Season 2011-12 Fan Articles

Dear Mr Kenwright....

Another transfer window has come and gone: 2 strikers sold, albeit not great ones, but they filled a spot on the pitch; 1 midfielder gone, a little injury prone, but supposedly our creative force. To replace them, a young Argentine from the first division and a Dutch dude with a short fuse. Don't get me wrong ? they both could be really good loan signings but the net effect on team numbers is negative.

I know you don't have an endless pot of money and I don't blame you for that. Problem is, that's what football requires these days. Transfer fees are ludicrous and wages are breathtaking but you pay the going rate for your operating environment.

Seeing as you don't have a private oilfield, you need 3 things IMO: 1) a good manager; 2) loyal fans; and 3) an innovative club hierarchy who can plan and realise a business plan to maintain high income streams.

You must have been listening to the immortal Mr Loaf when he sang "2 out of 3 ain't bad". This Blue thinks we do have a good manager, albeit a little conservative. This Blue thinks we have a very loyal fan base, who continues to part with their hard-earned cash despite no trophy in 16 long years.

Its the 3) that has me concerned. Since you took over from the previous administration, we have had some good and bad times on the pitch... slowly improving league position and gradual decrease in the average squad age. Champions League qualification one year, Europa League and an FA Cup Final. And yet we find ourselves here today having once again sold the family silver to pay the moneylenders. And that's not the worst of it.

We have a historic ground which has seen generations of Blues fans watching our heroes. It's not big enough now at its current capacity. And while it has stagnated, we've watched the epic failure that was Kings Dock and the civil war that was Destination Kirkby. Other clubs are earning milions more than us 19 times a year because they have managed to upgrade or relocate. We've just funneled good money down planning drains, tangled ourselves in legal spiderwebs, and come out the other end with what the cow left in the lane.

You've hired numerous people into senior positions in the Blue hierarchy over the last few years and between you managed to open up a second merchandise shop in the City of Liverpool. And given it a catchy name too. Problem is, there's often chronic shortages of the things people want and outside Liverpool our merchandising net grows weak. People like Keith Wyness were brought in to globalise our brand; end result... abject failure.

Others have been bought in to find investment for the club or even, god forbid, a buyer with a bit of cash to spend. While teams like Blackburn and Man City get sold, Everton ? a club with a lot going for it ? remains on the shelf.

You say there's been no serious bidders... we hear and see transcripts which seem to indicate the contrary. And which also indicate that internationally experienced investors were amazed at the amateurishness of our commercial team. No bids, some bids, bids too small, wrong types of investors and bedsit pranksters... it's all been very murky and unproductive. Fortress Sports Fund anyone?

Your team seems to like operating clandestinely... there is gathering evidence that some have been trying to influence fans using social network aliases... surely a professional organisation can communicate to its supporters clearly and honestly?

Unfortunately Bill, in any business, the buck stops with the man at the top. And that's you. He needs to drive the expansion of the business, understand the finances which make it tick, and have the requisite nous to hire people he can trust to help him achieve the objectives in the Grand Plan.

No-one doubts your credentials as a Blue and your passion for the club is evident. But so is ours and the club we love is teetering on the brink of serious commercial problems. And this has come about on your watch, Bill. You've let the "Smell of the greasepaint and roar of the crowd" deafen your ears and blind your eyes to the damage that is being done to our club and the anxiety it is causing us.

We need you to heed the calls of thousands of true Blues around the world and get rid of all the old boys and all the hangers on at our club who continue to fail in their appointed positions. You need to replace them with intelligent, experienced individuals who can generate larger revenues for the club.

You need to put a realistic valuation on your shareholding of the club and sell it to someone who is able to lead us financially into a brighter future. If you don't, and things don't change, there is a real risk of fiscal implosion, relegation and collapse.

We're on course to hit the iceberg, Bill... will you be at the helm when our good ship sinks forever into the murky depths of oblivion?

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