Questions that need answers

[davek]

Well, shorn of all that talk of who's not scoring and who can play where, it's a systemic crisis we face as far as I'm concerned. Uncertainty reigns on and off the pitch at Everton and these are some of the important questions relating to the future direction of the club as I see it. These questions fall into two categories and at times necessarily cross paths.


Category One: the day-to-day running of the club

• Why has instability been allowed to emerge with regard to players and their contract negotiations? Although this is a problem for all clubs, at Everton there appears to be an epidemic of players in (or placed in) a position where they are running down their contracts. If this has its roots in a hard line policy of driving down wage bills then perhaps that particular game is not worth the candle as players walk out of the club without EFC receiving a transfer fee?

• Why has the manager had to resort to a sell to buy policy in the last few transfer windows, and appears to be faced with this task again presently? The suspicion is that a poorly run organisation is hamstringing the manager. Over and above the £44M paid on wages we have ‘operating costs’ accounting for another chunk of £21M out of the £80M turnover – this includes, for example, the leasing out of the Finch Farm complex that was once owned by the club.

• More topically, why is it that in the wake of the new sponsorship improvement deal with Chang, and the news of the allowed sale of the Bellefield complex, the manager is still faced this month with having to look to a loan deal to improve the attacking prowess of the first team?
• Much has been made of the new annexe to be built within the Park End footprint. What are the details of the contract with Sodexo; what in tangible terms will this mean for an improvement of revenue and how much of this extra revenue per annum find its way into the manager’s transfer budget?

Category Two: the mid-to-long term future of the organisation

• Is the club for sale or are the present board of directors seeking investment and to retain their shares and involvement in the club.

• Will the present board of directors consider a dilution of their share ownership by sanctioning a share issue and underwriting that?

• Given that the club’s board of directors are wealthy individuals, do any of the men on the board have any plans to invest their money in the club with regard to player acquisition – in particular, does Robert Green – who let it be known via a spokesman prior to the outcome of the Destination Kirkby scheme that he would not invest in the club until that scheme was decided on – have any intention of using his and his families vast personal wealth to improve the situation of the club?

• Has the club hired, formally, a person or group of people to unearth buyers/investors?

• On the stadium issue: where, now, do we stand on this? In a recent interview with Mike Durkin (MBE) on the bluekipper website Robert Elstone stated that a possible way forward would be a shared stadium with Liverpool on the strength of a successful England 2018 World Cup bid. That, obviously, is now a non-starter. Given that the CEO has stated time and again that the most realistic way forward for the club is via a facility-led plan of action – and that, though the city council are responsive now to the club in terms of site location, the question of the club’s finances rules all of their suggestions out – what, in the near future, is the objective on the stadium question? Does the CEO’s stated view that it remains on the back burner mean that the club are condemned to a survival strategy only?

• Finally, what is the plan for Everton? Both the Chief Executive Officer and Bill Kenwright have remained silent of late about what the club’s immediate and long term objectives are. It’s been a long time since we had a statement from the club about where the organisation is going, what its objectives are and how we can attain them. The supporters of the club are in need of clear and focussed leadership – never more so than at this time when, seemingly, the club on and off the field is rudderless and drifting aimlessly. When can we expect to hear from the men in control and when will they produce a clear plan of action that can move the organisation in the right direction with obtainable short term goals and realistic long term objectives?

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[edge]

i think the problem is we dont and never have had a long term plan other than to reacted to the latest disaster bill has led us into.
its just the end of the line now no more borrowing selling things off just. to stay still.
The cold truth is that we are on a downward spiral of sell to buy and keep the club afloat with any big money we get.
any player with the slightest bit of ambition will want out leaving us with either average players or young lads looking at us as a stepping stone to better things or older player near the end , in short right back were we started from when bill took us over

 

[davek]

i think the problem is we dont and never have had a long term plan other than to reacted to the latest disaster bill has led us into.
its just the end of the line now no more borrowing selling things off just. to stay still.
The cold truth is that we are on a downward spiral of sell to buy and keep the club afloat with any big money we get.
any player with the slightest bit of ambition will want out leaving us with either average players or young lads looking at us as a stepping stone to better things or older player near the end , in short right back were we started from when bill took us over

Agreed mate. That's the most dispiriting thing you highlighted there.

 

[Khalekan]

Not at all.

This squad of players is infinitely better than the one we had when Bill took over.

It is better than the aquad which gave us our highest finish, 4th in '05, since the halcyon days of the 80s.

Whatever the future prospects for EFC, this current squad of players should not be languishing amond the walking wounded of the EPL.

This squad of players is not being deployed properly and that is the problem right now.

 

[davek]

Not at all.

This squad of players is infinitely better than the one we had when Bill took over.

It is better than the aquad which gave us our highest finish, 4th in '05, since the halcyon days of the 80s.

Whatever the future prospects for EFC, this current squad of players should not be languishing amond the walking wounded of the EPL.

This squad of players is not being deployed properly and that is the problem right now.

