Everton announce Finch Farm deal with USM Holdings

What exactly does a businessman get out of naming rights for a training ground? This is just more backdoor investment à la Phillip Green.

How many shady billionaires are we going to let launder money through the club? I wouldn't mind if we actually had something to show for it!

Everyone will make the leap to Usmanov but it doesn't really have to involve him at all, apart from him agreeing to the deal in the first place.

The quicker we get this stadium built, the better. I have no doubt in my mind Moshiri and Usmanov will end up being joint owners of our great club!!

I know all clubs do stuff to bend the rules, just weird that we are being professional about it.

More income, more on players and wages. It's a big old tanker to turn around is EFC, I'd say the the old girl is starting to change course.

Hope .

Iconic on the waterfront?

Why on earth would Usmanov pay £70Mill for naming rights on Finch Farm? The way this is going, we could reclaim our place as the Senior Club in this city, at last.

Just think – 3 yrs down the line;

New 60,000 stadium on the docks.
Fighting for the title every season.
Quality team & football.
And LFC stuck at Anfield in L4

Fuck me, I must be dreaming... Maybe I am?

COYB

You can bet your mortgage that the steelwork for the stadium will come from a Russian company who will build up such a good "relationship" with us that they then decide to sponsor us for a couple of hundred million every year.

From the clubs point of view, this is a much better option than taking money directly from a shareholder, who can then place conditions on possibly recovering that money at a later date, you can't do that if money is injected as sponsorship.

Alex – Green never put a penny into this club; he may have possibly taken out millions though.

I would really like us to compete with the big boys, but, like Chelsea and I dare say Man City too, are we pleased to be bankrolled by these people for the sake of becoming a darling of whatever the latest incarnation of the big four, five or six are?

Are these 'harsh realities' and if so, how many of us will notice? Or care?

So why would Usmanov agree to strengthen a rival clubs position if he intends to remain at Arsenal? All sounds like it could get quite interesting over the next year or so...

Is part of Mr Usmanov's empire not steel? I reckon Peel will need quite a lot in the not too distant. Something big is going on here and that's why they can't disclose too much right now.

I am quite sure Mr Usmanov and Mr Moshiri would like to be involved in the whole regeneration of our waterfront.

See how the first 5 years at Everton go... Especially after the new ground goes ahead .

It's blatant... And good for us either way.

Unfortunately in a capitalist system it is the very successful capitalists that have the ready cash to fund the running of any club they choose to fund. The other question is, does a 'poor' club automatically become more ethical, straight, honest than their richer counterparts?

"We are expecting a 300 per cent increase in the value of our shirt sponsors and we will be announcing shortly, as part of that 㿷 million, a significant new title sponsorship for the Finch Farm training ground and Academy.” ...

I'm sure I also read somewhere that the club weren't able to release details of this sponsorship just yet, but here we are, 24 hours later, the details have been released.

Let's hope in the next 24 hours, details of the new stadium are released.

Sentence 1: I agree;

Sentence 2 (question really); it's not a geographical or (by implication) xenophobic issue, it's a question of how true are the allegations of criminality? And my point (and by dint, question) is, if they are, then are we okay with this?

Sentence 3: fair play, I agree.

Sentence 4, separate, although related question and an interesting one in itself, but not really where I was coming from.

Rich and honest v poor and honest, I take rich. Rich and corrupt v poor and honest, I take poor. Rich and corrupt v poor and corrupt, I take neither. Good to think about though eh?

And I am desperate that we do well, really, I was born with a silver footy spoon in my mouth (1970) and have therefore seen the good and the very bad, and having turned left on the plane it is safe to say turning right is much worse but, how much do we want to turn left?

How happy will we be if we know our Chateauneuf du Pape is paid for by the bad guys ? (If indeed they are bad guys and not just really nice guys desperate to remove mean posts about them on the internet). Philosophy and footy have long been bedfellows (Shankly, Labone, Cantona) so why not ToffeeWeb?

As Evertonians we all like to think that those that are in charge of the club and those that are associated with the club are good honest people who hold themselves to very high standards.

Unfortunately we don't really know for sure and I take your point that, due to the huge amounts of money involved, it may attract those with lower standards and heaven forbid some will perhaps have been associated with criminal elements. Until those individuals or groups are found guilty as charged we have to accept that they are on the right side of the law.

That shouldn't mean we accept any sort of investment from any person or group who may bring the club into disrepute but we have to trust the guardians of the club to protect the name of the club.

When the ground move to Bramley-Moore Dock gets the nod, it will be no surprise if Mr Usmanov has his seat already planned.

