ToffeeWeb Viewpoint
Thoughts from the Editor
An influence for change?
30 December 2005
This missive is addressed to Michael of ToffeeWeb and is possibly
not controversial enough for general release!
Michael, am I correct in believing your occupation is media
related? Media being press, newspaper, etc?
That being the case, why do you not use your website's influence
to educate people as to the best way to effect change. Private
companies (Everton FC Co Ltd) will always remain hugely difficult to
influence — FACT. Why? If you know, then you should use your
media influence to inform; if you don't know then seek answers.
I was told many years ago the following: "If you can't solve the
problem then you are the problem!"
Too simple, perhaps. But has DM maybe hit this question?
Roy Jordan, Merseyside
(30/12/05)
You, sir, are far too humble; we publish all sorts of stuff here!
And no, you are not correct. My full-time professional
occupation has nothing whatsoever to do with the media. I'm a
consulting hydrogeologist, if you must know.
But you raise a question we have been challenged with before: that
ToffeeWeb should be a catalyst for change at Everton FC.
While we may wish for change to occur, ToffeeWeb was not established
for that purpose. However, we do see it as part of our role to
influence, educate, and inform those Evertonians who are receptive to
knowledge, information, and diverse opinion. But as you quite
rightly say, exerting influence that causes change within a private
company is hugely difficult.
Why?
In the companies I've worked for, one thing has been common: the
Management and the Board of Directors have always believed that what
they are doing is the right thing to do. Even to the point of
self-destruction, those in charge are simply not programmed to believe
that what they are doing could be wrong in any way. Of course,
privately, they have doubts and uncertainties... but it simply
wouldn't do to conduct such deliberations in public.
And many of the staff, workers, peons who toil under this system
within a private company have been quick to voice their concerns,
offer suggestions for improvement. One of the reasons why
suggestions are rarely acted upon is that those making them are not
privy to all the facts (how could they be under the shroud of secrecy
that surrounds even publicly traded private companies?).
One story from the first company I worked for comes to mind.
This bloke, John, was obviously very smart and extremely intelligent.
But he was never short of stinging criticism for the management of the
company, the way things were done. He held a lowly position
within the company when I joined, but he quickly moved up the chain of
command, and was a Division Manager in no time. You could still
pull him aside for a drink and a chat, and the vehement condemnation
of the Board of Directors was as strong as ever.
But eventually his meteoric rise saw him catapulted on to the Board of
Directors. And so what happened next? Was he finally able
to use his position of influence to effect the changes he had
advocated for so long? Was he still even convinced such changes
were necessary? You guessed it: a new perspective; access to all
the information; mitigating circumstances, etc. etc.... he morphed
into one of the figures he had been so vocal in condemning for their
short-sightedness and mis-management.
And those private companies have all had shareholders who've strived
in their one permitted annual public audience with the Powers
That Be to convince them to change their policies, to implement new
ideas, to change their ways. Our version is the Annual General
Meeting, when the minority shareholder-fans have a chance to make
themselves heard, and some just hope to score points by embarrassing
the EFC Board and Management to the greatest extent possible. Invariably, little comes of such
heart-felt but ultimately misguided outpourings of conviction.
Yet the general drift complaints in our
Mailbag eventually winds its way up to the top. A number of
people believe that only by effecting change at the top will the
fortunes of the club then be made to change in any meaningful way that
will translate to success on the field. But in this respect the
fanbase is deeply divided in its highly polarized views of Bill
Kenwright. Result: there is no unified or coordinated call for
change. Would Kenwright even respond to a mass and revolt by a
portion of the fanbase? It would be a long and painful process,
a dangerous path to embark upon, and it would more than likely tear
this club apart.
What other less aggressive ways are there to effect change at the top?
A Fans Trust and a rollover of shareholding to the fans thropugh a
Rights Issue? People far more influential than me havve been
calomouring for that from the current custodians... to no avail.
It's been done at some clubs... but does it guarantee progress and
advancement on the field? Of course not — nothing (except the
injection of huge wealth from a Russian oligarch) would really
guarantee the kind of change so many of you are looking so desperately
for.
At ToffeeWeb, I believe we have done our bit over the years providing
support and perhaps the most valuable commodity — publicity — to a
number of fan-based efforts that were initiated to effect change in
the structure and management of Everton FC:
But where are these efforts now? All of them, without
exception, have failed. They have all petered out to
nothing. Perhaps if some genius can figure out why that is, and can
come up with an antidote — one that all the fans can accept and get
behind — then perhaps, just perhaps, something would change. Ian
Macdonald blames above all the apathy amongst the fans; lack of
support for these ventures, especially the most recent Fans Council
initiative, would seem to bear that out. As a result, we have
the club we deserve. The one enterprise that should be acting in
this role is the Everton Shareholders Association. It's
failings, however, are a whole other story....
And as for this little gem: "If you can't solve the problem then
you are the problem!" — over the years, I have developed an almost pathological distaste
for pithy quotes that are supposed to somehow embrace and impart great
wisdom. This one takes the biscuit.
Michael Kenrick
©2005 ToffeeWeb
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