By Ian Macdonald : 17/02/07
They say desperate men do desperate things. Well, I don`t know if Bill`s desperate or having a moment of madness, but I would say that Bill has been out of our city too long now; and local pride and competitiveness does not occur on a daily basis in London as it is does here in the Liverpool, regarding our two major clubs.
I`m talking about our proposed move out to Kirkby. Cards on the table here ? Kirkby may possess a Liverpool postcode, a lot of my mates live there who are as Scouse as myself but none of them want this proposed stadium on their doorstep.
No matter how it will be spun, most Evertonians I know have a gut feeling that it is just plain wrong to move seven miles outside of the city centre whilst a new Castle Greyskull is being planned just a few hundred yards from our spiritual home. Like I said at the last AGM (All Gone Mad!), if we move to the outskirts of the city then it will be akin to unfurling the white flag to our red neighbours, saying to them that “the city is yours now” ? like native Red Indians driven from their homelands to the barren outskirts.
With the King`s Dock proposal, every Red I knew was gutted ? it was to be a quantum leap for our Club, a new home built upon the fourth most famous waterfront in the world. Sadly we never made it beyond the ‘show us your money` stage and Bill loved the feeling of power, leading the Club more than giving it over to that bad Mr Gregg to deliver this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity with his ‘reverse mortgage` proposal. Ask yourself why was this location, deal and stadium spec not delivered when Liverpool City Council and the RDA just wanted a paltry thirty million pounds from us? How gutted do you feel when you pass the new concert arena built on the King`s Dock now? This sad chapter of our present custodians` tenure will become an albatross around their necks when trying to comprehend what they intend to do now. Paul Wharton, who comes from Kirkby, said to me, “they promised us a penthouse on the waterfront ? now it`s a council flat in Kirkby”!
Now the Reds are laughing at us ? the mocking banners at the last derby are just a taste of things to come. I know “we don`t care what the red side say, what the hell do we care”, as the song goes, but deep down we do ? particularly if you live amongst them ? whether it be at work, in the school place or in the pub. And it`s not friendly banter anymore; it has become bitter.
I just cannot believe Bill is even considering the move out to Kirkby, particularly after being dead set against it during Peter Johnson`s reign ? to the point where he was actively helping the Goodison for Ever-ton campaigners. So, I ask, what has changed Bill`s mind so drastically? Is it because we are so desperately skint where we have no other choice but to rely on ANY handout to move on, it being supposedly the only deal on the table? If Tesco, our proposed partner and benefactor, were to say that the location was to be in Cronton, would we move there? It will be where Tesco want it to be. Wherever they want a complex ? that’s where we are going. EFC, a so-called BIG club, dictated to by a supermarket chain! Sad as hell that?
“Sold down the River Alt by those running our club”, is what one fan said to me. I know we are left only owning Goodison Park now, which is frightening when you consider just how much property we had before True Blue Holdings took charge. I find it pretty disturbing that the people who are driving this proposed move are mostly not Evertonians or live in excess of 200 miles from the city. So, when they jump into their cars after a game, could the stadium be anywhere convenient to suit their personal plans?
If we take a quick look at the main players in this move it may give more of an insight as to why we`re proposing a move away from our city:
Bill Kenwright: Now, I really think he would not harm Everton deliberately and may be being led along or, as I said before, having temporary madness. Maybe Bill has had enough and wants an exit strategy? Who knows? Thing is, under Bill`s leadership, there is no-one else possibly to blame as that bad Mr Gregg has left and Peter Johnson has well gone! So he stands at the helm for any major decisions, and accountable to Evertonians during his tenure. It won`t be Jon Woods or Robert Earl blamed if this venture out to Kirkby becomes the disaster I fear it will become and responsibility will lie firmly at the feet of Bill when Evertonians reflect in years to come.
I was as pleased as the next Blue when he came to the helm; our club needed him then. But now I reflect upon what his tenure has brought ? and, sad to say, it`s a hell of a lot of debt and undelivered promises. His ‘divorce` from a friendship of more than 20 years with Paul Gregg was a public embarrassment to us all. I can`t figure out why Bill took Mr Gregg`s money to extract ownership of the Club from Peter Johnson, yet chose not to, for King`s Dock, which (as previously stated) will come back to haunt Bill. He did employ David Moyes (after recommendation from SFX, ironically one of Paul Gregg`s firms!) ? a manager who has given us stability and a few highs but has also tested many of us with his style of football.
