Elstone cautious over new stadium proposal

If this board of charlatan carpetbaggers had any genuine desire to sell or build it would have happened over a decade ago. Stanley Park is ready and waiting all building permits have been passed by the city council and a spade could be in the ground within days.

Think about ElstoneÂ’s word and wonder why WHP gets a mention. The answer is staring us in the face.

ThatÂ’s 3 failed stadium moves under this board now. Three.

Incompetent, clueless idiots with no business sense or a coherent plan at all. And those supporters who unbelievably are still supporting this board who keep saying Â’Careful what you wish forÂ’, we donÂ’t want a billionaire, we just want a competent businessman with a clear plan for the future.

Even a new build on Stanley Park won’t happen without Everton FC raising the necessary money; the solution has and will always be – unless a takeover by rich owners takes place – to renovate Goodison, even if that means reducing the capacity to circa 30-35k.

How much money have Everton FC wasted on the various proposals over the years as they used to say on the Radio Â’back to square oneÂ’.

Was it not the club who told us we might struggle for a safety certificate at Goodison in the future?

ItÂ’s scary having these people in charge of our club.

HeÂ’d be a hit in politics.

Titter, snigger, hee hee....

This charlatan has full control of the Â’shopÂ’ whilst Uncle Bill remains 200 miles away in the West End, far away from any flak being thrown around.

I notice Joe Anderson and his PR team moved quickly to distance themselves from the statement issued by Elstone, making it absolutely clear, that Liverpool City Council could not fund in ANY way, EvertonÂ’s financial part of the project.

Honestly, when I saw EvertonÂ’s proposed Â’partnersÂ’ in this failed fiasco 12 months ago, I knew it was doomed to failure.

One a City Council, who have been raped financially by the current Government over the last five years, and face more draconian cuts in the future, and two, a housing association who havenÂ’t got a pot to piss in.

You really could not make this up... nurse, whereÂ’s my pills..

The bigger clubs are so much further ahead of us financially itÂ’s far from certain itÂ’d help us make up the gap the way it once would, even assuming we filled it, which is far from certain, and if we didnÂ’t it could soon become a huge albatross. Sadly FFP almost certainty means the days of attracting billionaires with money to burn are over. We missed the boat.

We have an "impressive planning team" on standby when some absolute lunatic invests but doesnÂ’t want to be owner.

It’s hilarious. Anybody else thinks "mmmm I’d like to do something like this (have a nice meal, holiday, buy a car or house) I must try and earn done money and save. Our board goes "I think we should move seems like the in thing ok let’s do it – great city centre location oh sugar we don’t have the money so we ’ll go to Kirkby and get cheap as chips stadium but cost us nowt – oh sugar we got in a bit if shit over that – mmmmm right let’s go half a mile down the road – the council and fans will love that ..... Oh sugar forgot why we failed the first time ... We have no money. I must write this reason down so don’t forget again how silly of me.

Once this stadium fails they’ll go back to getting a free stadium – right everybody loved the first one waterfront .... Hold on I’ve written it down – that’s right we have money so must get it for free – oh Aldi will build us one in New Brighton. Yes, brilliant, let’s do that. I’m sure I should have written something else down on my checklist .... Mmmm ... No all seems ok let’s do it.

It has come to the point where the board should be asked why we have any debt at all because nothing has been invested in the infrastructure of the club for a decade or more, it could be argued that less than nothing has been invested if you look at what assets have been taken away from the balance sheet over the years.

Obviously wages have taken a large chunk of the money and transfers have on the whole been self-funding, so where exactly has all the revenue gone in the last decade?

The only winners from a decade of Premier League football have been Vibrac or whoever it is that we pay large amounts of money in interest to. Whoever argues that we are a well run club should think again and ask themselves how we have managed to fritter away so much money for so little return.

The only reason I thought it had chance was I didnÂ’t think they would actually have the nerve, the front, to go public with yet another half-baked, unfunded, undeliverable "plan".

Oh... they have.

KenwrightÂ’s a Blue, though.

