Blue Bill

[chicoazul]

Biggest chancer in this forum's history. How can somebody supposedly love the forum yet purposely get banned 3 times for their own transfer bedwetting ego I'll never know.

Fixed.

 

[Achilles Heel]

Call me naive but I have to agree with the pro Bill Kenwright group here. Don't fully understand the negativity from some people towards him other than the fact the guy at the top always gets it in the neck from fans /customers no matter what he or she does.

Do people really believe that Bill was prepared to sacrifice success for Everton in order to make himself more money or because he had a cast iron grip on power that he was not prepared to relinquish until they carried him out of Goodison in a box!?!? I think there have been mistakes - NTL / Kings Dock / possibly the Sheikh at Man City / Kirkby - but I also look at some other top clubs that have fallen on hard times or yo yo'd between the divisions - most notably Leeds / Newcastle / West Ham/ Portsmouth / even Man City before Mansour - and thought that could easily have been us. Lets face it we had some lucky escapes.

We have a proud record of always being in the PL and the most seasons in the top division. Now we are back to knowing that we wont be relegated - for many years I worried each season that we might go down, nervously checking the last 6 fixtures. That fear has gone now and we are looking up. The quality of the squad is improving all the time, we have a new shiny stadium on the waterfront within touching distance, a major shareholder with significant wealth and influential friends. Even our media image is improving - they can't just keep ignoring us.

Bill deserves credit for that, even if there were errors along the way. It is not his fault that our ugly neighbours attract so much (unwarranted) coverage because many of their plastic fans are based in the media, always working to keep them in the public eye. We became unfashionable, but it wasn't all down to Bill ( he wasn't always in full control) and I do believe that deep down he is prepared to give up anything for the club and fans to achieve success, so long as the club's future is secure. It's close now and we need to move on from the past as Everton has a bright future.

 

[D410]

In these times of mind-boggling transfers into the club I thought I would like to say a word of thanks to our Chairman. Bill has had a lot of stick off Evertonians during his tenure. Bill himself always said he was waiting for the right investor. Well it was certainly worth the wait! Who could have envisaged BMD and this transfer activity 18 months ago? OK, getting Ron and Walshy might be more down to Mosh than Bill, but who bought Mosh to the club?

So, thank you, Mr Chairman. I for one knew you'd get it right in the end and I see the Mighty Everton soon being right back up there where we belong!

This lad,s been totally sheep-dipped in Bill,s guff.

 

[YellowSweat]

Uncle weepy is an absolute cretin.

 

[nil satis]

Quite a brave discussion to start as its very easy on Everton forums to be anti Kenwright. So 10/10 Typhoo Blue.
Said it before and I will say it again Bill Kenwright is the finest Evertonian to never wear the shirt.
No one else would invest their money, time and effort like Bill did especially after Johnson.
Bill gets more stick that Johnson!!!
Thank god Blue Union with their "little" marches were never in control we would have been sold to the first bidder and been playing Leeds next year.
Bill you held your nerve and got us the best buyer!!! Bill we salute you.

 

[ham2]

Nah

 

[Papa Shango]

We never had any relegation struggles under Kenwright? Really?

He sacked Walter Smith because we were in dire trouble and we'd fought relegation the previous season in 2001 as well.

Also a 4th from bottom finish in 2004 with our lowest ever post-war points total. Not fighting relegation?

I understand his fans want to big him up, however, to say we haven't had 'relegation struggles' with him at the helm simply ain't true.

Yes really. We had poor seasons, we were never in any REAL relegation danger with the possible exception of Smith's last season where he made the correct decisions and got someone new in.

Fact is for most of his tenure we have been up there as the best of the rest. Again obviously that is not what we want but its hardly a basis for all the one eyed hatred either.

 

[Papa Shango]

Is this the same great man who was forced to plead with banks "not to kill us" and who thought we were worthy of a £78m flat pack shed in a Knowsley supermarket car park?

He should be thankful he doesn't get lynched every home game.

A lesser man would not have pleaded and would have just stripped us of all our assets to ensure he got away cleanly.

