stick with Moyes, has done his best in the transfer market and, I really believe he is a true diehard Blue.

Get off his back.
He has selflessly done his best for EFC and, yup, we’ve all dissagreed with some of his F-ups but give him the credit he deserves.
Chris Lawlor
23   Posted 06/08/2008 at 12:26:52

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To be fair to Bill, I can see his point. If you bought something that you were passionate about
and pumped millions of your own hard earned into it, watching it grow and reach greater heights than its previous owner could ever have reached, would you sell it to the first bidder?

Bill is obviously waiting for someone to come along who isnt a dodgy oil salesman or a tin pot
leader of a far off country. He’s looking to sell to someone with ethics and a base interest in
the club and the game overall. I can think of only one foreign owner in the premier league who would fit that bill, but unfortunately he owns Villa now.

I do not want to see Everton’s soul being sold at any cost. Our club has great history and
pedigree within the game and deserves/demands that the next owners who ever they may be, will
take this club forward in the right manner and with the whole of Everton in mind.
Chris Kennedy
24   Posted 06/08/2008 at 12:27:25

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Am feed up with all the negative comments about BK. As stated above, he was the only person who would take the club on when he took over. Year-in, year-out has worked for what I perceive to be in Everton's best interest without taking a wage from the club. (Even the most diehard of us would expect a wage in today?s football climate).

As far as DK goes, if you don?t like it don?t come. True fans would follow the mighty blues come what may... DK is only asking you to travel an extra 4 miles.

Tony Sinclair
25   Posted 06/08/2008 at 12:46:09

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Well, very shortly, the 24 hours since he gave that interview will be up. Looks like the AJ saga won't be solved and still not a single signing, let alone the special one he blabbered on about. Two more lies to add to the long list. If the rumours of Mittal wanting to buy the club are true I would snatch his hand off. I wish he would give an interview to the guy who said bollocks after the sky one. Would love to see him under pressure.
James Marshall
26   Posted 06/08/2008 at 12:54:13

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Lakshmi Mittal would be a great buyer, purely because he?s richer than the entire population of planet, bar abour 5 people (according to Forbes). Trouble is, so far he hasn?t said a lot about it so its highly likely to be bollocks.

Would be good, though, imagine the new stadium we could have made out of Mittal steel!
Jay Harris
27   Posted 06/08/2008 at 12:33:56

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Let?s get 2 things straight here.

David Moyes took over a team of aging has beens and most chairman WOULD HAVE BACKED THE MAN TO THE HILT NOT SACKED HIM..

Bill Kenwright is a proven and consistent liar who only pops his head over the parapet when he?s in the shit.

Do any of you honestly believe that we will get the signings he promised.

It is looking increasingly likely that all we will get is Alan Smith in for AJ.

Do any of you not understand his timing. The fans' unrest, his CEO resigns and an EGM looming with his pals sailing around the Med. He is desperate for support and milking it for all he?s got.

If you?re all happy with this tinpot charlatan then you must be easily pleased.

Without the Rooney money and Moyes?s success ? yes MOYES'S success on the pitch ? he would have been run out of town long ago.
Chris Kennedy
28   Posted 06/08/2008 at 12:58:06

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@ Jay Harris

Call BK and praise DM all you want.. But to praise DM is to Praise BK ? he is the one who took a chance on the young manger.

King Bill Rocks....
Ciarán McGlone
29   Posted 06/08/2008 at 13:11:40

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Why does BK get credit for the work of David Moyes...

I haven?t seen one tangible thing listed on this thread that is actually attributable to BK other than appointing Moyes...

It seems that some of our aggravatingly naive fans will grasp at any old straw to glorify Kenwright's tenure.... These seem to be the same sort of people who don?t understand the concept of inflation and parade our broken transfer record as if it means anything whatsoever...

Pardon me, but i?ll call a spade a spade... and Kenwright a muppet.
Alan Kirwin
30   Posted 06/08/2008 at 13:14:32

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Andrew Fearns: Excellent post.

Alan Willo, Chris Dottle, Micky Norman, ditto.

As for the "Billy Liar" & general BK stabbers, heads out of arse, wake up & get real. And be careful what you wish for.

OK, could be better, but could be worse. Could be a LOT worse. Get some perspective for fuck's sake.
Marko Poutiainen
31   Posted 06/08/2008 at 13:21:30

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Danny B: There were other parties interested in buying out Johnson, it just so happens that BK did it.

Chris K: Moyes was not BK?s first choice successor for Smith, in fact it was Smith who suggested him. Kenwright got very, very lucky there.
Steve Templeton
32   Posted 06/08/2008 at 13:39:07

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All of the people who are slagging off BK (and yes he does have his faults) are probably the same people who were calling for the head of Moyes a couple of seasons ago. You now have the cheek to turn round and say that BK was lucky with Moyes and deserves no credit for his appointment or continued success on the field.

Unbelievable!
Ciarán McGlone
33   Posted 06/08/2008 at 13:52:45

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That’s a hell of a guess steve!

Any of you naive sycophants fancy providing an actual case for Kenwright...rather than relying on emotionally charged and irrelevant nonsense?

Alan Kirwin’s post is a prime example of vacuous reasoning.
Brian Donnelly
34   Posted 06/08/2008 at 14:05:57

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I suspect that DM has been promised, by BK, huge amounts of dosh for transfers. The problem is that the money doesn’t exist in the quantity promised and we have no assets left to pawn to raise any more money.

This leads to one of the major problems at the club ? we have a chairman who constantly lies. Basically I don’t believe a word he says any more ? ever since the KD fiasco. Just because BK is an Evertonian does not mean he is fit to be chairman of our club. There may be worse chairman out there, but there are also ones who are a lot better. He has survived by having the good fortune to appoint a very good manager and that was probably down to Walter Smith.

BK hopes the DK project will benefit the club ? he knows nothing about it and insufficient analysis has been made by EFC. It’s all just hope & see ? no way to run a football club.

Also I don’t remember large numbers of Evertonians demanding Moyes should be sacked. The problem with some of you is that you cannot criticise anything without people jumping to the conclusion that you want the bloke out. Of course with BK that is the right conclusion.
Paul Chisholm
35   Posted 06/08/2008 at 14:04:06

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I?ll sum up BK in the words of Benjamin Disraelli when describing his long-time adversary William Gladstone.

"A sophistical rhetoric inebriated with the exubererance of his own verbosity. Gifted with an egotistical imagination that can at all times command an interminable and inconsistent series of arguments, to malign an opponent and to glorify himself."

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