The Shareholders Association wholeheartedly endorses measured and reasonable efforts by Evertonians to seek a remedy to the problems facing our Club.

This season’s performance is not just a matter of chance.  As other Clubs’ annual revenue exceeds £100 million, we have suffered year after year from a lack of investment in the fabric of our Club to the extent that we will be lucky to see a turnover of £45 million this year.  With players transfer costs and wages at today’s levels; it is a matter of fact that we can no longer afford a squad to compete at the very highest level.

It has also become painfully obvious that after the failure of the King’s Dock project a clear strategy for the future of Everton FC has yet to emerge; a failure to address this would be a betrayal of everything this Club stands for.  A Club, which, in terms of honours, remains the fourth most successful English Club of all time with a huge worldwide supporter base, deserves so much more.

Short term tinkering will not address the issue of re-establishing this Club.  The off-loading of young talent at this stage to balance books would just reinforce the message that there is no direction; no aspiration; no pride.

The independent shareholders through the Shareholders Association have argued strongly for two key measures:

1. The development of shareholding to embrace all Everton Fans, so that a much wider number of Evertonians can have a stake in ownership and, at the same time, pump a fresh injection of money into the Club.
   
   
2. The establishment of full time executive officers to run Everton Football Club from Liverpool. This executive board should be wholly answerable to, and at arms length from, its owners. The club should seek the highest quality professional personnel available.

On the 1st June the Shareholders Association AGM will consider the performance of Everton Football Club Company Ltd and we have received notice of a motion to support the call for a full Extraordinary General Meeting of Everton Football Club.

An EGM would allow the Shareholders to publicly question the Board over its current strategy, and the issues raised here tonight would be a welcome supplement to those questions.

The Shareholders Association AGM will also consider the support for a Trust to provide a focal point for all Fan Investors at every level to fund future investment contingent on the establishment of a full time Executive Board and the expansion of ownership of our Club.

I would urge all Everton supporters – the Board, the staff, the fans – the whole Everton Community to work constructively together to this aim. The future of this great Club is in all of our hands – standing still is not an option.

In the meanwhile, on behalf of the Shareholders Association Executive Committee I would like to wish you a successful night, and I’m personally disappointed that I can’t be there with you this evening.

Steve Allinson