DENNIS STEVENS
Player Valuation: £20m
maybe so. however, i think the further back you go the more likely youngsters are to dream about being players, possibly managers, but hardly ever chairmen, who generally were much lower profile than nowadays.
- Status
maybe so. however, i think the further back you go the more likely youngsters are to dream about being players, possibly managers, but hardly ever chairmen, who generally were much lower profile than nowadays.
Andriy.EFC
Player Valuation: £8m
Kenwright can **** off. PR genius he is, always talks when we're doing well. But never has it been more obvious that we are not for sale than today. He's biting his time until Kirby is pushed through so that he can sell us at a big nice profit. **** off Bill.
stanleypark
Player Valuation: £1m
G
Gazdalf
Guest
Kenwright is great. Legendary, fantastic, give him a knighthood I say.
Who watches over us Gaz? Build a little birdhouse in your soul for Bill.
Wonderful song.
Wonderful song.
Robert Jarvis
Player Valuation: £35m
reading between the lines, it is quite clear that BK will never let go no matter what he has claimed in the past about investment or selling the club.
Bullshit Billy reigns supreme.
Bullshit Billy reigns supreme.
Robert Jarvis
Player Valuation: £35m
Dave, I bloody well hope not. For me he is the stumbling block on further progress. Okay he has done well be Everton but as far as I am concerned there is no room for sentimentality where the survival and success of our club are involved.
Sir William Says:
There is only one Barclays Premier League chairman who explains his feelings towards his club by quoting Stephen Sondheim and, luckily for Bill Kenwright, Everton supporters will identify with the soundbite in question. It goes along the lines of: “Loving you isn’t an option, it’s who I am,” and, as Wembley and the FA Cup Final beckon tomorrow, he and Evertonians everywhere have reason to be thankful for who they are.
This cannot be considered a golden era for Everton, not when you consider the extent to which they challenged Liverpool’s dominance of English football for a period in the mid-1980s, but silverware is once again within their grasp. In an age when they were supposed to have been priced out of the elite — when foreign owners and shiny new stadiums are in vogue — the Merseyside club have re-emerged as a force thanks to prudent housekeeping and shrewd management and while Kenwright maintains that he will be only too happy to stand aside when he finds the club’s knight in shining armour, he is as determined as any follower of the club to enjoy tomorrow for all it is worth.
“I will be with my mum, with my family,” Kenwright says, sitting at a table at his beloved, dilapidated Goodison Park. “They will come down on the Friday night. I’ll go on the coach with my mates and my family, I won’t go in a car. That’s what we did for the semi. I’ll just get a coach.
“My family, who come every week to the game, will come down. I’ve done that for 25 or 30 years. Jenny [Seagrove, the actress, his partner] and I will get on the coach and sing Tell Me Ma and Going all the way to Wembley and we’ll play ‘Who can spot Wembley first’, the things that a football fan does. I’ll be part of the Everton family that day.”
If Kenwright, who in his other life is a highly successful West End theatre impresario, sounds as if he is nostalgic for a bygone era, it is because he is. “I don’t want to come across as the emotional guy who wears his heart on his sleeve, but this is what I am,” he says.
“These fans are the same as me. I queued all night before the 1966 Cup Final. I got two tickets and I stood right at the back when we were 2-0 down, thinking to myself, ‘Why have I waited all my life for this? What’s going on?’ ”
Everton, to his enduring astonishment, ended up winning 3-2 that day, their winning goal scored by Mike Trebilcock. That was in the FA Cup’s golden age, a time when the prize was coveted and contested by all.
An Everton success 12 months after Portsmouth’s low-key victory over Cardiff City, may help the Cup’s continued resurgence after a period between 1996 and 2007 when it was won by only four clubs — Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United — but it will not alter the reality that Kenwright’s club, the best of the rest in the
Premier League, are operating at a competitive disadvantage that leaves him with no option but to consider selling to a foreign investor if a suitable one can be found.
“I truly am talking to people every week now,” Kenwright says. “But sometimes you have, ‘We want a deal done in the next week,’ and you never hear from these people again.
“This is from all over the world. People seem to be looking at football clubs and they come and see me and say, ‘You’re the one’ and then you literally don’t hear from them again. There is just no money about.”
Rumours persist that Everton will be the next leading club to be sold and that two potential buyers, one from the Middle East and one from the United States, are showing genuine and serious interest. Until then, Kenwright is left to rely on the shrewd wheeler-dealing of David
Moyes, a Scot who treats the club’s money as his own.
