The current Everton management have recently proved yet again that they have an innate inability to market in any way positively Everton Football Club. Not only this, all they seem capable of is creating situations which paint EFC in a wholly negative light.
When Chelsea celebrated their 100 years as a club in 2005, I remember listening to an expose on Radio 5Live concerning Chelsea (that ran over a couple of days) – and I remember asking myself where was 5Live when Everton celebrated 100 years in Top Flight football? Or more appropriately – what did EFC do to push this as a news story?
What followed was Destination Kirkby – a flawed plan for Everton FC to move out of Liverpool L4 and into a Tesco car park... This move divided the fanbase (although at this point they were at least consulted); however, what followed was a dedicated PR campaign by both Everton FC and Tescos to advise the fanbase that there was no Plan B. Furthermore, during this time we had the local MP saying that it would be a good idea if Everton FC left L4, whilst the Leader of Liverpool Council publicly stated that Everton should share a ground with Liverpool.
Back before the World Cup in 2010, I emailed Everton FC to enquire as to why they hadn’t engaged in any marketing during the World Cup – and why, notably they had not pushed the Steven Pienaar link; seeking to profit from the host nation’s team captain. After much to-ing and fro-ing, I finally managed to speak directly to the head of Marketing who admitted to me over the telephone that this probably was a bit of a ‘missed trick’. Understandable really, when you consider that Steven Pienaar has been with Everton since 2007 and the World Cup location was decided well before that. Clearly three years is insufficient to plan such a campaign...
In 2011, Kenwright the meets with fans from the Blue Union and declares that the Club’s finances make grim reading – what follows can only be described as a PR disaster with highly media-visible fighting between the Chairman of EFC and the Blue Union.
What could better this plethora of Public Relations blunders, this Mound of Media mis-management – why, the release of a New Crest!!!
Now don’t misunderstand me – I am not concerned with whether or not you like the new crest (I personally do not); what worries me more, is the pre-emptive defensive stance taken by Everton in their launch of the crest – and their less than wholly truthful defence that they consulted the fans. Only to be followed by a response to the outrage from fans with a condescending response on their own website – claiming that the "Fans Forum… faced too big a burden…speaking for the entire Fanbase…"
As an Everton fan, I have often wondered why Everton don’t receive the same positive response from the media – why the club doesn’t see as many articles on news websites as other equally long-lived clubs. What interests me know is why – in the light of 10 years of utterly appalling management of the image of the club – why the current incumbents are still present at the club???
Who is going to stand up and say – “I am responsible for managing this club, I have fucked up, I have wasted countless opportunities to promote Everton in a fitting manner. I am therefore not fit for my position and I resign forthwith.” Elstone? Kenwright?
Guys – if you can’t manage it, find someone who can. If you can’t find a buyer, find someone who can. If you cannot recognise that you are destroying chance after chance after chance – then at least recognise that you should allow someone else a chance to try not to fuck it up.
Reader Comments (15)
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2 Posted 28/05/2013 at 23:22:31
Any club with even an average PR department would be all over that demanding more than we got. SSN even kept promoting it was coming up but just had a nanosecond of coverage when it came about. How feeble can their press release have been FFS? Indicative of just how awful we are at this.
4 Posted 29/05/2013 at 00:26:18
And this was also the same year that a certain Man City owner came knocking, again another massive Kenwrong, the sheikh reportedly to have said he was dealing with an amateur.
So then we get the Moyes situation: fine, he's gone.... I'm personally ok with that, but yet again another massive Kenwrong letting him leave to the wealthiest club in Europe for less than nothing. In fact, we are paying him until 30 June to part-time manage Man Utd.
Then, if that wasn't enough, the club decide to bitch slap-us with a new badge after apparently listening to the fans — another Kenwrong. I'm definitely not okay with this seeing as though my tattoo, which was a gift from the misses for my 40th birthday, resembles the old badge.
And now we have the Martinez scenario, it seems Kenwright has been hanging around Wigan pier with his tongue stuck in a pie waiting in hope that he can get peg-leg Whelan to part with his manager, bearing in mind he was the third worst manager in the Premier League based on position.
I don't buy all the "he's been working on a low budget" crap because so was wee Norwich and Southampton to name a few. And the best we can hope for is a meeting with Martinez in the next 48 hours... grrrr — Kenwright, you make me so fucking angry, it's unreal.
So can Kenwright mess this up? A sneaky suspicion is telling me Yes. Epic failure on all fronts from a man who I suspect would be unable to manage a wank.
