FAN ARTICLES
Loops and Merry-go-Rounds
Comments (16) : The primary difference between the Bestway proposal and the Tesco/Kirkby one is, as Wyness says, deliverance. Let's look at our recent past.
The Fortress funding that never was and the King's Dock fiasco are the two examples that spring to mind as to illustrate my following point ? Everton can't afford to speculate on its future through half-baked schemes and promising suggestions. We have hired Keith Wyness, as a club, to do one job for us ? expand us off the pitch.
When Wyness comes out and says that he's exhausted every viable move within the boundaries that is financially viable for Everton Football Club, I believe him, as he has no reason to lie. The man isn't Satan ? he's doing his job. He has no affiliation to Tesco or Knowsley and there's no suggestion he's taking "back handers" in this decision.
It all comes down to how probable "deliverance" is. Liverpool council clearly aren't prepared to put their money and land where their mouth is, with vague suggestions of options and considerations rather than promises. Whilst Knowsley have stated in clear terms that the land is ours for the taking.
Bestway are, again, making vague statements about how good it would be for Everton to move to their preferred site. No figures quoted, no time schedule, no promises to fulfil ? just a pipe dream that will flush down the proverbial toilet just as many another have done in regards to this great football club.
Let's face it ? we're not a mega-rich club that can amass any sizable debt when it comes to a ground move. It's this simple. With the figures quoted, Everton get a modern, well-equipped stadium with the minimum financial shortfall as possible within 15 minutes drive from our current fading stadium. If you were told that a 50,000 all-seater stadium would be ready in time for 2010 at a minimum outlay to the club, and the stadium was in the boundaries, every Evertonian would jump in joy.
The reason for objection to the Kirkby move is in a snobbish adherance to a prehistoric Ordinance Survey line that states Kirkby isn't strictly Liverpool.
Visit the place. Walk up to a local fella, suggest that he's a "wool" and see the response you get.
Bradley is trying to save face, Bestway are looking at upsetting the ballot and leaving us scrounging for the scraps they've left us ? which would fail ? and KEIOC, I'm afraid, are blinkered by arrogance, suspicion and an adherence to tradition ? which, to an extent, is understandable.
Let's start seeing the woods for the trees!
Reader Comments (16)
Note: the following content is not moderated or vetted by the site owners at the time of submission. Comments are the responsibility of the poster. Disclaimer
2 Posted 24/07/2007 at 07:27:59
Regarding Keith Wyness, I like you believe he is an honourable man doing the best he can for the club, why would he do anythink else?
3 Posted 24/07/2007 at 08:02:04
4 Posted 24/07/2007 at 10:34:43
5 Posted 24/07/2007 at 09:59:32
What’s the guiding principle for any estate agent when assessing overall value (and I don’t just mean financial value)? LOCATION! LOCATION! LOCATION! Kirkby is not part of Liverpool and in the minds of all Scousers (including those from Kirkby) it never will be, even with a change of boundary. If we move to Kirkby, Everton Football Club will be forever on the outside looking in, it’s nose pressed against the shop window. A short term financial fix for the Board perhaps, but with every chance that the long term future of the Club would suffer as a result.
Where there’s a will, there’s a way! At the moment, the major shareholders at the Club only seem willing to consider the "Kirkby Project" and unwilling to consider anything else. If there is any merit to the proposals being put forward by LCC there should not be a vote on the proposed move to Kirkby until those other options have been fully considered, especially the Scottie Road proposal. If necessary, postpone the vote until the New Year so that a thorough investigation of those proposals can be carried out and costed. A delay of 3 months or whatever the period of exclusivity was for the Kirkby/Tesco Project should suffice. If these proposals are "pie in the sky" and simply political manoeuvering by LCC, they will be shown up for just that. What would we have to lose if we don’t delay? The future of the Club perhaps?
6 Posted 24/07/2007 at 11:24:52
Can you imagine.......the new red shite stadium and less than a couple of hundred hards away ours falling to pieces. That would be too much to take.
The more I read and listen on this debate the more I think Kirkby is the way we should go.
7 Posted 24/07/2007 at 11:49:44
You say the board is unwilling to listen to other proposals.. well there haven’t been any proposals from LCC that was plausible, and their latest proposal got flunked by their own experts as a bad location.
Now a new location props up... with one road into it, the area is (I think) smaller than the area Goodison occupies, with surrounding structures and such.
