Hey Tom, don’t expect much fan mail from TW posters.
Praise for any part of our back room staff is like a red rag to a bull.

Yep, he’s more interested than KW was at building a relationship with the fans. Like James said, you won’t get a lot of support when saying something positive about the club on here!!!

I don't see how anybody could not be supportive of our Robert Elstone, I mean apart from calling us a small town club, and slagging our ground off publicly, and wanting us to move to a mid-range stadium and advocating us being crush loaded onto trains ? what's not to like about him? Some people are never happy eh!!!

I asked about 8 serious questions and he didn?t answer a single one. Is it a PR exercise or is he actually interested in what we have to say? .... PR exercise I?m afraid.

At an Irish Toffees bash in Dublin a few years back, Wyness was a guest and after dinner, he was part of a panel (Lee Carsley, Sheeds etc) open to questions from the floor.

He was polite, affable, courteous.

He didn?t seem to (obviously) avoid answering any questions, he spoke about preserving our history, tradition etc, while trying to raise finance so that we could ?move on? (how I hate that fucking phrase, especially when used in a losing an argument context ? "Look it?s no good proving we bankers are corrupt shithouses ? we need to move on")

Anyway, on the subject of any possible moves, his ?point? was that he understood our links to Goodison and as he "loved Goodison as much as anyone" (yes he DID say that") he hoped something could be ?sorted out?.

"However we DO need to ?move on? and..."

Etc blah.

At the end, he was applauded by most and I remember marveling at how someone could talk for so long without actually saying a word.

The point I?m trying to make is that most slippery, self-serving, shysters don?t (unfortunately) appear dressed as Phil Silvers Bilko or Del Boy. Most in fact look and sound like Wyness or for that matter, Elstone.

We now know (yes KNOW) that Wyness knowingly presided over a bent vote (or maybe you think that getting people to vote for a free, state-of-the-art ground, when what was on offer was actually a mid-range ground costing us £78 million, was not bent). Elstone is merely continuing his work.

For me and many others, those for the move to Kirkby come in two camps: The easily-duped and those with a personal vested interest. And I don?t think Elstone is easily-duped. (And if I?m wrong and he IS - we?re still up shit creek!)

It was a delightful webchat - how many other clubs CEO’s do this sort of thing? Methinks it was yet another example of the ’Peoples Club’ in action. I think he answered the questions very well indeed and nailed some myths put forward by those who wish to spread mistruths..... ;)

Excellent post EJ Ruane. I’m not quite as confident that Elstone isn’t easily duped as you are, which is why I think he got the job. But you make some excellent points and your tale on Wyness was pretty damned amusing, and not the least bit surprising. If you don’t post there already, please do introduce yourself to Grandoldteam.com.

John - I’m banned.

’Rupert’ - Vested interest (DEFFO!)

"Rupert" are you losing your touch? Nothing "ho-larious" today?

Re Rupert Tarlington ? "the People's Club"... You don't honestly believe in that statement, do you?
The "People's Club " has now banned the "people" from questioning any decisions that the board make!!!

Derek, What questions did you ask?

Rupert (?)...is this, your latest persona as the EFC yucca, subject to a similar level of remuneration as your prior, sussed incarnations?

Declaring your vested interest would not make you any less a dimdick, but it might provide a reason for you poltroonery (c) EJ 2009

Tom, here?s roughly what my questions were:

Our main competitors are Man U and Liverpool, they will have 76,000 and Liverpool will have one rising to 73,000 ours will only reach 60,000, is there a lack of faith in the project or is the stadium landlocked?

Considering that generation of atmosphere is vastly helped by the more vocal fans congregation directly under the roof and stood in front of their seat, why have we designed a stadium that not only inhibits this, but is also one that the FLA have stated that it is a safety risk to stand in upper tiers and in stands over 25 degrees? (Kirkby upper is 34 degrees.)

Can you explain the reasoning behind putting away fans behind the goal? Have the players stated that they do not want full home support behind both goals?

Crowd dynamics show that the best position for acoustics is directly above the lowest tier yet there is no acoustics there at Kirkby, please explain?

