FAN ARTICLES
Power to the People's Club
Comments (16) : How are we going to find investment? Who has the vision and business nous to take the club forward before we slip back into the abyss and become another Leeds or Nottingham Forest? It doesn?t matter what happens this season, I don?t think most of us will ever fully trust Kenwright and his mirrors and smokescreens again... and do we really want an Abramovich, the Glazers, or the American goons over the park running our club? In addition, is there really any genuine Evertonian out there with the kind of money to take the club forward? Are there any alternatives?
As Evertonians can we agree on anything? Well, I think from the posts I?ve read most would support Moyes as manager, perhaps with some help in the transfer market. We?d all like to see a brand of attacking football, a strong youth policy that developed local talent through to the first team. A stadium fit for them to play in, and even those most vehement supporters of Kirkby would surely like to see us stay within the city limits and ideally remain at Goodison.
Apparently, not that anything he says is to be believed, but Billy Liar has said that ?he will discuss the clubs future with any individual or group who boasts integrity and the financial clout.? Well, nobody can say the fans don?t have the best interests of the club at heart, and individually we might not have the finances, but what about collectively?
A post recently indicated that Everton currently has 35,000 shares worth somewhere between £1250 and £1500, which values the club at between £43.75 million and £52.25 million. For simplicity of calculation let?s value it at £50 million, and I assume we have roughly 22,000 season tickets holders (although this doesn?t have to be limited to them). If they each invested £2,272 you would have £50 million. I am no mathematician but it?s a simple calculation: 50,000 fans at £1,000... Or 5000 at £10,000.
Obviously most fans haven?t got that kind of money lying around. Not telling the missus and remortgaging the house might represent a risk in the present climate, but adding £3,000 to the mortgage for those who have them is £22 a month or £5 a week. Even for those who don?t have one, taking out a £3,000 loan over 5 years at 7% is £59.10 a month or about £14 a week.
22,000 season ticket holders investing £3,000, roughly two shares each would fund the buyout and leave about £10 million towards a transfer fund allowing for administration costs etc. Obviously there would be many practical applications to overcome. The sheer logistics of organising so many shareholders would raise many issues. The problems that exist now wouldn?t go away. The massive debts, the needs for investment both in the team and in a better stadium are all there for everyone to see.
The one difference is the club really would be the true ?People's Club?. The board would be appointed and given a mandate to run the club by the shareholders as usual, but for once, we the fans make the decisions. We make the choices and if we do get it wrong it?s not because we didn?t care.
To add to the financial investment, surely out there amongst all the Evertonians there is the resource and the ability to take this club forward. The business knowledge and acumen and much more than that undoubtedly we must have between us. I don?t how much more passionate (if that?s possible) we could be, but if you have a stake in the club as well, let?s put our money where our mouths are...
Crazier things have happened..... we might still sign one player this summer! Keep the blue flag flying there!
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Please refer to the 2 articles called "Another Idea" posted recently by John Hughes. Instead of buying the Club, we raise the money to build a stadium (or redevelop Goodison), and let EFC use it for peanuts or nothing.
Then all their money can then be used to invest in onthe field activity and we effectively become the landlord. The Stadium is then run like any other stadia around the world for concerts and any large event for which we would charge.
By the way, I’d just like to wish a Happy Birthday to the Grand Old Lady who is aged 116 today, having been officially opened on this day in 1892.
as Tony has said a similar idea wasposted recently by John Hughes.
The concept is good but there are a few big issues.
1. Who would provide the bank guarantees for the debt.
2. Who would provide funds for new players
3. What happens if a large section of support become disillusioned with the way the club is run like we are with Bill now.
4. What about the funds for developing GP or a new stadium.
I really believe we need a rich successful businessman owner who knows how to appoint and manage competent people and I feel if QPR, West Ham, Portsmouth and other similar clubs can attract new owners there is only one thing stopping us and hopefully he will resign at the next EGM.
http://www.toffeeweb.com/season/07-08/comment/fan/article.asp?submissionID=8781
Get in touch with John Hughes now at
everton_goodison1878 AT yahoo DOT co DOT uk
The ball is rolling.