Everything about EFC stinks. And to think, so many of us have wasted our lives over it!

We all know that – after Eric Pickles and his chums in Whitehall have taken a hatchet to the City council’s funding – any such enablers are not going to be forthcoming.

Oh, they wonÂ’t do that either.

It is appalling that the lack of any cohesive plan is being passed off, and accepted by some, as prudence. It seems to me that Bill Kenwright has discovered the perfect plan:

Stay in control.
Stay in the Premier League.
Perpetuate the myth that this is a result.
Live the dream on the cheap.
Believe, without any room for doubt, that you are the safe pair of hands that guides our club through the perils of modern football.

By the way, what did we [and it is effectively, WE] pay them for the last debacle?

Why did you buy them in the first place, you didnÂ’t all go to the match on Uncle CyrilÂ’s bike.

If you canÂ’t sell these shares for more than you paid for them, or even a bit less if you have a good accountant, whatÂ’s the point??

Unless you like having expensive certificates in a draw or framed on a wall... Why did you bother?

What you going to do now?

Well??

My bet is absolutely fuck all... same as always.

The club was about ٣m in the black in terms of assets when they bought it. Within a year it was magically 㿀m in the red. Was it a leveraged buyout? If so they basically got the club for nothing.

If that is true, then essentially whatever they sell their holding for is profit. Next question is how much profit is acceptable?

If theyÂ’d delivered Kings and got the new buyer, then I wouldnÂ’t begrudge them making a tidy profit based on increasing the value of the club. But to simply use the increased revenues of the Premier League as a basis for making a fortune, they are no better than con artists or scheming bankers. Being a Blue doesnÂ’t mean shit to me, but unfortunately it does to enough people to give them a mandate.

It would be funny were it not so sad.

I buy mine anyway, and the promise of a new stadium, whilst welcome, is never a deciding factor to me. I buy my season ticket to watch Everton and guarantee the same seat.

They didnÂ’t seem too worried about our future when they proposed Desperation Kirkby.

They say you get the government you deserve but none of us voted for this shambles.

The only way forward has to be the board being forced out; how that is done is another debate.

A renovation will actually INCREASE capacity.

Similar to how FSG took over LFC with the Stanley Park consent, but ultimately favoured a renovation after being given (as usual) a colossal amount of help from the Council.

Kenwright crawls under the nearest rock and is not heard from.

What a state to be in. WeÂ’re a club who really are living hand to mouth. When is Bill Kenwright ever going to admit to being a dictator who is keeping the club down?

They have virtually destroyed any enthusiasm I have for the club.

For God’s sake – just get out of the club.

As ever, the fundamentals of stadium planning and funding still stand. No suburban site will yield anything like the enabling package to build even one stand.... nevermind a whole new stadium. This has always been the case. A site closer to the city centre could generate much richer pickings as demonstrated by the Kings Dock... and the added attraction of stealing the centre-ground with all the amenities, public transport infrastructure and of course the prestige. Yet, we stuck a pin in the map at Walton Hall Park... A site that can barely fund a park warden.

Goodison Park can readily be renovated to a very high standard with much of its fabric preserved and/or built upon. This is the only option that can be built in affordable phases...... and this is the option with the least number of imponderables and unknowns. This is also the only option backed by over 100 years of history..... something you canÂ’t buy. All these are the main reasons why the vast majority of clubs have chosen redevelopment ahead of relocation.

LetÂ’s hope Whelan was right when he talked about the ability of Roberto Martinez because weÂ’ll need a genius at the helm if we are to stay in the top half of the table.

Martin Mason – tell us again why this is so?

The ultimate, inevitable, long term result of this board & its failure to develop the club is relegation at some point within the next 15 - 20 years, as the game overtakes us.

We are watching a slow motion Preston North End scenario.

