The Everton Board Thread (Inc. Bill Kenwright / Blue Union)

[sirblue57]

Haha, come on lad. I'm not sure what you were expecting when you made this topic. Did you want a pat on the back? Were you trying to get others to follow your lead and vent their frustration? Did you just want to make an announcement for no apparent reason?

If you think everyone is happy with the way the club is being run or where we are compared to other clubs, then you're wrong. Some people have high expectations and others compromise when they think of their version of "reality". I don't think any football fan will be happy with mediocrity but success is relative.

Was this season a disaster? No. Do I wish we'd finished higher? Yes. Do I think we had the capacity to do better at the start of the season? Of course. I don't think Blue Bill is going to pick up his coat and leave us to a toffee fanatic billionaire though, no matter how many letters he receives.

actually i just sent the email. then thought id put it on here, no ulterior motive. maybe because its a football forum, where like minded people come. had i known i was going back to school, i would have put my cap and tie on. but the funny thing is, im stuck here all day,due to illness, this, and other football sites help pass the time. so i put things on here to discuss. i dont mind being critisised for my passion or when i f##k up (which i do a lot) but for grammar? on a football forum? ffs, thats just mind boggling .

 

[neonleon]

Workable business plan:

1) assess current financial position
2) assess the management and conduct of business over the tenure of the board that has produced this current position
3) do not ignore the previous management and conduct of the business, as repeated gross negligence by those in executive positions will likely reoccur and cause failure of future business plans
4) independent business advisor asks board to sell their shares so to relinquish executive control into capable hands

This isn't a business plan, it's an investigation/inquest of corporate culpability related to your perceived failings of the board.

It's also indicative of your grasp on reality. Can you post your bank statements on here mate, so we can give them a good going over? I reckon you may be mismanaging your funds. No?

 

[sirblue57]

I'd like to see what a workable business plan would look like, perhaps you could show us an example?

Because I for one can't see somebody spending 120 million on the club (that's a guess at the price of the club), a further 60 million paying off debts, another 60 million invested in the squad and a further 200 million on a new stadium (conservative estimate) - total 440 million and then paying that off and making a profit out of that whilst continuing to invest in the squad every year.

Somebody could buy it tomorrow for 120 million, with no plans for a stadium and slowly asset strip us though (by selling two or three players a season), not caring where we end up in the league; and before any smart alec answers that's what Kenwright is doing, it palpably isn't. If he was Moyes would've walked many moons ago. We are lucky that Kenwright cares more about the fate of the club than that.

Most current business models for premier league clubs are predicated on corporate facilities and worldwide marketing profiles. We simply aren't a big enough club globally to get the kind of marketing deals that Liverpool, Manchester and Arsenal get. And as for corporate facilities, that's hampered by our old stadium and the reality that most corporate tickets are going to zone in on Anfield in Liverpool. Plus, the relatively small size of the business community in Liverpool compared to London and even Manchester.

Additionally new owners nearly always coincide with a rise in ticket prices across the board to pay for the investment. Judging by the fairly static ticket prices at Goodison I suggest (in combination with the recession) that any further ticket hikes are unsustainable given the disposable income of the average fan.

Anyway Sirblue how do you suggest an investor in Everton would feasibly make their money back? I'd love to see this workable business model?

so you think our current situation is "workable" or even sustainable? and as for sharing a city, did it deter man city from getting a buyer? bill would have us believe we have been up for sale "since day one" . do you believe him? there were rumours that lerner was interested , would he have been a disaster at the club? as for business plans, what are earl, green et al there for. not much by the shape their making.

 

[Chang Elephant]

This isn't a business plan, it's an investigation/inquest of corporate culpability related to your perceived failings of the board.

It's also indicative of your grasp on reality. Can you post your bank statements on here mate, so we can give them a good going over? I reckon you may be mismanaging your funds. No?

Expecting this board to draw up, let alone follow a business plan is like asking Harry Redknapp to manage your investment portfolio. Business plans are for business people, theatre retards need not apply.

I'm not yet a Ltd company btw.

 

[neonleon]

so you think our current situation is "workable" or even sustainable? and as for sharing a city, did it deter man city from getting a buyer? bill would have us believe we have been up for sale "since day one" . do you believe him? there were rumours that lerner was interested , would he have been a disaster at the club? as for business plans, what are earl, green et al there for. not much by the shape their making.

1. yes, although they are not ideal and all of it is seemingly on Moyes broad shoulders.
2. Man City was bought because of the new stadium with its corporate facilities and also because Manchester commands a larger population with a larger business community. It isn't simply about sharing a city although if there was no LFC, Everton would be very desirable.
3. I believe he is willing to sell, yes. But not to anyone.
4. There was rumours that Goofy was gonna play as main striker with Mickey Mouse playing off him in a forward midfield role. Using rumours to form a logical position is always going to result in aberrant opinions.
5. irrelevant as the question is based on a rumour with no solid evidence attached to it.
6. I don't know about earl, green et al. The point I was trying to make is, what kind of business model would see an investor make a profit on an investment of 440 million (I'm guessing, see above) given the conundrums of not being able to sustainably raise ticket prices, the lower profile of everton, the building of a new stadium and all the other things I mentioned in the post above.