I see massive changes afoot, some that may shock and delight the faithful. The shirts sponsor will be fascinating... USM anyone?

It didn't look like there was a queue of potential buyers lined up bar Moshiri and his mates.

The Russian oligarchs made their money out of assets stolen from the Russian people. UK and US millionaires also make their money on the backs of ordinary people, privatisation and 'austerity' cuts speed up that transfer of wealth.

As a socialist, I'd much prefer Everton to be a supporter/ member owned democratic co-operative. However, we live in a corrupt capitalist world and that's not going to happen any time soon.

Football is where it is. Let the corrupt capitalists build our new ground and hopefully, at some time in the future, we will once again become a community-owned asset.

Why would Mr Usmanov use Everton as a way into the British market for steel, or even the mobile phone networks? For all we know, part of the deal with Peel Holdings might be to be the preferred steel supplier for the rest of the build along the docks and our stadium might be a loss leader, followed by significant volumes.

Cheaper for Peel overall and a great business for Usmanov. Perhaps he has other assets to leverage as well. It's a great entry point into the UK market.

Maybe Mr Moshiri is a Trojan horse for Mr Usmanov, let's wait and see, but it's dreamland at the moment and our golden ticket.

USM seal naming rights

Angry of Isliington

The Liverpool Echo also confirm that USM are the new sponors of Finch Farm.

Finch Farm sponsors

http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/evertons-finch-farm-training-ground-12413265

However, the excitement is difficult to contain.

You live with it or you don't.

After months of wondering if the Usmanov rumors were just wishful thinking, and worrying if Moshiri would have the money to back up his good intentions, this would appear to confirm even my best expectations.

Years of false dawns as an Everton fan tells me this is too good to be true, but my head and all the signs say this is in fact the dawn of a new exciting era in the history of our wonderful club.

What a start to 2017.

But at the same time this is great news that he has invested some money in us. Great things lie ahead. :)

Just for once... make OUR dreams real!!!

Bloody hell it's getting real. (Apologies – been on beers since 8pm... ha ha!)

Nice!

With the sponsorship, will we be getting a whole new set of Russian mowers?

It's very important we get around the FFP rules. Funnily enough, it crossed my mind the other day when there was talk of us wanting to buy Van Dijk who's fee would range anything from 㿅m (if the transfer clause is true) to 㿞m (what Saints would want)

If we were to buy him, for say 㿔m, plus 㿂m for Morgan Schneiderlin and 㾶m on Lookman, we'd have spent 㿴m on just 3 players.

This is conjecture but would we be fined or face a transfer embargo for spending that kind of money which is beyond our current revenue stream before new commercial deals? Does this deal mean we can spend more in this immediate transfer window? Lots to think about, but it's definitely exciting times to be a Blue.

Anyway, only joking about the props bit, it's not rocket science lads, we are now owned by a Russian and one of the world's wealthiest men. Let the good times roll... and btw, eat shit, you kopite gobshites!

FFP rules exist for the same reason the seeded Champions League draws exist: to keep any newcomers away from winning the major honours. Everything else about altruistic protection of clubs from reckless spending, etc, is noise, diversion, sleight of hand...

Mersey Billionaires!!!

Had a suspicion the naming rights would be a Moshiri company but with his mate in tow is curious. As Lyndon says, might be coincidental..

Thing is, from my understanding, this is the owner putting money into the club without expecting any return via dividends etc. Might not be his money but by being a company he is involved in is basically the same thing.

I do wonder how naming rights work.. if it is a cost line or they purchase it as an intangible asset, meaning they can sell it to another party.

Just thought... Everton don't own Finch Farm anymore, do they? So wonder how the money ends up at Everton if we are just leasing it. Sure it's all been sorted out.

Let's see... Chelsea –- dodgy; Man City – dodgy, Arsenal try to put on a clean front; Man Utd & Glazers – dodgy; Spurs & Joe Lewis – not exactly clean. Shit always rolls downhill after that.

Top tier football in England, Spain and Italy has been dodgy for years. The Premier League is awash with money, add to that little oversight and even less regulation and you've got a giant honeypot that's going to attract a lot of flies.

Everton are not clean either so we may as well try and get a seat at the high table until the powers that be decide enough is enough – which will probably be when the sky bubble bursts or China has bought every decent footballer in Europe.

What did Merson know that was and still is worrying? It seems you accept what he said?

#59 "We'd better be careful". Of what?

