Moshiri: We are executing a multi-year plan

Let's face it contracts mean very little these days; and as for loyalty; forget it?

This Summer, the club sold Lukaku, Deulofeu, Barkley, Niasse and let Barry go. There plans were scuttled due to Barkley rejecting the move and Niasse's deal failing due to agents fees.

Heavy expenditures? Please. Reading between the lines, it sounds to me that we have to wait until 2022 until we see the team we need. In other words, cutting costs to fund the stadium. That's what I'm reading.

Promises... promises... promises. The roads that we have all been promised that will be travelled. Mainly in recent years. And all have had the engine stall at the start. The bloody start.

We just don't get things right. We just muddle along. Do just about enough. But not really enough. That's our Everton. Always falling short.

Anyhow, I sort of believe Moshiri. What else can you do. We just have to believe in what he says. He is this last link in the chain after all. In Moshiri we trust. Not really any other choice.

And he did get shot of Koeman. The old regime would still be dithering over that decision.

And although this has been a shit season. The threat of relegation is now eased. Bar a collapse. We are safe for another year. And we have a new forward on board. Untested yes. But it's a start. So we are on a road. Just like Bob Hope and Bing Crosby once were. Let's hope ours doesn't turn out to be a comedy. But still entertaining. Entertaining and successful.

Can Moshiri deliver? Who knows? But we have to just hope that he can... Up The Toffees. Moshiri's road-running Toffees.

Farhad Moshiri is a business man. He is here to make Everton a bigger business than when he found it. Some of the biggest companies in the world have been turned around by smart people running them.

Look at Steve Jobs reviving Apple. A company of firsts that was becoming a relic and being left behind (sound familiar). Now the largest company in the world.

Similar thing happened with Disney. In the 80's Disney looked fucked. Enter Roy Disney (Walt's nephew) and boom. Disney now by far the largest media conglomerate in the world.

Everton are an Apple and a Disney. Pioneers that are synonyms with their respective industries. Like Apple and Disney, we've spent 30 years almost going out of business. And like those two companies we can be brought back to the glory days with a top business man in charge.

Moshiri is a top business man and one of the most revered accountants in the world. I think we are in good hands. It'll take time and there are no guarantees but that's the fun of it. The not knowing, The journey etc.

The abuse some quarters give him and even Kenwright is actually a bit sad. I'd laugh if it were kids but we have full adult men, none of who are in a position to pay the wages of an apprentice, never mind a Rooney criticize the business acumen of somebody that could, if they wanted tomorrow buy your company out and turn it into a walk-in wardrobe.

Moshiri has injected 𧵎m interest free with no pay back time thus releasing the club from onerous mortgages and interest charges. That seems like pretty heavy expenditure to me.

He's also restructuring the commercial side of the club which has been a shambles for as long as I can remember.

I'm not sure exactly what it is you want.

I may be in the minority but I'd be willing to bet that history will look back favourably on his time at Everton.

Of course, there's justification for some of this negativity but so many of these stances are based on pure prejudice and speculation. You've got to see some light at the end of the tunnel surely – else, why bother carrying on supporting the club?

So far, no ambition showed on the playing side, the scouting/backroom & player recruitment has continued to go backward, there is no clear structure in place, no strategic vision on how we are going to play/achieve success & the failed people from Kenwright's regime are mainly still in place.

Where large sums of money are involved; you can bet your bottom dollar; that some greedy individual will sniff it out; and manipulate the situation to their advantage.

The irony is, they are on Monopoly money anyway, and still want more.

No wonder the RS call us "the bitters."

Are you suggesting that, unless we own the club, that we are not allowed to have a say? Moderators, is that what this site is all about?

Brian, they call us bitter because they love to deflect, get on them mate, they fuckin hate anyone who won't give them their own way.

Nobodies stopping you having a say. I've had mine and you're calling on MK and LL to moderate it. There's a word for that. Starts with an I and rhymes with moronic.

I agree with you that he sounds like he wants to do a good job for Everton but that doesn't mean the poor, huddling masses don't have a right to question his lordship.

No, I didn't ask for them to moderate you. You said "Don't have that type of Social capital? Then pipe down." Clearly stating that unless you are one of the owners who would be building the stadium then we should, quote, "pipe down".

Funny, it's actually you telling others to shut up, and then when questioned about that, you cry censorship. Well done. I was simply asking if telling those of us without the money to build a football stadium to "pipe down" with our questions about the owners of this club was reflecting what this site is all about. Simple really.