Evertonians have requested for acoustics to go above them in the lower Gwladys rear since the late 60s, can you explain why this has never been done?

Why are there corporate seats to the rear of the lower End Stand tiers? Fans who like to stand and sing will feel inhibited with them directly behind them, causing a potential for friction and alienation amongst our fanbase.

Also, do the corporates know that they will have stand up to see the match when those in front stand?

[They were worded better to how I?ve put them there, but hopefully you get the general idea.]

Hand picked questions ? none of which he actually answered with any degree of relevance to the question.

I particularly liked the one were he said it was a fact that clubs all have significant increases in attendance... then went on to contradict himself in the very next sentence.

PR BOLLOCKS.

Thanks Derek
No wonder, in view of your reasonable and sensible questions that he negelected to answer mine...
’’Why are Everton Football Club hell-bent on leaving a vibrant, regenerating city with a projected 5 year commercial expansion of 1170% for a mid-range, single-use stadium on a retail park in a small town for a hoped-for benefit of £6 million per annum base on a possible at most extra 15,000 fans per home game? Thank you’’

What keeps bothering me is that he mentions The Arse (not for the first time either) as a comparison of matchday revenue. Does anybody know how much they charge for match tickets?, I would imagine it is a hell lot more than us. Does this mean a huge price hike if (when) we do move? As far as I know he never seems to address that point.

By the way are the Arse trying to get as many people whose starts with "ars" as possible? (Arsene, Arshavin, Robin van Arsie)

Phil, I suppose we should be fair, he had the more important question of answering whether or not he had an Everton top!

Same old story, not interested in our views. Just an attempt to pacify us.

It is definately Kitbag instead of JJB and almost certainly Le Coq Sportif instead of Umbro. My sources also tell me that if we get a Champions League spot Nike may also be interested. Nike has deals with Kitbag too.

Bernie Ash - do not believe any of the cock and bull about our potential match day revenue being comparable to Arsenal’s. I have lived and worked in the past with many Gooner season ticket holders and I can tell you the following:

Cheapest season ticket at the Emirates is approximately £700.

Average match day price is about £42.

"Club row" season tickets (similar to those at the new Wembley, where you get lunch pre-game, a couple of drinks and really swanky seats) are upwards of £3,500 per season.

Executive season tickets are about £5,500 per season.

Admittedly, Arsenal’s season tickets (unlike other clubs’) do include 6 home cup games per season, but still, there is no way we could charge that sort of money for our season / match day tickets. Let’s not forget as well that they sell out a 60,000 seater stadium every other weak, plus have European football every season, longer cup runs than us etc etc. They also have more corporate hospitality sections in the Emirates than we’re going to have at Kirkby.

Anyone who thinks we are going to get even close to Arsenal’s matchday revenue is in cloud cuckoo land. The only way that will be possible is if we’re challenging for the title and they get relegated.

That was exactly what was bothering me Tim. But the CEO has used this quote at least a couple of times now, as if to suggest that by moving, we WILL be able to compare to Arsenel. What bothers me is this clearly not going to happen without a huge price rise, but nobody seems to ask this, or is it just answering certain questions and not the less comfortable ones?

I noticed that Elstone said the deal with Umbro is finished in three months and he hopes to bring exciting news soon. Surely we will be going to Nike or Puma because Le Coq Sportif are awful kits and I would hardly say that would be an exciting kit deal. Fingers crossed we will be going to Nike because their kits are quality and would be the only brand better than Umbro in quality.

John Kitbag

What I cannot understand about the Kit deal is that Nike happily suuply kits for people like Villa, who were mid-table at the time of the deal, and even the likes of Fulham and even Doncaster, whilst adidas supply Macclesfield so why can?t Everton get in with them?

It must come down to what the manufacturer will pay.

I only liked one of the Puma kits ? the second one that we wore in 02-03 ? and they have supplied some hideous kits to Spurs lately.

I?d be happy to stick with Umbro as long as the supply side of it was sorted although adida would always be my choice n an ideal world. But whoever we get, we MUST have white socks!!!

Nice one, Bernie Arshe (sorry, I mean Ashe). Very good, pal.