If the money doesn't come to Everton, it would go to one of our rivals so it would be self-defeating to be too holier-than-thou about it. Let's just enjoy the ride while it lasts – Russian billionaires tend not to have long lifespans.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-01-06/everton-gets-billionaire-usmanov-s-backing-in-soccer-sponsorship

Reads like its been written by a kopite. Bloomberg's probably rammed full of the bastards. Anyway, who cares.

Just read it myself.. nothing to see there. all negative speculation.

That Bloomberg article (from the link above) has surely been written by a kopite. So negative against Usminov and EFC.
Makes me laugh though, the world is shocked, we are shocked. Only difference is that we are happily shocked by all this.

#COYB

ruthless adjective: having or showing no pity or compassion for others. "a ruthless manipulator"
synonyms: merciless, pitiless, cruel, heartless, hard-hearted, hard, stony-hearted, stony, with a heart of stone, cold-blooded, cold-hearted, harsh, callous, severe, unmerciful, unrelenting, unsparing, unforgiving, unfeeling, uncaring, unsympathetic, uncharitable, lacking compassion)

If you are going to examine the ethics behind any investor's wealth, you are going to find skeletons. It might not sit right with some of us, but being a friend of Putin is surely better for their ongoing health than being his enemy, I'm guessing.

So we get 𧺬M to rename the club 'Everton USM Holdings Football Corporation'. Worth it? That's the direction it's all going in chaps.

Personally I think it stinks and still believe in the 'eye of a needle' saying about the rich.

Good points, and an aspect of JFK and his family that is not always obvious due to the rewriting of events. No end of famous, wealthy people have dubious pasts/connections.

And I'm NOT a conspiracy theorist either. But did Lee Harvey Oswald have others helping...???

The Cold War is well and truly back.

Billionaires like Moshiri can't just bankroll clubs anymore. It has to be done through 'sponsorship' instead. I wouldn't be at all surprised to see the naming rights to Goodison sold in the near future.

I don't think the Bloomberg article was biased – it is a business angled viewpoint that sounds very positive. If it were us speculating that Usmanov has further intentions towards Everton, it would be dismissed as hopeful dreaming. Bloomberg is about solid business trends and events – they are speculating that this is a Usmanov-inspired move and, given that their efforts have been blocked in London, it is easy to see what the incentive is.

One caveat – this might be Usmanov buying a bit of leverage with Arsenal along the lines of "Let me have more say in the club or I will go all in with one of your major competitors." If that doesn't come off, I think we will see him concentrate resources on Everton.

I thought Donald would have been over for Herbert's funeral, he was a ringer for him, I thought he was a relation.

He smiles at a stunning looking girl when her eyes meet his, but she looks at him the way she would a cockroach.

He is then approached by a George Clooney type who introduces himself and says "Which studio are you with?"

Our man nervously says "Oh I'm not in films, I work for USM Holdings."

The stunning girl, who seconds ago had nothing but contempt for our man, hears this and turns round and says "USM? As in USM Finch Farm?"

"Yes that's right" says the nerd.

The girl's demeanour changes in an instant, she takes his hand, grabs a bottle of champers and says "Let's go somewhere a little more... private."

(She's probably going to do filthy sex with him and loads of beak!)

Soz, lad, but I just don't understand anything about this deal, I mean what do USM get from giving their name to Finch Farm? (And does fat Joe get a cut as the corpy own it... don't they?)

Guessing Paul (#82) is probably in the right area.

Anyway, I have to go now, got to do my laundry.

I said 'laundry'... you know (taps nose)... 'laundry'!

Feels a bit wrong though. Usmanov is a shareholder in Arsenal, sponsoring Everton. Some questionable friendships involved. For all the BVI and Phillip Green talk, this puts us into some uncharted murky territory.

Does this 'navigation' around FFP mean we will lose this title? Gutted.

ps: Ernie, you've got it all arse about face – our new investors are going to put money IN to the club, unlike Green & Earl.

EFC is faced with two stark choices: we either throw our lot in with one or more of these billionaires or continue to stagnate. I'd wager that there are many Chelsea or Man City fans who, with hindsight, would not have chosen the former. As a fan group, are/should we be any different? I know which camp I'm in!

ps: My understanding was that John Moores was shunned by "high society" for many years because his early business dealings were seen to be "dodgy" (ie, illegal). That of course eventually changed as his name began appearing on the Honours List! None of us back then objected to him turning us into the Mersey Millionaires!

"The USM Restricted View Stadium"

Moan when we are poor and lack ambition, now moan/are sceptical when we have backing and are ambitious.

What do you expect, the fairy god mother to walk in to Goodison Parkwith a cheque for £100 billion and say here have that, don't worry about paying it back. Oh and also, I have just waved my magic wand and you now have a brand new 60.000-seater state-of-the-art stadium on the waterfront.