There is evidence of this all throughout the world of football, even in our own land you have the likes of Leeds, Blackburn, Aston Villa, Portsmouth etc etc, and yet here are some of us crying like little kids because we didn't sign Messi or whatever.

 

[YellowSweat]

Kenwright was on the board during the Johnson era, we had less debt and more assets under Johnson than we did Kenwright, Johnson built a new stand while all Kenwright managed was a lick of paint and some aquarium gravel round the side of the pitch.

 

[Papa Shango]

I do think he's come in for some disproportionate stick however some of it he's brought on himself.

I suppose it's a case of should've done better, could've done worse, overall for him since 2000.

Spot on.

 

[joey_macmo]

I've not 'backed down' at all...I've told you what I was told, and something which was subsequently confirmed by another source. See Wizards post #28 in this thread. You have an agenda Joey, and consequently you will believe only that which suits your agenda. There are arguments that say quite legitimately that BK was far from perfect, but there are a lot of negatives that people spout as truth, when they are nothing more than hearsay,pub rumour, or Chinese whispers.
I have only ever spoken to Bill once, and that was at the Playhouse many years ago, a matter of half a dozen words, not about Everton, but I know people who deal with him regularly, and the common feeling is that he's careful with costings/money,sentimental to a point, rewards loyalty(not in a financial sense) and values friendships.
As I've said on forums previously...a former head of operations at One Nation(Theatres etc)once told me that provincial theatre would be virtually dead if it were not for Bill Kenwright(Bills budget versions of top West End and Broadway shows fill theatres everywhere.) That is a measure of the man in his 'day job'

Another Source? The other source responded to you because your main point about them being "close buddies" was wrong, hilarious that you speak about fantasies. You've yet to dispute him on his assertion that you're totally wrong on that point.

As for the theatre side everyone in the business knows what he's like, its no secret.

 

[Papa Shango]

Kenwright was on the board during the Johnson era, we had less debt and more assets under Johnson than we did Kenwright, Johnson built a new stand while all Kenwright managed was a lick of paint and some aquarium gravel round the side of the pitch.

And?

We were all taken in by Johnson at first. Kenwright saw the problem and acted accordingly even when he probably wasn't best suited to do so. Someone had to do something and our knight in shining blue armour stepped up.

I will allow him a rather cringeworthy blasting of Land of Hope and Glory at his first game in charge all things considered.

 

[joey_macmo]

Quite a brave discussion to start as its very easy on Everton forums to be anti Kenwright. So 10/10 Typhoo Blue.
Said it before and I will say it again Bill Kenwright is the finest Evertonian to never wear the shirt.
No one else would invest their money, time and effort like Bill did especially after Johnson.
Bill gets more stick that Johnson!!!
Thank god Blue Union with their "little" marches were never in control we would have been sold to the first bidder and been playing Leeds next year.
Bill you held your nerve and got us the best buyer!!! Bill we salute you.

There are average match going evertonians taking time off work and walking/cycling all over the country to raise money for Everton charities yet somebody who will make roughly £50m out of Everton is described as that above.

Sickening

 

[Papa Shango]

There are average match going evertonians taking time off work and walking/cycling all over the country to raise money for Everton charities yet somebody who will make roughly £50m out of Everton is described as that above.

Sickening

Almost as sickening as people having a go at the bloke because he didn't mortgage our future on a bunch of random players whilst ignoring all the other good things that have come out of the club under his watch (EITC, Former Players Foundation, keeping match tickets reasonably priced etc etc).

As daft as it sounds there is more to a football club than just the football. It is something people lose sight of.

 

[Groucho]

I've always maintained history will largely define him dependent on the success of his successor.

He's never hid from needing to find a buyer. Plenty come - some good, most bad...

If Moshiri (and dare I say at a later date, Usmanov... What? What?) really kicks us on, then in time I think most will view Kenwright as someone who steadied the ship, and eventually found someone to take us to the level we want.

Spot on.

In the early years "he got rid of Peter Johnson" was often said.

True enough, however this can only get you so far. As years went on, our expectations rose and he (which he freely admitted) couldn't keep up pace with other PL club owners.

Overall I think he did ok, but a lot of credit for that has to go to David Moyes for working wonders with next to no money.