How you can say that after half a season of evidence that the squad isn't a) as good or as strong in numbers as has been claimed, or b ) that key players are unsettled, I dont know. I'm sure some tinkering about will get us to 8th, but that's the natural position of this club now in the pecking order.

 

[zed]

Agreed mate. That's the most dispiriting thing you highlighted there.

i dont agree. this is EVERTON. and theres only a handful of clubs consistantly better than us (and they stay solvent with the phony CL £££s) everyone else is in the same boat. obviously a few players brought here will move on but to say the whole ships sinking is a bit ott, we were in this position at blackburn in august and no one moaned because the squad on paper was so strong- ANSWER- results are everything, and who takes the blame if things go wrong- the boss, who is the boss, kenwrght or moyes- to me they are one and the same

 

[davek]

i dont agree. this is EVERTON. and theres only a handful of clubs consistantly better than us (and they stay solvent with the phony CL £££s) everyone else is in the same boat. obviously a few players brought here will move on but to say the whole ships sinking is a bit ott, we were in this position at blackburn in august and no one moaned because the squad on paper was so strong- ANSWER- results are everything, and who takes the blame if things go wrong- the boss, who is the boss, kenwrght or moyes- to me they are one and the same

The ship, as you put it, is in the doldrums. We're neither in big trouble or in danger of doing anything significant. There's no inquest about this or any urgency, but it's way more important than whether we're 14th and not taking chances or 8th and snapping a few up.

Moyes has plaited sawdust to get us a few good seasons - not brilliant, just good. But even that has been stopped in it's tracks. The big question is where are we now going? Kenwright - I think he must be in strategic command under some mountain in Colorado - what's the message from him now? The CEO who he pays to have a strategy - what's his opinion on the state of the club?

 

[sirblue57]

Well, shorn of all that talk of who's not scoring and who can play where, it's a systemic crisis we face as far as I'm concerned. Uncertainty reigns on and off the pitch at Everton and these are some of the important questions relating to the future direction of the club as I see it. These questions fall into two categories and at times necessarily cross paths.


Category One: the day-to-day running of the club

• Why has instability been allowed to emerge with regard to players and their contract negotiations? Although this is a problem for all clubs, at Everton there appears to be an epidemic of players in (or placed in) a position where they are running down their contracts. If this has its roots in a hard line policy of driving down wage bills then perhaps that particular game is not worth the candle as players walk out of the club without EFC receiving a transfer fee?

• Why has the manager had to resort to a sell to buy policy in the last few transfer windows, and appears to be faced with this task again presently? The suspicion is that a poorly run organisation is hamstringing the manager. Over and above the £44M paid on wages we have ‘operating costs’ accounting for another chunk of £21M out of the £80M turnover – this includes, for example, the leasing out of the Finch Farm complex that was once owned by the club.

• More topically, why is it that in the wake of the new sponsorship improvement deal with Chang, and the news of the allowed sale of the Bellefield complex, the manager is still faced this month with having to look to a loan deal to improve the attacking prowess of the first team?
• Much has been made of the new annexe to be built within the Park End footprint. What are the details of the contract with Sodexo; what in tangible terms will this mean for an improvement of revenue and how much of this extra revenue per annum find its way into the manager’s transfer budget?

Category Two: the mid-to-long term future of the organisation

• Is the club for sale or are the present board of directors seeking investment and to retain their shares and involvement in the club.

• Will the present board of directors consider a dilution of their share ownership by sanctioning a share issue and underwriting that?

• Given that the club’s board of directors are wealthy individuals, do any of the men on the board have any plans to invest their money in the club with regard to player acquisition – in particular, does Robert Green – who let it be known via a spokesman prior to the outcome of the Destination Kirkby scheme that he would not invest in the club until that scheme was decided on – have any intention of using his and his families vast personal wealth to improve the situation of the club?

• Has the club hired, formally, a person or group of people to unearth buyers/investors?

• On the stadium issue: where, now, do we stand on this? In a recent interview with Mike Durkin (MBE) on the bluekipper website Robert Elstone stated that a possible way forward would be a shared stadium with Liverpool on the strength of a successful England 2018 World Cup bid. That, obviously, is now a non-starter. Given that the CEO has stated time and again that the most realistic way forward for the club is via a facility-led plan of action – and that, though the city council are responsive now to the club in terms of site location, the question of the club’s finances rules all of their suggestions out – what, in the near future, is the objective on the stadium question? Does the CEO’s stated view that it remains on the back burner mean that the club are condemned to a survival strategy only?

• Finally, what is the plan for Everton? Both the Chief Executive Officer and Bill Kenwright have remained silent of late about what the club’s immediate and long term objectives are. It’s been a long time since we had a statement from the club about where the organisation is going, what its objectives are and how we can attain them. The supporters of the club are in need of clear and focussed leadership – never more so than at this time when, seemingly, the club on and off the field is rudderless and drifting aimlessly. When can we expect to hear from the men in control and when will they produce a clear plan of action that can move the organisation in the right direction with obtainable short term goals and realistic long term objectives?

