Special One at a Special Club

Nice to hear of Bill K. kindness to you.

I think you should win an award, I don't know if the club actually award special supporters but it wouldn't be a bad idea.

Good luck on the grandnephew.

Brian Denton you are spot on about the "Bill dilemma" he does stuff like this and you can't help but be proud he's our chairman but then he does "other stuff"- maddening.

It really makes me want to believe in Bill but I can't shake the Kings Dock out of my system. I always default to visiting the maritime museum to look at the proposals for the redevelopment. I know I look through blue tinted specs but Everton's was by far and away the best. I had my boy on my shoulders and I remember thinking that we would have seats on the river side of the stadium.

The article by the Spurs fan being envious of our club for not selling its soul makes me feel good, but then I think of the leeches, Green and Earl and they are worse than the oil rich magnates cause they are just stripping our assets.
Either way I digress. great read Martin makes me feel like there is some good left in this world, so though it pains me to say it well done Bill.

That's the paradox that's BK !

Also don't forget there are many supporters who have spent thousands upon thousands of pounds following the Blues for years, but if they turn up a penny short of the ticket price - that won't be taken into consideration.

If there was serious interest in buying us, we would hear about it in the press. Gaydamak who bought Pompey was interested and thank god Bill spotted a dodgy character! Lerner hasn't worked too well for Villa, Leeds spent money they hadn't got... and the list goes on. Yes, it would be great if Bill had more money but look at Grantchester with a £1 billion fortune and criticise him for not helping Sir John Moores's great club!

BK is doing a very good job with modest resources and I for one thank him for it!

Since when does anybody go to the match because their chairman rallied them to go when needed? I can only speak for myself on this but I go to watch my team play football, regardless of the Chairman's views. But each to their own.

Dan – Strike him a medal then he obviously deserves one.

I don't think many have ever questioned his devotion to the club, just his suitability to take us forward. The man himself has admitted he is out of his depth. We can't go on selling players forever can we?

Kenwright is a multi-millionaire yet you seem to think the only reason he goes to the match is because it is free and he gets to meet other people? It makes no sense whatsoever. For people with that amount of wealth, their time is worth exceptionally more than the cost of anything they might choose to do.

Can't get to the game so thinking where I can go and not see/hear it – I just can't watch a derby game live on TV.

Last time I did my TV broke for some reason – the full can of Tetley's that was thrown at it and went throughout the screen might have had something to do with it but I can't be sure.

As for watching in a in company in a pub forget it lol – be like the OK Coral, the Alamo and Little Big Horn rolled into one by the Ned.

At the moment, I'm going to see the new Jack Ryan film at the cinema is winning as that too starts at 8pm and lasts just under two hours.

As for BK, I absolutely hate him with a passion second only to my hatred of the Redshite... and then he goes and does something like this – no wonder I am mixed, but fairplay, Bill, that was a nice. touch.

I am not too displeased at not being able to watch it live but it would be nice to sneak a quick look at the score rather than to keep hoping and then....

It may just be different with Roberto — come on, boys, you owe us one!

Of course he travels the length and breadth of the country watching the Blues, that's the nature of his day-job mixing with and making connections with those who have money and power.

If not football, he would be on the golf course or some other leisure activity where he could make contacts that he might find useful; anyway we all have different opinions which is why this site is here in the first place. 'C'est la Vie.'

I'm really glad Martin and his lad had a great day, but when I see "We as Everton fans should be proud that we have a decent and honourable man in our Chairman Bill Kenwright" I could fucking spew.

I had a mate, now deceased, who was a mad Evertonian.

With a bunch of lads we went home and away in the 70s and 80s.

He was sharp, had a very quick mind, could be very funny but was as devious as fuck and a huge Tom Pepper.

Fortunately for us, his lies never impacted negatively on us in any meaningful way and only provided entertainment.

He could also, when necessary, be charm personified.

He reminds me SO much of Luvvie - someone I see as a genuinely superb con-man.

