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Thoughts from the Editor

Paul Gregg: is it a question of trust?
27 July 2004

Paul Gregg: captain of industry?

Following our increasingly critical view of Bill Kenwright as he attempts to cling on to power in the Goodison Boardroom, we are receiving a number of contributions questioning our allegiance to Paul Gregg, and pointing up what Kenwright has done for the Club.

From our perspective, the facts are plain: Kenwright's blue credentials are unquestioned, but what is more important are his achievements as custodian at the helm.  The litany of growing disasters is simply frightening.  Extending this record of incompetence any further under Kenwright's 'leadership' seems destined to lead us in one direction only.

Paul Gregg may not be the ultimate answer, but he is now the catalyst for change.  And everyone surely can recognize that change is essential for Everton to move forward.  Under Kenwright, effecting change has been like pulling teeth.  Despite his fine words (personally I'm sick to death of his syrupy soundbytes), he continues to do nothing constructive as the Club spirals deeper into chaos and turmoil.  Another four days!  

Meanwhile, Paul Gregg has done many of the things that fans have been craving for — he's talking to us; he's telling us what's going on, he's proposing a five-year plan to rescue this great Club.  Grasping that straw may be a foolish act on our part, but we have no other choice right now.  It is not a choice between him and Kenwright because Kenwright has proven to the world he simply can't hack it. 

Gregg, on the other hand, may have succeeded in sucking us all in so that he can somehow finesse a coming move to pull out the £7½M he has invested — although I find it hard to imagine a (legal) scenario for achieving this that does not involve reviving the fortunes of the Club and putting it onto a much better financial footing.  Can we trust him?  Who on earth knows the answer to that?  Does he have a vested (and that word is VESTED) interest in seeing Everton pull out of this dreadful slump?  Absolutely.

What of Gregg's inaction for going on 4 years?  Well, he trusted Bill, like we all did.  And when you trust someone, you do things perhaps against your better judgement.  Gregg's patience wore thin 18 months ago when he started on this campaign to have Kenwright loosen the reins and allow in more investment.  Kenwright has always denied that, remember. 

And what of Kings Dock?  A glorious dream that degenerated into a dismal fiasco.  Gregg's role in that was pivotal.  He was the man who was going to pony up £30M to make it all happen, remember?  Well, without delving too far into that murky story, the whole idea that he would buy Everton a stadium (this is the man who has no love of football) is preposterous.

Well, what of the millions his company made on "consultancy fees"?  This has never been fully explained, allowing his enemies to quote the full sum paid to Houston Securities by EFC with no explanations of the products that money bought.  A development like Kings Dock requires a huge amount of up-front work — the design concept and models alone represent a small fortune.  Then there are the studies, evaluations, reports, assessments... the list is endless.  It all costs money.  Where was that money to come from?  Paul Gregg's pocket again?  After he'd sunk £7½M into the Club?  Let's not be silly about this....

At the end of the day, Paul Gregg is a success businessman.  Most success businessman are ruthless slimeballs — it comes with the territory.  The debate over his potential hidden agenda and ultimate objectives will rage on and on... we may not know until we see it all unfold — and that uncertainty will be too much for many fans to contemplate. 

But the truth is that this is largely out of our control: we are merely the fans of a once-great Club.  Some of us are also shareholders but we have no real power.  It's not a question of trust.  It's a question of accepting where the power play lies, and accepting that it is time for a change.  Change that is long overdue.  Change means that Kenwright must go.  And the quicker the better.

Michael Kenrick

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