I find it difficult not to have some sympathy for Mr Elstone. Mr Wyness has left him to promote the unpromotable. Everton are still tied in to Wynesses exclusivity egreement, and the club are far to far down the road to Kirkby to make a U-turn at this time. All key players in major organisations who are following a strategy have to show discipline.

The board have a strategy and Elstone is doing his job in promoting that strategy. If the enquiry goes against DK I am sure a plan B will soon appear with Elstone at its forfront and we may get the chance to like the guy, if DK goes ahead he will have to continue to throw his weight behind it whether he has seen the light or not.

You would have to be a fool not to see that Billy Liar has instructed his 4th CE in 8 years to get in touch with the fans and promote some positive bullshit to get the fans behind Kirkby.

It amazes and frightens me the way that he is able to manipulate seemingly intelligent people. No wonder someone coined the phrase "Mad Evertonians".... Rupert is a prime case for being locked up in the "loony bin".

Karl Masters,

I think the kit manufacturers target specific clubs for their merchandise based on a varitey of factors. Sometimes it may be to promote their brand within a city where they have low sales. They may want a geographical balance as wel as a balance of clubs within different leagues. Manufacturors such as Nike tend to go for ’glamourous’ clubs as this fit in with their own brand image.

I first thought Donny Rovers may have Nike as they were promoted last season and have a shiny brand new stadium. But it seems last season they were with a brand called Carlotti, and their current kit is Vandanel.

As for Adidas they seem to have a Europe/World wide spread over all divisions in all countries.

"Hey Tom, don?t expect much fan mail from TW posters.
Praise for any part of our back room staff is like a red rag to a bull. "

You were spot on James! :-)

Gavin Harris....que? Your point is?

if anyone at everton including Skinny Keith had any sense they would realise that kit sales would easily TRIPLE if they got the new ADIDAS kits out and in stock around the city IN MAY NOT SEPTEMBER!

Adidas and Nike do supply some lower league and non-league clubs. As I understand it these are basically off-the-shelf standard kits that have the club badge added. I suspect that Nike/Adidas do not pay to have these clubs wear their kit ? in fact it might even be the opposite with the club hoping to make a good margin on kit sold to fans (who will be more eager to buy a Macclesfield kit if manufactured by Adidas than if it was made by Carlotti).

Personally I think the Umbro home kits have been pretty good recently but I suspect the Le Coq rumour is true.

Can someone please explain the reasoning behind Everton deciding to put away fans behind one of the goals at Kirkby? They have been allocated half of the lower of the South Stand.

Was it the players or manager who requsted this? Do they feel that the Park End's support is not appreciated (or indeed the Gwladys Street's). If so, why don't they request complete silence at all times from the fans, a sort of thanks but no thanks statement for our support?

If the managers and players do feel that it is a hindrance to have home support behind both goals then shouldn't we move the away fans into the Park End now?

Perhaps they feel the Park End need to improve their support? I recently signed a petition for the introduction of a kombi standing area in the Gwladys Street. (http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/standupifyoulovetheblues/ )If we are to assume that the Park End's support is not up to scratch, as opposed to not appreciated, then shouldn't Everton be looking to have a kombi standing area to the rear of the Park End?

I think Everton need to answer this question. Is the Park End's support not appreciated, or is it not good enough?

A fantastic webchat but an even better blog from Elstone ? really laying it on the line to the opponents now that the shackles of the inquiry have gone and Wendy is off to do her report.

A particular congratulation to Elstone for mentioning the unavoidable fact of the collusion between one or two members of LCC and KEIOC ? the way they rushed through an undetailed report on an uncosted stadium and site just for the purposes of the ballot ? oops!

Loved the way the QC pointed out yet another one of the gaffes from gaffe-prone Skempy too. Wonderful stuff lol!!!

Bad timing Mr Elstone for one. A knee-jerk reaction to the KEIOC video and their proof of evidence? This has always been about Tesco getting what they want ? not the future of EFC.

Mid range stadium?
Filled to capacity?
Attract more corporate?
Best transport policy in country (North West)?
Encourage more young supporters to EFC?
Let the LFC marketing machine have the city?
Minimum of 40% Evertonians against move?
A stadium bigger than the town it inhabits?
And on and on...

