Were only paying 78m for kirkby, and at a conservative estimate 6mths ago redeveloping GP was 150m so like kirkby that will have risen as well (My source for this figure? Ask Fat Clueless Dave Kelly of keioc), while your at it ask him if bernie ecclestone has called him yet on his everton ringtone mobile
Am sure with this figure you can do the math as to why it would take longer to clear the debt
Strictly speaking, we're not paying 78M for Kirkby, we're paying £130M.
Hold on, don't shoot, and I'll explain.
The enabling factor of the finances (the £52M carrot) is purely a capitalised security against rental income. EFC still hands over a cheque for £130M, but (hopefully) some kind w.. banker will hand over £52M against the rental income. If the rental fails or falls short, EFC are liable, if the size and scope of the retail element is judged insufficient to merit the full £52M (financial institutions having discovered that being risk averse in straitened times isn't such a bad thing) we get a smaller cheque, and are liable for the shortfall.
All this before we take into account the (very real) prospect of cost overrun, with constantly rising steel prices, building on a landfill, etc etc.
The financial arguements for Kirkby are marginal; if, for example, GP were to be redeveloped in a phased manner it would certainly cost at least as much as Kirkby (£130 - £150M), and any enabling securitisation would be strictly limited (perhaps a hotel overlooking the park, and .. um, that's it). However, and it's a big however, the draconian limitations and restrictions that we have seen placed on the Knowsley Met Stadium (or whatever it ends up being called) will not be enforceable on GP - if only because they'd have to enforce the same restrictions on those scamps over the park.
So while the initial outlay would be greater (we'd probably have to cough an extra £30-35M), the capacity to increase revenue would be far less restricted at GP, and the phased approach would allow a far less risky (and therefore, less expensive) funding model to be adopted.
The reason, and I believe this is the key reason, we are jumping into the Knowsley Met Stadium, is that someone else is doing all of the hard work. Bill puts on shows, he's not a property developer.
I'm sure he was entirely genuine when he was fronting GFE around the time that Cronton et al raised their heads, but when faced with the reality of having to lead the club through something as complex as a phased redevelopment of the entire Stadium, I think he was quite relieved when Tesco Tel offered to do all the spade work for him, plus a bit of a financial sweetener, in exchange for helping them through their planning process... merely by being there.
There are some valid arguements to both sides of this debate, I don't believe squabbles with the council (cutting of our noses to spite our face), having our legs pulled by the Devon Badge wearers society, or merely saying 'Kirkby smells' are included in that pantheon of valid issues.