BK has lied to Evertonians over and over and over and over, yet (incredibly) is still seen by some as 'unfortunate not to be rich enough' or 'at the mercy of Lord Grantchester' or whatever other complete nonsense is being spouted by way of excusing his obvious and open deceitfulness.

Is he friendly and charming and courteous?

Of COURSE he fucking is, how far would any flim-flam artist get by being aggressive, nasty and unfriendly?

Well keep this in mind.

It WASN'T Lord Grantchester who told Evertonians - "the check will be in the bank in the morning" (Fortress Sports Fund)

It WASN'T Peter Johnson who told Evertonians "The money is ringfenced" (Kings Dock)

And don't forget who told Evertonians (ie: you!) "It will be an effectively free stadium with world class transport and Tesco will be providing £50 million towards it" (Destination Kirkby) - again totally invented bullshit to get you to vote 'yes'.

Complete bare-faced lies TO EVERTONIANS (nb: NOT mistakes, NOT someone else's fault, NOT bad luck)

Decent?

HONOURABLE!?

Oh and to those who actually believe he's been 'I've been ooking for a buyer 24/7 since day one', remember what was revealed at the inquiry.

"6.10 A further point that is of relevance to any debate on the options that might be available to the Club to fund a new stadium, is the willingness and abilities of the Club's directors to sell some or all of their interests in the Club in order to attract an investor who or which might have the ability in financial terms to fund a new stadium in its entirety or at the very least fund the shortfall that exists in the context of this proposals. As is pointed out in greater detail in the financial statement document 26), this is not an option as the current directors have no intention of selling any of their interests in the Club.

Ignore what you want, believe what you want, but keep this in mind - every SUCCESSFUL con-man in history was credible and came across as someone who could be..trusted.

You've got to separate that from him failing to prevent the stagnation of a great football club.

Nearly 20 years without a trophy, shameful.

Eugene, maybe sometimes it's just better to let things go? Your opinions and statements are fair and probably accurate, but is there a need to stamp on other peoples opinions at every turn?

In relation to Martins experiences BK has done well by him and he is right to express his feelings.

I know the other facts are there – let's have a go at Bill elsewhere.

My rant over!

There is not a single false word in what Eugene (#632) had to say in what is quite frankly one of the better informed posts on this thread. It is not a 'little rant' Brent (#639) – it is a volley of truth and I for one can completely understand why Eugene might feel more than a little hot under the collar about the undiluted Bill luv-in one here – as opposed to, for instance, the somewhat superior diluted contributions.

Jim (#646), I completely agree with your last sentence and my hunch is that Eugene does too – not my call, I know, just a hunch, Eugene can't half speak for himself.

It is a question of pitch and balance and I was genuinely warmed by Martin's lovely story but it does not make Bill 'our special one'. It's what he's good at – the impresario, shaking hands. In fact, he's very good at chatting with fans unless they have the sheer audacity to question him about what he is doing when he gets out of the car on matchdays.

Lovable, smiley, cheery, Corrie, 70s sheepskin (the Forty Years Ago quote above is spot on), Boys Pen, Blue through and through (and he is) blustery Bill.

His one main redeeming feature is exactly what made Martin post in the first place; this what is it public relations/warmness/chummy thing? Yeah, sure, on this score decent. But what about the fucking rest? — and that I believe was Eugene's extremely fair point.

With regard to this post/thread and others like it with similar situations/sentiments, it must always be a question of balance. Yes, heap on the unmitigated praise, Gopal-, Tonge- Gaynes-like (and that's just three). And let's not spoil Martin's big day except that I wish he had not used the 'special' tag coz that he ain't.

There's been a sort of moratorium on the lying gobshite these last six months or so and that is down needless to say his Bobby pick, the Manure wheeling and dealing, and what Bobby and the boys have done on the pitch. There are good times at The Old Lady. Kenwright had surely his best ever summer in the chair. But that can never ever paper over the deep deep cracks of the disgraceful litany correctly reeled off by Eugene and there's more that he did not have time to squeeze in.