The noises coming out of Goodison since Mr Moshiri took charge are the most exciting noises I've heard in my 30-odd years of supporting.

So, let's strap ourselves in and enjoy the ride cause I for one think exciting times are ahead.

COYB

I'm still apprehensive about this and I will be until the new Stadium is officially announced at the docks. Then we can have a really big celebration.

Usmanov is the largest stakeholder in USM and has a significant shareholding in Arsenal FC. Now USM has investment in how Everton train their players. How is that not a conflict?

Peter Johnson was ordered to resolve his investments when holding a majority shareholding in Everton and a minority shareholding in Tranmere.

The events and outcome of the next Everton v Arsenal game will be interesting.

We can only hope that Usmanov is waiting in the wings.
I want Everton to win trophies.
I want world class players at Everton FC.
I want Everton to be a global brand.
I want a state-of-the-art stunning stadium.

Maybe these guys can bring us this.

Usmanov is absolutely a Putin crony. He's boasted of it, in fact. Evertonians can deal with it as they wish. This Evertonian accepts that this is the way things are.

Not sure what Joe Kennedy has to do with any of this. He had his fingers in many lucrative pies. Along the way, his people probably did some business with some mafia characters. But he was in bed with them? Do me a favor.

He and his political partners, including his wife's family, ran Massachusetts with an iron hand; a state with plenty of ports easily accessible to Canada. His power dwarfed any some Boston mafia family had. Other than to buy some of his hooch, he didn't need them for shit.

This myth is out of the movies or some sad book written by one of the many "Oswald was just a patsy" conspiracy kooks.

Anyway, Moshiri has the power and he's brought his business buddy in through sponsorship. If it's wrong, let the FA say so and do something about it. Until then, me, I can live with it.

If there is an example of a "corner shop" Club competing with "mega-store" clubs for laurels, Everton just proved how far it can go with Moyes. I'm ready to try it the other way.

The level of contribution compared to the advertising return is, lets say subjective?

If you bought a lottery ticket for ٟ and 㿷m dropped in would you go back to the organisers and say it all seemed a bit... well, out of kilter ? I think not. My view is...

Bring it on.

Let the games begin :)

I think it's reasonable to be a bit cautious with this news. It's the unknown.

I believe there is an option to purchase a major proportion of shares in Everton by Moshiri – why would he do this unless he was keeping them for someone else? Not like he hasn't got the money.

How do you get past the FFP rules? Easy – sponsor ground, training ground, shirt etc at over inflated prices. Club gets money to spend; company gets huge financial write-offs.
Anyone who thinks Moshiri and Usmanov aren't in this together must be in serious denial...

I am not so naive as to think that all corporate monies and the mega-billionaires who head such companies generated their wealth solely on squeaky clean practices.

I am well aware, in Russia in particular, after the collapse of the old Soviet Union, many a wealthy oligarch benefited from the patronage of the new political elite, whereas others were persecuted – ostracised, banished, imprisoned, even murdered – for NOT being in favour.

However, I don't make the leap or negative associations some do in this thread, that this is a money laundering deal for Usmanov and the club needs to be wary of its implications.

In Brazilian Portuguese there is a word 'jeito', which has many meanings with one of the most popular ones being 'working around a problem': that is, find a solution to an obstacle that is preventing you achieving your aim.

I think, under the savvy guidance of Moshiri, this is what Everton is starting to do; what others clubs have been doing for years: finding a way around a problem.

Now some may interpret this as getting what you want through 'unconventional' ways, such as breaking the law, rules or social convention. Or you might consider an alternative, more positive interpretation, which implies the use of creative, unusual and inventive skills to solving a problem, without breaking the law or affecting others in a negative way.

This is an open, very transparent deal, between two people in particular who work closely together and who will have passed all the FA's and PL's 'fit to govern' regulations.

When you compare it to the multiple undeclared offshore loans taken out by the club and the club's association of Messrs Green and Earl in recent years, which is the murkier and which MO do you genuinely prefer...?

If we want to go the political route and tenuously link our new-found mate with Putin, then we should start off moaning about most other Premier League Clubs too.

Come on, people – get a grip!

Now we are going into Harrod's Food Hall... And don't it feel good!?

The Bloomberg report said it is very unusual for a training grounds naming rights to be sold and this could lead to a Uefa investigation. I'm sure Farhad has this under control.

To get beyond the propaganda takes a lot of investigation and attention to detail, a lot of detailed analysis. Without that, it's difficult to make value judgements, because we simply don't know what's going on in circles of power.

