blue union meeting.

[Chang Elephant]

I reckon the Blue Union could do with some media spin schooling from the EFC board so that their rabid musings may become acceptable to educated, considered, moderate, genuine Evertonians who only want what's best for the club

 

[TheFinnFan]

so, who are they actually?

 

[Elong]

I reckon the Blue Union could do with some media spin schooling from the EFC board so that their rabid musings may become acceptable to educated, considered, moderate, genuine Evertonians who only want what's best for the club

With flushing Kenwrong's head down the loo I think you'd be an ideal candidate mate! lol

 

[ijjysmith]

so, who are they actually?

You won't get any answers here mate. For some reason.

 

[The Equaliser]

Here's the link to the last feasibility study, should anyone be interested.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/2259978/Goodison-For-Everton-Study

 

[Chang Elephant]

so, who are they actually?

Full report...


Everton supporters are set to campaign for the redevelopment of Goodison Park.

Fans voted unanimously in favour of proposals at a meeting held by The Blue Union at The Casa in Liverpool city centre earlier today.

The meeting, which included discussions over the club's finances and lack of success on the pitch, feautreed a short presentation to a group of 70 supporters, outlining the feasibility of a staged, four-phase modernisation of the existing ground.

University of Liverpool lecturer Trevor Skempton, whose previous projects include the successful expansions of St James Park and Villa Park, argued that the club have no choice but to consider the proposals- estimated to cost in the region of £100 million- and must work with the local community to find a viable solution.

Skempton's scheme, which offers scope to increase the overall capacity of Goodison to over 61,000 would also see Everton work in partnership with a partnered hotel, in order to maximise corporate revenue.

"I don't think there is an alternative to Goodison Park- this is our plan A and it's time to promote it actively," noted the former Liverpool City Council advisor.

"Construction doesn't have to disrupt attendances, or lead to the temporary closure of certain parts of the stadium."

Speaking after the meeting, Blue Union chairman Dave Kelly outlined his desire to see Everton officials work in conjunction with the council in order to develop on brownfield sites like Goodison.

He said: "I was against plans to relocate Liverpool to Stanley Park, Everton to Walton Hall Park, and I believe one of the greatest brownfield sites in this city is Goodison Park.

"In order to mount the campaign to move the club forward, we need to work in a far more structured way than we have done in the past.

"We haven't gone away, and are not going to."

Joe Jennings, owner of independent Everton website SOS1878, echoed Kelly's sentiments in a passionate speech that also highlighted a concern over the current commercial deals with partners Kitbag and Umbro.

"QPR earn £10 million a season form kit suppliers Nike. Everton are one of the 'sleeping giants not just in this country, but in Europe," he said.

"It's time we woke up."

The group now plan to put forward their designs to Mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson in the coming months, as the club, itself, continues to seek the funding required to start work on their favoured Walton Hall Park site.

 

[BoysInBlue]

Everton are sh*te mate and going nowhere. Best to make your peace with it.

That's the spirit! Sod this 'Lets improve things and make things better' lark!

What a disappointing but not wholly unexpected thread this has been.

Like a message board version of protest marching with 300 other Blues only to be laughed at by approximately the same number of fellow Blues drinking in the Royal Oak. Ah, memories. Still, we tried.

 

[By god I'm blue]

If you want the best for the club you'd be more open to other views and treat other fans with more respect in my opinion, there's a bunch of good ideas and I'm sure they mean well but it's a very inclusive group being formed.

So who have they actually upset and who's views have they dismissed or not been open too? Do you feel left out? I am struggling to understand your reasons for caring about that aspect of it?

Tell me anybody else that has dared to question Kenwright about some of the absolutely astonishing things that have come out in this club in the last 15 years?

Nobody has stood up and asked questions apart from these people.

We could list at least 10 absolutely amateur and ridiculous things that have happened with finances, botched stadium deals, lies etc etc over the time of kenwrights reign. These are the only people that have bothered to stand up and ask questions and people who have done nothing pontificate about how they should conduct themselves, it's quite ridiculous really.

