• EfC Meeting with Paul Gregg
• Change in the Boardroom
• EfC Rallying Call

Evertonians for Change met with Paul Gregg for half an hour.

Paul Gregg opened by saying he had wanted to give fans groups an opportunity to put issues and concerns to him.

Evertonians for Change opened by saying that what we believed Evertonians wanted was those in charge to address the current situation with honesty and clarity and afterwards to take the club forward with ambition and vision.

Evertonians for Change addressed the issue of Mr Gregg staying away from games and said that this had left him a significant credibility gap amongst supporters.

Mr Gregg responded by saying that this had been because he had been in dispute with Mr Kenwright on the way forward.

Evertonians for Change asked Mr Gregg about his motivations for putting forward his proposals at this time and asked if they were solely about recovering his initial investment.

Evertonians for Change also asked if his intention was to play a similar role at Everton to that played by Fergus McCann at Celtic i.e. he would commit to the club for a specified period during which he would take attempt to take the club forward on and off the pitch, and at the end of which he would be looking to move on.

Mr Gregg said quite categorically that this was not his intention

Evertonians for Change asked what role he envisaged himself playing at the club if his proposals were successfully implemented.

Mr Gregg said that he would not be the Chairman but had spoken to a possible candidate for that position. No names were given. He also said he would appoint a Chief Executive.

On the identity of his investors, Mr Gregg repeated his familiar line that he wasn’t at liberty to identify them until True Blue Holdings had been dissolved.

Evertonians for Change made the point that this was viewed by supporters as a significant barrier to progress.

Mr Gregg replied by saying that Bill Kenwright hadn’t been interested in where the money came from when he had helped him buy the club from Peter Johnson.

Evertonians for Change asked where the backers were based.

Mr Gregg said that they were a mixture of domestically and overseas based individuals.

On David Moyes and the purchase of players he said that supporting the manager and strengthening the squad was a priority.

Evertonians for Change asked if he was aware of any alternative proposals being formulated by Bill Kenwright.

Mr Gregg that said he wasn’t.

Finally, Evertonians for Change asked if he had a message for supporters.

Mr Gregg said that he wanted to make it clear that he was genuine in his intentions and acknowledged that his non-attendance at home games had been a mistake.

Web site: www.evertoniansforchange.com

Carl Roper
28 May 2004

Evertonians for Change has welcomed the appointment of Trevor Birch as Everton FC Chief Executive as the first substantial demonstration of change in the way the club is to be run.

Evertonians for Change has noted reports that the appointment of Mr Birch is to be only the first in a number of changes and that these are likely to be at boardroom level.  These changes, if they occur and result in a Board whose members are pro-active in seeking to take the Club forward, will also be welcomed.

Evertonians for Change is disappointed that there has been no public explanation of the reason for the cancellation of Thursday’s scheduled Board Meeting.

A spokesperson for Evertonians for Change said:

“As positive as these changes may turn out to be, Everton supporters still have to rely on rumour and unsubstantiated reports for information on the future direction of the Club.  The Board of Everton FC owe the Club’s supporters more in terms of how they communicate with them.

“We repeat our call for the Club to communicate with the supporters directly and publicly.  Such an approach will not only be of benefit to the fans but will also help to reduce the gap that has developed between the Club’s owners and the mass of Everton supporters.”

Web site: www.evertoniansforchange.com

Carl Roper
28 May 2004

• Fed up with the current situation at Everton??
   
• Frustrated that your voice isn't being heard?
   
• Angred by our drift towards Nationwide obscurity?
   
• Mystified as to how a club that has been in the Premiership since its inception AND has an average gate of 35,000+ has less money to spend than clubs like Birmingham and Bolton?

Answered YES to any of these - then come together under the banner Evertonians for Change (EfC) - a new grouping of concerned Evertonians who want these and many more questions answered.  The sole purpose of EfC will be to force a public debate on the state of Everton Football Club — in short, to force those in power to answer for themselves.

We want to develop a profile similar to those achieved by other independent supporters groups. Our initial task will be to generate enough support for a public meeting at which we will agree a list of questions that need answering and a way forward.

If you want to play a part in speaking up and out for the club that you love, then e-mail Carl at evertoniansforchange@supanet.com.  All genuinely concerned Evertonians are welcome.  If you have any skills that you feel would be useful in promoting the aims of EfC (publicity, legal, good contacts) then please say in your e-mail.

The manager has said his piece — now its our turn!

Onward Evertonians!!!

Carl Roper
11 May 2004