Season 2011-12 Fan Articles
No need to panic, not yet!
By David Robinson :: 27/08/2011
49 Comments (»Last)
The recent leaking of the transcript of a meeting between Bill Kenwright and representatives of the Blue Union has caused a storm around Goodison Park. The mood was already bleak with many fans angry at Kenwright for the lack of transfer funds afforded to David Moyes this summer, but the lid was blown off the pot with the release of the minutes.
Everton are angry, insisting that all sides agreed to keep the meeting confidential, and many fans have turned against the movement. But many think leaking the transcript was the right thing to do, and that Kenwright is dragging the club down. Whatever your opinion, the fact is that the meeting lifted the lid on some very interesting truths about the state of Everton FC.
When Kenwright took the club over from Peter Johnson 12 years ago, we were in a precarious situation, both on and off the pitch. Years of mismanagement had left the club on the brink of relegation and on the verge of administration. Fast forward to today and, while the situation on the pitch is much different, financially it does seem like the club is being held together by sticky-back plastic and the good intentions of a few.
The debt Kenwright took over from Johnson has been renegotiated to a much more manageable yearly sum, but income is still outstripped by expenditure to the tune of £5million per year. Everton?s bankers, Barclays, have by all intents and purposes been accommodating but have decreased the club's overdraft to £25million and have seemingly been putting pressure on Kenwright to sell one of our star players to service the debt. Kenwright himself claims to have remortgaged his house and taken out a £10million loan for the club, which, if true, is a measure of the man.
The Blue Union accuse Kenwright of standing in the way of progress. They claim he has failed, on two occasions, to build the club a new stadium, and that he has failed in his bid to find a new owner for the club. They also suggest that some fans believe that he is diverting money from the balance sheet. It has also been suggested to me that he had full knowledge that the transcript was to be released, and that there was no such confidentiality agreement in place, and that the club is trying to pull the wool over the eyes of Evertonians by claiming otherwise.
I certainly don't doubt the intentions of the Blue Union, and their determination to take action to further the Everton cause is admirable. And there are certainly questions to be answered. Kenwright hasn?t done himself any favours with his silence on some of the fans' concerns. He has lauded Keith Harris, the man appointed with finding the club a new buyer, yet this is the man who nearly sold the club to a trickster from a single-bed flat in Manchester, and whom David Gill, the Manchester United CEO, said would go anywhere for publicity. There is also the matter of the £25million "Other operating costs" of the club, which Kenwright seemed unable to explain at the meeting, although the club claim this is largely due to the new Finch Farm training complex.
The question of whether there was an agreement in place to keep the details of the meeting confidential can easily be answered by the Blue Union releasing the unedited version of the minutes from the tape (there is definitely a tape as this level of conversational detail didn?t come from memory). The fact that they haven?t, to me, speaks volumes.
Personally, I firmly believe Kenwright saved the club. He took over at our lowest ebb and, along with others, prevented the club from slipping into administration. He appointed Moyes, and then stuck by him when many fans were demanding his head, and they continue to have one of the best working relationships in the league. He has overseen the building of the state-of-the-art training facility at Finch Farm and has developed a productive, close-knit relationship with sponsors Chang. His dedication to the club, as the Blue Union admit, is not open to question. He has been unbelievably unlucky with the Kings Dock and Destination Kirkby projects, both of which he invested considerable time, money and effort into.
I also believe that he has taken the club as far as he can, and he himself has said publicly for years now he wishes to sell to the right buyer. But as Kenwright says, we are in the middle of a severe global financial crisis. Buyers for football clubs are few and far between. Those clubs that have been bought either have brand new stadiums (in some cases that they didn?t even pay for), or have been taken over by those so rich that the financial crisis barely bothers them. The former includes clubs such as Blackburn and Sunderland, while the latter include Liverpool, Chelsea and Man United. Man City fall into both categories. The fact is that very few people are interested in buying a club with an ageing stadium and substantial debts, so quite whom Everton fans see taking over from Kenwright is unclear.