It makes me sick to my stomach that under this board weÂ’ve been actively portrayed in the media as Â’plucky little EvertonÂ’. Expectations both off and on the field have been dragged lower and lower. Any hope for something better is quickly shot down by the knowledge that Kenwright et al wonÂ’t fund anything off their own backs, yet theyÂ’ve spent the best part of 15 years failing to find anybody else prepared to fund their plaything. The only reason we havenÂ’t sold the naming rights to the stadium is that no company in their right minds wants to be associated with a dilapidated and outdated relic that is not fit for purpose. Clubs like Brighton and MK Dons have better stadiums than ours, and theyÂ’ve spent the majority of the last 15 years playing in League One. WeÂ’ve become the Â’Uncle NobheadÂ’ of the Premier League, in that weÂ’ll always be hanging around at the party but everyone else is laughing at us and our outdated attire.

Yet we do nothing about it other than moan in private. We scoff at the Kopites when they fly their banners and march in the streets. We laugh at the Geordies with their websites and billboard posters. We resign ourselves to this fate, allowing ex-Manc pundits to deride any lone attempts to publicise our discontent as disgraceful. The Â’Big 4Â’ are happy to keep us in our box. The likes of Tottenham and Liverpool are happy for Kenwright to run us as the begging boys of the league. Even the likes of Stoke and Swansea see us as rivals beneath them. This is down to Kenwright and his cronies, who are happy to kill all of our dreams as long as they get to live theirs. Yet, unless weÂ’re prepared to make our voices heard, we are as much complicit in the slow death of Everton as any member of our complacent, useless board.

If any proof was needed about how things can change, Rangers are the prime example. Their supporters have gone through the mill over the last 5 years, yet they refused to accept charlatans like Craig Whyte, Charles Green and Mike Ashley trying to pull the wool over their eyes. They kicked off en mass until they got the owners and board that they wanted. It didnÂ’t happen overnight, but theyÂ’re now in a position where theyÂ’re nearly back in their big time with a vision of how to return to being a club that challenges for titles. Why canÂ’t we strive for the same?

If handled more masterfully they could have done it for another 2 seasons. I guess in another 3 years time, we will hear about the next stadium scheme that will never be built.

Not wishing to put a damper on tonightÂ’s traditional player parade I wish the faithful could show their disgust for BK and his shady mates.

Fast forward to today and... there’s still no plan and they still don’t know how they’ll pay for it – ie, this thing was a non-starter from the very beginning. Really not surprised at all.

This may be a bit simplistic but what I cannot figure out is how the costs of a new stadium causes an issue when weÂ’ll be getting at least 㿔-50 million extra income for the next 3 years, each year! The increased Sky money (assuming we donÂ’t get relegated) will net the club over 𧴜 million extra in the next 3 years and yet the costs are the major stumbling block. What exactly is the club planning on doing with these extra funds? Pay our players 𧴜k+ a week wages?

ItÂ’s been said a million times on this site about how the board have never said why a phased redevelopment of GP is not feasible (when external experts have said it is). I still donÂ’t understand why we cannot just use the Sky money to redevelop GP one stand at a time over a period of 4-5 years.

Dave, Martin will just go on about us not being in London or something along those lines.

This board could have had us playing on the banks of the royal blue Mersey but couldnÂ’t find the 㿓 million and now theyÂ’re telling us theyÂ’re not sure if a new ground is worth gambling our future with? To stagnate is to die but one of the few things Everton could always count on was our loyal support.

We deserve so much better, but it will only come with protest! IÂ’m thinking seriously about voting with my feet, very seriously...

I despair – I really do – about the future of the club.

If I have understood what is being said, it sounds like:

A) We canÂ’t afford a new stadium on our own (shock!)

B) The council (skint) have told us they wonÂ’t be footing the bill (shock!)

C) Our board will not put their hands in their pockets (double shock!!)

D) Our "underdog, no money, us against the big boys" myth will be trotted out to explain it.

E) We are being fed recycled shite, I mean at least have the common courtesy to invent new bollocks to spout rather than rehashing the same tired excuses.

If the owners and board canÂ’t find a ground or transfers then they are about as much use as a spare cock at a lesbian convention (shock). We as fans need to actually get our act sorted because I donÂ’t want mediocrity for the rest of my life from my beloved club.