Bramley-Moore Dock has been the proposed site for well over a year, why do we still not yet have any top line sketches/drawings to at least indicate that the motions are in place and the wheels are turning slowly. 2022? Just somehow don't think so.

My favourite is the 4 iron.

We are not going to compete with Man City, Chelsea, Man Utd and Liverpool overnight – it's going to take time. Probably, nothing will really change until we have the new stadium.

It's a delicate line to be drawn. Yes we have above all to preserve our Premier League status – better still close the gap on the top 6 but don't expend mega bugs being spent on players until the stadium has materialised.

Arsenal are a good example of how money spent on players has had to be reined in while an expensive ground has been built and paid off. Some fans seem to want us to spend huge amounts on transfers and new ground – well, unless you've got unlimited wealth on the scale of Man City, that's never going to happen.

Give Moshiri some credit for tackling the ground issue while at least trying to keep us reasonably competitive in the transfer market.

The alternative is to blow the money on building up the team now but remaining in our antiquated, no longer fit-for-purpose current home.

Koeman's transfer dealings haven't helped and there's not one player we could sell for more than the fee he paid. Tens of millions down the toilet isn't nice even for billionaires and could weaken his resolve.

Sure, there is an area in football that requires rational and otherwise intelligent people to suspend those qualities. It's a characteristic of passion. But passion is more often than not irrational and the passion of a large swath of our support often denigrates into misguided and unnecessary abuse, rather than practical support and solutions. It's all well and good trying to save the world if you have the answers. Have them not and you are only a noise that if left unchecked would create anarchy.

Today Moshiri made all the right noises and we are not doing our own labour of love any favours when our default reaction to everything is met with cynicism, vitriol and negativity. I don't want our club to hate our fans. And I don't want our fans to hate our club.

Today is a good day. Let's get behind the statement and hold them too it. If they founder, like Bill eventually did, then any apologists won't be supportive for long and change will come.

Let's make hay while the sun shines.

Mr Moshiri's comments are not aimed to pacify anyone, he really has better things to do.

The majority of the old board / directors, from a legal point of reference, will soon be making the numbers up.

The new ground will be officially announced when the final planning is sorted, it is not ethical or fair to state this any earlier.

The Red Shite's 'stadium / ground / farmyard' will never, nor ever has been in the same league as Goodison. This is the case even as I post without a new stadium. Red Shite languish in a ground that is bereft of character, mainly filled with bigoted, angry people, spilling nonsense, falseness and other types of basic shite.

This is the polite version. Never forget the simple things. BABMAR

They have both been esconsed in the top 4/6 for some time, but our hopes of joining that group will be undermined by this need for revenue. Moshiri has secured our debts but our net spend is hardly as grand as the media have portrayed it.

How on earth can we hope to get quality players in and get into the top 6, if we are to finance such a huge project?

I'm not sure what is meant by returning to 'elite' status. If 'elite' means actually winning trophies on a par with Man City, Man Utd and Chelsea, it's very difficult to imagine that being remotely possible without a much larger injection of finances to match the wealth of those clubs.

However, if 'elite' means simply progressing to being consistently in the top-6, like Spurs, Arsenal and Liverpool (i.e. not necessarily winning anything but being habitually in the Champions League, with the business benefits that stem from that), that seems more realistic (but still difficult) without those larger finances.

So it would be interesting to see a clearer vision of where the board reasonably expects us to be as time progresses – a clear plan for progression on the pitch. It's certainly difficult to discern a plan at the moment, particularly when our best players leave whilst still approaching their prime, to bigger clubs where they can win trophies, which they are unlikely to do at Everton.

Fair comments: the 'project' may be huge but Everton are huge. The difference being the words 'may' & 'are'.

Things will come round, make no mistake.

Pouring money into a new ground is not against FFP, so that's where Moshiri will focus his efforts.

What is complete and utter nonsense David Barks, is your refusal to drop this sell-to-buy criticism which is you ignoring reality. You refuse to accept that what the club is doing is sound business practice and necessary for its sustainability and you are blatantly ignoring restrictions on the club running up huge transfer deficits.

Read The ESK's analysis, the link to which has been posted on the AGM thread by the Eds. The club is not sell-to-buy. It is "buy well, sell well". This leads to a better outcome on net spend which is necessary for the following reasons:

1. The revenues relative to trading costs mean that running up gigantic player trading losses is not possible, as FFP would kick in.