Jon Woods and Robert Earl: I don`t really know enough about our other two major shareholders, or what they do. I`m not sure how much time Jon spends on Merseyside these days, while Mr Earl lives in America and has ‘arrived` at Everton, or so it would appear, to assist with the new stadium project ? just like that nasty Mr Gregg over the King`s Dock. And look what happened to him!
Keith Wyness: Well, again, I`ll be honest in saying he`s not my cup of tea ? based on personal dealings with him. His behaviour over the plane cancellation at Speke; the Villarreal ticket fiasco; the ruthless ejection of long-term season-ticket holders for corporate space; and out-pricing many of our youngsters, the next generation of Blues, with the scrapping of the under-11s season-ticket, leaves a lot to be desired. He is paid a king`s ransom in wages and bonuses ? for exactly what I don`t know? As previously stated, everything is sold or outsourced, with the two major sponsors we possess having been secured by both Paul Gregg and Andy Hosie. Our turnover was heightened by sales and we have just lost in excess of £11 million. A self-confessed Aberdeen fan, not an Evertonian, does he care where the new stadium might be located? Will he be around to see the consequences if we move to Kirkby? So, I ask, does he really care about our fans?
Robert Elstone: Our deputy CEO, a really amiable guy who I would recommend if you want anything done at our Club, as he listens and implements.
Terry Leahy: An Evertonian and a brilliant business man for Tesco. The superstore`s CEO, remember, not the owner, now living around Potters Bar, Hertfordshire ? over 200 miles away. I`m puzzled with Terry; I was led to believe he would not get involved with Everton a couple of years ago, yet here we are with him being viewed by most as the driving force behind the Kirkby project. A man well respected across the business world BUT answerable to his shareholders, at Tesco. Again, I ask, has Terry been out of the City for too long to remember our passion, as the first club in the city? It`s been said to me that he is fed up with Liverpool City Council and moving Everton out of the City is payback time. This can`t be true, can it? I can`t see Tesco shareholders allowing Terry to use his position simply due to his fondness for Everton. No, I think it`s about what Tesco get out of the deal, which is free land and a new retail complex on the cheap, that begs the question ? what about the cost of the stadium? Will we get an Emirates or a King`s Dock stadium, or something a lot less glamorous one that is economical to the Tesco shareholders? Again, we`ll wait and see. Every little helps I suppose! For what it`s worth, I`m told we will not see a bowl shaped stadium being built but instead a development similar to the RheinEnergieStadion, home of FC Köln, in Germany.
Knowsley Borough Council: Fair play to them as they see this retail park as an answer to many of their ills, and a way forward. When Councillor Eddie Connor announced the proposed deal on the same day the Yanks took over at Liverpool, was it deliberate? I mean, they say slip in the bad news when a far bigger story breaks! They are giving us everything it appears to make the move happen. The whole area has been leafleted about the positives this development will bring them, but have they really thought this out? The proposed site was a landfill area ? maybe we`re getting the gas for free as well? Have they thought about having 5,000 Mancs getting off at Kirkby station and drinking in the locals waterholes? One big disturbance in the town centre could scare the shoppers away for some time, but that sort of carry-on can happen anywhere. Those owners with new properties on Cherryfield Drive, are they really happy with what awaits them every morning and particularly on match day? I believe a local pressure group has been formed, to rally against the proposed creation on their doorstep.
All of the above stand to make money on their shares, or increased wages, if we go for the quick fix out in Kirkby. What return will we, the fans, get from our hard-earned money over the years of buying season tickets etc? A stadium so many of us do not want in this location???
The present custodians are widely mistrusted by the fanbase through past failures to deliver and outright spin that insults your brain. The fiasco that was Fortress Sports Fund was an embarrassment. I thought Christopher Samuelson was Phyllis Fogg, as he journeyed around the world that much to stamp approval for this unique deal, which by the way would`ve ensured that Bill remained at the helm. Was it just another smokescreen to stop Paul Gregg from acquiring control of the Club? We may never know but this sorry episode of our present chief custodian`s tenure further endorses the mistrust between the fan in the street, and the Board of Everton. Just watch the spin in the coming months, as we slowly move towards the promised vote, aided and abetted by the local media.
read part II for more
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