If this happened abroad or at Manchester United – or, dare I say it, across the park – there would be all sorts of protests, questions, and it would be high profile. I am fucking sick of Everton to be frank.

Of course that was also to be paid for by someone else and leased back by the Club, à la Finch Farm.

It would and should have been the world class venue that both US and the city of Liverpool were crying out for at the time and any money that would have been ploughed into that would have been returned several times over by now, I am sure.

Oh well... back to the drawing board, I guess... till the next time we need to sell some season tickets, or till we find that oh-so-elusive buyer, whoever they may be!!

Unless you and Mr Planet Hollywood and Sir Phillip "HeÂ’s a good friend to Everton" Green make the only practical decision available and develop Goodison Park, then please just piss right off out of Everton Football Club.

Hold a Special AGM to discuss proposals of how we fund the development of Goodison Park, have a vote of all the shareholders about getting more money into the club (on the lines of CelticÂ’s), produce plans for the phased development.

You fucked up over the Kings Dock, you tried to kid fans over Kirkby, it suddenly dawned on you like a bolt from the Blue, that Walton Hall Park was the place to build the New Goodison, and now it looks like thatÂ’s gone up the spout.

When plans were put forward to show that GP could be developed, they were dismissed. It would have been great if we had got the KingÂ’s Dock but thatÂ’s gone.

You said there was no Plan B.

Well Plan B is the only feasible plan available. If you don’t, as a Board, take action – NOW – and start by getting the cock-up over the Park End sorted, I fear, like many others that we’ll just sink slowly into the west. Until one fine day, we’ll be like our ancestors from St Domingo. We’ll be playing in Stanley Park on the Corpy Pitches!

Imagine for a moment that it was Robert Earl in charge and Bill wasnÂ’t around. There would have been riots to get that twat out of the club. What difference does it make that Bill is a front for these carpetbaggers, with no interest in the club?

Bill has conned the whole fanbase for 16 years, that takes some doing. To think some people STILL defend our board, a board with no business plan, actually amazes me. I can only think they have a vested interest, or they just like to play devilÂ’s advocate.

Nobody with an ounce of common sense would begin to defend the shocking record of doomed schemes.

No use moaning now, everyone was presented with the facts by concerned Evertonians a few years ago. We have the club we deserve.

This is just another example of end-of-season whistling in the darkness. It would be interesting to see how many times over the last 10 seasons these rumours of progress are leaked out of Head Office but to tell the truth I canÂ’t be arsed and think I can guess the answer (probably 10).

I think heÂ’s lucky that EFC is not a public concern as I can envision him with a pair of striped pyjamas on and a ball and chain around his ankle.

Question: In the ever increasingly rich times of the Premier League era – why do we have no money?

In January, when we needed to spend money on players and didnÂ’t, I thought we may be saving our money for the stadium move... obviously not.

Patience is a virtue: well, after nearly two decades of NOTHING, my patience is all gone. I want this board gone. IÂ’d do anything to make it happen. Anything.

Maybe do it once the seasonÂ’s over, so the results are not affected by match results? Maybe organise a massive poll with other EFC forums?

ItÂ’ll be a preclude to action as we, as fans, can see if there is an inclination to gather for a protest. I really do not care if we are judged Â’kopitesÂ’ or not proper fans. WE must organise change.

As for Elstone... heÂ’s just re-written club philosophy and treated himself to a new company car... a Porsche!

In the cold light of day, how many of us would be prepared to invest a large amount of our savings in a new stadium venture? I doubt most of us would because it would be far from certain we would get our money back any time soon. External investors are likely to take the same view.

The argument now is between the club and the city council. It was the council which came up with the WHP option as part of its commitment to keep the club within the city boundary. Lack of finance was always destined to be a blocker and without public sector financial support, which was always fraught with legal difficulty, there is little chance of this project going ahead. That was the case when it was announced last year... so nothing has changed.