2. The ESK and posters to that thread also point out that it is good business to sell players who are not needed. Had we flogged Barkley for £35m, that would have been a good deal for the club considering his injury and refusal to sign a contract.

3. Why should we not sell players who we don't want or don't want to stay dearly? Why should we over-spend on players who we do want? At the AGM there was a statement to the effect that all the acquisitions were made at below the asking price. Had the board wanted to show a positive net spend, they would have overpaid. Now, the fact that we acquired players who have performed poorly is another matter, but the principles on selling and buying prices are surely sound.

4. By all means, you can ridicule Moshiri for the disastrous mess on the playing side of matters and the Jim White interactions. But having injected £150m of equity which has strengthened the club's balance sheet and, as The Esk acknowledges, put the club on a solid financial footing, he has not turned us into a sell to buy club out of necessity. He is promoting buy well and sell well for sustainability, so the club stops depending on either debt or funding from an investor like him.

5. He is supporting the club's ability to buy players not only by providing money within the confines of FFP, but also making Everton sustainable by seeking to grow commercial revenues, providing interest free loans so that we do not waste £5-6m on annual interest, and introduce an operating model which ensures we don't sell assets on the cheap and we buy at a discount. That is good business practice and the key to sustainability, a model which has propelled Spurs into the top 4 without needing huge amounts pumped into the club each year.

The summer transfers, appalling mess that was the manager search, and the game by game mandate given to Unsworth which cost us in the 7 games certainly portray him and the team he and Kenwright appointed to run the football side in a poor light.

But, as far as putting his money where his mouth his, he has done that so far. And the practice of selling and ensuring net spend is as low as possible is a good one as it will promote sustainability which is what FFP is about.

I want this club to stand on its own two feet, like Spurs. A dependence on Moshiri to finance transfer shortfalls (whom I cannot see either having the funds or indeed the willingness to provide interest free loans forever), is not a good thing.

He has put his hand in his pocket and stuck in £150m as equity, so any concerns that he is a charlatan should surely be dispelled – real money has gone in, and a big chunk too, in a short space of time.

What leaves me uncomfortableis that he only owns 49.9% and is clearly the only source of funding shortfalls, from transfers, to running costs, to gaps in the stadium funding.

In future, if he seeks more shares before he agrees to inject more money - which is what a rational investor would do – and Kenwright and Woods make an unreasonable demands on him acquiring their shares – then the club's plans could stall completely.

If we are not sustainable on the operating front (including transfers), then that would be a serious problem.

You wasted a lot of time typing all of that, in response to me calling bullshit on Moshiri's claim of a heavy expenditure this summer when there was in fact not a heavy expenditure. It's simple maths that you could have done and save yourself a lot of time. His claim of a heavy expenditure was not true. And in fact, the attempted sales of Barkley and Niasse would have meant that “heavy expenditure” would actually have been no expenditure.

So go ahead and add point 6, 7, 8, 100 if you'd like. But it won't change that. He didn't claim that “the practice of selling and ensuring the net spend is as low as possible is a good one”. You said that. He said the exact opposite, that there was a heavy expenditure. There was not. Simple.

What is ironic is that a moron applauds Moshiri's comments when we've seen no evidence of improvement at the club since he became owner.

Okay, I lie, we do now have an Angry Birds sticker on the sleeve of our great historic royal blue jersey... hats off!

Well, he did not say there was heavy net expenditure did he?

He said there was heavy expenditure. Heavy spending. Which is true. Simple.

This whole thing just sounds like be patient as usual blues while we send you stories about rising costs and pretend we are looking to have a top team going into a top stadium.

There is nothing illogical about pointing out that he was doing some political double-speak, which you seem to have eaten up. Since he has owned the club, we've seen Stones, Lukaku and Barkley all sold. And we now have Allardyce as manager. I don't know how long you've been following this game, but old Sam tends to manage clubs at the bottom of the table, not those competing toward the top.

A heavy expenditure, based off of heavy sales of our best assets. If that makes you happy, then good for you. I'm sure you've been loving the 90 minutes of football without a shot on goal. Brilliant stuff that is. I expect to see an owner put a winning, quality product on the pitch.

His speech on Tosun almost had me in stitches and "Bill miraculously getting a £35 mill bid for Barkley" – Only a man clueless about football would call that "miraculous"!.

Actions speak louder than words and expect more of the same because that is all that meeting sounded like.