Staying in Goodison won’t do in the long run and we’ve given LCC YEARS to come up with good potential sites and so far they haven’t, they have ignored us... until Kirkby became a serious project... Why give them more months, when they’ve had years? I for one think it shows what they think of us as a club.
Also would you think they will be able to offer us as good an offer as Tesco? I don’t.. and I don’t want to see the club getting heavily into debt when there is a perfectly fine offer on the table.
This is a perfect time for a move. We’ve turned around the downgoing spiral. Our finance is better, our squad is getting both younger and better and we’re fighting for european slots now, not to avoid relegation. To improve we need a move and I like Kirkby more and more and I can’t see LCC giving us a top place "inside" the city that would cost us about £10M after selling Goodison and the name of the stadium.
8 Posted 24/07/2007 at 13:30:07
LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION.
WE now have LCC scrambling to support us.THis is an ideal opportunity to look at the viability of staying in the city.
I have to say though I have no trust whatsoever in this board who have constantly lied and misled supporters (and probably interested investors).
SAY NO TO KIRBY!!!
9 Posted 24/07/2007 at 13:27:12
Everton always The Peoples Club
Everton always The Pride of Merseyside
10 Posted 24/07/2007 at 13:35:12
11 Posted 24/07/2007 at 18:15:00
Firstly, that Kirkby is too far away from Liverpool city centre to keep us anywhere near on a par with LFC. They, quite rightly, rejected Speke for this reason even though it’s not outside the political boundary. It has nothing to do with councils and lines on a map - it’s too remote and this will cost us dear in the long term. This is especially true in corporate terms and of future generations of fans.
Secondly, the stadium itself is far from inspiring and is not even as good in appearance as the German one we are supposed to be taking as a base and improving upon. For God’s sake, if we are having £100m of whoever’s money, we can spend it better than this dumbed-down design.
Finally, and most importantly, we have no proper evidence that all possible options have been explored. Fools rush in....
I wait to be convinced. Part of me wants to be - my heart. My head says this is not the right option.
12 Posted 24/07/2007 at 22:37:06
for me LCC and Bestway need figures and funding facts released and done quickly.
I see this as underhanded tactics on the eve of the kirkby vote to get a no mandate and put LCC back in control..
They have had years to give us this and yet only now does it surface. Co-incidence - I think not.
Again, facts and figures - I am not voting no to kirkby unless I see a viable alternative that is deliverable. I its deliverable prove it as if we vote no then presumably that deal is off the table for ever - I’m not prepared to trust the council unless I have absolute facts.
13 Posted 24/07/2007 at 23:12:55
Scotty Road is a brilliant idea, let's see what they can come up with, eh? Bit of patience needed big time. And anyhow all this shite to grab an extra ten thousand more fans.
If we can put a man on the moon then we can do up Goodison Park. You're only in it for ninety bleedin' minutes so get a grip. I want a shit-hot team. All that telly money. What the hell are they doing with it? Explain, Kenwright, or eff off, and take that Sideshow Bob with you. I don't like their tone and ultimatums. CALL YASELF AN EVERTONIAN. Don't make me sick.
This club's 130 years old and it's great where it is. You're not selling our soul to the devil without a fight.
14 Posted 25/07/2007 at 01:09:15
15 Posted 25/07/2007 at 08:25:19
How much time shall we give them? We’ve already given them years. What makes you think they will suddenly find new land for us to build a new stadium on? A stadium that won’t place us back in the huge financial trouble as we’ve just gotten out of?
Just because YOU hate a place doesn’t meen it might not be good for the club.
16 Posted 29/07/2007 at 10:23:13
Check out worlwide how many new club stadia are being built out-of-town compared to downtown. Ask yourself why in the US they have been knocking down better stadia than we have ever had to move into city-centres. Their new inner city stadia have been a massive success, so much so that they have sparked the biggest stadium building program in 80 yrs. This is in the home of auto-culture. People are leaving their cars to use the vastly superior public transport provision associated with these central sites. So, why are we even considering going out of town, to a site that has tiny public transport capacity compared with Walton let alone the City centre. Backward thinking!
Add Your Comments
In order to post a comment, you need to be logged in as a registered user of the site.
Or Sign up as a ToffeeWeb Member — it's free, takes just a few minutes and will allow you to post your comments on articles and Talking Points submissions across the site.
1 Posted 24/07/2007 at 05:32:19