ToffeeWeb - Season 2007-08

The Mail Bag

We Deserve Better

I am not talking about the utterly incompetent display of skill and tactical awareness on the field last night.

What I am talking about is far more important; the utterly incompetent display that is happening behind the scenes at Everton Football Club.

Lets take a few examples, all of which have been extensively discussed on this site in recently, but when taken as a whole, display a Club that is in chaos.

a) Outsourcing our retailing to JJB Sports who have no more interest in selling Everton merchandise than that of any other Premier League Club. For God?s sake we don?t even have an Everton Shop in Liverpool city centre.

b) The Box Office / Ticketing Service is in &'melt-down&'. It is no longer a service but has now become an obstacle to fans purchasing tickets.

c) The total chaos outside Goodison Park that required a kick-off delay in front of a National Television audience. Piss-up and brewery come to mind. d) An Everton PR machine which is, at best incompetent, at worst totally contemptuous of Everton fans.

WE, the fans, are Everton Football Club. WE deserve BETTER.

So when our CEO stands up at the AGM (I?m not a shareholder, so I won?t be there), just remember that whatever our financial results are (and I expect them to be poor), they are on the back of a service delivery that has descended into confusion and mismanagement. Just about every aspect of our off-field activity has been reduced to nothing more than an amateur attempt at running a business.

Also remember that this is the CEO we are trusting to lead us, Moses-like, into the Promised Land of Kirkby Town Centre, when all other business ventures are clamouring to become part of what will be a rejuvenated, dynamic and vibrant Liverpool City Centre. What are we doing? Travelling in the opposite direction.

Of course, there?s no Plan B (supposedly), but there bloody well should be one.

WE are Everton Football Club. WE deserve BETTER.
Bob Carlton, West Lancs Posted 21/09/2007 at 14:41:54

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Comments

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Michael Kenrick

There... fixed them pesky paragraphs...

Barry Cass
1 Posted 21/09/2007 at 14:57:33

Good post Bob !

Bob Carlton
2 Posted 21/09/2007 at 15:03:18

Sorry, cutting and pasting lost the paragraphs !!!!

Allan Hobbs
3 Posted 21/09/2007 at 15:07:43

Good post Bob, and you make some good points but I dont agree we have any divine right to anything. Just because we the fans think we should be doing better, on & off the field doesnt hold much water.

Every fan of every club feels the same way mate.

Gerard Madden
4 Posted 21/09/2007 at 15:06:34

I agree with some of the earlier aspects of the letter but profoundly disagree with the last bit near the end about our move to Kirkby - i’m with the majority of blues who feels the move is a wonderful opportunity for the club.

Bob Carlton
5 Posted 21/09/2007 at 15:12:56

Allan, I agree we don’t have a divine right to anything, but we do have a right to expect our club to be run in a professional manner.

Allan Hobbs
6 Posted 21/09/2007 at 15:19:12

True.

We’re in better shape now than we were though to be fair. I mean we had years of mis-management and a mess like that takes time to fix.

The current ticketing fiasco I grant you needs addressing. Is the late kick-off the clubs fault?

I was late home from work last night and actually ran half way home in a suit like a madman, stopping at the off-licence for supplies so when I burst through the door at 8.20 to see the game was delayed I was well chuffed!

Bob Carlton
7 Posted 21/09/2007 at 15:17:23

Gerard, I’m afraid we have to agree to disagree on the Kirkby move.
However, the majority of fans voted to continue negotiations with Tesco & Knowsley (as per the ballot paper), not that they feel it is a wonderful opportunity for the club.
Neither of us know what the voters (Yes, No or Abstainers) actually feel.

Anthony Newell
8 Posted 21/09/2007 at 15:42:28

Well said son, I only wish you and I made up the majority then maybe something would change. I doubt anything will change until a new owner comes in and changes everything, lock stock and barrel,Moyes included

Ray Jinkinson
9 Posted 21/09/2007 at 16:49:35

Excellent Post! 100% spot on.

Simon Hughes
10 Posted 21/09/2007 at 16:41:55

Bob, you’ve just about nailed it there. I’m a season ticket holder living in Sheffield and have been trying to buy a ticket from Everton for the Wednesday match. I nearly gave up when faced with the shambles that is the box office. Then we travel over for last night’s game (with tickets, thank God) only to face an extra 30 minutes wait and the ludicrous sight of stewards shifting the Ukrainian’s flag to let home fans into their section. Those in charge at Everton treat us like rubbish and are a joke - unfortunately on us. My only hope is the Kirkby ’project’ collapses in the face of such incompetence. No wonder Wyness is in such a rush to sign a deal committing us to Kirkby...a quick bonus and he’s off...before Kenwright finally wakes up to the disastrous road he’s leading us down.

karl masters
11 Posted 21/09/2007 at 18:27:37

Absolutely spot on.

Add on the non receipt of ballot papers by hundreds, possibly thousands ( would explain the large number of non voters )of eligible voters the pathetic 2 month wait for your Evertonia cards, the fact you either get no Club Shop Brochure or 3 sent to you every season ( what kind of database do they have? ) and the non reply to letters and e-mails and you really do have to wonder - are they incompetent or just bone idle? Or both?!

david holroyd
12 Posted 21/09/2007 at 18:20:12

Man Utd manage to get 70 odd thou thro their turnstiles we cant get 37000 in in time.This fiasco isnt a one off the same sort of things have happened before ,How did we ever manage to get 500000 in before all seater.As a season ticket holder from the other side of York i hope the game at Villa on Sunday is the start of something better to get some confidence for the return leg.Or it will be another short european campagn

Dave Tootill
13 Posted 21/09/2007 at 19:10:24

Bob’s comments seem very accurate. Does anyone listen, or are they arrogant suits?

George Carroll
14 Posted 21/09/2007 at 19:20:29

I love the way Everton are never to blame for the shambolic organisation of the off the field activities.As i said in an earlier post to Toffeeweb Wyness as CEO is inept and until he goes we will stumble from one cock up to the next.God help you if you are going on a club organised trip to Ukraine you might arrive in time to see the second half ,or is that asking too much?