5 Posted 29/05/2013 at 08:14:56
I've repeated elsewhere, but the overseas TV deal means there are companies begging for a chance to be involved with Prem teams. Whilst the likes of Man U can command top dollar for tier 1 sponsors, and have 40 or more commercial partners (an official paint partner in Japan FFS), there's no excuse for us to be bumbling along on a low deal with Thai Beverage as our main club sponsor. But Crabbies and Pukka Pies is a somewhat enduring and appropriate image for this regime.
You can't really blame the senior executives at the club if they're not being challenged to deliver more from the board. If the club selling process (forget investment, he's done that and we're paying for it now) is run by the same people then it's no surprise it's not yielding any serious interest.
We're stuck with BK et al till someone offers them their personal £50m windfall, and that's not going to happen. I had hoped that crestgate, hot on the heels after losing heatshield Moyes, would bring pressure to bear, but the climbdown will see the seals clapping again next season. I won't be surprised if they keep the bloody logo as well as I suspect we'll have more pressing concerns in 7-8 months.
6 Posted 29/05/2013 at 08:52:39
7 Posted 29/05/2013 at 08:23:58
Considering we made a 9m loss in the last financial year, after profiting from 23m on player sales, the future really does look bleak. The new sky money will not cover this (presuming it isn't already spent) and the 9m loss still needs to be paid.
Administration may force the current owners to sell at a loss allowing any new owners to purchase the club at a reasonable price. Sad, but this is the situation he has put us in.
8 Posted 29/05/2013 at 10:52:32
A number of shops stock merchandise, and souvenirs for the Shite. They also have links with restaurants who offer to organise stadium tours for them as part of a meal deal. Can't say I saw anything Everton related.
In light of how many visitors pass through the Dock each year, this is yet another example of the Board's inability to market our club.
9 Posted 29/05/2013 at 16:41:43
10 Posted 29/05/2013 at 18:21:16
http://www.keioc.net/index.php?mact=News%2Ccntnt01%2Cdetail%2C0&cntnt01articleid=413&cntnt01returnid=15
11 Posted 29/05/2013 at 19:14:04
Above all else, that Kitbag deal is the one that makes my blood boil. I reckon it's going to have cost us at least £50m, enough to build a massive new Bullens Rd stand full of corporate facilites, over the 10 years.
12 Posted 29/05/2013 at 19:23:48
What they don't understand, or are deliberately ignoring, is why the board ineptness and crest issues got such a different reaction from the fanbase. That is positive choice. For the crest there was a clear choice....we don't want x we want y. There was a better option to go to...even if that was simply just stopping the change and carrying on as before.
With the board issue that positive choice is not there. There is no-one visible on the horizon who represents something better that can survive the court of Evertonian opinion.
As Matt says above when someone crops up publicly with a few quid and a plan then you'll see 20,000 signing petitions for the board to get lost.
13 Posted 29/05/2013 at 20:53:33
This board are taking us into administration. The people on the horizon are generally known as Barclays.
And they're coming to pay us a visit in July.
14 Posted 29/05/2013 at 21:20:09
15 Posted 29/05/2013 at 22:11:57
Watch this space.
16 Posted 30/05/2013 at 12:49:35
I'd not disagree with you. There's more false dawns on here than in a Bangkok disco but, at this point, I'd be willing to take a risk on a 10pt deduction and finish a season in the lower middle murk if it meant the bank appointing someone to take the reigns out of the boards grasp and push things forward.
For the long term good I'm wiling to write off a season and if it happens to coincide with the one in which we have to suffer that thrice damned fisher price badge so much the better. That said though, of course, the one thing the badge has done is provide a reminder of the size and dedication of Evertons fan (read consumer) base so perhaps a few heads may have turned an inch or two in our direction.
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1 Posted 28/05/2013 at 22:56:50
He's been the best man to sell Everton, but has been the biggest underachiever since Nyarko. The club have apologised about the crest, but it feels hollow given that they went ahead with it in the first place. After all the fuck ups during his tenure Bill still gets away from lurching us from one shit heap to another all the time only ever accepting credit and never responsibility.
So nobody had an inkling over the shit storm this would bring even with the leak? Bill wasn't shown the badge before it went live? We know there wasn't a plan B after DK, but we were being sold a horrible pile of shit because he wanted his trainset all to himself instead of acting on behalf of the club's best interests and allowing KD to go ahead without him. Since then the only thing he's actually got right is hire Moyes.
It's scandalous. It's tragic and yet Bill carries on resolutely his public persona of searching 24/7 for the difference between his arse and his elbow, while undoubtedly acting like Napolean behind closed doors.