Al Jazeera (they don't only report on terror cells) have just released an exposé on Mr. Christopher Samuelson.
The older posters may remember he was wheeled out during our 2004 AGM as the brains behind the 'Fortress Sports Fund' and that they would provide the 30m 'ringfenced' money that would have triggered all of the grants to fund Kings Dock. Fortress had Russian money behind it, and the son of the billionaire had "an encyclopedic knowledge of football." In short, our worries were over.
Our Chairman (the greatest living Evertonian) said Samuelson was also an Evertonian. This sham was exposed when during the questions from then shareholders Samuelson was asked who scored the winner in the 66 cup final. Some mealy-mouthed excuse was muttered and he spent the rest of the evening nervously eyeing the room hoping to avoid any further questions.
Within weeks Paul and Anita Gregg had sold their shares (they had offered to fund the 30m in exchange for greater influence as well as full control of non-football activities at KD.) and Mr. Kenwright tightened his grip on his beloved Everton.
Of course, no money showed up.
We lost the KD site.
We remained stagnant.
But hey, a blue was in control.
Having watched the Al Jazeera documentary, I'd wager Kenwright only saw Samuelson as a White Knight arriving just in time to save him from relinquishing some control of the club. He was desperate and this man offered him hope.
It doesn't mean Kenwright back then was a bad man, just a completely vain dope pinning his hopes on whoever walked through the door. It's no surprise he was allegedly taken in by the student in a Manchester bedsit before Moshiri arrived.
What happened in subsequent years, the lies over Kirkby meant that (to me at least) he was actually a bad man.
If you have just over an hour, it's an interesting watch. Easy to see why so many EFL clubs are in dire straights when the league can get hoodwinked and basically allow shell corps in as owners.
Quite a few Everton connections appear. Gregg, Wyness, the Russian Father and Son. (The same Father and Son team took over Reading with Samuelson, left them a year later in dire straits)
If you can't be bothered with it all, the Everton section is about halfway through, but without watching the whole thing it's a bit of a 'so what?`
The older posters may remember he was wheeled out during our 2004 AGM as the brains behind the 'Fortress Sports Fund' and that they would provide the 30m 'ringfenced' money that would have triggered all of the grants to fund Kings Dock. Fortress had Russian money behind it, and the son of the billionaire had "an encyclopedic knowledge of football." In short, our worries were over.
Our Chairman (the greatest living Evertonian) said Samuelson was also an Evertonian. This sham was exposed when during the questions from then shareholders Samuelson was asked who scored the winner in the 66 cup final. Some mealy-mouthed excuse was muttered and he spent the rest of the evening nervously eyeing the room hoping to avoid any further questions.
Within weeks Paul and Anita Gregg had sold their shares (they had offered to fund the 30m in exchange for greater influence as well as full control of non-football activities at KD.) and Mr. Kenwright tightened his grip on his beloved Everton.
Of course, no money showed up.
We lost the KD site.
We remained stagnant.
But hey, a blue was in control.
Having watched the Al Jazeera documentary, I'd wager Kenwright only saw Samuelson as a White Knight arriving just in time to save him from relinquishing some control of the club. He was desperate and this man offered him hope.
It doesn't mean Kenwright back then was a bad man, just a completely vain dope pinning his hopes on whoever walked through the door. It's no surprise he was allegedly taken in by the student in a Manchester bedsit before Moshiri arrived.
What happened in subsequent years, the lies over Kirkby meant that (to me at least) he was actually a bad man.
If you have just over an hour, it's an interesting watch. Easy to see why so many EFL clubs are in dire straights when the league can get hoodwinked and basically allow shell corps in as owners.
Quite a few Everton connections appear. Gregg, Wyness, the Russian Father and Son. (The same Father and Son team took over Reading with Samuelson, left them a year later in dire straits)
If you can't be bothered with it all, the Everton section is about halfway through, but without watching the whole thing it's a bit of a 'so what?`
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