We can assume what's going on, but if we go along that route we'd likely refuse to have anything to do with the vast majority of large corporations, anywhere in the world.

Given that I don't know the inner workings of these powerful people and their organisations, in the absence of evidence that I should have nothing to do with them, I'll happily accept our 'new era', with the prospects of success and glory for our great club.

There are many bad things happening in the world, and we can deal with them to our satisfaction only when we have both (a) control to do so, and (b) specific evidence on which to base our judgement.

We have been seriously "had off" by this cartel since before the inception of the Premier League. And "The Premier league.con"?

The most heartwarming words that I have heard/read since the glory days of the 80s? Moshiri vowed he wouldn't allow the club to become a "museum.”

During the fiddling reign of "I never actually set foot in the Boys Pen" Billy, as our empire collapsed, the only news was of selloffs & sellouts. Within a single year under Moshiri, we have plans afoot, new and innovative streams of income.

Usmanov? Russia's 7th wealthiest man? Moshiri & USM work closely together... GOOD!

Perhaps "The Millionaires Club" is finally waking up. First we take back our city... Then God help them all...

Bring me Silver!

Well... make that second to last. The Premier League will be first in the "know-nowt" queue, obviously.

Does anyone think all of Abramovich's millions were obtained by being nice and kind and fair? Look where it got Chelsea.

I suggest if anyone's really unhappy with any aspect of the investment then show your disapproval by not spending any money that supports the club. Don't go the game, don't buy any merchandise etc etc.

I think half the time on here people just try to show everyone how clever they are and how much they know about everything. The bottom line is that we know nothing of the goings on behind the scenes and that's generally because people are employed to look after the business side of things.

I wonder how many of you interrogate the sales person when you buy a pair of trainers just to make sure the nine year old who glued the sole to the upper is well looked after?

This is "possibly" the most exciting time for our club in the lifetime of most of us. Try to be positive about it, try to enjoy the possibilities, try to support the team tomorrow at Goodison.

Us fans don't really need to know. (Ruthlessly run companies DO NOT hand out the explicit details of their trading details.) TBH, most fans either couldn't give a shit or just couldn't understand it EVEN if it was laid out on ceebeebies by Dora the Explorer!

A decade unbeaten in derby matches, home or away? That is the language that the terrace understands.

Bring me Silver!

Seems highly likely to be one of the second-tier betting companies.

If we do, we need our books balancing, and a huge financial injection to modernise the club, to ensure we don't have to sell our best talent. We also want the opportunity to be in the hunt for the best players rather than making embarrassing bids like Billy did for Michael Owen, or offering payments in 904 instalments + a Mersey bus pass and a lifetime supply of Rollover dogs.

Abramovich has a chequered past, and very strong links to Putin but he has massively changed Chelsea from a pathetic local club into European Champions and multiple Premier League winners. For years, every club has looked on enviously and now the playing field is getting levelled and we finally get our own oligarch, and some resort to type and start moaning.

Even if something happened to Roman, Chelsea are now in such a strong financial position, they will be picked up by someone else. Prior to this, investor after investor bypassed Everton for lesser clubs, and but for Farhad we could still be stuck with that prick Martinez and having to buy cast-offs from Wigan.

We live in a capitalist (Sorry, all you self-proclaimed and romantic socialists) and highly commercial world which is transitioning at such a pace (see Chinese Super League) that we could have fallen way behind without this investment.

If this is a precursor to Usmanov buying us outright, then I would be ecstatic. He has operated with dignity behind the scenes at Arsenal for years, and actively wants to invest in the squad, only to be blocked by Kroenke. Every Arsenal fan out there would kill to have Usmanov in control, but here's half our fans moaning about it.

If you don't want the money, and hate what football has become then I get you, but guess what, it's too late. Either fuck off to your local grassroots team, and romanticise... or get with it, get behind the club, and pray for the fact we get a new stadium, more investment and get to blow the RedShite “franchise” out the water for years to come.

Come On, You Moscow Blues!!

Expect the Arsenal fans to kick up a major fuss over this because Merson was right. I think most of them would prefer Usmanov to Kroenke and, by sponsoring Everton, this is what I think Usmanov is trying to do.

Moshiri spoke at the AGM the other night of how he had been a minority shareholder at Arsenal but he wanted to buy a club, so he could have a lot more involvement rather than having to take a back-seat with his hands tied together. Does anyone seriously think "his mate with all the money" is any different?