There are other members of the board who should perhaps be attracting more criticism than Kenwright. Robert Earl underwrote loans for the club and brings, according to Kenwright, considerable marketing experience, but has yet to actually invest any money. Likewise Jon Woods has not, as far as anyone is aware, invested any money since the takeover from Johnson. There are also some extremely wealthy individuals (Lord Granchester and Phillip Green, billionaires both) around the club who, for one reason or another, don?t wish to invest. Perhaps Kenwright should be more persuasive in his endeavours to get one of them to part with some cash, but Kenwright seems to be the only one who has invested any substantial money into the club.
The lack of a new ground is a severe hinderance to the club finding a new owner. Goodison is a grand old stadium with a great atmosphere and a distinguished history, but there is no scope for expansion, and matchday revenue is unsustainably low. There has been plenty of finger-pointing about why the previous stadium projects have fallen through, but one thing is clear ? there needs to be a new push for a new stadium, preferably in co-operation with Liverpool City Council. The Football Quarter scheme looks an interesting proposition that would re-develop the local area around the current ground. For the club to be able to afford this though, investment would be needed.
Everton fans are frustrated because they see clubs around them spending, whilst we are currently the only club without a summer signing. This is, of course, understandable. Clubs such as Sunderland have signed several big names this summer, while rivals Liverpool, Chelsea and both Manchester clubs have spent huge. It is worth mentioning though that £250 million of the £350 million spent in the Premier League this summer has been from these five clubs; Tottenham and Stoke have so far spent nothing, whilst a further eight clubs have spent under £10million each. Sides like Aston Villa, Newcastle and Arsenal, as well as Spurs if they lose Modric, will be significantly weaker this season that last season, whereas Everton still have the same squad that finished last season so strongly (with the addition of Ross Barkley). It is true, of course, that this all could change during the remainder of the transfer window.
Aside from the club's financial situation, there is much to be optimistic about at the club. We have one of the best managers in the league, who has built a top squad with a fantastic work ethic and a great team spirit who have been together for several seasons, and an excellent backroom staff. We have many in-demand players, the vast majority of whom are under long-term deals, and at least four of whom ? Jagielka, Rodwell, Fellaini and Baines, are valued at at least £15million. Our midfield scored more goals than any other Premier League side, other than Man Utd, last season, and we have two current England internationals in our defence.
It is certainly the case that we are light up front but Beckford finished last season strongly, and Saha has had a full pre-season for once. I actually fancy Big Vic to have a good season, and with the attacking prowess we have from midfield, particularly from Tim Cahill, goals may not be so much of an issue. Much depends on how Mikel Arteta plays this season, as his guile and craft could be crucial if we are to do well.
The major plus for Everton is, yet again, the youth system. For years we?ve had one of the most productive youth programmes in the Premier League, and last years emergence of Seamus Coleman and Jack Rodwell was a highlight. This year, it seems that Ross Barkley is the latest to roll off the production line. He may have come through sooner but for a double leg break on England duty last season, and his performances at the start of this season have been hugely promising, leading to an England Under-21 call up for the 17-year-old midfielder.
Also looking to break into the first team will be Magueye Gueye, who had a fantastic pre-season prior to his injury, and reserve team captain Jose Baxter has bags of promise and will also be hoping to step up. There are several players from last season?s triumphant Academy Under-18 side who certainly have the potential to make the grade, namely Conor McAleny, Jake Bidwell and Eric Dier. Dier in particular looks like a special player, and we have an option to sign him at the end of the season, which we should take up at all costs. Two players who missed the Academy final as they were on England duty, John Lundstram and Hallam Hope, have been touted in the national media as future stars.
The future for Everton will be the youth of the club. When you have a quality youth system, as we do, this is a good thing, but we do need some investment in the team to complement it. We don?t need to spend a fortune, and to be honest I don?t want a billionaire sugar daddy to bankroll the club. I see what is happening at Man City, and what has happened at Chelsea, and it makes me feel empty. Buying success, for me at least, is not a satisfactory way to run a club, and besides, new Uefa rules concerning the way clubs are run and the amount of debt they can hold means this type of business model won?t be viable in the future anyway.
