Season 2011-12 Fan Articles

The solution could hardly be clearer

By Blue   Union  ::  12/09/2011   0 Comments (»Last) The Blue Union were pleased with the many Evertonians who attended a pre-match demonstration that sent a clear message to the club?s hierarchy, enough is enough, it?s time for change.

Support for the recently formed Blue Union has quickly developed; last week their first public meeting was attended by almost 500; this week their protest march filled the whole of Goodison Road as supporters identify with their aims.

Dave Kelly of The Blue Union says, ?From day one we have made it clear that our campaign is about the issues and not the personalities; Saturday?s protest was well managed, we reminded those present to be respectful and act with dignity towards all others. Two weeks ago the chairman was jeered during the QPR game, sadly some fans inside the stadium on Saturday chose to jeer the chairman once again when his face appeared momentarily on the screens as the players came out. The chairman?s image reappeared again after Everton went into the lead; this was met by a mixture of jeers and polite applause, the vast majority did neither. The Blue Union encourage full support of the team at all times; we?re saddened that Everton feel the need to divert attention away from the real issues at Goodison.?

The real issues surround the club?s finances; an inability to support the manager, a failure to address the stadium problem, Saturday was Everton?s lowest attendance for a non-televised game since 2002, and the failure to identify people able to demonstrate the resources and the ability to take the club forward. Kenwright himself has admitted that the finances of the club are on a knife edge; he has recently prevented the banks from stopping the club from trading.

Everton has failed to control the key area of wage costs; the last accounts published reveal wages of £54m, as of May 2011 this has risen to £58m. The £9m from the sale of their former training ground has gone to the banks, as did the money from the sales of James Vaughan and Steven Pienaar. The last minute sales of Yakubu, Beckford and, most controversially, Arteta, meant that no funds were available for the manager yet again. The sale of Arteta can be understood when the need to address the wage costs is coupled to the sale of the clubs highest earning player.

Simon Magner said, ?I can accept selling to buy, but selling to survive is something different. We met Bill Kenwright a few weeks ago, he revealed that the club?s finances were in a much more perilous state than has been suggested. Later Bill appeared on satellite TV and claimed they could no longer borrow from the banks when in reality he had borrowed heavily just a few days earlier. How can anyone trust this board to sell the club properly when they were happy to sell it to a guy who, after being introduced by Keith Harris, turned out to be living in a bedsit above a betting shop in Singapore; Kenwright also claimed Amanda Staveley has attempted to sell the club; I and many others would like to know the details of that particular deal as Amanda Staveley has a widely acknowledged pedigree when it comes to selling companies; Manchester City and Barclays being just two deals that her company have successfully negotiated?

The Blue Union?s solution to the current problems can hardly be clearer, we believe that an autonomous group of professionals should be employed to identify and conduct the sale process to a buyer who can best demonstrate the ability, resources and desire to take the club forward both on and off the pitch.

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