COLUMNIST JOHN HOLMES
Crisis, What Crisis?
Comments (13) : The above words, attributed to Jim Callaghan during the winter of discontent, neatly summarise the official response to Everton?s summer so far. However, I could just as easily have paraphrased and entitled this piece ?Transfers, what transfers?? or ?Stadium, what stadium?? or perhaps ?managerial contract, what managerial contract?? The list goes on. In fact, let?s have a few more: ?CEO, what CEO??, ?EGM, what EGM??, ?budget, what budget??, ?strikeforce, what strikeforce??, ?midfield, what midfield?? and, of course, ?Fit Van der Meyde...?
The summer so far has comprised unanswered questions met by official silence interspersed with vague assurances and what appear to be downright lies from within the club. Wyness? announcement that no deal had been agreed and no bid received from Fulham for Johnson, only to confirm the opposite five days later, was, at best, grossly misleading but typifies the club?s approach. Another week with no stadium decision and no inbound players only adds to the suspicion that Ian Ross? claim about the independence of the transfer budget and Destination Kirkby was equally fallacious
Understandably, the fans are becoming paranoid, nervous and frustrated at the lack of action or information emanating from Everton FC. All we see flowing from Goodison is inertia whilst the club?s management (footballing and business), home, players, finances and ambition are left to float in the ether, bereft of not only a paddle but also, boat, current and water. The great tragedy is that this shouldn?t have been the case. Last season?s fifth placed finish, a third European qualification in four seasons, should have put the dark days behind us. The club should have appeared stable, ambitious and primed for success with a talented team, effective manager and comfortable, if not abundant, finances.
It now seems that, behind the scenes, little has changed. Debts are still amassing, the stadium issue is still unresolved, no asset is safe and any footballing success appears subject to the whims of fate. Perhaps the signs have been there all along. Every season has seemed crucial in Moyes? tenure. Whether the goal was to make a mark and begin a new era, stave off relegation, show he was no one-season wonder or prove he could cut it in Europe, we?ve never really seemed confident that the club?s reinvention was anything other than a bubble waiting to burst; even from match to match. Any defeat has been a catastrophe; any victory a major triumph. Finally, just when it seemed liked we?d cracked it and a new, firm baseline for Everton?s stature as a European team had been set, the guy ropes are starting to fray.
I wrote a few weeks back of how Johnson?s impending departure signalled a sea change in Everton?s recent transfer policy of selling only that which had no value. It seemed unlikely that selling to buy was in Moyes? second Five Year Plan. However, if Everton can weather the rising storm the plan may survive. But weather, rather than calm, is the correct metaphor. There appears little the club can do at this time to change its fortunes. The transfer budget appears to be tied to Destination Kirkby?s success and the manger?s future to the budget. The footballing fortunes are tied to both the manager and his ability to bring in new players. The ability to bring in new players seems to be subject to Fulham?s confidence in Johnson?s knee and Sporting Lisbon?s determination to keep Moutinho. Nowhere do Everton hold significant control. Even if they did, who would be doing the holding? With no CEO and apparently little control over why the last one left, the club is in uncertain hands.
Meanwhile, the fans remain impotent and ignorant. When the EGM takes place, nothing could persuade me to swap places with Bill Kenwright and face them.
Reader Comments
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Everything that BK is involved with turns into a drama....or a pantomime!
Whilst we cannot expect the Club to divulge its transfer targets or budget, we should surely be able to expect something to have happened by now and for the people in charge to have been a bit more forthcoming.
If BK’s statement today had been made 3 weeks ago it would have been received far better than it has now. Hiding in the bushes all Summer, bar the infamous ESCLA meeting, he suddenly finds a voice just as Moyes is on the edge. Along with the Kirkby stadium farce it all just shows how little the Club understands its fans/customers and that is a surefire loser in any business.
Not impressed at all.
Similarly, I?m guessing that DM?s contract stalling is related to that. He probably doesn?t want to sign up until he knows where he stands - I?m not sure if there are performance related bonuses in his contract but if there were then naturally he?d want to know what he had at his disposal before committing.
The DK decision was meant to be sorted a few weeks ago, in which case this "crisis" wouldn?t have happened. Speaking of which, what the fuck is the delay with the decision anyway? Has this Baroness or Duchess given a reason why it keeps being delayed? One way or another we need a decision soon so that the club can get on with things. It's pretty hard for them to plan anything with this outstanding.
http://www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/everton-fc/everton-fc-news/2008/08/02/moyes-i-m-not-leaving-everton-64375-21452649/
We already know that Johnson was sold because he wanted to leave and that the money from his sale will be used to buy a re[placement of a similar value ie Bent or Militto (proof that he wasn’t sold for squad strengthening purposes).
Kenwright and Moyes have both stated that we have money to spend and that we intend to bring in 5 - 6 players. We will also have a statement from Bully in a day or so to explain his departure. Pretty soon everything should soon be looking rosy again.
The last time a summer was this depresing was when Rooney left and Radzinski etc and all we signed was Marcus Bent everyone was tipping us for the drop but look what happened that year. COYB
?Everything BK does turns into a pantomime?
...o no it doesn?t
and with reference to new signings....
They?re behind you.
If we can trade up so much the better.
This is less a case of selling to buy and more a case of maximising assets for our money
Who takes over if Kenwright goes?
What happens to his shares?
Maybe you can start a new thread of people that we want to buy Everton. I’ll start it off with Bill Gates.
"This bloody crisis!"
I think the CEO thing is an internal matter that will be resolved internally and reasons for the parting may never be public but high profile figures in any major business coming and going is common place, witness BT have just changed and no sign of panic there.
For once I am with both Kenwright and Moyes. I believe Bill when he says the funds are available and I also believe Moyes when he says that he won't accept second best when it comes to enhancing and improving on what we have got.
I accept that to fulfill his wish then it maybe difficult to get in those sort of players without some arm-bending of the clubs who don't wish to lose top quality players and will overprice them to try to keep them. I believe we are at present in a brinkmanship scenario and the transfer pot will determine how many the manager can prise away from their present clubs and sign on a permanent basis and then an end-of-window loan spree may occur.
Again I echo the Chairman's word ?Patience?. If all fails then we are in dire straits but I just can?t believe that a club as big as Everton, despite all internal wranglings, would relinquish the chance to compete in all competitions we have qualified for and enhance our profile further to entice investors.
Twenty nine days to go until window closes and I am one Blue who is confident of action. I find it both frustrating and understandable but if it means us having a great season I am happy to go through the agony.
UP THE BLUES
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1 Posted 02/08/2008 at 00:19:58
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I agree that things are so finely balanced at the moment and that unfortunately many elements that control our future are out of our hands.