What we need is someone who will invest enough to help the club into a new stadium and to clear the majority of our debts; these acts alone would free up enough money to give Moyes a decent transfer budget each season. However, this level of investment, while not excessive, is going to be difficult to come across in today?s financial environment, and fans need to understand and accept this. The gloom around the club, even factoring in the opening day defeat to QPR, is unwarranted, unjustified, and the fans really need to pull together for the sake of the team.
Reader Comments (49)
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18 Posted 27/08/2011 at 20:58:22
19 Posted 27/08/2011 at 21:03:02
I?m not certain where you?ve obtained your information from but to suggest Bill Kenwright inherited a debt from Johnson which he has renegotiated back to a reasonable yearly sum is so far wide of the mark it?s untrue. He?s tripled Johnson?s debt and thrown in £50m on top of that from the balance sheet. Quite simply we?re in a far worse state now, why do you think the banks are dictating policy at Goodison these days?
As for suggesting he?s been unlucky with a couple of stadium moves frankly I?m lost for words....gross negligence would be a much more accurate description, on both counts.
I?ll leave it there as I?m sure others will pass further comment but I?ll just say this; Bill?s been found out now, he?s tried his best but he?s failed; changes need to be made before he fucks it up any further.
20 Posted 27/08/2011 at 21:18:03
21 Posted 27/08/2011 at 21:22:21
Nobody is sugar-coating the Johnson era, he made many mistakes but nowhere near what Bill has made; the club is in the worst position financially in its history ? things have got to change; for me it's as simple as that.
22 Posted 27/08/2011 at 22:10:11
The gross financial mess the club are in has built up for 11 out of the last 12 years, the credit crunch or global recession whichever label you want to call it only kicked in the UK in 2008 as signalled by the Nationwide Building Society several years after the downward spiral began at Everton. It most certainly hasn't helped with increased pressure on lenders wanting their pound of flesh and credit lines drying up but its a fallacy to claim this has been the cause of problems at Everton as they go back way beyond that.
For whatever reason the other board members haven't invested in the club or been exposed to the brickbats BK has earned but likewise these are his board members as Chairman, his board that closed shop to change the clubs articles of association and remove AGMs thus removing any say the small shareholders have. His use of his board members to railroad before but not question their motives down to him. Surely an AGM or EGM should be asking those questions but they no longer can. A case of him having his cake but choking on it.
The ground expansion has been discussed including within the walls of the club but the lack of appetite rather than it being possible has been it's cessation; with no will there is no way.
Finally I can't agree with you that the sense of forboding around the club is the fans fault, they have paid good money for years into the club, far more than has been spent by the current board in fact and many will be around long after the current custodians (and that is all they are - they are not the club) are long gone. It is fully warranted to be worried and upset and outraged at what has happened to Everton Football Club, not overnight but gradually over the last 12 years.
23 Posted 28/08/2011 at 00:31:40
This just strikes me as very odd from someone who would write the above? Please correct my suspicious mind that is coming up with various theories.
24 Posted 28/08/2011 at 00:57:28
25 Posted 28/08/2011 at 01:04:09
(p3) Kenwright was part of Jonson's regime and while the club had debt they also had considerably more assets which have subsequently been sold off.
(p4) aside from the above, would you not agree that if Kenwright has not mortgaged his house then this in turn is a measure of the man. If he has done fuck alls other than lie to maintain power, what would you say?
(p5) Have we got a new stadium? Have we got a new owner?
(p6) Well put it like that, what's twenty odd million pounds between friends?! He is, after all, only the Chairman.
(p7) to me this sounds like a libelous statement, written to discredit three people's version of accounts and speaks volumes about your article as a whole.