“When you look at what David has achieved over his seven years here, I think the deficit is only around £35 million, which is extraordinary because when you pay the money out, you don’t know what you are going to get back in,” he said. “Look at the money Newcastle have spent. I’m convinced if we had had that money, it would have taken us to the next level and the Champions League.”
Even for an old romantic such as Kenwright, the Champions League, with its vast television revenue, is the place to be, but tomorrow it is all about Wembley, the FA Cup, old traditions, good times.
How will it compare to a first night at the West End? “There is no comparison,” he says. “None at all. It’s not even in the same world. This is who I am. For me to be at Wembley, I won’t be the chairman sitting there. I’ll just be a fan.”
‘All I want in life is to hold a bit of silverware. That is my dream.’
As one of the most successful theatre producers in the world, Bill Kenwright ought to be comfortable with big stages, but he will be as nervous as any fan when Everton face Chelsea at Wembley tomorrow.
As more and more Barclays Premier League clubs fall into foreign hands, Kenwright bucks the trend as the chairman of the club he has supported since childhood. His favourite line in a musical comes from Stephen Sondheim’s Passion: “Loving you is not a choice — it is who I am.”
In an interview last year, he said: “I've supported Everton for 56 years and never gone to a match thinking we won't win. I'm a fan. I can't sleep on Saturday night, I can't eat lunch before the game and I kick every ball in the directors' box. I got an award from the Press boys last year for being the most nervous chairman they'd seen at Anfield. I don't sit still — it means that much.”
He claimed that the stress of Everton’s win over Wimbledon on the last day of the 1993-94 season, which kept them in the top-flight, brought on a bout of psoriasis. He also had to endure death threats when Everton sold Wayne Rooney to Manchester United.
Kenwright was elected to the Everton board in 1989, bought a majority shareholding for £20 million in 1999 — mortgaging his house to help to fund the takeover — and became chairman in 2004. Born in Liverpool, in the 1960s he acted in Z Cars, West End musicals, had a stint in Coronation Street, as well as a brief tilt at musical stardom with his Northern Soul group, Bill Kenwright and the Runaways. He then moved into theatrical production and his company has produced hundreds of shows, from An Ideal Husband to Blood Brothers, as well as films. He is in a long-term relationship with Jenny Seagrove, the actress.
Kenwright was also a judge on Any Dream Will Do, the BBC talent show. His fantasy, though, is quite specific. “When David Moyes first came to us, we lost to Shrewsbury in the FA Cup. I got in my car at Shrewsbury and ended up in Cambridge. I’ve no idea how,” he said last year. “I had tears in my eyes all the way wondering how I was going to get up in the morning. All I want in life is to hold a bit of silverware. That is my dream.”
There is only one Barclays Premier League chairman who explains his feelings towards his club by quoting Stephen Sondheim and, luckily for Bill Kenwright, Everton supporters will identify with the soundbite in question. It goes along the lines of: “Loving you isn’t an option, it’s who I am,” and, as Wembley and the FA Cup Final beckon tomorrow, he and Evertonians everywhere have reason to be thankful for who they are.
This cannot be considered a golden era for Everton, not when you consider the extent to which they challenged Liverpool’s dominance of English football for a period in the mid-1980s, but silverware is once again within their grasp. In an age when they were supposed to have been priced out of the elite — when foreign owners and shiny new stadiums are in vogue — the Merseyside club have re-emerged as a force thanks to prudent housekeeping and shrewd management and while Kenwright maintains that he will be only too happy to stand aside when he finds the club’s knight in shining armour, he is as determined as any follower of the club to enjoy tomorrow for all it is worth.
“I will be with my mum, with my family,” Kenwright says, sitting at a table at his beloved, dilapidated Goodison Park. “They will come down on the Friday night. I’ll go on the coach with my mates and my family, I won’t go in a car. That’s what we did for the semi. I’ll just get a coach.
“My family, who come every week to the game, will come down. I’ve done that for 25 or 30 years. Jenny [Seagrove, the actress, his partner] and I will get on the coach and sing Tell Me Ma and Going all the way to Wembley and we’ll play ‘Who can spot Wembley first’, the things that a football fan does. I’ll be part of the Everton family that day.”
If Kenwright, who in his other life is a highly successful West End theatre impresario, sounds as if he is nostalgic for a bygone era, it is because he is. “I don’t want to come across as the emotional guy who wears his heart on his sleeve, but this is what I am,” he says.
“These fans are the same as me. I queued all night before the 1966 Cup Final. I got two tickets and I stood right at the back when we were 2-0 down, thinking to myself, ‘Why have I waited all my life for this? What’s going on?’ ”
Everton, to his enduring astonishment, ended up winning 3-2 that day, their winning goal scored by Mike Trebilcock. That was in the FA Cup’s golden age, a time when the prize was coveted and contested by all.
