Kenwright ushers in the winds of change

We can only sit back and wait for the fireworks or more likely watch the flowers sprout and bloom.

IMWT (That’s Moshiri now, you understand!)

Conspiracy theorists may well point to Russian money behind this with a Putin - Usmanov - Abramovic axis building to resist the US funded teams in the Premier League. We can only hope we receive some of that cash flow.

Regardless if we can now clearly move structural plans on independent to squad plans it will ensure our Premier League future for the next generation.

nb: If, as has been suggested, Kenwright & Woods have taken little out during this transfer of control, then we owe them both a huge debt of thanks. How many of us would turn down tens of millions for far less – though still a fortune? We await confirmation.

Could this be his first move in taking overall control at Everton? It’s obvious that they like to work together as partners and have a proven long-term relationship as friends.

a. Keeping together; and
b. Strength in depth.

The wage bill needs to expand over the next few years – a few Russian sponsors with deep pockets should sort that out.

Plenty to take in.

So much speculation and discussion. It's difficult to believe the deal was announced less than 24 hours ago.

Going forward; we will at least know who is calling the shots. That has to be a step in the right direction.

By negotiating those terms, bringing in a new shareholder with the promise of further investment, and keeping himself at the wheel in terms of remaining Chairman, Bill gets to have his cake and eat it too. He also safeguards the club, at least in the extreme case, from the whims of a single shareholder and retains Evertonian influence as the nominal face and head of the club."

I disagree there Lyndon, previously with 3 shareholders on the board each owning 27%, 25% and 23% (approximately) respectively then any 2 combined could out-vote the third (admittedly unlikely given the set up of our board).

Now though, there is 1 single board member with a majority of shares who can dictate what he wants and cannot be outvoted by the others combined.

My view is that Messrs Kenwright and Woods have pulled off a masterstroke of enormous proportions, brought in a first class investor with clout, whilst retaining an input into the future. Well done, Bill and Jon!

I think there’s good times ahead but ultimately it's down to the boys on the pitch. Let’s add quality to the squad, send out the right messages, keep our stars, off-load the tired.

All-in-all, I can’t help feeling good (at long last) about the future for Everton. I can see a plan of action being begun and it being carried out methodically and steadily. Not splashing cash like there’s no tomorrow but in a way that shows just what a great club we have always been.

That’s the most telling thing ’energy’ – after all we have heard Colin G describe the players as ’lethargic’ – that has also been how I would have described the Board – ’lethargic’ but now we have new blood, a new broom and ’pent-up ENERGY’

Marvellous.

Firstly, Robert Earl has gone as I saw him as someone who was just waiting for a payday and didn’t really offer anything to the club.

Secondly, Moshiri appears to have a grasp on everything financial and obviously has a desire to run a football club. There are a few theories about wondering is it a prelude to a bigger investor coming in if he doesn’t progress at Arsenal.

Alternatively, if Usmanov does gain control at Arsenal, where would that leave Moshiri in future dealings between the clubs?

I hope this is the start of a productive era for the club and I will watch developments with eager anticipation. Well done both, Bill and John, it’s a breath of fresh air.

I would put money on this being a slow, 18-24 month transition to full ownership for Mr Moshiri. A sensible plan given our tangled financial / commercial approach that will need to be simplified by an injection of capital.

We don’t yet know the full breakdown of who has sold what, or what profit has been trousered, but maybe Kenwright & Woods could buy back the training facility they sold? If they want their egos massaged, they can name it after themselves. After all, they did sell Bellefield rather than inject their own money into the club. It’s only right & proper they should give something back. It was a club asset they flogged, which has now made them a fortune.

A great day, the club was screaming out for someone who can deliver on the potential this club has to get back to the very top. We have been ran like a corner shop competing with Tesco in this League. I believe the only reason Bill has finally given up total control is due to his health problems, but better late than never. Let’s hope someone else can take the strain and BK can concentrate on recuperation and getting back to good health.

I wish the new shareholder nothing but well and hope that he will be able to refresh the fortunes of our great Club as well as those in Bill's pocket.

This will only happen if [a] We win something this season or [b] We get serious investment to appease our better players. This news certainly sounds like [b].

I wonder if long term I might be able to pick up an Everton shirt from any sports shop?

The £200 million banded around always seemed as paper talk. Anyone who has that kind of money does not part with it easily. Maybe we can do away with the British Virgin Islands funding, unless of course there is an early repayment clause hidden away somewhere.

No American buyers means we can do away with Tim Howard once & for all. No pressure on us keeping him for commercial reasons. Let's all start celebrating the new era. I for one will be down the pub having a skinful lunchtime before watching Shiteah stuff the RedShite.