Maybe you have a point about Earl, green. Maybe they are sh!tbags of the highest order. It doesn't mean that there is a workable business model out there does it? By the lack of interest in our club, I'd suggest there isn't one. I can't think of one. Can you?

 

[neonleon]

Expecting this board to draw up, let alone follow a business plan is like asking Harry Redknapp to manage your investment portfolio. Business plans are for business people, theatre retards need not apply.

I'm not yet a Ltd company btw.

The principle remains though, why would the board do this? On the field the board are answerable to the fans. Off the field, fiscally, they are answerable to the shareholders, investors, the government in the form of taxes, their employees and the banks. You are just a fan/customer.

On the basis of losing your yearly season ticket investment they are hardly going to investigate themselves for gross negligence or hand over control of the club to an independent business advisor to deal out their shares to whomever comes along.

Get real.

 

[BigDunc'sFod]

actually i just sent the email. then thought id put it on here, no ulterior motive. maybe because its a football forum, where like minded people come. had i known i was going back to school, i would have put my cap and tie on.

Fair enough. Quite a witty response too.

 

[Neiler]

Right this has been bugging me for months without end now.

Frankly I'm sick and tired of everyone bashing Bill Kenwright and the Board. I know there are others out there who are more willing to spend than this lot, but look where it's put them. See Newcastle, West Ham, Manchester City before Sheikh Mansour, Portsmouth, and most likely Birmingham City, for example. West Ham, down. Portsmouth, down. Birmingham, down. Likely, were it not for Sheikh Mansour, City would be in a similar situation as the other 3, Sinawatra was a total disaster for them. Surely, if things don't change, Aston Villa will follow them.

The point here is whilst our board may not be taking us anywhere, they aren't soft. Thankfully they have more sense than money, unlike the gentlemen that bought out these aforementioned clubs.

My own personal strategy for "being ambitious" is showing a bit of ambition on the pitch rather than our money-throwing skills. It's maddening how we can seemingly always do well against good sides but lose to lesser sides. To some extent one can look at tactics but there's absolutely no excuse for playing 8 defenders and a striker who hasn't scored since dinosaurs roamed the Earth against West Brom.

I respect David Moyes as much as the next man, his patience and ability to find total bargains is second to none. However his tactics somehow manage to piss me off and bug at me on a regular basis. I'm all for having and excellent defence and that right, but at the end of the day, we've got to show some attacking intent. If needs be get rid of players and reinvest to do it, I know who I'd sell off right now if they don't buck their ideas, messrs Arteta and Rodwell, I swear they were both pre-occupied with passing the ball sideways this season.

It's all well and good playing the best of the best and beating the best of the best, but all that good work is undone when you drop points against lesser teams. It could easily be argued that we dropped a good 30 odd points against sides that finished in the bottom half of the table, with 15 coming from the bottom six. Really Moyesy? Really?

We can't even blame injuries this year, we were ****e with our stars and then became good without them, surely something isn't right here. Oh and who can forget that shambolic FA Cup defeat at home to Reading. I remember looking at that lineup and thinking, "Who will supply Saha?". I received my expected answer: Nobody. We had chances to, I remember Arteta choosing a sidewards pass to Seamus Coleman rather than a through ball which would've put Saha in on goal, and it's that sort of negativity that bugs me. Story of the season, summed up in one massively frustrating moment.

So we can bitch and whine and moan about the board and their supposed lack of investment all we want, but it's not going to change the way the team plays on the pitch. I'm annoyed by the continual frustration with this side, we all know they have the potential to win the league, but I'd like to see it. I see no reason why we can not just try and attack, but apparently that's not happening.

what an excellent post welcome mate.

 

[Neiler]

I've been banging my own drum on here sporadically for a fair few months here now. The club may or may not be run as all of the fans might like. However, Everton are in a FAR better position than a number of their peers. Relatively low debts, on field and changing room stability and consistently punching above their weight in terms of results against outlay.

There may well be billionaires sat on the board of directors, but as I've stated before, they are not football people. They are business people. Football is a dreadful business, you need to either be a combination of ultra-passionate AND ultra-rich (Kenwright is one, not the other), or so rich you can afford to treat a football club as your plaything. The EFC board are on the board because they funded Kenwright's share buyout. They're Kenwright's mates and they invested in HIM.

All they want, and Robert Earl has said this himself, is their investment back. There's no Machiavellian scheme to profit wildly by selling at a huge profit. Earl has even stated that if the opportunity arises for the club to improve it's potential revenue (new stadium has been directly cited) then he will consider investment.

I am all for the sale of the club to the right party or parties, however there is nothing that the fan base can to to expedite this. It may be deemed apathy, I just feel it's a far more realistic standpoint to accept that we're doing well all things considered. yes it could be better, but my word it could be so, so, so much worse if we were sold off to the wrong buyer.

Two in a row!

 

[neonleon]

Right this has been bugging me for months without end now.

