Everton: What Has Happened to My Club?

We've been turned into a sleeping giant and nobody thinks big when Everton are mentioned anymore

Bill Kenwright needs to step aside now. He could stay on as a board member, club president/ambassador or whatever he wants but, the decision making has been seriously awry for years and now my biggest fear is that the process the club must go through before a decision is now entrenched at the club. Such as advisors or confidants having official positions or political capital at the club.
Someone must come in to the club at the top level who has no allegiance to anyone already there. Someone who can act with objectivity and can avoid the opinions of those at the club who might be acting in their own interests. When that person is in place, the first job would be to find a manager. That way we can be sure we're not compounding the past mistakes.

I've argued for Terry Leahy although I don't know much about him other than he's reported to be a Blue and he made a success of his time at Tesco. Maybe he could be tempted by the fame and additional riches that comes with Premier League football.

But, anyway, surely there is an Everton supporter with business acumen, a passion for football and a desire to see the great blue phoenix rise from the flames.

BK is still that grief-stricken over DM's departure, he can't bring himself to appoint a new guy at this most crucial of times. The big daft weepy shitbag will in the end destroy us yet all we seem to care about is the fucking club badge???

WTF!!! — JUST DON'T BUY THE KITS.

As long as he can show up for every game as chairman he thinks that's his big contribution to the club.

We have an accountant as Chief executive and second rate rednose marketing people.

Is it any wonder we are run like a corner sweet shop.

Nobody gave a fuck except Moyes who has now gone because he couldn't take any more of it.

While people ridicule the Blue Union but show no initiative themselves we will put up with this regime until we get relegated then find out it is too late.

Once you allow yourself to be fooled once the powers that be know then they can get away with anything.

I did not like the past 5 years of Moyes reign here but people are still using words such as dignified and Integrity.

Surely the past few weeks have shown that Everton, like all clubs, like The FA, FIFA, Big Business, Sky and son on will put al great deal of energy and effort into maintaining the status quo and promoting mediocrity.

How many times have we been told how great it has been to finish in the top 8 or whatever number you want to say - - and wasn't it great to finish 4 all those years ago.

Well we fell for it, we were had, fooled and now the "roosters have come home to crow".

Moyes said quite categorically in his final Press Conference - - "The Chairman never put pressure on me".

If you are not part of the solution you are part of the problem.

They were all in it together.
Seems to me that they knew all about this for months on end but thought no need to worry we've fooled them again. Just throw the seals a little fish now and then and they will clap and clap.

We need a clean out. But sadly it 'aint going to happen. It will just drivel on and on and on.

Of course I will renew my Season Ticket. But as everyone who knows me in The Dark House I will never sit back and be quiet over mediocrity.

I am for complete change and whatever comes with it. At least we will have a clean club.

God Save Evertonians said Tiny Tim.

Let`s be honest,with the players we can afford,it would take sheer genius to have Everton pushing for top honours.OK,we might get lucky and win a cup but that`s about it.

Of course,Moyes and BK were too cosy but the manager either played along or walked-and what a good job he didn`t walk -at least for 11 years.Then I think BK thought he owed Moyes for his loyalty and played along with the timing of his move to OT which I am certain was sealed at Christmas.

There was a time when I was a lot closer to the Club than I am now.Then I believed that its ills were caused by the PR department when in reality it was merely carrying out the wishes of the so-called Board for whom `clueless` would be excaggeration.

What a fecking mess!

But, like you,I will renew my season ticket!

Is always sad when your "hero" does something wrong - by hero I mean Our Club - - but my heroes are all failures in many ways and certainly difficult people - - Van Gogh, Artaud, Primo Levi, John Lennon, Erik Satie - - but when you have a vison of course you are going to upset some people but at least you have some vision - - not sure what our "vision" has been for the past 5 years.

Sometimes its hard when your hero fails - - but as Confucious said (to me once in The Dark House) - "Its not how many times you fall down but its what you do when you get up that makes you". Then he got the ale in.

Best wishes to all Blues.

In these modern times it is becoming clear that the ordinary folk have little or no influence on what large corporations decide is the best way to squeeze money out of the customer. Rampant capitalism despite its recent failures is the order of the day so how long will both Everton and Liverpool football clubs continue to endure being second rate in comparison to the City's, United's et al.

How long will financial institutions continue to support them with loans etc before they decide that something needs to change. A grounds share has been mooted and largely been rejected by many of the fans of both clubs. But what if these faceless people decided that the City was incapable of supporting 2 PL clubs and it would be far more profitable to amalgamate them into one single entity a super club. Fanciful idea I know, but the number crunchers don't care about history they only care about the profits they can make from the minimum return possible.

So whilst the crest is a single issue that has raised the hackles of over 20,000 fans it will in all probability result in the club pressing ahead with their new design, but Evertonians and Liverpudlians should keep an eagle eye on the way their clubs are being run and more importantly keep asking questions and challenge those who are in charge, otherwise the nightmare scenario which as I said is a fanciful one could in time come to pass.

During Bill's stewardship and, by extension, DM's managerial years we have contested one final, highest place of 4th, 2 failed stadium proposals, far below average net spend, an underproductive youth set up, a marketing and sales department that only knows where it's own net is and everything else I'm forgetting and you all already know. Enough is enough.

Bill, you've had your time and it's been a failure from start to finish. We're one of the 30 biggest clubs in the world, founder members of the football league, 9 times champions. Stability is the bare minimum expected.

I travel with my work a great deal - - see www.yellowhouse.info - - and I am always asked about The Beatles and Football and I always tell everyone about how great it is to be an Evertonian (I also tell them I was John Lennon's sister) - - my line being that its too easy to be a Red and say you are a Red in Georgia or Romania or somewhere - - and I always say that I am proud of what we have stood for - - even our old fashioned stadium. - I have converted many foreign Reds into Blues and took many many to The Dark House to meet real fans and real people and to watch real football - - and keep in touch with many of them who now keep a look out for Everton's results.