As for Bill keeping his train set is just nonsense. It's a common sense approach from the new guy. You can't talk about understanding a rich heritage and the sack a true blue .

I am excited to see what transpires over the next 12 months. Although I don’t expect major changes, I do expect to see progression on and off the field. Hopefully Martinez will feel some pressure now to get results and hopefully we can start to feel optimistic that we will hear some good truthful news on the stadium issue rather than the pack of lies we have been drip fed over the last 10 years.

As I say, not the complete takeover that I hoped for but good news all the same.

Strange times indeed; A poster over on RAWK is saying much the same (and more ) but from a slightly worried rs perspective, as in – Ay up, somebody might just be getting their shit together.

Loved the bit about the possibility of Moshiri releasing his ’pent up energy’ after being somewhat muzzled at the Arse.

You are right. In out, in out... we don’t yet know what it’s all about.

Surely though, Dave, he will be an improvement?

There are a couple of things that are key for me.

The Youth – we currently have maybe 5-6 players in our youth set up that will be knocking on the door first team in the next season or two, Dowell, and three central midfielders in Ledson, Walsh and Williams plus Connolly and Kenny. Kenwright has said that he loves seeing local lads in the first team as I think most Blues do. What would have happened if we had been bought by someone with no understanding of this?

He has a knowledge of funding and building a state-of-the-art stadium and not putting the club in financial jeopardy, A new ground for Everton is not going to cost anywhere like Arsenal's.

He has a great knowledge of Football and he Financial Brains. It has pissed off the British media, Sky Sports have said nothing really, Merson said it was "worrying"... Even Ray Parlour has called us a Sleeping Giant. A little bit of investment on the playing side and a new Stadium in conjunction with our Great Youth system. We could see a few noses getting pushed out of place.

Overall, having a true blue (for all his faults) in Kenwright and Fresh Footballing Knowledge at Director Level it is truly.....

Exciting Times.

Don't hold your breath waiting for them to buy FF.
As you well know mate

Perhaps Bill and Co just sold at Friday's price for Everton shares – god bless them – and are HOPING the new man will invest funds into the club itself?

Or, perhaps, he's got a wedding to pay for!

Just trust that Bobby Elstone and his boys are all sat at their desks with freshly sharpened pencils and shiny shoes come 9.00 am on Monday.

Just like on the pitch, I think we'll be getting a message of steady off-pitch improvement.

I'm taking this as good news, without expecting massive immediate change. I suspect we're going to need the same level of patience as we're having with the manager.

My feeling is the new man will bide his time while assessing his options for moving the club forward. This certainly looks to be a better outcome than we might have anticipated a few weeks ago.

Once the honeymoon period is over we can be assured contributors on ToffeeWeb will have someone else to blame for the club’s perceived woes. The actors may change but the script will be the same.

Hopefully we will see evidence of an ambition to make progress but it will not be straightforward. Catching up with the mega rich clubs will take many years and require patience.

Secondly, the poor commercial performance of the club under Elstone and Kenwright needs to be analysed and developed quickly.

It may be that the ground issue inhibits spending on the players, but Arsenal managed it; Liverpool are managing it at the moment.

The new ground is key to all future progress.

In my opinion, for him to start investing serious money into the club, he’s going to want the other 50.1% of shareholders to put in an equal amount, maybe that’s what will happen. He’s not going to risk his hard earned money alone to make the other shareholders rich, if they wont also invest in playing staff and the infrastructure of the club.

Maybe BK wants to see how Mr Moshiri shapes up before the majority of the remaining shares are sold to him?

As it is now, we have only seen a change of shareholders.

We have all said this club needs a new owner or new investor so that has partly been addressed. There is no doubt from his open letter to the Arsenal board he certainly wanted Arsenal to be more proactive in certain areas.

Some might ask: Why only 49.9%? Why not buy the club outright? Maybe that is some way down the road and maybe he wants to asses everything before going the whole way. Maybe BK wanted to see if Moshiri's deeds were met by actions; either way, I don't think it's a negative him being the major shareholder for a while.

As I say, pure speculation from me but could the other 50.1% be purchased by Mr Usmanov further down the line? He seems to be as frustrated with Kronke as the Arsenal fans are, and maybe – if he thinks that he will never get control of Arsenal – he might join his friend at Goodison? Maybe that's why Merson wasn't happy when he heard that Moshiri had become our major shareholder. Merson might think that Usmanov might follow...

Why doesn’t Bill just fuck off? I just can’t seem relax and enjoy this while he’s still there and for good reason given his track record.

My fear is that with Martinez in charge having a billionaire investor won't make much of a difference in terms of on the pitch success. His money might be able to buy us better players but we don't have the manager who knows how to use the players properly.