With the amount of in house arguing and negativity shown by our fans on all of the different fan sites i think that would be the worst idea ever.
Not only that i doubt most of them could cough up the amount nesecary.
Let be honest we need a rich arab or russian to save us. Or some Mike Ashley type with nothing better to do than spend his cash on us.
The fans are certainly not the answer. There would be too much fighting and indecisivness.
Fine with me (nb: fine in so far as I think anyone should be able to post anything).
They should NOT however, expect to post such dumb insulting bollocks, and imagine there will be no comeback.
I have expressed many non-positive opinions on TW.
This according to David makes me a ’so called fan’.
(I think we’d all agree that ’so called’ in this context means ’not’ or at best, ’shite’ - as in NOT Everton Fans or SHITE Everton fans).
I’d like to make David and those who ’think’ like him, aware of the fact that there are many who read their ’accentuate-the-positive’ type posts, think "Christ - another naiive, gullible fuck-wit, holding the club back because their ’be-positive-no-matter-what’ mantra is helping support a corrupt/useless regime".
The fact is, if you fall into sinking-sand and want to give yourself a chance of escaping, you start shouting (the negative?) ’I’M GOING TO DIE!! HELP!!’ right away.
You don’t (as David Banner would presumably do), think "Well it might only come up to my neck, so no point in worrying just yet".
These ignore-the-negative-under-any-circumstances idiots, remind me of those MP’s who throughout the 30’s shouted "WAR-MONGER!" at Churchill, every time he told them Germany was re-arming.
If everything in the garden isn’t rosy, pointing it out doesn’t make you a ’so called’ anything, it makes you a realist with a brain, who can see slightly further than the end of his/her nose.
what a great idea though!
david how is it negative pap?
in reaction to the impasse at the club and the stadium and transfer fiascos of this summer.....
its a positive attempt to find an answer.....
but we are not going to find a benevelont empathetic investor....lets get real and find another solution
johns is a great starting point
I WILL NOT CHANGE...I’ll leaqve the worrying and slagging off to the REAL FANS...I’ll get on quietly with supporting my team, being positive and leaving things out of my control ....
DAVID we all want the team to win and we are all SUPPORTERS but that doesn’t mean we cant take issue with the administration of the club. Get off your POSITIVE soap box before you turn green and lose another shirt and pair of keks!!
Two things.
1) If you REALLY want to be quiet about it, try laying off your ’caps lock’ button (or not posting at all!)
2) Are you aware of the fact, that if everyone was like you and thought I’ll leave things that are ’out of my control’, nothing would have ever changed, ever, ever, ever, in the history of mankind?
Ever!
I can just see it - 1789, France.
French peasant with eye-patch, ricketts and scurvy yells "Ze people ’ave ’ad enough of ze greedy aristos, zey have taken tout, nous sommes rien a mange, por les enfants"
Davide responds: "No, be poziteeev monsieur, c’est pas too bad really, supportez vous aristo team! Gettez vous behing les lads"
I will use no such comparisons, we have a Chairman who has little money but a big heart who has moved the club forward and is no looking for outside investment. If you all care so much then find us the billionaire we need. If you dont want to move to Kirby, then find an alternative with the money to carry it forward. Dont come on here spreading your negative blinkered views and say your caring fans.... or do I liken you to the toothless hags knitting in the front row ......mon ami’s......
You what?
What about being a real people’s club and buidling a utilaritarian 80-90 000 seater bowl. Corporate types who don’t like mixing with real fans could still have their suites. Who cares?
Drop ticket prices but get more people in. Who remembers the good old days when it was 2 pounds 60 to stand in Goodison and everyone who was a fan could afford to go?
Let the people’s be the vanguard of taking football back to the people.
Me what?
No YOU what?
Nice idea. I’d back it. Would Ken Bilwright sell though...
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1 Posted 24/08/2008 at 17:17:27
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And where would all these people locate their stadium? Nobody has ever said Goodison isn’t the best of all worlds - but how? In the city boundaries perhaps, but obviously not anywhere near Liverpool International Airport. And would they be able to vote on it? We will never know the answers to these questions.