(p8) aside from his time, he invested the club's money in those projects... And many beleived he squande
26 Posted 28/08/2011 at 01:30:21
(P9) quite who Kenwright expects will invest while he remains at the helm is also quite bizarre... Though it is a statement made by him consistently over the years. Not to mention the in oath statement of not diluting the current shareholders' stake... But that on oath statement was just to push things on, right?
(p10) oh yes, at least he's not that bad... I mean he's had is it 12years of working 24/7, give the guy a break, i mean he's mortgaged his house and everything... Did I mention he's been working 24 hours seven days a week? It's everyone else's fault - not poor ickle wickle chairman. Blame it on Bush, Blair, Brown, Fritzl fucking anywone but Blue Bill.
(p11) Again, what fool would invest with the current board as it stands?
(p12) http://www.soccernews.com/soccer-transfers/english-premier-league-transfers/
27 Posted 28/08/2011 at 06:53:39
28 Posted 28/08/2011 at 09:43:17
Maybe though, I have become a massively pessimistic skeptic...
29 Posted 28/08/2011 at 11:17:45
You keep on telling us changes need to be made.
Unless we get a rich benefactor what exactly can be changed that will make us competitive in the tansfer market with the likes of Chelsea, Manchester United and Manchester City (the teams likely to take the top 3 league positions this season)?
30 Posted 28/08/2011 at 11:22:50
Really? You might want to check that fact more closely. The debt has increased alarmingly during Kenwrights tenure, and is further increasing each year. Also, in no way can the club be described as managing their debt. Muddling their way through, maybe.
"They claim he has failed, on two occasions, to build the club a new stadium, and that he has failed in his bid to find a new owner for the club"
They're not 'claiming' any such thing. They're simply stating a fact. Kenwright has overseen two failed, embarrassing, attempts at a ground move and is no nearer to finding a buyer now then he was when he first undertook his 24/7 search for investment.
"There are also some extremely wealthy individuals (Lord Granchester and Phillip Green, billionaires both) around the club who, for one reason or another, don?t wish to invest. Perhaps Kenwright should be more persuasive in his endeavours to get one of them to part with some cash"
It has long been reputed that the very reason Lord Grantchester refuses to invest money into Everton is the fact that Bill Kenwright remains in charge of the club.
" He has overseen the building of the state-of-the-art training facility at Finch Farm"
...which he promptly proceeded to mortgage off in another short-term fix that leaves the club losing out in the long term.
You know what, I think I'm going to stop reading now.
31 Posted 28/08/2011 at 12:00:30
"Really? You might want to check that fact more closely. The debt has increased alarmingly during Kenwrights tenure, and is further increasing each year. Also, in no way can the club be described as managing their debt. Muddling their way through, maybe."
Debt has risen proportionately with an 'alarming' increase in turnover. This is called debt management (e.g. living within your means). Basic stuff.
"It has long been reputed that the very reason Lord Grantchester refuses to invest money into Everton is the fact that Bill Kenwright remains in charge of the club."
Reputed by who exactly? Gives us the names.
Regarding your comment about Finch Farm, shows you know very little about our club. The mortgage on Finch Farm played a key part in funding the long term contracts of our top players. Had it not been done they would have more than likely left on a free, or below market bids due to being near the ends of their contracts. Letting that happen would have been bad business sense, the mortgage was the right thing to do.
32 Posted 28/08/2011 at 11:38:27
You think we need a change to compete? I'm saying we need a change to survive. As a club we're on our knees and the people who have brought us to that position shouldn't be allowed to take the next important decision - let's not forget something here, these are the people who agreed a price to sell the club, to a couple of phonies, then allowed them to conduct due diligence before it finally dawned on them that something wasn't quite right.
The three teams you mention have something in common; last night I forced myself to watch Liverpool, they were all over Bolton like a rash, a team that put four past a club who beat us at home last week. Liverpool also have the same thing in common with Chelsea, City and United.
Anyone who watched the full game at Ewood yesterday knows we're not going nowhere, we're going somewhere fast if a change doesn't happen.