Joe AndersonÂ’s name is mud in the local area around WHP. The residents have very strong objections to the proposal so the Mayor will not be unhappy to see it killed off.

As for rebuilding Goodison Park, that cannot be done on the cheap. The only readily available land is at the Park End but any proposal to extend the current stand will do nothing to resolve the antiquated condition of the Bullens Road or the Gwladys Street Stands. When we are filling the stadium for the majority of matches; knocking them down and building smaller stands in their place is hardly a viable option.

How long will Goodison be able to keep all of its stands open to the public? There is a pressing need for something to happen, whether it be moving or improving. Another long period of inaction will not make the problem go away – whether it is financially viable or not.

Perhaps the solution will be to rent Anfield every other weekend and negate 123 years of history by going back to where we started.

Look at the teams that have moved to new stadiums, without a sugar daddy?

Where is the Roker roar now? Yes, they are nice and spacious, where you donÂ’t have to queue for the toilet etc. This can be remedied.

I just want to go to the ground to watch my team for 90 minutes, then get off to the pub where I can meet my mates, who sit in another part of the ground and have our discussion on the game.

Nothing can improve my matchday at Goodison. IÂ’m a bit chuffed at the news.

One of the most short-sighted and blinkered posts IÂ’ve read in a while. Something needs to happen, be it redevelopment or a move.

By the way, in their last season at Roker Park, the attendance was approx 22,000. Sunderland now average 46,000. That kind of thing happens when you give your fans hope and progress your club instead of repeatedly slapping them in the face.

The worst thing about the whole farce is Goodison Park could have been revamped in the time since Kings Dock went. Look at the localish rugby league teams: Warrington – new stadium; St Helens – new stadium; Widnes – total rebuild... all these stadiums beat GP hands down (attendance notwithstanding).

Yes, I know itÂ’s not as expensive as a Premier League stadium but, if it is pro-rata, the rugby teams went out and procured financial help whist Gordon Clegg and chums have done nob-all apart from flannel us. Shame on the bloody lot of them; the club is ruined.

Your post basically is saying nothing should be done about the stadium issue as we don’t have the money to have a decent squad and sort out the stadium, so the squad should take priority. There’s an obvious problem with your thinking – see it’s a bit hard to have a decent squad if you don’t have a stadium that they can play in!

Goodison is just about functioning for now but how many more years do you think we can go on like this? Every year, the issue just becomes bigger as the can is kicked further down the road. Run through the teams in the league and count how many teams have a stadium older than ours. Never mind the lost revenues from having a dilapidated stadium.

I think a vast majority of fans would be happy to see the team finish in the lower half of the table for a couple of years IF it meant the club finally sorts out the stadium. It’s not like it would take decades – the work could be completed in 3-5 years depending on what was being done and more importantly its in the long term interest of the club. Also, external experts have already confirmed that a phased redevelopment is possible – would probably be cheaper than building a new stadium from scratch as well.

Regardless, I wholeheartedly disagree that if we used some of the Sky money for a GP redevelopment it would harm the playing squad so much that relegation would be on the cards. We obviously don’t have to use all the money at once – a phased development is, well... a phased development... ie, one stand at a time. The squad and the stadium are not mutually exclusive projects and using that as an excuse is exactly the kind of crap BK and our CEO regularly come out with.

One thing the club continuously refuse to explain is why in their eyes a redevelopment of GP is not feasible. The question has been asked many times but no explanation is ever given – do you not find that a little bit odd? Especially when other parties have confirmed it can be done.

Over the next 3 years ,the club is going to get 𧴜M+ EXTRA revenue from Sky; I cannot foresee another opportunity like this ever coming round again. The money will be there – there is simply no excuse for not solving this issue and the fact that cash seems to be trotted out as the main problem is worrying. If we have a decent manager and maintain the current wagebill, we will be nowhere near relegation – we had a shite season and will still finish 10th, ffs.