Answer those questions for a start Mr Elstone:

NB, Robert Elstone ? never underestimate the dagger in the heart of LFC when Moyes said Everton are "The People's Club". He said it for good reason ? it is true. First team in city of Liverpool and always will be.

Rupert ? strange that you find your ?fellow? Evertonians hilarious because they are fighting for what they believe in.

Paul, when I?m chortling at ?fellow? Evertonians I?m not chortling at ALL Evertonians against the move, just those who regard themselves as ?special? and ?super? and ?right? ? you know the types, their names usually begin with Colin, Colm, Lyndon, Frank, Jim, Dave, Mark, and they think they speak for all Evertonians when they only speak for themselves and their small clique.

I JUDGE that my views match the views of the overwhelming silent majority, you know that silent majority who don't chant or protest against the move and indeed voted for it.

Onto to your questions...

Mid Range Stadium? Erm, a fantastic 50,000 (extendable to 60,000) stadium easily sitting within the top 4-5 stadia in the country, I accept you might want a £300m-£400m superstadium at the location of your dreams... but funding please?

Filled to capacity? I?m sure we will ? the management of the Moyesiah and the new stadium effect will see to that.

Attract more corporate? Yes I?m sure it will.

Best transport in the North West? It won't be any worse than other stadium and I think better ? Merseytravel and the Highways Agency have no problems with it. DK will unlock the Tramline, it has a railway station ten minutes away, it has a motorway two minutes away and plenty of park and ride/walk ? oh and a Bus station a few seconds away. It will be great.

Encourage more young supporters? Yes I?m sure it will.

Let the LFC marketing machine have the city? Not a jot of a chance ? although their success over the 70s/80s and Istanbul did far more damage.

Minimum of 40% Evertonians against the move? No! Only 28% of eligible voters were bothered enough to get off their backsides to vote ?no? and I suspect most of them didn't do it in an angry drama-queenish KEIOCish way ? they simply voted ?no? and it seems most have accepted the victory of the majority going by the lack of chants, protests etc etc etc.

A stadium bigger than the town it inhabits? That's only if you view Kirkby as Outer Mongolia ? I view Kirkby as part of the city, just as I do Bootle and Huyton. The evidence suggests most Evertonians agree ? see my earlier answers. Kirkby is attached to the city without a noticeable separation, I?m sure most people would regard Goodison as too big for the poor beleagured inhabitants of Walton! What's more, those poor beleaguered souls have ANOTHER stadium to contend with too (and soon to be bigger and nearer).

I?m sure I answered better than Mr Elstone would do. ;)

Let?s be clear about one thing here......... Rupert is not a "fellow Evertonian". He, like all of his multiple incarnations on these websites, is a nobody, with no point to make, and is a figment of his employer?s imagination who has been found out many times. Which is commensurate with the litany of lies and the work of fiction that is the latest propaganda.

Elstone could not respond to KEIOC?s summary just as he could not counter Colin Fitzpatrick and others when he had the chance at the inquiry.... hardly surprising since his only currency is the club?s lies and he?s now in a very tight corner ? just as his predecessor was not so long ago. Rupert?s job is to try to simulate some support for DK on these websites in its complete absence, and he is wheeled out in his various guises when the shit?s beginning to stick.

If not, prove me wrong, name the pub tomorrow and we can debate face to face..... bet you can?t, just as you couldn?t using every other name to date!

Silent Majority? by your own logic..... only 40% voted yes when they had only "doom" as an option. Show me a single poll since that shows a majority support for DK in any shape or form. The latest polls carried out on EFC websites can?t even muster 10% support for DK, nevermind a majority.

Here?s a goodun for you...... Kirkby has a public transport capacity of 4-5k per hr max..... (Walton is several times that) ? how are EFC ever going to get the required percentage using public transport (55%) since it would take 5 hrs to get them to and then away from the ground.... ?

Guess what, if they don?t do it, capacity falls to 40k, and we have 10k seats not paying for themselves, making it impossible to repay the loan to build the thing in the first place.....