I agree with Kevin Tully: great to see the back of Earl and Green. I just wish some posters would knock off the "yank" bashing and speculation that they are asset-strippers.

For all the plaudits being given to Bill we should remember he is the one who asset stripped the club, got Earl and Green involved, and clocked up some serious interest payments to BVI besides pushing the move to Desolation Kirby based on some very hefty lies.

You may think of him as one of us but he is one of him first and foremost.

M - "So where are we with the stadium plans"?
E - "Errrm, there aren't any"

M - "Any plans for an improved shirt deal"?
E - "Errrm, nope"

M - "What's going on with kitbag"?
E - "Errrm, nothing. We're happy with it"

M - "Any other commercial prospects to improve revenue streams"?
E - "Errm, we were thinking of charging more for season tickets and pies"

M - "Robert, do you think you've done your best for the club to reach its full potential?"
E - "Absolutely. We've been overachieving for years, knife to a gunfight and all that"

M - "Robert, you're fired!!"

https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=images+of+Liverpool+echo+arena&view=detailv2&qpvt=images+of+Liverpool+echo+arena&id=A0F9560C390A7865652B4BFC7C153674E5407E9B&selectedIndex=11&ccid=t4IkhdNH&simid=608048768792003300&thid=OIP.Mb7822485d347b9f4be3779a8e7a110f6o0&ajaxhist=0

Any scousers noticed chunks of dockland property being snapped up over the past year?

If what was said there expressed sincerely held beliefs – and I have not a shred of real evidence to doubt their veracity – then these are precisely the views any football fan would dearly wish the owner(s) of their club to espouse and adhere to.

I was particularly encouraged by this sentence: "We, as the co-owners ... will proudly retain our holding in the Club as a long-term investment for ourselves and our family members to benefit for generations to come."

The foregoing being the antithesis of the asset-stripping mentality we feared US-owners might bring with them, a la Gillette and Hicks et al.

I do now harbour a firm hope that in Mr Moshiri we may have found a major shareholder and potential future outright owner who will do right by the club. By design and patience (or by luck) Mr Kenwright might just have done this club a massive service.

Arsenal's loss but our gain. We hope.

It's a private company so there can be no compunction to sell... so I guess many of us will want to keep our holdings 'to pass on to future generations'!

Yes, Mr Moshiri has sold his shares but don’t find fault with him for that. We all sometimes make promises for the long-term but if they eventually become unsustainable due to the antics of the other party, it doesn’t make YOU a bad person.

As I said yesterday, I just hope Mr Moshiri can blow the clouds away from our future in the sunshine.

If you are suggesting that David Dein would join Everton in some capacity , I hope you are wrong.

Dein, while at Arsenal made a load of money by selling. Basically he did what BK is doing at Everton, but at least Kenwright is an Everton fan. I would say Kenwright has probably learned quite a bit from Dein...

There's a certain Editor (not a million miles from here) who will relieve somebody of their hand if the price is right.

I suspect he ain't alone.

I expect Mr Moshiri will meet with Roberto in the summer and ask him one question: Can you finish in the top 4* and qualify for the Champions League – if not, why not? You have a more valuable team than Leicester, West Ham, Stoke and Southampton? Then Roberto’s target will be set; if not met by 2018 then he is gone,

Mr Moshiri will also push for a new stadium to safeguard his investment and seek a contract of £4 to £6M* from Chang based on European Qualification. Ditto for the shirt suppliers*.

These simple things* should generate at least an extra £30M per season to propel our team forward and to reduce the club debt.

Can I ask why you were against any takeover?

Yes, he improved the club WITHOUT investing a single penny of his own money and making a fortune when he sold his shares and was chairman of Red & White Holdings.

Arsenal fans were spilt down the middle, just like we are with BK. The general opinion was that making money became Dein's main influence at Arsenal which is the reason he was chased out in the end.

He certainly would be advising BK in how to go about things, let’s say!

Phil, I think Lord Grantchester may well get involved again, as I think he decided to have bugger all to do with the Board once Kenwright brought in Earl. Could be wrong of course but I think this man Farhad Moshiri will be a catalyst that will see our club begin to make serious strides towards becoming a top respected club as Arsenal are, and that we once were.

I'm sure I've read that his Russian mate did not endear himself to the Arsenal Board by agitating for a change of manager some time ago. That was on the grounds that they'd won bugger all for years.

We have been paying well over the odds for the last 20 years and I don’t think fans have properly started the protests against the pure greed of the Premier League clubs.

Yes, it's me again, when are you going to reply to my question to you around the interest rates and amount of interest that the club are paying? Check the search stuff above, in case you have missed my asking you to clarify a point you made.