I do hope we can continue to be Proud Blues.

Moyes for all his detractors has kept Everton at the business end of the premier league whilst operating on a shoe string budget. Kenwright's biggest worry now is if the new man can be as complicit in operating in a financial straight jacket. The woes that were played out three summer's ago and culminated in the sale of Arteta and the firing of Ian Ross, and the Wyness shennanigans a few years before that have not gone away. The overseas TV money may keep the wolf from the door a little while longer, however in my opinion we are a ruderless ship heading for a colision course with the rocks.

I definitely agree that Moyes' achievement has managed to deflect a lot of criticism of BK and the board; and that no other manager will have the potential for long-term improvement/success unless the deep systemic issues at the club are resolved.

Problem is, when on-field performances do dip, more criticism gets focused at the manager than at the real culprits.

While other clubs have moved on and are run as professional, accountable businesses (which has its downsides, too), Everton seem a throwback to the "old boys' club" type of stewardship. There's no dynamism, no ambition, no desire to change.

It's a difficult one, though. I absolutely do not want Everton to be bought up by some Arab billionaire or Russian oligarch and become a vanity project. Even if it bought success, that would seem false, and a betrayal of our heritage.

What I think is a fair demand, however, is that we're run like a modern business and maximize our potential. With some investment, sure, but more importantly a solid and sustainable business model.

Robert Elstone comes in for a lot of criticism here, but I actually think his hands are tied. We have an owner who wants to be "the man", but who isn't prepared to put in the day to day work to manage the club. Which means our CEO is continually undermined because he can't run the club when it comes to the big decisions; he's left to be an administrator. BK won't trust anyone to run the club properly, and to truly delegate, and yet he's also unwilling to do that job himself. That just leaves us in continual limbo.

I have (until relatively recently) believed that kenwright was genuinely dedicated to the EVERTON cause. He is not.

He really is a petty little man with pennypinching approaches to everything that he does

I recently did some work for someone who has worked for/with him numerous times and over an extended period of time. My customer cited NUMEROUS examples of his fiddly nittiness and almost obsessive micro-management.
Repeated examples of tightfistedness in saving small amounts yet missing golden opportunities to to reap huge returns.

She also said something extremely telling.
Since he works in an industry in which people can make exorbitant amounts of money, why do you think that he doesn't have the kind of money that an EVERTON Chairman apprently needs ?

Because he just is not that good
Then she said, think Geoff Nulty, nice enough bloke but not exactly Alan Ball.

I have been thinking of an article to this effect for some time just to put the record straight.

Our problem is (of course) our board.

But what EXACTLY is their problem?

My belief is it can be boiled down to lack of imagination.

That might sound like a trite, stating the bleeding obvious comment, but I'd like to go a little further.

There is something strange and mysterious about imagination and creativity in relation to our species.

What is strange is that it is the one attribute EVERYONE believes they possess

I'll try to explain.

I have seen people almost boast about their own LACK of prowess in areas like car mechanics or house electrics etc.

I bet you have all heard - "Me? I'm useless, I can't even change a plug/lightbulb, ho ho ho"

And when a car breaks down, how many people DON'T immediately contact a garage?

It seems anything that takes specialised tools/equipment (possiblly combined with overalls with a badge on) and it's 'Best leave it to the experts' - which makes perfect sense.

Creativity however is COMPLETELY different.

Firstly, it looks easy.

No special gear and it all (for the most part) happens inside someone's head

And look at the meffs that do it - pony tails, twatty-rimmed specs, scruffs, really, how hard can it be?

I'm convinced the same people boasting about their uselessness at mechanics/electrics would never be heard saying "I have virtually NO imagination, not a creative bone in my body"

In fact if you were to suggest this to them, I guarantee they would be offended.

Think about this - out there, there are highly paid interior-designers.

They study colour, light, shade, materials and space - they are experts.

Do people employ them to make the spaces they live in more desirable?

The wealthy occasionally might, but generally, do they fuck.

Instead, all over the world, people with NO expertise, using the logic 'how hard can it be?' set to work on the interiors of their own homes.

And when they're done, you rarely hear "Yeah did it meself, looks like a blind, insane, pissed Australian's nightmare doesn't it"

No, instead, people stand there hands on hips surveying their handywork and tell you "Yeah we're quite pleased with how the heliotrope goes with the maroon" etc.

It's just a quirky human...thing.

Everyone thinks they're creative.

Now generally, this is fine and harms nobody, if you want your living room to look like complete shite, fine, you're not harming anyone.

Problem is when it comes to business and specifically ways to increase business/profit.

THIS is the problem we have, it is affecting (and has affected) us VERY badly.

I genuinely believe many of our problems could be sorted out with a few great, PROVEN creative people/problem-solvers.

People who can take problems that seemingly have no solution and find one.

People who could take minuses and make them plusses.

Is it a shitty old ground or a 'real, proper football stadium'?

Do we have an old badge that needs 'moving forward' or a badge steeped in history that, if designed well and put on the right shirt, would sell tens of thousands?

The people 'running' our club are doing one of two things (or a combination of both).

1) Not hiring good people because they don't have the imagination to know who the good people are.

2) Hiring good people and not listening to them because they think they know a better solution (see 'how hard can it be?).

And there's more bad news - If nobody buys us, there is no real solution.

Anyone who has worked in any similar situation (ie: boss knows fucking everything and won't let those he/she employs do their thing) will understand the 'choice' is..

a) Wait for the boss to die

b) Wait for the boss to retire

c) You move to another company.

And we don't have c) as an option.