Think this is why Moshiri came to Everton in the first place, with orders from his boss to get the ball rolling, who in-turn has patiently waited in the background for this moment, and now hopes the Arsenal fans can kick up enough fuss to bring about change?

Maybe another bullshit conspiracy theory... but they say your money goes a lot further in the north; when someone has all this land to develop, and one of your biggest companies sells steel, then maybe Everton Football Club might just have been a steal!!?

For years, virtually my whole lifetime, Everton have been on the outside looking in as other clubs enthusiastically embraced the Premier League financial gravy train. For years, we have complained, with some justification, about our bungling Board and their inability to attract investment and increased commercial revenue.

For years we have seen Everton's status as one of England's foremost great clubs be steadily eroded so that now anyone aged much under 30 sees us as just another middle of the road Premier League team.

I work for the University of Oxford – even here, at this great educational institution with its noble history and mission, there is the Said Business School (founded and funded by Wafic Said, Saudi 'philanthropist' and arms dealer!) and the Blavatnik School of Government (founded and funded by Len Blavatnik, an ex-pat Russian oligarch in the UK with his fingers in all sorts of dodgy business pies)! Oxford was able to overlook Mr Said and Mr Blavatnik's backgrounds to fund these centres of learning, and so should we Blues now.

This is the reality, if we want to win trophies and be successful again, this kind of partnership and investment is the only way. I welcome this news and hope for more of the same in the coming weeks and months.

Not 'a' new shirt sponsor.Are they jumping the gun with speculation or do they know more than EFC have announced to date?

I think I saw somewhere else that the shirt sleeve was offered out as a separate deal, but to describe USM as THE new shirt sponsor is clearly loaded and infers the shirt front.

I would have thought MegaFon (a brand) would see more value in its name on shirts beamed all over the world, rather than USM (a holding company)?

They can sponsor the hinges on my seat in MS4 for 㿷M, IDGAF!

But Everton Football Club Company Limited NEED to focus upon the Everton Football rather than the "limited".

Point taken, Brian, re trainers. I have to tell you though that the last salesperson I spoke to struggled with just getting me the actual trainers let alone providing any feedback on the production process.

"Very unusual for a training grounds naming rights to be sold and this could lead to a Uefa investigation."

Colin, I don't know on what grounds that Uefa could do anything considering the RS have an "Official LFC Ice Cream Supplier" as well as all sorts of other "Official" suppliers and sponsors, as have Man Utd etc, with sponsors for training kit, training bibs, match balls, training balls... just about everything at Old Trafford and Anfield is sponsored.

My very good mate holds a similar-sounding view. When Moshiri took his 49.9% holding, he said "I just hope we don't lose our soul". I think we already did. "The Millionaire's Club"... We might as well be called "The 5p Club".

All fans that cling to the sad faded banners of past glory claim that their club retains dignity over the tawdry cheap bangles of success cheaply bought, because that is all that they have.

Evertonians have been cheated, thwarted and defeated. I hate to admit this, but, unless we "read the new script", then Everton could easily become the new Newcastle, Villa, Sunderland, Forest, Derby, Preston, Accrington Stanley.

Do Evertonians seriously believe that our future can be as glorious as our past when our neighbours, competitors and rivals are "dealing from the bottom of the pack"? Not once. Not occasionally. Every fucking day!

Our old ground was stolen from beneath our feet by a fucking chancer!

We need to learn from possibly the greatest performance ever at "The Grand Old Lady", Tony Bellew!

Got knocked down. Got back up, and fucking battered his opponent! BATTERED!

Every second that we stand still, our opposition race past us. Ask the worlds oldest football club, Notts County.Tick, Tock?

And we think that we know our history?

40 pieces of silver to Goodison?

Judas H Priest! Bring on each and every one!

(Check your RE mate learned to compete and play with seasoned and experienced pros the first Judas sold out for 30...).

Joe Kennedy bought the 1960 election for JFK through his mafia surrogates in the swing state of Ohio.

Dave Abrahams (#73) is spot on.

"Mr Usmanov attaches great significance to philanthropic activities and has been recognised on several occasions for his initiatives in this area. He was named the most charitable giver in Russia in 2015 by Bloomberg, while The Sunday Times Giving List ranked Mr Usmanov in the top ten most generous philanthropists in the UK by total donations made in 2015. He is the founder of the Art, Science and Sport Charity Foundation and a trustee for a range of social, educational and cultural organisations.

Mr Usmanov's charitable efforts extend to 64 countries. In 2015 alone, his contributions amounted to US$170 million. In the past ten years, donations and investments in social infrastructure by Mr Usmanov and his companies exceeded US$1.5 billion.