Credibility, shot.

Of course he is perfectly entitled to do that, but in doing so he might consider refraining from gurning his fucking lamps out to Z-Cars.

"Down to (Goodison) Park
Listening to the wind of change

Take me to the magic of the moment
On a glory night
Where the children of tomorrow share their dreams (share their dreams)
With you and me
Take me to the magic of the moment
On a glory night (the glory night)
Where the children of tomorrow dream away (dream away)
In the wind of change (the wind of change)"

Credit: Scorpions (yes, I thought it was crap music too, but lyrics seemed to fit the article title).

It is a well known FACT that Kenwright inherited a net asset position and within a couple of years transformed that into a net liability position by selling or mortgaging all the assets including but not limited to GP, Netherton and Bellefield training grounds and future season ticket sales.

As regards the ridiculous levels of interest, you don’t need me to tell you – just look at the club's accounts.

Oh! And a new Stadium would be nice...

So he’ll asset-strip, cancel AGMs, get high interest loans from BVI based companies, and lie to the fan base? Welcome to Everton, mate.

Following Bill Kenwright over the more recent years, this move might well vindicate delays and errors of judgement (supposed). Maybe we will live to Hail Bill. Some say, The view from the top of the mountain is the same no matter how long it takes to get there.

Ooops Final Call for QF9 so I have to go!

"So he’ll asset strip, cancel AGM’s, get high interest loans from BVI based companies and lie to the fan base".

Do you actually believe that? If so, then we’re really in for a rough ride.

I just hope some pressure and expectation are placed on Martinez.

Pragmatic and optimistic without indulging in the idleness of barren speculation.

Got a spring in my step, that’s for sure!

Surely you wouldn’t pump that much cash into a business and let a clueless idiot carry on as your manager?

I truly believe, with a half-decent manager, we’d be much higher, and for those who’d rather keep El Bob than have Mourinho (hypothetical of course)... what effing planet are you on?

He tried and failed with two attempts to find alternative Stadiums, one was never going to happen and one was turned down on planning review. Being disappointed as a fan by either or both doesn’t indicate any incompetence or malfeasance on behalf of the owners.

He has at all times maximised the amount of money available for investment in the team by borrowing and selling assets; he has done this without taking any money out of the club for his services. What the fuck does this man need to do to avoid this baseless criticism? He didn’t win us a trophy? Is that it?

I can only hope Moshiri is far more proactive and ruthless than BK in managing our club’s success on the pitch.

Unlike you, most Blues haven't got their head stuck so far up BK’s arse that they see what he is and what he has done.

There is no disputing the litany of lies, deceit, failed ground moves, sale of the family silver, huge interest payments and losses most years of his tenure.

He was lucky with Moyes who was recommended by Walter Smith and unlucky with HIS choice of Martinez.

However he has come out smelling of roses if Moshiri leads us to the promised land and he and his cronies have cashed out big style.

Apart from a couple of technically worded paragraphs, most of their letter is written in a style typical of a matchday programme. But what their letter spells out in plain terms looks precisely what all Evertonians would wish for as a manifesto for an incoming owner/major shareholder.

PLEASE, if you haven’t already then just read the letter.....
Link

For all his shortcomings, no-one can doubt the commitment Bill has shown to his beloved Everton. I’ve said it before and repeat it now. This guy mortgaged his family home to raise money to buy the club. How many of the ’nay-sayers’ would do that?

I’m sure that after a few visits to Goodison, Mr Moshiri will become well and truly smitten and will realise what a unique and fantastic institution he has become involved with. Good luck and welcome to the Everton family.

What is Red & White’s vision for the Club? It is simple. A debt free Club, with a big enough war chest to buy top talent players who can hit the ground running and who can complement the Club’s long tradition of developing young players and homegrown talent. Together they can help the Club win the most prestigious trophies – because it is the trophies which are the crowning achievement for everybody at the Club. The trophies are also key to the commercial success of the Club – they increase the value of the players, the value of the brand, attract the best sponsors and maximize the value of our commercial contracts which should in turn mean that the Club does not have to squeeze any more income from hard pressed fans.

No he didn't.

If you would spend your last pound on Everton, then if you was in a position to improve them, how many people would'nt, I ask?

He mortgaged his house 4 years before purchasing Everton.

What the fuck, if anything has all this to do with Everton? The man has supported the club, kept it in the Premier League, bought and sold players that have mostly made us a better club and certainly in a better position than when he bought in.

So, good luck to the lad – all in all he’s done a pretty half-decent job and the sooner some on here get off his back, the better.

Good luck to him, his money, his house and his fucking mortgage.
COYB.