An Everton success 12 months after Portsmouth’s low-key victory over Cardiff City, may help the Cup’s continued resurgence after a period between 1996 and 2007 when it was won by only four clubs — Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United — but it will not alter the reality that Kenwright’s club, the best of the rest in the
Premier League, are operating at a competitive disadvantage that leaves him with no option but to consider selling to a foreign investor if a suitable one can be found.
“I truly am talking to people every week now,” Kenwright says. “But sometimes you have, ‘We want a deal done in the next week,’ and you never hear from these people again.
“This is from all over the world. People seem to be looking at football clubs and they come and see me and say, ‘You’re the one’ and then you literally don’t hear from them again. There is just no money about.”
Rumours persist that Everton will be the next leading club to be sold and that two potential buyers, one from the Middle East and one from the United States, are showing genuine and serious interest. Until then, Kenwright is left to rely on the shrewd wheeler-dealing of David
Moyes, a Scot who treats the club’s money as his own.
“When you look at what David has achieved over his seven years here, I think the deficit is only around £35 million, which is extraordinary because when you pay the money out, you don’t know what you are going to get back in,” he said. “Look at the money Newcastle have spent. I’m convinced if we had had that money, it would have taken us to the next level and the Champions League.”
Even for an old romantic such as Kenwright, the Champions League, with its vast television revenue, is the place to be, but tomorrow it is all about Wembley, the FA Cup, old traditions, good times.
How will it compare to a first night at the West End? “There is no comparison,” he says. “None at all. It’s not even in the same world. This is who I am. For me to be at Wembley, I won’t be the chairman sitting there. I’ll just be a fan.”
‘All I want in life is to hold a bit of silverware. That is my dream.’
As one of the most successful theatre producers in the world, Bill Kenwright ought to be comfortable with big stages, but he will be as nervous as any fan when Everton face Chelsea at Wembley tomorrow.
As more and more Barclays Premier League clubs fall into foreign hands, Kenwright bucks the trend as the chairman of the club he has supported since childhood. His favourite line in a musical comes from Stephen Sondheim’s Passion: “Loving you is not a choice — it is who I am.”
In an interview last year, he said: “I've supported Everton for 56 years and never gone to a match thinking we won't win. I'm a fan. I can't sleep on Saturday night, I can't eat lunch before the game and I kick every ball in the directors' box. I got an award from the Press boys last year for being the most nervous chairman they'd seen at Anfield. I don't sit still — it means that much.”
He claimed that the stress of Everton’s win over Wimbledon on the last day of the 1993-94 season, which kept them in the top-flight, brought on a bout of psoriasis. He also had to endure death threats when Everton sold Wayne Rooney to Manchester United.
Kenwright was elected to the Everton board in 1989, bought a majority shareholding for £20 million in 1999 — mortgaging his house to help to fund the takeover — and became chairman in 2004. Born in Liverpool, in the 1960s he acted in Z Cars, West End musicals, had a stint in Coronation Street, as well as a brief tilt at musical stardom with his Northern Soul group, Bill Kenwright and the Runaways. He then moved into theatrical production and his company has produced hundreds of shows, from An Ideal Husband to Blood Brothers, as well as films. He is in a long-term relationship with Jenny Seagrove, the actress.
Kenwright was also a judge on Any Dream Will Do, the BBC talent show. His fantasy, though, is quite specific. “When David Moyes first came to us, we lost to Shrewsbury in the FA Cup. I got in my car at Shrewsbury and ended up in Cambridge. I’ve no idea how,” he said last year. “I had tears in my eyes all the way wondering how I was going to get up in the morning. All I want in life is to hold a bit of silverware. That is my dream.”
I think im going to be sick. I got that feeling when a little bit of sick goes in your mouth.
STOP IT FFS.
STOP IT FFS.
Run for the loo mate! 
Bill Kenwright admits he is part of a dying breed among Barclays Premier League chairmen and extinction may not be far off.
Staging West End shows and presiding over Everton's fortunes may be a juggling act for the 63-year old theatre impresario, but endless levels of energy and expertise have served him well on both fronts.
As he is all too acutely aware, though, he cannot call on the bottomless pocket needed to continue flourishing in a sporting context.
Sitting a few yards from Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich, in Wembley's Royal Box tomorrow, will act as a timely reminder of English football's changing face and Everton's growing need for a benefactor, if they are to improve on this season's fifth-placed finish.
Kenwright has known about it, and tried to remedy it, longer than he cares to remember, and the resulting frustrations help produce a swift answer when he is asked to compare the toll taken by the two great loves of his life.