33 Posted 28/08/2011 at 12:35:06
You?re simply embarrassing yourself now; ?Debt has risen proportionately with an 'alarming' increase in turnover. This is called debt management (e.g. living within your means). Basic stuff? Have you no comprehension of what has been going on / is going on at Goodison?
Hang on, don?t answer that, your next gem has done it for you, ?The mortgage on Finch Farm played a key part in funding the long term contracts of our top players." What mortgage would that be? Any links to it? All the charges against the club can be found here, http://www.scribd.com/collections/2864048/Everton-FC-Mortgage-Charges
34 Posted 28/08/2011 at 12:51:11
My understanding is that the Finch Farm land was sold to the developer, with an option to buy back the development later in the contract. If we had paid outright for it, we would not have been able to develop the squad. This is why we loan Finch Farm, and this is why our 'other costs' have increased to pay for this world class facility. In the absence of someone with a few hundred million to chuck at the club, Finch Farm has become the future, by looking to give our youth the best possible chance of breaking through to the first team. If we can have a Ross Barkley every couple of seasons, it can only be good for the club. Of course, the lads using Finch Farm still need to be talented enough to develop to a top level.
35 Posted 28/08/2011 at 13:23:45
The amount Finch Farm will cost the club means the only possibly way to break even on it is to find three Wayne Rooneys - multi million pound players the club has to sell just to break even, is that really right with you?
36 Posted 28/08/2011 at 13:53:41
We aren't living beyond our means, the debt is manageable. It just means we cannot spend for a few years. We have maxed out, so we have to go back to the start and rebuild again. Our squad is aging, so now doubt you will see a lot of changes over the next few years. There will be a lot more youth given opportunites, until debt is down to a level where we can borrow money again to bring in players. This is the reality of not having endless millions to pump into the squad. This is no different to 70% of the Premier League.
Finch Farm is an investment into the future of this club giving our youth the best possible chance of developing. How can it be seen as a bad thing? Should we have stopped at the below par Bellefield just to save money in the short term? I don't get it sometimes. The club is slagged off for short-term thinking, yet now criticised for Finch Farm being long term and not helping things in the short term? You cant have it both ways....
37 Posted 28/08/2011 at 13:45:31
38 Posted 28/08/2011 at 13:55:15
I believe that Bill Kenwright has made mistakes and taken the club as far as he can; however, as you state, the members of the board are also responsible for the problems of Everton. Hopefully someone will come in and supply the investment required to lift the club to where it should be.
With regards to the Blue Union group, I can understand their frustration, however, they lost a lot of credibility with the behaviour after the meeting which leaves one wondering what their real motives are.
Colin, I read with interest your posts on Toffeeweb and on reading them I am left wondering what your real agenda is.
39 Posted 28/08/2011 at 14:26:37
Yes changes need to be made, however, without a rich benefactor in the wings what can the club do?
40 Posted 28/08/2011 at 14:36:09
Thanks for cheering me up with that tale, hilarious. Gavin's already put you straight on the first part of your delusion but I?m still struggling with your explanation of how this so called mortgage has funded, what was it again, ?the mortgage on Finch Farm played a key part in funding the long term contracts of our top players.?, okay Dan, back to the jigsaws and basket weaving.
"Get Keith on the phone love, I think I've got one for him"
41 Posted 28/08/2011 at 15:23:23
42 Posted 28/08/2011 at 15:30:47
In 50 years time, the value of the facility should have grown considerably, when the new lease in up for negotiation, so I can imagine what that will cost then. The Club are in no position to buy it back, so it's funding the private pensions of the investors in ROM Capital. http://www.scribd.com/doc/24520627/Everton-Takes-50-Year-Lease-at-Training-Ground-Property-Week
43 Posted 28/08/2011 at 16:52:51
44 Posted 28/08/2011 at 18:32:37
So Mr Dodd, again you herald anyone toeing your line is "on the inside"
45 Posted 28/08/2011 at 18:41:41
The floor is yours lad.
