Kenwright delivers poignant Anfield speech

We have shown respect and have shown support to Liverpool for over 24 years, which is something Man City have never done and never will do with Munich, and I was sickened to see Stoke scum mimicking planes in sick chanting against Munich, and it is a credit to our fans and the club that we have never reached such depths regarding Hillsborough.

It is sad to see that many scum in society have the temerity to mock, joke and sing sick and horrendous chants about tragic events such as Munich and Hillsborough, which is something we have never done and never will do.

We share our lives with Liverpool fans, we were all affected by Hillsborough, and as Bill rightly said, it might have been 96 Blues tragically losing their lives on that fateful day 24 years ago.

I am so glad that the truth about the events of that day has been revealed and that justice has been done.

I'm not a fan of Bill Kenwright, but a brilliant speech today.

JFT96.

Now pull your finger out and get us sold.

Proud to be an Evertonian.

No other club or chairman in the country could have addressed such an event with such relevance, eloquence and sincerity.

The great Bill Shankly was wrong: football is not more important than life or death...

When we heard about it after the game we abandoned the idea of going on the ale to celebrate and just drove home in silence, on that horrible, horrible day.

You can say what you want about Blue Bill, but that man is a patron of Everton. I for one am proud to be a toffee.

Cheers Bill.

96 fans went to watch just another game and came home in a box. And the police blamed the fans. Jesus.

Can I ask those who go to the games, will there be something for a 25th anniversary tribute?

A very good speech from Bill, though I must admit (and maybe it is just me) that I get a little bit uncomfortable when people talk about 'them' and 'us' in this context. For me, it's always been a disaster that happened to people from Liverpool, and football supporters from Liverpool. Of course both clubs should stand together.

I had as many family and friends at Hillsborough as I had at Villa Park.

Nothing Hollywood about it. Spot on. Well done Bill.

You now live in Luvvy-Dickie-Darhling-Land now not Liverpool. How low will you now stoop these days to grab any attention, as when you get your fat wrinkly face on the screen at the GOL whenever we are two goals ahead.

Then as his dialogue rolled on....and the old `blue/red? Bill`s adventures in the Kop started to weave their way into the audiences minds, I just couldn't quite suss exactly where he was going with this... `nostalgia`. I even (I know I obviously could be reading into it wrong here of course, but) sensed that the past Liverpool players seemed slightly bemused by this newly- old-found stories of old from him.
In fact all the time I had been listening and watching, at the furthest point in my mind, there was the penny slowly rolling down towards the thought processing conclusion!

Gottit!.... GROUNDSHARE!

Bit disappointed in Paul Ferry, definitely have your opinions on BK but a bit churlish to make such comments on a day when he served our club well.

I very much doubt there was an ulterior motive. He just spoke from the heart.

Blue Bill did good yesterday and we should all be proud of him and those who are more cynical and spout bile on these forums should have a good look at themselves because they not only poison this website, they poison the atmosphere at a great club.

On a bit of a sour note, though, I noticed a few of the enemy wouldn't clap when all around them did, after Kenwright delivered his speech. But, then again, they're not in the same league as us.

All too ready are those who paint this city black, taint its people at every opportunity, and blame anyone other than themselves. Shame on them, for today I have pride in our club, our city and those who refused to live with the lies. What they will never understand is that pride has always been with us, everyday, but some days it shines brighter than others.

Today Bill Kenwright got it right. Well done, sir.

Having said that, I found his speech sickeningly sentimental. It was not, in my opinion, heartfelt at all. The man is an actor down to his boots, and doesn't seem capable of speaking from the heart. His speech was full of theatrical gestures and little emotional tricks to endear himself to his audience. I found it utterly manipulative and fake.

Let me assure you, you are not the only one. Where did these stories of being carried over the heads of kopites come from? From the same story book that he tells the one about being with Eddie Kavanagh when he run on the pitch at Wembley in 66. "I held Eddie's coat when he run on the pitch". Funny that I seem to remember the policeman rugby tackling Eddie and his coat came off.

Awkward time to be criticising Kenwright at a sad time for the city, but it has to be said.

100% respect to the families of the 96.

He represented our club honourably and deserves a bit of praise.

If he hadn't've bothered, I would've said "Fair enough, he hasn't bothered in the previous 23 years".

He doesn't speak for me, that's for sure.

Coat ...Jacket? Suits you sir,and Bill.

As for being a chairman, seeking investment, improving resources and revenues, embodying 'Nil Satis......', we are still where we were 48 hours ago with this man.

Bill would have been 4 years of age in the "late 40's" he talks about.

Rightly he focussed on other things.

He wouldn't get passed over the heads of people on the kop when he was 22 would he?

Why did he choose to go to his first memorial after 24 years.
As I say full respect to the 96 and their families.BIll on the other hand should pay his respects as an Everton chairman.Every year.
He turned it into the Bill Kenwright show at times in my opinion.

A moving tribute and well delivered by our Chairman who remains an Evertonian whatever else he may be.

There is a time and a place for slagging off our chairman and picking holes in everything he says (i.e. pretty much constantly anywhere else on this site), but this thread, this speech and this topic are pretty self-evidently not the appropriate platform.

Ultimately all you're doing Paul is showing yourself to be lacking class and respect and being totally inflexible, one-sided and effectively bigoted in your views on BK regardless of what he does. Hopefully it will lead to your views being treated with even less credence elsewhere on these pages.

Prior to watching that video, I didn't have particularly strong opinions on BK, so I wasn't looking for evidence to confirm a existing opinion. Frankly, I find the financial and 'political' aspects of modern football pretty boring, so I tend to tune out of the discussions about our club's CEO.

However, after having watched BK's Anfield performance - because that's what it was, a performance - I have now have the strong conviction that he is, quite simply, a dishonest man. I do not trust him an inch.

I did hesitate before originally posting, as I felt uncomfortable being so out of step with the majority on what is plainly a sensitive subject. But then I thought: hold on a minute, this is reminding me of that old folk tale, The Emperor's New Clothes, so I felt I had to say something, namely "Er, the Emperor is naked". And he is, he really is.

Forgive me, but I just wish that it had been Kev Johnson, Chris James, Harold Matthews, Andy Meighan, or any other down-to-earth, hard-working, and diehard blue who pumps heart and money into the club week-in and week-out by simply being there. Would have made it all more authentic and a real 'people' event for me at any rate.

JFT96.

Anne refused to accept the lies and fought relentlessly.
A credit to the 96 and to all the Hillsborough campaigners.Let us hope they get the result she,and they, so richly deserve.

In the week that the Iron Lady was afforded her state funeral, Anne bore witness to the struggle and determination of ordinary people against the injustice and cover up perpetrated by those in power. Although this is a blue site, it goes without saying that such matters transcend football rivalry, RIP Anne a true Merseyside champion.