'I am trying to cope with the demands of this football club, and the pressure is like nothing else in my life,' he said. 'But it comes with the territory. At the moment, it is emails from fans who can't get tickets, and that is killing me. After that, it's trying to raise funds to strengthen the squad.
'I love the idea of being a role model for homegrown chairmen, but I don't think about it too much. We've done brilliantly, and I find it comforting to have found a manager who'll put up with the kind of chairman I am, someone who'll back him all the way but cannot give him fortunes.
'There is no room any more for the boyhood supporter as chairman, though, and it has never, ever crossed my mind that we can continue like that. It's the way of things these days that you need investment to be a top club, but the problem is that we aren't living in a normal world.
'There just isn't any money around, and we haven't seen any major investment for a year (talking before this week's Portsmouth takeover). I seem to be talking to people every week, but they fly in from all corners of the globe, say they want a deal done one minute, then disappear the next. I'd fill whatever role an investor wanted. I'd have no problems stepping aside. This club's wellbeing is my main concern. I'm pretty convinced David Moyes would take us into the Champions League with proper money.'
Kenwright has employed some of the acting profession's top names, and filled the best seats in the house to watch them, but showtime means only one thing to the lifelong Everton fan.
'Being a producer doesn't belong in the same world,' he said. 'I don't want to come across as that emotional guy who is always wearing his heart on his sleeve, but this is what I am, an Everton supporter. I remember standing right at the back at the 1966 Cup final, after queueing all night for a ticket, and seeing us go 2-0 down. I'm wondering why I have waited all my life for this, when we come storming back and win it and suddenly it all makes sense.
'The most extraordinary moment of this season came half-an-hour before the semi-final against Manchester United, when they played the Z Cars theme, and I caught David's eye down on the pitch. There were 30,000 of our fans joining in, and it was unforgettable.
'When it went to penalties, and Tim Cahill missed, I was rehearsing my speech to David, telling him this was our final and how well he'd done. Then (Dimitar) Berbatov missed, and we were back in it. What a day.
'But no one will ever take 1966 away, and escaping relegation in the last minute against Wimbledon was the moment I thought my heart was going to burst.
'When I take my seat on Saturday, I'll ask myself, "Is this really me?" It will be beyond my wildest dreams. I've already organised the Kenwright coach. My mum, family and mates will all be on it. I'll be part of the Everton family, and that's exactly how I like it.'
Kenwright's backing for Moyes has never wavered, and he is convinced most neutrals will be behind him at Wembley.
'I don't deserve any praise for sticking with David, because you would have to be beyond crazy not to,' he said. 'He was one of four names to replace Walter Smith. Within five minutes of meeting him, I crossed the rest off. One thing I have done over 40 years is recognise talent, and I thought this guy was special.
'It was 20 to one in the morning at my home, and my wife Jenny asked if he wanted eggs on toast. He said, "Aye," then added, "you'll not be going down, by the way".
'We were struggling at the time, but we scored 27 seconds into his first game, and I thought, "He's my man". What he's done is a miracle. He has taken this club by the scruff of the neck and given Evertonians reason to believe again.
'I sense there is a lot of support for us. Down in London, people say,
"Excuse me, I just want to wish you luck in the final".
'There is a buzz towards Everton, and I think Chelsea know that.'
* Love the before Pompey were taken over this week thing!
Bill Kenwright admits he is part of a dying breed among Barclays Premier League chairmen and extinction may not be far off.
Staging West End shows and presiding over Everton's fortunes may be a juggling act for the 63-year old theatre impresario, but endless levels of energy and expertise have served him well on both fronts.
As he is all too acutely aware, though, he cannot call on the bottomless pocket needed to continue flourishing in a sporting context.
Sitting a few yards from Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich, in Wembley's Royal Box tomorrow, will act as a timely reminder of English football's changing face and Everton's growing need for a benefactor, if they are to improve on this season's fifth-placed finish.
Kenwright has known about it, and tried to remedy it, longer than he cares to remember, and the resulting frustrations help produce a swift answer when he is asked to compare the toll taken by the two great loves of his life.
'I am trying to cope with the demands of this football club, and the pressure is like nothing else in my life,' he said. 'But it comes with the territory. At the moment, it is emails from fans who can't get tickets, and that is killing me. After that, it's trying to raise funds to strengthen the squad.
'I love the idea of being a role model for homegrown chairmen, but I don't think about it too much. We've done brilliantly, and I find it comforting to have found a manager who'll put up with the kind of chairman I am, someone who'll back him all the way but cannot give him fortunes.