Frankly I'm sick and tired of everyone bashing Bill Kenwright and the Board. I know there are others out there who are more willing to spend than this lot, but look where it's put them. See Newcastle, West Ham, Manchester City before Sheikh Mansour, Portsmouth, and most likely Birmingham City, for example. West Ham, down. Portsmouth, down. Birmingham, down. Likely, were it not for Sheikh Mansour, City would be in a similar situation as the other 3, Sinawatra was a total disaster for them. Surely, if things don't change, Aston Villa will follow them.

The point here is whilst our board may not be taking us anywhere, they aren't soft. Thankfully they have more sense than money, unlike the gentlemen that bought out these aforementioned clubs.

My own personal strategy for "being ambitious" is showing a bit of ambition on the pitch rather than our money-throwing skills. It's maddening how we can seemingly always do well against good sides but lose to lesser sides. To some extent one can look at tactics but there's absolutely no excuse for playing 8 defenders and a striker who hasn't scored since dinosaurs roamed the Earth against West Brom.

I respect David Moyes as much as the next man, his patience and ability to find total bargains is second to none. However his tactics somehow manage to piss me off and bug at me on a regular basis. I'm all for having and excellent defence and that right, but at the end of the day, we've got to show some attacking intent. If needs be get rid of players and reinvest to do it, I know who I'd sell off right now if they don't buck their ideas, messrs Arteta and Rodwell, I swear they were both pre-occupied with passing the ball sideways this season.

It's all well and good playing the best of the best and beating the best of the best, but all that good work is undone when you drop points against lesser teams. It could easily be argued that we dropped a good 30 odd points against sides that finished in the bottom half of the table, with 15 coming from the bottom six. Really Moyesy? Really?

We can't even blame injuries this year, we were ****e with our stars and then became good without them, surely something isn't right here. Oh and who can forget that shambolic FA Cup defeat at home to Reading. I remember looking at that lineup and thinking, "Who will supply Saha?". I received my expected answer: Nobody. We had chances to, I remember Arteta choosing a sidewards pass to Seamus Coleman rather than a through ball which would've put Saha in on goal, and it's that sort of negativity that bugs me. Story of the season, summed up in one massively frustrating moment.

So we can bitch and whine and moan about the board and their supposed lack of investment all we want, but it's not going to change the way the team plays on the pitch. I'm annoyed by the continual frustration with this side, we all know they have the potential to win the league, but I'd like to see it. I see no reason why we can not just try and attack, but apparently that's not happening.

It is a good post. I don't however think this squad have got it in them to win the league. Quaifying for the CL would be at an absolute push, and even them, its asking far too much for an under invested squad.

I believe Moyes is the best man for the job. It doesn't put him past criticism though, and the darkest moments (the recent united game where we parked the bus, I thought we'd grown out of that) make me shout obscenities: like playing five in midfield and then bypassing all five midfielders with hoof ball towards someone incapable of beating the back four and the keeper himself (although we've seen Becks can sometimes do this we shouldn't bloody rely on it).

Welcome to the forum mate.

 

[BlackToffee]

ok, lets put this simply. do you think the board have done the best they can, with their combined experience and financial acuman. i dont.

Yes I do. They could do better.

 

[Deleted member 28206]

arrr eh, leave it aye

 

[Neiler]

I know everyone feels as if their post deserves its own thread - but lets keep all the board/kenwirgth stuff in the one place please.

 

[sirblue57]

Yes I do. They could do better.

please explain why. because i have lost faith in BK and the board a long time a go, when they lost KD and then tried to sell DK as "the deal of the century" plus all the lies with FSF etc. theres my reasoning. i would like to know yours. simple no abuse, no sarcasm just facts.

 

[BlackToffee]

please explain why. because i have lost faith in BK and the board a long time a go, when they lost KD and then tried to sell DK as "the deal of the century" plus all the lies with FSF etc. theres my reasoning. i would like to know yours. simple no abuse, no sarcasm just facts.

The current board configuration is not ideal. We have a reluctant billionaire and a few millionaires. As such we have people who cannot invest in the way that we would like them to. In my view they have made mistakes (you've highlighted many of them) with some modest successes (the outsourced Sodexho winning a major award against "bigger clubs for example). The reality is that they have had to live within their means. The stats have shown that with one of the lowest debt in the prem for example they are performing well against other prem clubs which should be applauded.

But, for me its built on the sand of TV money and a too slow growth in our commercial activities.

Its not a question of faith. They don't have the means to provide the type of investment needed. Period. Shouting at them won't change that.

They can't do a Leeds United. We all know what happened there, but this is what you want them to do.

In short, the board has experienced many failures of its own making, and some successes.

The only way that this situation can be changed is if a credible buyer comes on the horizon

There is a credible argument to say that if the mass of supporters showed their approval the board would be forced to sell. Its just a shame it didn't work with Newcastle - partly because the price asked for was too much, and I think it turned out that the potential investors didn't have the money as they stated.

When a credible buyer comes along I'll be with you encouraging the board to sell.

As supporters what we need to really discuss is what can we realistically do to encourage that change, how can supporters unite around common issues. That to me is where the debate should be at and its why I keep saying that campaigns based on abuse don't win wars.