It depends if you think it is representative of the wider Everton fanbase. I suspect most fans really arenÂ’t too worried about the Board, and even at its height in 2011 when the Blue Union were organising marches against the same regime currently in charge, they failed to mobilise enough fans to make a change. A few good results later and it had all gone quiet.

And thereÂ’s the nub really; probably the only way that you will convince enough people to protest is a disastrous run of results. You know... a bit like Newcastle.

This is not me being pro-BK – in fact, I am of the view although he might not be the devil incarnate some believe, he has nowhere to go with this club. We are on a revolving wheel of midtableness that cannot possibly change under his administration. Whether there is a better option out there... who knows? But I’d take the chance.

I find criticism of Elstone continues to be of the rant variety with so little understanding of how management works, anywhere, let alone at a Premier League football club. Seriously, how many of you have been a CEO in a multi-million-pound business? What do you expect of ANYONE reasonably qualified to do that kind of job? LetÂ’s see now, itÂ’s something like this "we expect the CEO to not defend any position the board takes, to accuse his Chairman and Directors of being charlatans and worse, oh and to rubbish literally everything about the organisation he or she leads"?

Within the bounds of the hierarchy he is part of, Elstone has been as honest as he can be. He knows some of his defensive briefings are worse than Martinez’s pathetic ability to organise his team’s effectively – and that’s saying something – but what else is he expected to do? "Resign" I hear you say? Well, on that basis, we shall have one new CEO every week.

Elstone is as frustrated as most at the clubÂ’s inability to move forward. But I suspect he is chastened by whatÂ’s happened in numerous other places where so-called "investment" has delivered a downward spiral that makes our mediocrity look adventurous and even "okay".

IÂ’m dismayed that Bill Kenwright cannot see that his "Evertonianism" has long since passed its sell-by date as a rationale for defending the behaviour of Robert Earl and for the failure to find new investment and now the every-five-years collapse of a new ground project. When I thought I was being pragmatic in BillsÂ’s defence, it was often because I did frequently fall back on his usually half-decent football knowledge and stewardship of that side of the club. But then he allowed a clearly struggling manager to destroy years of progress... ish... and set us back another half-decade on the playing side.

Years ago, I – and I think a fair number of people – argued that the failure of Everton FC was actually that we desperately need to understand nobody will invest 𧹈M to fund a new stadium, clear the debt, and start team investment with around 㿷M funding. Instead, our only chance to turn things round was to accept, however hard, that we have to do this the "football" way. This isnÂ’t simple or easy but it means that in the next three years we allocate half the Sky windfall to a less than exiting but still "much improved" re development at Goodison and the rest to a frustrating but still possible vision of building on young players coming through... backed up by clever dealings in the transfer market.

Until Martinez imploded and wrecked the decent (if not sensational) foundation left by Moyes, and turned Champion League contenders into near-relegation fighters and tippy-tappy nightmares, there really was a platform to build on. But, whilst weÂ’ve gone backwards, badly, others have progressed and IÂ’ve never been less enthusiastic about a new season as I am 2015-16 because it appears that we are just sitting back and accepting that we can no longer compete.... ever.

I know there will be shouts of "it’s not possible" about the stadium redevelopment. I know some insist we must have 200 executive boxes. I know some say it just can’t be done. But frankly I’d rather we stop all this new stadium crap now, accept it’s never happening, and push for a modest rebuild that may only increase exec boxes by 30 and capacity by 3,000-5,000 at the most... but deliver a true "football stadium" – not a concert arena in an economically more advantageous area... and a playing side that is a risky mix of young talent with the odd (hopefully) bargain buy who quickly becomes a star... aka Tim Cahill.

Too much to ask? I guess so... but the negative comments in this thread are not people having a go at apologists; instead, most are screaming "make your bloody minds up and set out a vision we can actually achieve"... Or something like that.

There has long been a hope that all parties could enjoy a huge payday via a retail development incorporating a stadium (as with Kirkby) but that concept now looks very last century even though Rugby League clubs are still building 10,000 stadiums on the back of it.

Let’s face it, we are only discussing this because whilst LFC have started on their re-vamp, the Council have had to make it clear that all they can provide us with is the land – and even that is proving very contentious!