BTW, we do not have planning permission for a 60k stadium, and just like we now cannot have concerts and forfeit all facilities for at least 100 days of the year to the council, do not assume something we haven?t secured already.

There would have been no additional cost to secure planning permission for the larger capacity. The reason we didn?t is because they cannot make the transport model work for 50k. Shame you can?t use any facts in your diatribes....

Rupert ? at best, ill-informed answers and at worst dangerous.

I hope all Evertonians will find the time, if they have not already, to read all the evidence presented by all sides to the enquiry. This must be the least of our duties as custodians of our club for future generations. If that happens, I am confident and have trust in my fellow Evertonians, that they will see were our future lies.

"Rupert" can I honestly make a far more serious suggestion than Tom has? If you are so voracious and certain of your views, can you please request that you have a slot at the half-time interval of any of our home games on the centre circle to preach your statements? I?d be happy to see the response and either way we would all see once and for all the actual paying supporters responses on any randomly chosen match day. If you are so adamant you are right and so many more on these and other websites believe they are right then let's have a democratic display and response in public amongst the Everton match going family.

I won't be holding my breath "Rupert" but as a season ticket holder, I will certainly be there if you do turn up.

?Rupert Tarlington???.

If you really had the conviction of your beliefs, you wouldn?t find it necessary to hide behind a multitude of personas to try and get your misguided message across.

It would just be, this is me [Insert Real Identity], I am genuine and I honestly believe that relocating to Kirkby is in the best interest of the club.

As it is, you deliberately conceal and frequently change your identity as you obviously do not believe in what you are saying.

Furthermore, you actually revel in mocking, disrespecting and trying to discredit genuine Evertonians who believe that Kirkby will be damaging to the club.

Frankly, you offer nothing of substance to the debate, you are nothing more than a wind-up and in my opinion, your posts should be deleted until such time that you come clean and start conducting yourself with a little more dignity.

One last point, given the time you have spent developing your multiple personas and odd behaviour, perhaps you should take a good look at yourself and your ?life? and perhaps seek some sort of psychiatric counselling.

Good Luck with your life ?Rupert?, clearly once the relocation issue is decided you will be left with one huge hole in your sorry and sad existence.

I hope, whatever the outcome, the decision does not screw you up any further.

Some spot-on responses there to the blackguard masquerading as an Everton fan.

Unfortunately, in a democracy, we have to put up with such venal, self-interested individuals who are happy to take the ?Queen?s shilling?...

Contrast his derisory tone and mocking comments with those of other posters who support the move. No true Evertonian would show such callousness and lack of respect to fellow supporters, who are genuinely concerned about the detrimental effects of this relocation.

What next? Will he be calling us drunken knobhead Evertonians? Shame on you! Whoever you may be found out to be...

As a fairly new user of this site, could some one please tell me why Rupert is not actually Rupert, if you follow that? (I assume there must be give away signs in the post...) Personally, I don?t want to go to Kirby, but surely nobody would seriously suggest that Man U isn?t in Manchester, even though it isn?t. That's not the reason I don?t want to go anyway. I just don?t really think it all adds up quite right, so if in doubt and all that.

Bernie, Rupert is a well-known former poster on a variety of other websites who used to go by the name of 'Ged Madden'.

However, Ged Madden is actually a good blue who was distraught when he found someone was using his name to post the kind of things "Rupert" did on the internet.

"Rupert" is using the exact same language as the poster formerly pretending to be Ged Madden on this and other web forums, and attacking the same people.

This strange individual is reported to actually be someone in quite a responsible job in planning, and someone who has levelled some very serious accusations at people which are not true.

The person posing as "Rupert" here and any other number of names on other forums (Phil Edwards on NSNO, Ged Madden on Bluekipper) isn?t even an Everton fan...

Hi Bernie
It is, as you suspect, an historic thing
Tom, above, spells it out graphically

As, unlike our tanned, smiling CEO, I don’t want to risk a libel writ, I offer the following clues...
the entity currenty using the nom de coward ’Rupert Tarlington’ is by popular opinion, writing style and m.o.
i) a very chocolatey biscuit busy-lizzie;
ii) a 6-iron yucca

Simon, How do you know?