'There is no room any more for the boyhood supporter as chairman, though, and it has never, ever crossed my mind that we can continue like that. It's the way of things these days that you need investment to be a top club, but the problem is that we aren't living in a normal world.
'There just isn't any money around, and we haven't seen any major investment for a year (talking before this week's Portsmouth takeover). I seem to be talking to people every week, but they fly in from all corners of the globe, say they want a deal done one minute, then disappear the next. I'd fill whatever role an investor wanted. I'd have no problems stepping aside. This club's wellbeing is my main concern. I'm pretty convinced David Moyes would take us into the Champions League with proper money.'
Kenwright has employed some of the acting profession's top names, and filled the best seats in the house to watch them, but showtime means only one thing to the lifelong Everton fan.
'Being a producer doesn't belong in the same world,' he said. 'I don't want to come across as that emotional guy who is always wearing his heart on his sleeve, but this is what I am, an Everton supporter. I remember standing right at the back at the 1966 Cup final, after queueing all night for a ticket, and seeing us go 2-0 down. I'm wondering why I have waited all my life for this, when we come storming back and win it and suddenly it all makes sense.
'The most extraordinary moment of this season came half-an-hour before the semi-final against Manchester United, when they played the Z Cars theme, and I caught David's eye down on the pitch. There were 30,000 of our fans joining in, and it was unforgettable.
'When it went to penalties, and Tim Cahill missed, I was rehearsing my speech to David, telling him this was our final and how well he'd done. Then (Dimitar) Berbatov missed, and we were back in it. What a day.
'But no one will ever take 1966 away, and escaping relegation in the last minute against Wimbledon was the moment I thought my heart was going to burst.
'When I take my seat on Saturday, I'll ask myself, "Is this really me?" It will be beyond my wildest dreams. I've already organised the Kenwright coach. My mum, family and mates will all be on it. I'll be part of the Everton family, and that's exactly how I like it.'
Kenwright's backing for Moyes has never wavered, and he is convinced most neutrals will be behind him at Wembley.
'I don't deserve any praise for sticking with David, because you would have to be beyond crazy not to,' he said. 'He was one of four names to replace Walter Smith. Within five minutes of meeting him, I crossed the rest off. One thing I have done over 40 years is recognise talent, and I thought this guy was special.
'It was 20 to one in the morning at my home, and my wife Jenny asked if he wanted eggs on toast. He said, "Aye," then added, "you'll not be going down, by the way".
'We were struggling at the time, but we scored 27 seconds into his first game, and I thought, "He's my man". What he's done is a miracle. He has taken this club by the scruff of the neck and given Evertonians reason to believe again.
'I sense there is a lot of support for us. Down in London, people say,
"Excuse me, I just want to wish you luck in the final".
'There is a buzz towards Everton, and I think Chelsea know that.'
* Love the before Pompey were taken over this week thing!
Last edited:
End it lerd, I really am gonna throw in a minute........
OH REALLY BILL??? YA THINK
OH REALLY BILL??? YA THINK
Animal Farm
Player Valuation: £1.5m
Anyone who believes that Bill Kenwright remortgaged his house to fund his takeover of Everton FC should read this article:
Everton seek £10m to help rebuild side - Premier League, Football - The Independent
Its from 2004, and Kenwright is supposedly about to remortgage his house (again????) just to buy a few football players, this is despite the fact that Moyes has 'new found wealth' following his recent 'bid' to sign Alan Smith. Apparently Rooney isnt on his way to Manchester United either.
Nobody wants to buy Everton, but Portsmouth, Manchester City and Sunderland have all been taken over TWICE in the past 5 years.
I just cant wait untill the FSF money arrives, at least then we will be able to compete with the likes of Bolton Wanderers in the transfer market.
Everton seek £10m to help rebuild side - Premier League, Football - The Independent
Its from 2004, and Kenwright is supposedly about to remortgage his house (again????) just to buy a few football players, this is despite the fact that Moyes has 'new found wealth' following his recent 'bid' to sign Alan Smith. Apparently Rooney isnt on his way to Manchester United either.
Nobody wants to buy Everton, but Portsmouth, Manchester City and Sunderland have all been taken over TWICE in the past 5 years.
I just cant wait untill the FSF money arrives, at least then we will be able to compete with the likes of Bolton Wanderers in the transfer market.
davek
Player Valuation: £150m
That's right Bill. No money about. Complete fcuking belter of a man.
More bullsh1t from your hero here, Neiler: FA Cup final 2009: Bill Kenwright hoping to fulfil his dreams with Wembley win - Telegraph
- Status
