FAN ARTICLES

Glorious Goodison

By John Brennan : 22/04/2011 :

Comments (9) :

I last went to Goodison in 1979 (I think it was a game against Feyenoord)?! 32 years later, I returned (like Douglas McArthur) for the Blackburn game. I sat in the Lower Gwladys and was pleasantly surprised at the space I had for my legroom. I have been spoilt at the Stadium of Light and St James' Park when I have gone to watch our lads play at those venues.

After a scintillating first half, I needed a pee. It was then brought home to me how bloody awful the facilities are at Goodison, such as bogs and refreshments. We have been through the whys and wherefores of whether or not we should leave Goodison, but it's gone very quiet on the rebuilding of the stadium front.

I watched a video on YouTube today that made Goodison look superb after a rebuilding job, with the towers and a revamped lake in Stanley Park. Are KEIOC continuing to pursue this idea, or have they given up because of the indifference of the board and the current economic situation?

Two things come to mind about this: Have the club, or KEIOC thought of applying to the EC for some sort of development grant? If they've got anything left over after spending on helping Austrian farmers to emotionally bond with their surroundings, and tanning salons for Hungarian dogs, would they be prepared to help out a famous English football club?

Secondly, there is the effort being made by the two lads who came on Toffeeweb (Tony I'Anson and Mike Owen) to get the Supporters Trust up and running ? Good Luck to you both there.

Thirdly, I had a dream last night. I looked over and I saw the Promised Land. Would it be possible to form an English football fans club that cost only about £1 a month to be a member, regardless of what club you support ? Premier, League 1, Blue Square, whatever? When the National Lottery first started, I thought it was a great idea but I misunderstood the ideas that those who run it, had. I thought that with the profits, we would see celebs appear about once a month, telling us that the committee had decided that "this month we are going to give £6M to the Children's Hospital in London and £6M to the John Brennan fund for real ale drinkers down on their luck". I regret to report, the cheque must have been lost in the post... Instead, the cash appears to have disappeared into a vortex of different causes and areas, and none of us knows fuck all about it!

Well, I have no idea how much could be raised from that number of fans/contributors, but wouldn't it be brilliant, I mean really brilliant, if approximately £21,383,427.88 were raised every few months or so? A panel of ex-footballers and managers would meet (but only when the kitty reached the above figure or thereabouts) and would decide who the lucky club or clubs were who would benefit from this largesse? For fairness to other clubs, my panel would be Phil Thompson, Howard Kendall, Bob Latchford, Duncan Mckenzie and Joe Royle. If you have a panel of 5, there will always be a solution, no splits!!

Also, there would be a draw on either live TV, Sky Sports or where ever, announcing a £100,000 winner, a £50,000 winner and ten £10,000 winners. WOW, what a fantastic idea?!? ... NO, NO, NO, it's ok, I don't want any recognition for myself, but this could be the equivalent of David Cameron's Big Society in action.

Just imagine enjoying the Royal Wedding next Friday, and then tuning in to watch Phil Thompson announcing that the £21,383,427.88 cheque would be presented to Everton captain Phil Neville for rebuilding the latrines and helping over-served fat beer drinkers like me through new, widened, super improved turnstiles?

Anyway, my next game will be the Man City game and if anyone wants my autograph, I shall, of course, be happy to provide it (photo £5 extra +VAT)...

Reader Comments (9)

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Chris Bannantyne
1 Posted 22/04/2011 at 17:24:17

Nice one.

I suggested to the board we should have a few sausage sizzles and cake stalls every few months. I am eagerly awaiting their response...

Gavin Ramejkis
2 Posted 22/04/2011 at 17:38:59

John, a few well read and skilled folk put together an explanation as to how GP could be redeveloped but it's not KEIOC's role to do it as they don't own the club. The people that do own the majority of shares at the club are unwilling to invest in it and sound to be looking for another free meal ticket to ship out to some hell hole retail park again so they don't have to spend a penny of their own money and any costs be transferred onto the club before trying to grab as big a profit on their original investment (which was very little). Unless BK really does put the club up for sale and his cronies also sell their majority holding and he manages to fuck Green and Earl off to wherever they came from it's unlikely to ever happen.

Dennis Stevens
3 Posted 22/04/2011 at 21:00:26

Sadly, I fear you may well be right Gavin - the current Board seem to be dismissing any idea of redeveloping Goodison Park & are instead looking for alternative sites for a new stadium, dependant on funding from elsewhere, of course. The prospect of DK mk II fills me with dread, as I have no confidence in the current Board's ability to do any better than the last fiasco they embroiled us in.

As for the National Lottery, John, although Major set it up to with the express purpose of not using the profits to subsidise Government funds, that all changed under the Socialists & the current economic crisis gives the Coalition the perfect excuse to carry on in the same vein. I'd certainly vote for any measure that supports consumers of Real Ale though!

Brian Denton
4 Posted 22/04/2011 at 21:20:57

Who are the Socialists, Dennis ? Certainly not New Labour. I don't remember much in the way of nationalisation or progressive taxation under the last Government. What I do remember is Mandelson saying he was 'comfortable about people becoming filthy rich'.

Do you know what Socialism is ?

Gavin Ramejkis
5 Posted 22/04/2011 at 23:55:31

Brian I think socialism died the day John Smith (he deserved to be prime minister) did, Tory Blair certainly isn't a socialist.

Jamie Crowley
6 Posted 23/04/2011 at 02:04:35

Socialism in all forms is a dead ecomomic model.
Throw it all in the middle and divy it up... no thanks....

It's been said before -- redevelop Goodison and use the Boston Red Sox and Fenway Park as your loose model.

Derek Thomas
7 Posted 23/04/2011 at 03:53:33

Toilets; they consist of sewers and drains. These haven't gone away. There has been no new building around the locality to 'use up' the drains capacity

My conclusion; The drains coped with 60K+then they can cope with 40K now.

Toilets; they consist of tiles porcelain stainless steel and water pipe be it plastic or copper...and, in the light of past recent events a couple of containers of lagging.

The money spent on that waster Bily would have provided toilets for everybody. A better pound for pound return on our investment, given the similar end product of both.

Not can't...WON'T.

Men of vision, aka the board's doing a good job, my arse.

Gavin Ramejkis
8 Posted 23/04/2011 at 09:08:39

Derek nail on the head, it's always a case of after the horse has bolted at GP, the lagged pipes episode was cringeworthy as is the money the club piss away on other cringeworthy efforts such as the inflatable goal at half time, that piss poor Changy text message game and a club that shows advertisements with an ex RS and son of a slimy tax dodging player robbing cunt (Jamie Twatnapp) on it at GP.

Dennis Stevens
9 Posted 23/04/2011 at 18:19:42

Brian, I'm not sure whether you consider my use of the term Socialists to refer to the last Government an insult to New Labour or Socialists. Whichever it is, please accept my apologies ? I must have allowed myself to be misled by the rapid growth in Government spending over the last decade or so!

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