Mr Usmanov devotes considerable attention to the development of sports in Russia and globally. He has been the president of the International Fencing Federation since 2008 and is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Russian Olympian Sportsmen Support Fund. Mr Usmanov is also a member of the IOC Olympic Channel Commission."

God knows what the international "fencing" federation get up to. Moshiri has convinced him we're a charity case!!

Shame on you. I for one am delighted at the new level of professionalism and ambition.

If you live in GB, once upon a time, our leader spent Billions on an illegal war, 178 troops lost their lives because of it, vent your anger at that twat, hidden in plain sight.

Moan about something that matters, or with proof. (Sorry for the rant... I hate Blair for that.)

Going by the efforts with the likes of Davies and the newly signed youngsters, Finch Farm is going to stay a very high profile, very positive and constructive part of the clubs future.

I think it's easy to see a narrative that marketing people could use to brand build off Finch farm sponsorships. "Powering the future" sort of thing. A few exciting new Premier League talents photo'd with the logo and some potato shaped grinning Russian biznissman!.

£75M is going to be a package with other bits as well but it's not hard to see that there is something in this for them!

The consensus seems to be they'd prefer Usmanov to Kroenke.

And thanks for the info. I did say my RE knowledge was shite!!

As others say you could no doubt examine the financial affairs of an awful lot of the mega-rich and find skeletons or examples of ruthless behaviour but that is part of life and it's no good for us to take a holier-than-thou attitude.

Mud sticks but that's all there appears to be – Usmanov is not a rapist, a wife beater or whatever so why there is any reluctance to allow him to sponsor the training ground is beyond me.

I don't think he has done this to try to get Arsenal. Their owner can't stand him and being worth so much money himself is hardly likely to yield in that way. In my opinion Moshiri is at the very least lining up a very lucrative deal for providing steel for the new stadium and if his mate comes on board as a future shareholder then so much the better.

This looks like a big turning point for our club and we should embrace it.

Obviously Joe Kennedy never paid his mafia surrogates enough then... seeing as Richard Nixon won the swing state of Ohio.

Lashings of humble pie on the menu soon. :-)

Seriously, the improvement will start in a couple of weeks in my opinion. He will start to build the side and squad in his own image in this window.

But since a year or two ago when Lyndon called for TWers to knock that kind of language off, I settled on "kooks". See, I did get a grip.

With that, you baited the hook well-enough, so I'll bite. Who DID kill JFK, Jay? I'm all agog.

Wife said "you love that club more than me."

I said "Yes, love, but you come a close second."

Let's hope that it takes us right to the top of English and European football. Life's to short to worry too much about all things Russian ,Putin Ethics... The Donald... or the fucking Kennedys.

Let's make Everton great again. And let history worry about any lack of morals and ethics.. Anyhow ...looks like we might have some money to spend in the next few transfer windows.

I wonder if with this new found wealth if we will still be approaching each game with two or possibly three defensive midfielder Will we get a top class keeper on board. Will we get a top class midfield general on board. That's what I want to know.

And most importantly... where does all this leave McGeady and Gibson? It would be a crying shame if these guys miss out on new contracts.

COYBBs – Come on you Billionaire Blues..

"Usmanov in one day has spent more on Everton than Kroenke has spent on Arsenal in 6 years."

What a great comment on the Arsenal forum.

Everton blow Southampton out of the water on wages and "persuade" him of the project.

What did they show him in when they opened the little golden box...?

A model of a world-class stadium on the Docks, sat next to a Russian bank account book with a photo of Usmanov on the inside with an order for a new, monster trophy cabinet (inc. dusters and Silverdip)

What did they show him?

Moshiri: Mani, Mani, Mani – I love fun! You know I love fun! What shall we do – tell me, tell me – tell me!!!

Usmanov: Let's buy a... football club!

Moshiri: (sigh) we already own a football club, Mani...

Usmanov: NO WE DON'T, MOSH!!! How many times do I have to tell you, we're just funding it, they don't even let us sit at the table to break bread with us! :(

Moshiri: Oh, yes, you did say several times sorry... So what are we going to do?

Usmanov: Everton, Mosh – Everton.

Moshiri: Everton?

Usmanov: Yes Mosh... Everton. You go first, check it out, see what the score is. I'm thinking a stadium that's better than the Emirates, team thats' better than we have here, and enough silverware to make Kroenke choke. Once you've been in for a bit and you think it's okay, I'll either come in proper or you can front it – it will be hilarious either way seeing Stan go bandy. Actually I might stay here, once he see's our Everton dominate, he might fuck off and let me buy Arsenal and then we've got our own little game with each other! Oh, and Roman of course, but he's good fun...