It's practically the Judean people's front scenario!

 

[LouReedwalkonthewildside]

The problem the BU had when they first started, was that as soon as things started going right on the pitch,but they continued to speak out, they were slagged off to death and just labelled everything under the sun.

 

[Chang Elephant]

With flushing Kenwrong's head down the loo I think you'd be an ideal candidate mate! lol

Just using an old fashioned analogy that the fans can understand. The link is between Kenwright and the usefulness that we derive from our fecal matter

 

[By god I'm blue]

and it's this kind of attitude that's putting people off trying to find out more and going with the nea outlook

Mate I'm not even pro BU, I just find it odd that people question them so much.

 

[Elong]

So who have they actually upset and who's views have they dismissed or not been open too? Do you feel left out? I am struggling to understand your reasons for caring about that aspect of it?

Tell me anybody else that has dared to question Kenwright about some of the absolutely astonishing things that have come out in this club in the last 15 years?

Nobody has stood up and asked questions apart from these people.

We could list at least 10 absolutely amateur and ridiculous things that have happened with finances, botched stadium deals, lies etc etc over the time of kenwrights reign. These are the only people that have bothered to stand up and ask questions and people who have done nothing pontificate about how they should conduct themselves, it's quite ridiculous really.

It's practically the Judean people's front scenario!

Is the manner of questioning though innit? I don't imagine you'd get a serious answer out of the board behaving the way some of them do, remember a couple of years back yelling at Kenwright as he was getting out of his car, embarrassing for all Evertonians that.

 

[EFCPaul]

I think that's a fair response mate.

That being the case BU needs proper PR advice because what you have just said eloquently in your post is not what most people, myself included, believe BU to be.

I agree, but lot of the problem regarding the BU's poor PR I think has more to do with the club itself using its' media connections to paint a negative image of them. Remember that article Martin Samuel did the day before the BU's first protest? Basically a life and times of Kenwright and painting him in the light of angel from heaven who was being bullied by a load of nasty thugs.

The local media not giving them any proper coverage either has definitely played a part too, I know for a fact that that fact rankles many involved with the BU. They strongly believe the Echo and other local outlets are in the club's pocket and those leaked emails a few years gave this belief a lot of credibility.

Ex-players like Graeme Sharp coming and publicly slating the BU when he probably hasn't got even the foggiest idea of who they really are or what they say, he likely just did because he works for the club and someone told him too. He's the club's official Fans' Liason Officer yet has always refused to attend a single BU meeting or even speak with a representative on neutral ground to hear what fans have to say. The only fan events he and other ex-players attend are these ridiculous events set up by the club where they hand-pick supporters to come and basically talk about what type of sauce should go on the hot-dogs.

The club have used their PR to kill off the BU's and it's frustrating because it appears to have worked a treat with so many supporters because as you say, most people don't really even understand what the most of the BU are actually about.

 

[Hibbertinho]

I admire any coherent effort to pressure the board... especially since I mostly sit on arse rather than make a concerted effort to do anything about this kind of thing. But there is an abrasive side to the B.U. - one that conflates and that sees conspiracy in the well-documented financial constraints that the club has. I don't think it's right to applaud 'any old' concerted effort, if it's totally misguided and spreads misinformation.

To clarify this is just one side of the B.U. that I see - and I'm not criticising the desire for change, as there obviously plenty of things that the board could be doing better, on several fronts. Hopefully my perception of them will change when they start putting out more of these kind of things, and displace the old image of shouty people simply demonising Kenwrong. Though maybe we have our wonderful local media to thank for that particular image of them.

 

[By god I'm blue]

Is the manner of questioning though innit? I don't imagine you'd get a serious answer out of the board behaving the way some of them do, remember a couple of years back yelling at Kenwright as he was getting out of his car, embarrassing for all Evertonians that.

The "where's the Arteta money Bill" thing was blown out of all proportion IMO and whilst it's not the sort of thing you want happening, when the doors are locked and people think they don't have to answer to their fan base, what are he alternatives?