What on earth is wrong in saying "Nice one, Bill, it's wonderful what a day you had Sean (and Dad)" makes me think yet again of the human side of footie that so often goes missing these days, but also never forgetting what a lying gobshite BK has been in other fields of his chairmanship – the ones, sad to say, that matter much more than 'human side' in getting Everton back to where we ought to be.

I know what where you're coming from, mate. Most of us will agree what a toad BK is.

Despite the title of this OP, I just felt it was, in the writing, less about Bill and more about a great experience that Martin and family had and were reliving. My guess is that other posters were responding about that great personal experience rather than about that great toad Bill, who just happened to be part of that story.

But, ok, Bill's a shit! (Sorry, Martin, they got me!).

'In the writing' is exactly why the OP matters and I for one have not recognized this enough. It is a lovely and heartfelt piece of writing about a 'special' moment in a life.

And you're also right about others – not all – honing in on 'personal experience', a dead nice distinction that that makes a difference.

I often get the feeling that on this site we are too willing to jump on people's opinions. Debate is great, and when people say really stupid things it's not surprising that they are barracked. But when someone puts together a well worded, if a touch rose-tinted piece, maybe we should ease off the reality check and bask in the positives.

Bill has been slated in many posts, he will continue to be slated until he either comes up with the goods or shifts the club to a new owner. Done to death. But, as the old saying goes, credit where it is due.

Regarding the FSF investment for Paul Greggs shares, it's quite clear that Chris Samuleson was the guy making public promises about investment. Kenwright trusted the guy and also went public. Turns out FSF did not invest, and slipped into the shadows. I wouldn't call Bill a liar for this, just naive. It was Samuleson who was clearly the liar.

The Kings Dock is also not a lie. The money was ringfenced. But upon further investigation, it was revealed to be a 30 million unsecured reverse mortgage that was rejected as it posed severe risk to the club. There are some views that the Kings Dock was a project we simply could not afford at that time, and could have caused more damage than good.

DK was rejected not because of funding or transport links. It was rejected by the Home Office as it infringed Government Policy on diverting shoppers away from town centres. Ironically, it was also funded in the same way that KD was going to be yet people don't mention this element.

The comment about the club not being for sale is just dumb. The context of the question from the enquiry, was that the club was not for sale as part of the proposed move. Not in general. Or in other words, Tesco or anyone else with vested interest were not buying Everton and forcing the move just to enable the retail development.

There you see Paul are some alternative views, equally as 'factual' or 'truthful' as Eugene's in that it is all formed from stuff I read on the internet. The genuine truth is, that Eugene hasn't any clue about what really happened in the transactions he has mentioned, as he was not involved in any capacity. Same applies to me.

Believe it or not, I thought for quite a while about posting what I did and there was a part of me saying 'let it go'.

And I would have had it not been for this - 'We as Everton fans should be proud that we have a decent and honourable man in our Chairman Bill Kenwright'.

Sorry but imo, that is not part of the story of a wonderful day, that is an opinion and one I believe shouldn't/can't go unchallenged, not given the mountain of evidence to the contrary.

But stack these ' private acts' against his public fiascos KD etc and the scale doesn't even register a quiver.

The 2 personas are totally separate...apples and oranges.

It's Bill's job to be nice and plausible, he's an actor, he pretends to be somebody else, for money.

His other job is putting on shows and getting people ( called Angels in the argot ) to invest ( aka put in some of the money and thus assume the some of the risk ) so that he doesn't have to front it all himself.

Fair play for Martin at Stevenage, but wouldn't we and shouldn't we all help some one if it cost us in real terms 5/8th of fuck all, bar a few mins chin wag with one of your acquaintances.

Indeed, The Kenwright Dilemma in a nutshell.

I think the original OP is a great story. Credit where due etc. But at the sharp end of the business I am not sure Bill is top of the league. Two sides of the same coin.

Apart from that, what a beautiful story - I'm in bits. Lots of supporters think their club is special, but in our case we are right!

