Ken Right and here's why
I'm a new poster to this site and the stinging negative attitude towards Kenwright from some (not sure if it's a majority or not) is quite something for me. I posted in the Blue Union thread a few days back but I think its worth trying to set out here why I, and I hope/believe many others, support Kenwright and find the level of animosity towards him pretty hard to take.
First of all nothing is gained by having a go at fellow Evertonians. Those that support/trust/believe Kenwright are not brainwashed idiots. We can have opinions and my logic for supporting Bill goes something like this:
1. From day one he came out and said he only had so much cash/ability to help the club. He has said numerous times how he's personally put a huge amount on the line. He's said from day one that he is looking for a buyer that can put serious money into the club and would willingly step aside.
> Those that seem to hate Kenwright cry out that he's pricing the club too high, that he's placing demands on potential purchasers that have scared them away. Where's the proof that Kenwright has lied about this? With so many middle men in any such deal, surely one of them would have broken cover and revealed Kenwright's blocking tactics if ever there was an otherwise viable deal? They'd have everything to gain and nothing to lose.
2. Kenwright has said that any deal must be done with an investor/buyer that stands up and can be trusted with the club. I for one totally agree with this stance. I believe with the economy as it is today that there simply isn't the buyers out there full stop let alone for clubs in Everton's position with no physical assets of any real worth, no recent history of success and any potential marketing appeal hampered by the RS across the park
> To the Kenwright haters, where is the proof that there are creditable buyers out there? Looking at the league and takeovers in recent years I don't see any obvious success stories. Never mind the crap associated with Blackburn, Portsmouth and Birmingham we are always going to be much bigger and better than that. But look at a more comparable, but still smaller club like Villa. They're in a pretty poor state now and I remember all the crowing from some Evertonians wondering why Kenwright hadn't sold to Randy Lerner at the time. The first set of yanks were a stone's throw from seeing the RS into administration and the second lot seem hell bent on following their fat white gandhi of a manager down the yellow brick road to middle table oblivion. Mike Ashley at the Barcodes? He'd have the players running out to the sports direct advert jingo given half the chance. What's more if you take away Carrol's massive inflated transfer fee (likewise Torres for the RS) what's he done for them? United were already the biggest money making machine when the Glazers bought them and I can't see how they've taken the club forward on or off the field in their time. Forget the London clubs as they're all sat on potential land deals so that leaves Man City. Only Man City seem to have struck lucky.
3. Kenwright's a Blue and I trust him. The Blue Union recordings revealed a genuine man trying his best. He might come across as naive but surely a club with some sort of integrity wants that rather than Thaksin Shinawatra or the jolly brothers at West Ham?
> Where's the evidence that Kenwright has milked the club? In his 11 years what has he taken out of the club?
4. Lots of the anti-Kenwright stories talk about failed business plans and mis-management My business is involved in finance and I'll be honest I think the football world is crazy and I can't fathom it for one second. Player's wages alone are bonkers. The TV deal is of such magnitude that almost nothing else matters. It's said to be worth something like a £1 billion a year so, in that context, it seems ridiculous for fans to go mad at a sale and leaseback deal at Finch Farm or the failed development at the Park End.
The only thing that matters is the team and the squad. Last night the team I watched were better than opponents Arsenal. Compare that to 11 years ago when we'd often go to the likes of Charlton and hope to get a point nearer to the magic 40 to stay up. But for some dodgy decisons and bad luck this season we'd now be on our own in third looking to the Mancs rather than down to the rest. We've got a great chance of top 4 this year. Relegation isn't an issue and we're generally playing some great football. We are a cornerstone of the league at the minute and thus a major part of that TV deal.
> What real understanding do these Bill haters have of the football club business?. It's easy to point to increased other operating costs or whatever but what's the alternative plan? Our goal has to be to be competitive in the league. That's being achieved.
5. Another criticism of Kenwright seems to be that he just got lucky with Moyes and the development/sale of Rooney, Lescott etc. To me there's no answer to this if the person asking the question is trying to argue his/her point based on hypotheticals. We've got a great stable management of the club and seemingly a good structure for developing players
6. The final damnation for Kenwright supporters seems to be that by backing him we lack amition . To me that's utter rubbish. In running my business I pick the best strategy I can and then back it. If someone comes to me with another plan I ask for proof and evidence before I ditch the old one. On the basis that there isn't a wonderful Blue benefactor just waiting out there to drop in a few hundred million into our bank then our best chance of real success is to have a succesful attractive team. To make the top 4 and from that, in the world of major TV deals, hit upon an investor that wants us then. That to me is our only realistic hope and from what I can see we have a chance of it now.
And after all that I need a pint..