Tom.,
The slimplest way to assure you...
’’ I could hide,’neath the wings’’ etc.

Thanks for the replies.
Now, maybe I’ve got too much time on my hands, but the suspicioun got thebetter of me.
I’ve just completed a little research, (wonderful thing this internet malarkey) and somethings tastes sour.
(Apologies if this has been covered in earlier posts)
Robert Elstone has quite a c.v.
During his carear, in various positions, he has worked with: Chelsea, Leeds United, Manchester City and Sunderland.
City and Sunderland both have new grounds, Chelsea haven’t ruled it out, Leeds, well they tried another approach shall we say.
He has also worked on the launch of the Scots Prem, Did the same in Greece, a new league.
Also, " the reform of Juve’s commercial strategy" (source Deloitte press release), doesn’t give dates however, for any one thinking what I did, namely was that before the scandal or after?
Now we change sports to his first love of Rugby, where he is a director at Castleford, known as the "Tigers".The Ground is known as the Jungle.
He was involved in the creation of the Superleage, another new league, along with a new club in Paris, so I presume a new ground
I make that 3 new grounds, 3 new leagues, and 1 new club
As I said, some c.v..
But I give you this gem:
".....The club has stated that their current base, the Jungle, restricts the Tigers’ potential.

"The Jungle loved that it is is our Achilles Heel," Castleford director Robert Elstone told the paper.

"Commercially, the facilities limit our potential. Our corporate facilities are modest in quality and restricted in capacity. Even fully sold, we start the season several thousand pounds behind our competitors.

"Our ground is packed with memories over 70 years of history should not be dismissed lightly but we do need to continue to explore all possibilities to find an appropriate new home. They include renovation, rebuild or a new site."
(TOTALRL.COM © League Publications Ltd)
Sound familiar?
Make that 5 new grounds, including Kirkby, and I say once again, that’s some c.v

By the way during the course of my nosiness, and reading various things, I’ ve come wonder, based on the style of delivery etc, if Rupert, or whoever, is actually Robert!

What a bunch of drama queens....lol!!!

Tom, anything you say on the old ’work in progress’ Traffic and Travel front is simply your negative ’cant do’ opinion, everything I say is positive ’can do’ and factual. Unfortunately your side wasnt armed at the inquiry with objections from Merseytravel and the Highways Agency - nuff said as they say. There will be plenty of park and ride/walk, a tramline (watch this space!), a railway station, a bus station and a motorway - all minutes away from the new ground - nuff said (again) as they say. ;)

Mark, wouldnt you just lurve truthful posts from the opposing majority held view side to ’banned’ - lol!!! I suggest you should be a tad more worried that Paddy Clarkson and Mr. Jackson colluded at the start of KEIOC’s ’big’ day to make it the only day that was embarassingly cut short and put in the ’shambolic’ pile lol!!!

Simon, yes of course its a ’fact’ i’m Phil Edwards from your forum - a forum i’ve never been on, its also a ’fact’ i’m not an Evertonian.....Pure desperation because you cant argue my points methinks.

I’m in a fantastic mood at the moment like 99% of Evertonians because of our cup run and general progress, I wager the only ’sick as a parrot’ ’Evertonians’ are those supporting the likes of KEIOC - unfortunately for KEIOC EFC has a happy fanbase under the stewardship of the Moyesiah and the man the Moyesiah loves to bits - William Kenwright. For the umpteenth zillionth time no angry protests or chants. ;)

Rupert,
Ged, Ian, Bob, See you couldn?t show your face once again at the match. I am a matchgoing, season ticket holding, shareholding blue...... your are a snide, a no-mark friend of non-blues. Unfortunatley for you..... Merseytram, your great saviour?s drawings will have my name on ALL of them. So what are you going to tell me about it in the great Merseytravel work in progress tail? hahaha.

I wrote the book mate! so, please enlighten me! Tell another lie!!! I can walk up Goodison Rd, and County Rd and shout my name, can you? Can you feck! Has anyone ever met Rupert? or Ged? How do these people look at themselves in the mirror? haha. Every Evertonian website laughs at you!!!! Hahahahahahahahahahah!