All the best Martin, to you and your family and sorry for being pedantic - my wife says its my second most disappointing attribute...

Dan, you've asserted this line, that Bill's litany of lies is purely based on internet derived fiction, on a number of threads lately. It is true that anyone can twist any factual information to suit their own agenda. Witness Osbourne telling the country that, because we are seeing housing bubble-based growth in the South-East, the economy is fixed, everyone has a great job and fairies do actually exist.

Now Osbourne does this, as he is an intelligent man, to suit his own and his party's, specific agenda, ie. hoodwinking enough people to vote his god-awful, dog of a government into power for five more years. But, in another reality, it could be that he is just a really gullible person. Someone who doesn't use the evidence of his own eyes, but prefers to take everything he is told as the gospel truth.

We all know which category Osbourne falls into. You apparently think that Bill falls into the latter camp. Where do you sit Dan?

What he did for Martin, and especially his son, was a fine, heartwarming act. If that incident is taken in isloation, then I think he deserves praise for it.

However, Martin mentioned that BK is a "fine and honourable man" and is "our special one." That then opens up the debate into the wider actions of a man described as above.

In his time as Chairman, we have seen King's Dock pass before our eyes and become the Echo Arena, as if back some form of Black Magic. Well it must have happened that way seeing as our contribution of £30 million was Ring Fenced. Some might believe that BK had been misquoted, or it was there but somehow disappeared when it came to putting the money where the mouth was.

Then there was the pantomime of him suddenly being taken by some bloke he'd hardly ever met and offered to provide the cash to get rid of Gregg. I can remember the picture in the Echo still of him and Samuelson in the Directors box. Maybe BK was just too niaive.

Too me, the way he has treated the fans, and especially the Season Ticket Holders over the Kirkby catastrophe shows what the real Bill Kenwright is.

Hate to sour a good act. It was a good individual act but there is no way I can see him, as described as our Chairman.

"Paul, I think what annoys people (myself included) is that Eugene's post is just full of opinion, there is nothing factual about it. It's derived from what the guy has read on the Internet, most of it coming from this very site. Regarding the FSF investment for Paul Gregg's shares, it's quite clear that Chris Samuleson was the guy making public promises about investment. Kenwright trusted the guy and also went public. Turns out FSF did not invest, and slipped into the shadows. I wouldn't call Bill a liar for this, just naive. It was Samuleson who was clearly the liar"

So my 'opinion' is simply 'what I read on the internet'

Fine... where does Dan get his 'facts' - Bill? (possibly!)

As for 'ahhhhhhh poor Bill was just naive' - give me strength

BK is/was the man in charge, buck stops with him, end of story.

He continues..

"The Kings Dock is also not a lie. The money was ringfenced. But upon further investigation, it was revealed to be a 30 million unsecured reverse mortgage that was rejected as it posed severe risk to the club. There are some views that the Kings Dock was a project we simply could not afford at that time, and could have caused more damage than good"

Oh God it could have caused more damage? Well hats of to BK, he actually saved us, he really is an angel.

Then we get these hard facts..

'THERE ARE SOME VIEWS' - Yes?

'ON FURTHER INVESTIGATION! - By who, when, wtf?

'COULD HAVE CAUSED' - Coulda, woulda, shoulda.

Yes I wish I had the facts like Dan.

This ludicrous apologist goes on..

"DK was rejected not because of funding or transport links. It was rejected by the Home Office as it infringed Government Policy on diverting shoppers away from town centres. Ironically, it was also funded in the same way that KD was going to be yet people don't mention this element"

In relation to BK's bullshit and lies, WHY DK was rejected is not important (nb: which is why I didn't talk about WHY it was rejected). What IS important is what the inquiry and entire process revealed along the way.

We were told we'd be 'getting a state of the art stadium' - lie.

We were told we'd have the best transport links (rather than some supporters having to wait an hour and 45 mins for a train) - lie

We were told the stadium would be effectively free - lie.