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good post, these are questions that need answering, sadly, the fans no longer have a voice , there are no AGMs , no one at the club will face the supporters , and we have convinced ourselves that action is for " the Rs deluded type of supporter". and we are above that type of thing, its so sad that we have become impotent when it comes to what we want from our club.

 

[toffeebhoy]

i think the books are in a more shitty state than most of us can comprehend because say in the last 5-7 yrs owners have been thrown themselves at clubs and clubs that we would say we are better than on and off the field....

reality though tells us different we are still no where nearer a new owner, new ideas and a pot full of money than we ever were

i just think when it gets to the stage where owners have a look at how things are done and their ability to generate money they just say no thanks and are on their way

 

[Khalekan]

How you can say that after half a season of evidence that the squad isn't a) as good or as strong in numbers as has been claimed, or b ) that key players are unsettled, I dont know. I'm sure some tinkering about will get us to 8th, but that's the natural position of this club now in the pecking order.

I can say it very easily and I can say it without fear of contradiction.

Or maybe you think a squad containing Pienaar, Arteta, Fellaini, Distin, Baines, Osman, Coleman or The Yak isn't as good as one consisting of Carsley, Kilbane, Weir, Radezki, Bent, Naismith and Richard Wright.

And I shudder to think what names the squad contained the day Bill took charge.

But, hey.....that's what it's all about.

You pays yer dough, you takes yer choice.

Now, I can't comment about "key players being unsettled" because I am not a club insider.

But in terms of numbers and the ability of players, this is the best squad we have had since the Joe Royle era......and certainly the best Mr. Moyes has had at his disposal.

Or maybe you wonder how he can "say that" when he claims this is his "best ever squad"?

 

[Reidy's Bottle Of Grecian]

The Front-Line aint Firin'

words of a scotsman that Moyes must be saying to them, " Ya Dinnay Score, Ya Dinnay Win", the other team can score and you can still win, but you can stop them from scoring and you won't win if you don't score yourselves.

Our forwards can't hit a barndoor with a banjo at the moment, they get the banjo and then don't even threaten the barn door, some say Beckford may score one but he'll miss six, I'm happy to see 7 shots and 1 go in as opposed no shots.

 

[davek]

I can say it very easily and I can say it without fear of contradiction.

Or maybe you think a squad containing Pienaar, Arteta, Fellaini, Distin, Baines, Osman, Coleman or The Yak isn't as good as one consisting of Carsley, Kilbane, Weir, Radezki, Bent, Naismith and Richard Wright.

And I shudder to think what names the squad contained the day Bill took charge.

But, hey.....that's what it's all about.

You pays yer dough, you takes yer choice.

Now, I can't comment about "key players being unsettled" because I am not a club insider.

But in terms of numbers and the ability of players, this is the best squad we have had since the Joe Royle era......and certainly the best Mr. Moyes has had at his disposal.

Or maybe you wonder how he can "say that" when he claims this is his "best ever squad"?

You keep saying this mate, but the table isn't lying after half a season+. We're better than this, but not much better. You're kidding yourself if you think those players are worthy of a top 4 finish. We're treading through treacle and that would be the case if we had this lot being coached by Mourinho. There's no money, there's no plan, there's no future. I stand to be corrected by the people in control....if they ever emerge to make an announcement again that is.

 

[Khalekan]

Excuse me......I never said they are "worthy of a top 4 finish".

I merely said this squad is better than the squad which we had on the day Bill took over......and better than the squad which finished fourth in 2005.

On the latter point I have Mr. David Moyes in agreement with me.

Thus far, DaveK, you have failed to post a credible refutation of the claims myself and Mr. Moyes have made.

 

[davek]

Excuse me......I never said they are "worthy of a top 4 finish".

I merely said this squad is better than the squad which we had on the day Bill took over......and better than the squad which finished fourth in 2005.

On the latter point I have Mr. David Moyes in agreement with me.

Thus far, DaveK, you have failed to post a credible refutation of the claims myself and Mr. Moyes have made.

That wouldn't be too difficult really would it? If that's your benchmark of success then fair enough, knock yourself out with the riches on display. We have a mid-table squad capable of threatening for the last Europa League place with a fair wind behind them and no chance to improve that situaltion.

As I stated, the big questions are geting obscured by the deabte over how we can get to 7th/8th rather than be 12th in the league. That's really not important because they're equally nowhere for a club like ours.

 

[Tubey]

That wouldn't be too difficult really would it? If that's your benchmark of success then fair enough, knock yourself out with the riches on display. We have a mid-table squad capable of threatening for the last Europa League place with a fair wind behind them and no chance to improve that situaltion.

As I stated, the big questions are geting obscured by the deabte over how we can get to 7th/8th rather than be 12th in the league. That;s really not important because they're equally nowhere for a club like ours.

Sorry mate, but other than Man Utd, Chelsea, Man City, Arsenal and Tottenham, you'll struggle to name a starting eleven in any other squad in the league better than ours. We should be pushing top six (with a degree of ease), and with a fair wind pushing the top five. I'm a big fan of our squad, without the blue-tinted goggles on it's still a very talented bunch of players.