.

I agree, it is a blinkered view. I love Goodison Park for its atmosphere. If it means going to a bowl-shaped stadium, I would rather stay. Look at the Mancs and the Shite, I am pretty sure they donÂ’t like these bowl shaped stadiums. I was hoping that we could have same build format as Goodison on the Bestway site, which is still in the Everton area of Scotland Road. That would be nearly as good as the Kings Dock.

Also, as you state, the Bestway site is better than WHP. But alas, it's pie in the sky .

The board have proven themselves to be a millstone around the neck of Everton FC time and time again.

Trouble is Â’theyÂ’ couldnÂ’t afford it so how the hell our lot would ever raise the cash, God only knows!

Eric (80) I did not say a rebuild is not possible. What I did say was that it cannot be done on the cheap. Of course anything is possible but TomÂ’s proposals look very complex and do not address the issue of cost. Indeed even if all the logistical problems could be overcome the cost is likely to be more than it would starting from scratch on an empty site. There are no easy or cheap solutions.

Kevin (76) Given that a new stadium is a non-starter in our current financial situation, it looks like we have no alternative but to embark on a long term project to revamp Goodison. By long term I mean something which can be delivered over a period of at least 10 years. The first step is to start buying up property around the ground. Frankly I have long since given up any hope of seeing a new stadium so I agree we should do something realistic at Goodison. But, as I have said, it is no use any of us pretending it will be a low-cost or low-risk solution.

A board who wonÂ’t invest their own money into the club;
A chairman whose been looking for a buyer/investment 24/7 for over a decade;
A stadium which is falling apart (who remembers seeing the roof on the top balcony waving in the high winds earlier this season before it got held back by cable ties!);
An ageing squad;
A club whose off field revenues are pitiful;
Replica kits & merchandise operation run by a third party company who appear to take most of the profits;
WeÂ’re still in debt??

And yet again a board who seem to think weÂ’re all stupid & they can give us all any old bull & weÂ’ll lap it up.

While Kenwright & Co run our club, weÂ’re going nowhere, because to me there is no ambition, or ability it would appear to move us forward.

I originally completed a study of various redevelopment options ranging from preserving all the historic structures and adding a wrap-around upper tier above and behind those stands, to simply replacing one, two or three stands.... and/or the basic replacement of the Upper Bullens and Upper Gwladys with new larger upper tiers.... including rough costings.

All were generated via a sightline modeller and CAD. At the time of the ballot I could only locate one schemeÂ’s full CAD files... and that was the one presented.

Redevelopment, can be expensive... but generally, if much of the existing fabric can be utilised, then it need not cost more to redevelop than to relocate... and quite often the outcome can be higher quality due to this saving.

Despite my differences with BK, I honestly do wish him all the best, he really does love Everton.

It is difficult to see how we can rebuild without at least temporarily affecting capacity. Part of the solution might be to increase capacity at the Park End before partially demolishing and rebuilding either the Bullens Road or Gwladys Street.

Similarly Manchester City are building around the current stand (where the away supporters sit) with barely any reduction in capacity.

He might love Everton but not in the way most Evertonians love the club. In my opinion, his affection for Everton is mostly all show. I’ve said it before, I have never met an Evertonian like him, just doesn’t behave like a real Bluenose – it’s all put on to impress other lovies like himself. He’s an utter phoney to me, but I really hope his health is okay.

I canÂ’t stand the man but if heÂ’s sick I hope he gets better.... then resigns!!!!

If thatÂ’s the case (and thatÂ’s how it looks) then the only option available is to rebuild on Goodison Park. I think the view that it would affect attendances is valid, but only in the sense that the attendance would be affected temporarily.

The idea of a temporary reduction didnÂ’t worry the club when we had a pathetically low attendance figure down at the Park End due to safety concerns. Nor did it seem to worry the club by having figures drawn on an empty stand and then a great big open space where the Park End used to be.