(nb: people voted 'yes' on the strength of this bollocks).

He goes on..

"The comment about the club not being for sale is just dumb. The context of the question from the enquiry, was that the club was not for sale as part of the proposed move. Not in general. Or in other words, Tesco or anyone else with vested interest were not buying Everton and forcing the move just to enable the retail development"

Ahh it was in 'the context' and 'not in general' - politician weasel-speak bollocks, when this was revealed at the inquiry it came as a shock to many Evertonians as what had been decided in private went totally against what we were (now) being told.

Finally there's..

"There you see Paul are some alternative views, equally as 'factual' or 'truthful' as Eugene's in that it is all formed from stuff I read on the internet. The genuine truth is, that Eugene hasn't any clue about what really happened in the transactions he has mentioned, as he was not involved in any capacity. Same applies to me"

There you have it, the 'genuine' truth, a complete load of ifs, buts and maybes designed to dodge the truth and deflect.

And again with 'he read it on the internet' - he says hoping you'll buy his bollocks which he's posting on (roll on the drums)...THE INTERNET!

(what next 'PAH, HE READ IT IN A BOOK!")

No doubt for Dan "I wouldn't sell Wayne Rooney for £50M" will be interpreted as 'Well that wasn't a lie as he was sold for £27M which plainly isn't £50M!"

Pff, nerves setting in for tonight. Roberto allows us to dream - which usually means we will get kicked in the nuts. I will watch it online, never been to the derby at their place. Will not be able to get a ticket for the Everton end and cannot see myself amongst the Kopites. Sat in between the Portuguese fans at Benfica and managed to keep myself quit untill the 5th went in. Out came the Everton shirt, couldn't care anymore about what might happen. I ran!

Anyway, another 90 minutes tonight in which I will turn from a decent, family man to a raving lunatic. But, I have this feeling, lads! I am sure to be remembering what I am doing today, what I am wearing, what my daughter has been saying and doing today ... and I am sure to be savouring these moments ... because, I many years to come I will look back and hopefully think of how my day panned before we won at their plave again for the first time in nearly 15 years!

In 1999, I watched the match in a pub, downing pint after pint, lighting the next cigarette with the last one. In 1995 I went to work as I couldn't spend another afternoon following the derby on the radio getting beat again.
Tonight ... It might just happen. 28 January 2014, we will remeber!

Good luck Martin and Sean and your quest for away tickets.

Nice gesture and I am made up for you, but he is certainly not a "special one".

Just ignore the cynics and let's give BK some credit - he is not perfect (who is?) but basically I feel a decent man and good Evertonian. Although some people on TW will never accept this and always produce mounds of 'facts' to support their own opposite held views. "Twas forever thus".

"The information I found on the internet are real facts, bona fide truths or even mountains of evidence. And amazingly, the information I found just so happens to conveniently underpin my views. Any information on the internet that does not support my views, must be lies used by ludicrous apologists."

There is no arguing with that. Flawless.

Reminds of a similar time, when Colin Harvey was EFC manager & I had flown back home from the States, without a Cup Final ticket & of all years, it was the extremely emotional 1989 game, with our cousins across the park! Long story cut short, Colin came through with the ticket & I also got to mingle with him & the players after the match at the hotel, were we spent a long time discussing ALL things Royal Blue!!

There is no doubt in my mind he has made some real howlers, but I get why that is the case. He took over a club with no real experience of running a football business.

I think he has had to learn some very hard lessons of his own making but I think the portrayal of him as some Machivellian character trying to feather his own nest on the back of our club is way off the mark.

His appointment of two managers has also been pretty good ( no Moyes debate please!!!)

The story in the OP shows his empathy to Everton supporters and demonstrates some basic human kindness. I have spent some time in his company and found him to be completely Everton obsessed. Yes he's a bit of a drama queen, probably why he's done well in his chosen profession.

I guess the question is would we rather have someone in charge who's in it for the money or the personal prestige or someone I believe genuinely wants the best for Everton.