ToffeeWeb - Season 2006-07

The Mail Bag

Voting for the Asbodome

Can someone tell me how it's possible to have a meaningful ballot on Everton's departure from Liverpool with next to no information available about the project? Wyness says it's not a done deal, but if it's not a done deal, how come there's only one option on the table? Is the question, "Do you favor (a) staying at obsolete Goodison with all its obstructed views while it falls down around your ears or (b) moving to a spanking brand new beautiful stadium just a short distance down the East Lancs?" Er, let me think about that for a minute...

Or is the question, "Do you favor (a) permanently cutting ties with the city of our origin to go to a stadium you have been told nothing about in a neighbouring community at double the seat price and which we probably won't own or (b) finding an alternative site within the city? Er... let me think about that for a minute.

The fact is only an informed electorate can come up with an informed decision and so far we have been informed of nothing other than that Keith Wyness wants to move Everton to the Asbodome. If the club wants to do the right thing, let them stage a 30-day exhibit of the plans with solid facts, models and so on, with officials to answer questions. Inform the fans what the options really are, and have a binding referendum.

The electorate qualification should a season ticket, a share, supporters club membership, 10 ticket stubs, Everton tv subscription OR receipts for more than £100 of stuff at the club store. I am against the move to Kirkby, but I would take the fans' informed decision, whatever it was, over the result of a secret meeting in a smoke-filled room any day.
Peter Fearon, Liverpool Posted 22/06/2007 at 18:23:42

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Lyndon

From the little we know, the club plan to display artist's impressions (illustrated, computer-generated or both, we don't know) but not 3D models and hold the ballot over a month. So, technically it would have a 30-day window but we won't know whether enough will be on show on which to make an informed decision until the time comes.

Roy coyne
1 Posted 22/06/2007 at 21:07:07

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Knowind how truthful the chaps at the top are it will be, If you are a Evertonian vote for kirby as to vote against is to insult our 24/7 leader

Davr Roberts
2 Posted 22/06/2007 at 21:13:02

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Whatever the pros and cons are of a move to Kirkby (or not) can we have less of the ’City of our origins’ crap. Everton’s origins are NOT in the city of Liverpool! Liverpool grew to incorporate the site of Everton Football Club. The Club has it’s origins OUTSIDE of the city. Can we not at least get our history right?

Paul Johnson
3 Posted 22/06/2007 at 21:55:16

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Maybe your question should be directed at Liverpool City Council.Are they going to give us an option (b)instead of vague talk of sites that have been offered without naming either them or the retail partners who are going to build it for us?

Marc R
4 Posted 22/06/2007 at 21:40:28

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A fair question would be:

Do you want to
a) Move to Kirkby - here is the stadium and supermarket complex, and here are the details (costs, ownership, expected revenues).
b) Stay at Goodison for now until something else comes up in the future [it will], be it another stadium or a chance to redevelop.

Without all of the details, we can only speculate as to what they have got in mind. And that will probably lead to people voting in hope that we may get a decent stadium and a fair deal. The reality may of course be different.

It will be interesting to see what details are presented and how the question is put. At the moment I am voting a firm NO to the move, and it will take a very good argument convince me otherwise. As someone said before- it just doesnt feel right.

Steve Molloy
5 Posted 23/06/2007 at 03:47:13

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I just have to take issue with Mr. Roberts, who says it’s ’crap’ to call Liverpool the city of our origin. If he knew any history at all he would know that Walton and Everton were incorporated into Liverpool in 1835 and 1836 respectively and as Everton played our first match as Everton in 1879, we were well within political and geographical Liverpool at that time. Admittedly, it wasn’t a city until 1880, but to suggest we started life outside Liverpool is nonsense - and in this case, nonsense arrogantly expressed. I’m only stooping to correct it because it’s always the stupid errors that seem to get duplicated. The issue here is, should we leave the community where we have our roots to a rival and put down new roots elsewhere. There is no modern instance of a football club successfully doing so.

Wyn Lewis
6 Posted 23/06/2007 at 10:22:41

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This whole stadium debate has become totally boring.Why can’t people accept what Wyness has said.The only deal on the table is Kirkby for the simple reason there is no way on this earth that the club can find the money to move ANYWHERE ELSE unless Tesco pay the bill.
For God’s sake understand and accept reality it’s Kirkby or nowhere!

Tom Hughes
7 Posted 23/06/2007 at 09:36:34

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Excellently put....Steve Molloy. There are massive differences between 19th Century Liverpool and today. There was never any doubt that the connurbation was going to completely engulf the sites of both football clubs back in the 1890s. The poulation was growing by something like 100,000 per decade.

Now there is little prospect of similar happening to Kirkby. The proposed site will always be at the periphery of greater scousedom...... and consequently much more readily marginalised (in terms of dilution of identity), and significantly more inconvenient to get to for the majority of our fanbase who will be approaching and leaving the site from the same direction, with massively less public transport provision.

Mal Deness
8 Posted 23/06/2007 at 10:52:47

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Although it`s early days, I do sense a groundswell of approval locally for the Tesco scheme. Trouble is the local consultation is likely to be confused by the overwhelming `yes` vote from Knowsley Liverpudlians! Chatting with one of our councillors last night, he indicated that from what he understood the Club favoured a simple question for its own ballot along the lines of `Would you still purchase a season ticket if the club re-located to Kirkby`. Pragmatic or what?

Marc R
9 Posted 23/06/2007 at 14:48:40

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Actually Lewis it’s Kirkby or Goodison. Get it right.