What do you think they should do instead, without a rich benefactor waiting in the wings?
46 Posted 28/08/2011 at 19:36:37
The fact that we didnt buy Finch Farm upfront and sold the land, saved us a shedload of cash that has been used on tying up the better players in the squad onto long term deals. Finch Farm would have cost us the best part of 15-20 million, if not more. This would have left us painfully short in funding the squad. I dont see what is hard to understand.
47 Posted 28/08/2011 at 19:52:35
Dan you seem to be a little confused at how Finch Farm was anything short of financial mismanagement (living beyond our means) - again an £8m pound facility that would take three Wayne Rooneys to be found, developed and sold to break even which you have changed into a £15m-£20m facility which has allowed us to fund the squad. Simple maths Dan, the club has borrowed and borrowed and borrowed until its credit score finally hit zero a few years ago. Selling Finch Farm never provided £15m-£20m it burdened the club with a long lease at significant cost, the accounts show the loans and mortgages.
How is it hard to understand Dan, your own question? You sell something and pay back more than you got for it to rent it suddenly by the marvels of creative mathematics Tesco Terry would have been proud of in Desperation Kirby evolve into a £15m-£20m profit to spend on the squad. Rocket science indeed Dan.
48 Posted 28/08/2011 at 20:11:46
I am ''bored' of discussing the Finch Farm topic. You seem to not understand the fact that we could not have bought it, without having financial implications that would have affected the first team budget. I have already said that in the ideal world, we would have bought it, and funded the first team contracts. But we didnt have the money, so the first team team was priority and the Finch Farm land was sold to the developers and leased back over 50 years. Ideal? No. Was there any other options? I am all ears if you can explain how the deal should have been done with the finances available...
49 Posted 28/08/2011 at 21:32:21
The first thing I'd do is to terminate any relationship we have with Keith Harris. To let the club go through due diligence (at what cost?) twice, only for the chairman to smell a rat at the last minute, defies belief.
What kind of company operates so unprofessionally in the first place? And then keeps the incompetent broker on contract???
We can debate the current financial predicament until the cows come home, the only way out of this mess is to find a suitable buyer. Do you have confidence the people we have scouring the globe are fit for purpose? ? I don't.
50 Posted 28/08/2011 at 22:34:46
Switch back to Finch Farm, it was originally linked to the hare-brained DK that by selling Bellefield the club would have a large wad to go towards the new stadium, that risk didnt come off and rather than still owning the place its gone and that new shiny hard to afford training facility is in place with the attached debt, only thing now is the money they finally got from it has been swallowed by some of the debts you seem to think the club dont have. The same debts that swallowed up all of the savings not replacing Gosling for a year, having Yobo out on loan for a year, Yakubu loan fee and saved wages, Pienaar sale and saved wages and Vaughan sale and saved wages all going to these mysterious "non-existent" debts.
Going back to the BU meeting with Chairman Bill and he claims to have begged the bank "not to shut us down", now what is it Dan, are we ALL telling porkies and making this up, did the money mentioned not exist, did Bill lie? Bill also claims that David doesnt want to sell players unless he agrees their value, the same thing we witnessed over Lescott but maybe that didnt happen either?
51 Posted 29/08/2011 at 00:11:20
Are we financially up shitcreek without a paddle ... Yes.
Is there any other answer to our financial predicament other than a rich benefactor.... No
Is there a silver bullet the existing board could fire.... No
Have we consistently performed above our means in the Premier League... Yes
Does all this nonsense affect our on field performance... I suspect so.
I have never been so dispirited reading so much I'll informed nonsense by barrack room lawyers and individuals who seem to genuinely glory in running this club down.
When we go in to administration or get relegated please feel free to say I told you so, until then stop whinging please.
Am I really bored with the barrack room lawyers
52 Posted 29/08/2011 at 01:56:10
"What do you think they should do instead, without a rich benefactor waiting in the wings?"
Well as you've kindly handed me the floor I would sell. Oh but are you suggesting that there's "no money in the world" as per Blue Bill? Well let's go down the analogy root, following on from Gavin...