So it can be done. If we could resolve the palaver about ownership in the Car Park at the back of Bullens Road, that would offer us massive space to build a stand probably twice as big capacity as the current stand.

We could use the existing space reserved in the Bullens Road for away supporters, to house most, if not all, of the season ticket holders in the Park End.

So what IÂ’m trying to say is... we can do it. we can rebuild the stands, just like we did with the Goodison Road Stand, just like we did with the Park End.

Yes, it would mean a temporary reduction. But if this club doesnÂ’t rebuild on GP, nor have any serious intention to build a new stadium. Then my fear that eventually, the reduction in numbers attending Goodison Park will become permanent.

But letÂ’s see if this crew are going to come out with a set of proposals to do... anything at all. I doubt it.

People have got to stop saying we have no money because weÂ’re fucking rolling in it and it's being wasted somewhere.

A new stadium, if it could have been delivered, was always a more attractive proposition with the naming rights bringing in part of the required funding. It may also have attracted investors and sponsors. Rebuilding Goodison, which I agree now appears to be the only feasible way forward will take many years, if not decades.

Manchester United have been able to do it twice since the 1960s and prospered. A similar strategy adopted by Wolves in the late seventies almost killed them off. As I say, while it can be done, the rebuilding option requires very careful consideration, planning and above all, money.

The point is, clubs only generally relocate when they have to.... because of prohibitive costs or physical constraints of the existing site, or due to opportunity and/or incentives at another site. Constraints at GP are less onerous than at many clubs who have still chosen to redevelop.... as indeed is the case for LFC. WHP is a suburban park with little or no scope for even a moderate enabling package incentive, and certainly nothing sufficient to fund a whole new ground.... or even 1 stand in all likelihood.

Goodison however has much of what we need already in place. It can be transformed by adding just 15,000 new seats (10k nett) via a new larger upper Bullens tier, and extended Park end. Reprofiling the lower Bullens and Paddock too, to create essentially a whole new stand on that side... free of all obstructions. This and an extended Park End could easily match the capacity of the WHP proposals for a fraction of the cost.... and offer multi-tiered format on all sides. ... as opposed to on just one side at WHP.

In other words I believe the outlay could be less, and the outcome vastly superior in many ways.... thatÂ’s before you get into the all important public transport comparisons too. At no point have the club demonstrated the unequivocal need to relocate.... Other than it is perhaps a more hassle-free method to package the club for a high profit sale.

The answer is none, but in your fervour you forgot to mention churches which would be more likely since there is one abutting the ground.

Can you suggest an objection-free location that would be suitable?

"What remains a fact is that any prospective investor approaching Everton will find a receptive and transparent chairman, at the head of a well-run club, with a long list of appealing attributes: a club with a strong sense of purpose, a distinctive identity, a track record of top-six finishes, a great training ground and Academy that delivers some of the best young players in the country, a large, passionate and engaged fan base, with a great future ahead of it."

No Strings attached

See things arenÂ’t as bleak as we might think?

I think you refer to the late lamented peter Swales who took over Man City in 1973 and supervised a great decline in their fortunes over a relatively short period.

Just like Doug Ellis at Villa, Swales gave short shrift to failing managers – which he had appointed – once firing one ’for having no repartee with his players and the fanbase’!

Much as I am critical of BK’s reign – and there is much to be critical about – he has been comparatively successful when compared to Swales – if only because we have maintained our Premier League status. Quite what he thinks about Roberto’s ’repartee’, we can only imagine!

We donÂ’t need 3 whole new stands at all.... and we certainly donÂ’t need to knock down the church. Only two streets abutting Bullens Rd.... containing the cheapest houses outside any ground in the whole UK. The school is ripe for redevelopment and a hotel development could readily be built into the park end.

We can readily realise 50k unobstructed seats at GP..... as has been shown several times. Unfortunately, it require a bit more effort than producing a glossy sales brochure to maximise profit for a sale.

Anyone else seeing posts that arenÂ’t theirs, please let us know. ItÂ’s a problem at our end. Thanks.