Moshiri: Waa-heeeeeeee!!!!! I LOVE FUN MANI – I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!

As for the ethical considerations? Russia is a mafia state, we sell arms to some very dubious individuals and the Yanks sell them to all dubious individuals. The Chinese are no plantpot boys either.

Common theme? Wealth. We need to deal with it and move on.

At the same time, these people sit and watch dodgy individuals like Alan Sugar on TV and drool over how wonderfully talented he is to become so rich. They buy goods from outlets owned by the Ashleys and Greens of this world, whose morals make the mafia look like the boy scouts. We even have a family of billionaires as head of state, none of whom have ever been seen doing a days work, but hold power because their ancestors invaded the country and took over the place, creaming off the taxes for themselves.

The government is staffed by tax dodging cronies who are swindling billions out of the economy while millions depend on top up benefits and foodbanks... personally, I've never trusted the rich, but seeing as every other club's fans have been laughing at the Goodison museum and the '21 (soon 22) years' etc, I just hope this investment gives us a chance to dish a bit back, especially at the Anfield 'squatters'.

I couldn't give a toss if Moshiri and Usmanov had swindled every penny, and the investment was just a tax dodge, the old adage "If you can't beat them, join them" is now the buzzword – it beat's the previous one: "If you can't join them, you probably won't beat them."

Great post.

Maybe this company can sponsor the newly renamed Park End too so it'll be the Carter USM Park Stand.

If you were running say a charity for the homeless and Usmanov (whose activities are at least legal in Russia) offered financial support would you refuse his money? If not, how can you object to Everton accepting it?

Would you also refuse money from distillers, gambling firms and pornographers? Where do you draw the line? Personally, I think Everton is one of the more ethically sound clubs and it would not bother me.

Some don't give a shit where it comes from and just want us on the back of the tabloids being heralded, whilst some are criticising others for being all 'tabloid' about things because they read articles from the old 'broadsheets' and asked some fair enough probing questions. That in itself is the madness of the internet... but who cares?

'None of us' and 'everybody' is the answer .

1. Can Mr Usmanov "gift" his Arsenal shares to his son in law?

2. If so and if he did this, would that effectively end his commercial (as in legal) interest in Arsenal?

I am probably stating the blindingly obvious but I would imagine that Mr Usmanov is a man who like to "win".

If the answer is yes to both of the above questions then he "wins".

Get in, belt up, and hang on.

Bloody love your posts! Light-years apart in length and direction, but equally brilliant.

And Colin @160. Very well said mate. I do wonder if our much missed, departed Harold has handed a copy of the ground thieves deal with The Prince Lies over to the authorities "upstairs"? Our fortunes and his passing seem inextricably linked.

It was good to see the name Harold Matthews again, if only by reference. Gone, not forgotten, just having a pint with William Ralph!

Either way, powerfully recommend:
The Football Business: The Modern Football Classic (Mainstream sport) by David Conn (ISBN: 9781840181012).

Opening chapters are jaw droppers. David Conn has NOT been sued for ANY content in his book.

Much respect for mentioning Harold Matthews.

Probably the best poster to comment on your two point query IMHO would be Amit. Hopefully he may magically appear, if we click our heels and say his name thrice?

(By click heels I didn't mean "red crystal stilletos" as favoured by "the whale hunting friends of Dorothy" currently occupying our discarded ground, or jackboots... Just white footie boots.)

I just switched from ToffeeWeb to the Sky Sports app to see if this development is being covered. It's not. There was a thread near the top mentioning that Coutinho is back in training.

This sums it up.

One day soon...

Arsenal shareholder Alisher Usmanov's USM holdings sponsors Everton training ground

The deal itself is legal from what I've understood and maybe its a last shot at the Arsenal board, Usmanov wants more input.

Hopefully Arsenal will sit tight with Kronke and Usmanov will either sell up or find away to pass on his interest to a business associate or family member.

You'd think that would leave him free to kick around with his mate Moshiri and ho from there.

A good deal to be debated, eyes fully dilated at the possibility of the seeing Rupert's Tower air-lifted to Bramley-Moore Dock!

About Ruperts Tower – a little bit of imagination required but perhaps the move was preordained?

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bramley-Moore_Dock#/media/File%3ABramley_Moore_Dock_Gates_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1433064.jpg

Not sure it would suit the Megafon branding but hey – you never know.

Knighted for services to a country, where his insatiable greed is helping to destroy what was once the worlds greatest health service.