You own house that you bought for a modest sum 12 years ago. Even though the sum was cheap, you didn't have a lot of capital, but the banks and your friends helped you out. You can barely make the mortgage and certainly can't afford the maintenance of your dream house... Especially given your wife's taste in "must have" furnishings. The roof is fucked though and it's been perfectly apparent you're going to sell as you've maxed all credit lines, the wife's getting increasingly twitchy.
You decide there's nothing for it but to sell, but you don't tie it to one estate agent but go with them all, but also insisting that you handle the sale. You have had interest, but have no sold because for some reason once you have spent the time attracting these people they never show up with the cash. But have you factored in the ropey roof into your price? Are you too emotionally involved? Are you asking too much from the buyer on terms of NDAs and other contracts before they are given the asking price?
Needless to say the banks, creditors and you're wife are now pissed off at your ineptitude.
So who's to blame in not selling your house? The banks, the house, the roof, the multitude of estate agents, your wife or you... I mean it has been available to buy for years - and you personally have been on the case 24/7.
Almost everything (unless too personal) is for sale at the right price. There'll be a considerable number of people having to sell their houses at a loss over the forthcoming year... Or perhaps they should just tell the banks that there's no money in the world.
53 Posted 29/08/2011 at 10:36:40
I think every man and his dog knows we should sell.
The point i am making is who is going to buy the club? Whoever it is needs to have bucket loads of cash to try and make us a force in the game again and these people don't appear to be breaking the doors down at goodison do they?
David Mockford sums it up perfectly with the following statement
"Is there any other answer to our financial predicament other than a rich benefactor.... No"
54 Posted 29/08/2011 at 11:19:07
So, David, please cut the "where are all these people" line... It's bullshit.
55 Posted 29/08/2011 at 10:49:44
Do you go through life never questioning things or just accept everything as meagre yes men? Do you never ask why things are the way they are or how you got to a bad place to learn from mistakes? I personally get no pleasure whatsoever from the penny finally dropping with more and more people that the club is languishing in trouble with no route out. If it makes you feel better by burying your head in the sand or playing three wise monkey mode hoping its all a nasty dream then I do feel pity for you.
The way the club is being ran is a disaster with only one outcome as it stands. Dave Thomas has asked several times what is the answer and my response has been change. No change has one outcome and BK has now openly admitted that (he'd said words to that effect several years ago). He's had his chance and blown it big time. The change will no doubt be painful but it needs to come for the good of the club as the current incumbents have no capacity or desire to do anything to the club's benefit.
The first thing I would hope for is a comnplete change at board level, none of the current board members have done a tap for the club. The criteria needs to include capable business people; men or women no matter who or where they are from. Board members need to bring something to the table,; no empty promises or unused skills as that makes them even worse than carpetbaggers. If your skills are marketing then fucking market the club, etc etc etc, if you wont you lose your seat on the board.
You use the fans as a complimentary part of the business with a realistic fans forum, you re-introduce AGMs to show your intent to bring checks and balances to the way the club is ran. I think we have a very rocky road ahead even with change but no change will bring the club's inevitable downfall.
56 Posted 29/08/2011 at 15:19:00
Dan (#29 and #31) I know you are really bored of the Finch Farm debate, but I will add this little note that has not been highlighted before..
Given that the major WEALTHY shareholders in EFC have spent no money apart from buying their shares (confirmed at public enquiry), how come they could not have chipped in between them and invested in Finch Farm with their own money, and LEASED it back to the Club for say errrrrmm 0.5% over bank base rate, instead of allowing a 3rd party FINANCE COMPANY do it for a much larger percentage figure. Surely, this would have saved the Club a fortune over the term of the lease AND given them a return on their investment. AND given a world class facility for the players you go on about.
