After the 4-1 defeat at home to Brighton and Hove Albion on January 3rd, Everton fans voiced their frustrations towards the board at the final whistle and since then NSNOW published an open letter to owner Farhad Moshiri demanding change at the boardroom level along with setting up a planned sit-in after the Southampton game.
This weekend, after the Southampton Game, there will be a sit-in protest for everyone who wants to show their discontent at the current running of our football club. Bring banners, flags and your voices! Something has to change! #AllTogetherNow pic.twitter.com/L73S8R18JW
— NSNOW (@NSNO_W) January 9, 2023
Evertonians once again brought their A-game when welcoming the home team, with Goodison Road filled with blue smoke, flags, and thousands of Evertonians chanting their team’s name as they arrived. However, during this Everton released the following statement which said [Everton Official Website]
Everton’s Board of Directors have been instructed not to attend today’s Premier League fixture against Southampton because of a “real and credible threat to their safety and security”.
Chairman Bill Kenwright, CEO Denise Barrett-Baxendale, Chief Finance & Strategy Officer Grant Ingles and Non-Executive Director Graeme Sharp have reluctantly accepted the outcome of the safety assessment carried out by security advisors.
The Board members received the instruction following malicious and unacceptably threatening correspondence received by the Club and increasing incidents of anti-social behaviour – including targeted physical aggression – at recent home matches.
A Security & Safety Advisor said: “Following a thorough risk assessment, and in response to tangible threats received by the Club and intelligence we have gathered, the Club’s Board members have been told they must not attend today’s fixture.”
A Club spokesperson added: “This is an unprecedented decision for Everton Football Club – never before has our entire Board of Directors been ordered not to attend a match on safety grounds. It is a profoundly sad day for Everton and Evertonians.”
Along with that, the Liverpool Echo also published a story claiming that Denise Barrett-Baxendale was ‘put in a headlock’ after the team’s defeat to Brighton on January 3rd, and theatrical producer and club chairman Bill Kenwright also received death threats. All of which happened 11 days ago.
Denise Barrett-Baxendale 'put in headlock' as new claims emerge over safety of Everton board@joe_thomas18 ✍️ https://t.co/bYhrrbtklF
— Everton FC News (@LivEchoEFC) January 14, 2023
Now, I just find it extremely convenient that on the day of another fan protest, a peaceful fan protest that all this news breaks out about incidents that happened 11 days ago.
In that 11 days, I cannot understand why the club, ‘The people’s club’ only decided that 11 days after the incident in question decided to release it to the press. This is not the first time that ‘death threats’ have been made towards Bill Kenwright, and none of them have ever been backed up by concrete evidence.
Similar to the ‘head lock’ on Barrett-Baxendale. If someone, anyone was assaulted after the game vs Brighton, police would have been present, a report would have been filed on the day, and the person would have been named.
Now, for this to happen to Everton’s chief executive, they would have been arrested and made an example of, but for some reason, the club only decided to release this news 11 days after the day in question and coincidently on the day of another fan protest.
Something does not add up here. No CCTV footage and no Police report but it was only on the day of the next game that all the news broke.
Interesting.
Farhad Moshiri needs to act now, Frank Lampard is ‘statistically’ our worst-ever manager in the Premier League. Yesterday’s defeat was Lampard’s 20th in 37 games and I believe the only reason he is still in a job is that the club is a complete and utter mess, they cannot afford to sack him and his backroom staff, but even if he does get the sack the players need to start taking accountability for their actions on the pitch.