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Now this is not strictly Everton related but I would be intrigued to hear Bill Kenwright be this brutally honest with regard to Everton's finances. It is also an insightful look at the current state of economic madness at a struggling Premier League club.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/w/west_ham_utd/8468159.stm
James Stewart, Posted 19/01/2010 at 14:08:49
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Maybe it was the — "If there was any other club in this situation, then we would not be buying it. We bought this as supporters, not from a business point of view" — quote that caught James’ eye. How like our own Blue Bill, I thought. But at least he only makes his money from crap Willy Russell musicals.
The financial Armageddon which some are predicting for the PL could come about, but American owners into asset stripping would seem to me to be the likely candidates for that particular revelation.
As a fan, however, I would appreciate more honesty from Everton at times. The PR at the club usually leaves something to be desired.
I am not someone who wants Everton to be bought out by Arabs or Americans to achieve hollow success. Nor do I like Bill Kenwright.
Ok if you sit with a bunch of mates like I normally do but when your young family wishes to go then you are restricted. It’s out of date and with too little space between seats. It’s a standing stadia that’s has been turned in to an all-seater in most parts. I would rather it was standing in some areas, the BR is an embarrassment!! COYB
I would love an owner who can splash the cash, but the naive spending from much of the Prem and cries of "how can Pompey spend so much and we can’t? or, how can they attract investment and we not?" Well we have our answer. They can’t. And they shouldn’t be protected by the Prem League. Pompey and West Ham try to buy success at other Prem League clubs expense. Create success! Fine. But try to buy it, go bust and ask for help? No way!
I still do not understand people’s antagonism towards Platini. It is not anti-English to want to create a more level playing field, and regulate over-spending. Look at the banks. We forgot to regulate them in this Thatcherite fantasy world of free markets, and we will pay for decades. But he needs to turn his ire on Madrid, too. the classically cosseted football club.
Every now and then, I’m on the little island by the supper bar (covered in curry stains) when the coach passes.
I try and imagine what the players must be thinking as they look out of the windows and see gangs of little mad shaven-headed kids, with the faces of 60 year-old ex-boxers, giving them the fingers.
And flinty-faced, satsuma coloured women in massive rollers and pyjamas, going for chips.
And hard-looking bastards everywhere.
And litter everywhere.
My response to "Goodison is a shit-hole" is..
"I know... fantastic isn’t it!"
Got to be honest, I’d be happy for Goodison not to change.
I honestly believe Goodison has on occasion, if not given us an advantage, certainly helped even things up with ’bigger’ clubs, especially at night ("Hey Gary Neville - whoooooOOOOOHHHhhhhh!!")
We’re already playing at a financial disadvantage, and I believe anywhere else and we’d be playing at a soulless shit-hole disadvantage as well.
I love Goodison being where it is and the ’state’ of it bothers me not one jot.
For me, an occasional lick of paint and a big ’tick’ every 15 years from the safety inspectors and I’d be happy.
In fact, If I was in charge, I’d produce a series of scary promos.
Open on a few ’The Hills Have Eyes’ types outside the ground, we then cut to inside and see a montage of shots of some of the maddest nights (eg: Utd players scared to go for the ball for a throw-in).
The music from John Carpenter’s original Halloween would play throughout and there’d be an end-line spoken by a Vincent Price type voice saying something along the lines of...
"We’re right behind you.........nob -head!"
Bet Boro wish they’d done that.
I pray this never happens to Everton.
I would love Kenwright to give us more information about the rotten state of our club’s finances but I’d also like to win the euromillions and buy Kenwright out — neither is likely to happen. Anyone who praises Kenwright for not being like Pompey or Liverpool or Man Utd will still be moaning on here in the summer when we fail yet again to strengthen our squad after a strong finish.
He is still a shit lying weasel of a chairman and just because he’s not run us into the ground as fast as some of those other clubs have been doesn’t mean he’s doing a good job.
BK has used the same model as West Ham and others in mortgaging everything he can including future season ticket sales and future Sky receipts.
Football has gone crazy and to keep up we need astute businessmen like Spurs and Arsenal not an incompetent lying dreamer.
And it is not so easy for Everton to run itself "astutely" as Spurs. They have the richest fans in the Prem (Deloitte & Touche); Everton the second-poorest after Sunderland (same source).
Heaven knows how they calculate it. But have a look at ticket prices/ season tickets at Spurs vs those at Everton. And work out how on Earth Everton could compete with that.
ps: Everton’s net debt — which is how much we’d have to pay if it were called by creditors immediately — in 2008 stood at £37 million, according to figures at the Knowsley inquiry:
http://inquiry.knowsley.gov.uk/Proof%20of%20Evidence/TEV_P8.pdf
I thoroughly agree with your summary of Kenwright.
I also suspect that Gold is trying to get the Hammers fans on his side by showing saying he is a fan and he’s sacrificing his wealth for the club (a bit like Kenwright has done with us lot). And secondly he is talking about the debt to drive the price down.
Likewise, does anyone remember Gerald Rafner? I don’t know of any other MD who would be transparent with a business if it was doing poorly. It would be suicide.
If you remember our old moniker it was always Everton followed by ’cash strapped club’. Now you very rarely hear that phrase, since Moyes has been here.
So no it would be extremely stupid to be transparent with the figures if we are trying to attract investers and decent players to the club. Let's be honest... there is no honesty in business!
They say because they will have much bigger crowds they will be able to lower the ticket prices. Is that what pornographers do? I don’t know....
I note that Man City’s best (full) crowd last Tuesday was 42,000. Is this why they spent Eurolottery millions on Lescott?
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1 Posted 19/01/2010 at 23:06:15
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Nah, not even going there.