Then again, I'm a bit thick really, but where do the financial people working for football players, senior management and major shareholders invest money for "their clients"? If I had a spare few hundred grand in the bank making 0.5% I would also be interested in investing in ROM Capital (Finch Farm deal) because it's an absolute no brainer of an investment with a tenant going NOWHERE for the next 50 years.
57 Posted 29/08/2011 at 16:11:06
David Mockford is asking people to wake up and smell the coffee; relax David, I think we can definitely smell something, but it isn?t coffee.....
You say you know that financially we?re up shit creek without a paddle; how do you know this? I?m wondering when you had this quite remarkable epiphany? It's remarkable as at the end of last season, in one of your three posts to date, you stated, ?It is very easy to be critical of BK and I?m neither a fan nor a critic........we have not put the future of the club at risk by financial folly........."
I?ll tell you when you had to change your stance; it was when three of what you describe as barrack room lawyers, internet warriors and conspiracy theorists confirmed what many had suspected for a long time by getting the answer directly from the horse?s mouth.
I love all these ?nothing we didn?t already know? proclamations; before it was all "what you fail to understand" and "the general level of financial naivety never ceases to amaze me".
Calling Evertonians names; Evertonians who don?t readily swallow the bullshit from amateurs, hmmm, can?t quite put my finger on it at the moment........
58 Posted 29/08/2011 at 17:19:54
"Is there any other answer to our financial predicament other than a rich benefactor.... No
David and David, I refer you to my post #32, a fundamental reason why rich benefactors aren't knocking our door down, has been a misplaced trust in the incompetent Keith Harris (the man who introduced MUFC to Michael Knighton).
The board have to take stock, and review their strategy for selling the club, because it clearly isn't working.
59 Posted 30/08/2011 at 07:44:17
60 Posted 30/08/2011 at 12:09:43
61 Posted 30/08/2011 at 12:35:33
Rather than insulting people who have a slightly different view to you "Stop getting so wound Gavin, yes they are coming out of the woodwork; didn?t you expect them to employ the same tactics with so few brain cells at their disposal?"
Please could you inform us all then how this change will come about that i think we all agree is needed?. If Kenwright is to go can you tell us who will take charge of the club? Have you any concrete proof that you can share with us showing people with the necessary funds are being turned away by the club, for example the theory that Kenwright turned away City's owners?
You mentioned a while back that you thought we should have an interim board. However, the majority of the people you stated you wanted on the interim board consisted of members of the current board that you want rid off.
Also, it has been mentioned that Grantchester does not want anything to do with the club while Kenwright is in charge. Is there an interview etc that you can point me to were he states this?
62 Posted 30/08/2011 at 20:15:33
63 Posted 30/08/2011 at 20:36:37
"it's not Colin's or anyone apart from those custodians in charge of the club to.make those decisions" Bloody hell i think we all know Colin wont be making those decisions, unless he has been elected onto everton's board and we have not been informed.
He can however give us his opinion on what he would do, just like you can. Care to share with us what your plan of atteack would be?
64 Posted 30/08/2011 at 22:53:14
Bit touchy aren?t we? I wasn?t even talking about you to Gavin, I?m aware you?ve been posting on here for quite some time.
Apart from that I have no idea what you?re talking about. I don?t understand your questions that you ask of me, you appear to have directed them at the wrong person; I don?t think I?ve said anything about the Abu Dhabi United Group approaching Everton and I have no idea why John Granchester won?t have anything to do with Kenwright, perhaps you should ask him yourself, he?s very approachable, I had a natter with him just after the final whistle at the QPR game.
As for where you got that ?the majority of the people you stated you wanted on the interim board consisted of members of the current board that you want rid off.? I?m equally at a loss; I think you need to dig that one out and see who I suggested, I think you?ll find that it certainly didn?t consist of the majority of the current board, I suggested one and the whole exercise was simply something to get people thinking, clearly this bypassed you completely, but the thought has been honed and adopted by the Blue Union who are suggesting an improved version that I think should be acceptable to most.
65 Posted 31/08/2011 at 00:35:32
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17 Posted 27/08/2011 at 20:46:51