From what I can gather he has about 8.5% of his net wealth invested in Everton if Amit's number of £150 million is correct.

The clubs value has risen from sub 40 in 2015 (below West Ham when they were still at Upton Park) to 13th since he has become involved.

If he maintains or improves on that he will be getting bigger fish? than Angry Birds to invest in the stadium and that will put the club in with a chance of competing with the top 5.

In the past 17 Premier League seasons Sam Allardyce has finished in the top ten 6 times, won promotion for West Ham back into the Premier League, and rescued 2 clubs from certain relegation.

In a nutshell, maintaining our Premier League status has to be Farhad Moshiri's and our primary concern at this stage of proceedings – that is why he has brought Sam Allardyce in.

Like you, I would like to see better football from the team but right now if you offered me a nil draw at Spurs I would rip your arm off because I saw them run through us like a bunch of schoolgirls on my trip back to Goodison this season. There was no fight in the team.

I believe the football will come – we proved we are capable of it at Anfield with our equaliser. To see Jagielka spot the opportunity to hit them on the break then outstrip their £75 million man to make the assist has still got me scratching my head.

Feelings are running high, we can't agree on everything, and every one has a right to criticise, but if there is anything positive to take out of a game or any other development at the club, let's acknowledge it.

Moshiri is a businessman; he will, like anyone, protect their own interests. In my experience the best way to do this is to work to make sure the business is successful.

There is no billionaire Saint Bluenose out there who is going to give Everton all their money.

That is pretty clear and proposes a revolution for Everton.

Like you, I have no control over whether we bought a striker in the summer or not.

However, like you, I do have control over whether I post nonsense or sense on this website, irrespective of whether the posts are critical or in defence of Moshiri.

You posted nonsense in criticising Moshiri. You tried to pick up on semantics and were wrong there too.

I refuse to slurp your drivel.

You have now changed tack.

You did not criticise him in your post 4 for the lack of a striker, which is undeniably a stick he, Walsh, Kenwright and all have deservedly taken a lashing for.

You chose to accuse him of talking nonsense when it came to our heavy expenditure in the window.

The truth was it was you talking nonsense. Accept it and move on.

Whilst you are at it, try and remember the following:

1. Since Moshiri's arrival, 𧵎m of equity has gone into the club. Why are you ignoring this and what it means for our ability to spend on transfers? Oh yeah, because it doesn't suit your shite argument.

2. We closed the summer window with a greater net spend than Spurs and the RS. I believe we were 4th overall in net spend? I guess this also is irrelevant, because your posts would be exposed as drivel? Had Barkley and Niasse gone, we would still rank ahead of Spurs and Arsenal.

Premier League net spend table (transfer fees)

1. Man City 𧵂.1m
2. Man Utd 𧵀.2m
3. Chelsea 䀅.75m
4. Everton 㿢.2m
5. Liverpool 㿢.05m
6. Brighton 㿓.65m
7. Huddersfield 㿒.9m
8. Watford 㿐.7m
9. West Brom 㿌.1m
10. Crystal Palace 㿋.3m
11. Bournemouth 㿊m
12. Newcastle 㿃.7m
13. Southampton 㿃.15m
14. Leicester 㾾.85m
15. West Ham 㾽.3m
16. Tottenham –٠.65m
17. Stoke –٧m
18. Burnley –㾻.2m
19. Arsenal –㾾m
20. Swansea –㾿.5m

3. We closed the January 2017 window with a large net spend. Why ignore this when you say the club sold players to buy players? Don't answer. It's rhetorical.

4. Had Barkley and Niasse gone, you cannot be certain if net spend was zero as you and I do not know what fees were paid to Rooney, Martina and their agents to bring them to the club. Nor do we know signing on fees paid to all the other players who joined us. Or do you exclude these expenditures to suit your argument? Are you certain when Moshiri spoke of heavy expenditure he was not including all of the money shelled out in the various payments to agents and players to make transfers happen?

Ofcourse not, because you had to stick to your shite argument.

5. We made signings before Lukaku was sold. We made signings before Barkley and Niasse was sold. There was a risk that the deals would not go through. They did not sell assets to fund transfers; acquisitions were made first then players were sold. You are therefore wrong again when you said we sold assets to buy players. We bought first. Bullshit Bingo from you again!

6. Lastly, in accusing me of slurping up statements from Kenwright and Moshiri, you also ignore one critical point: it is in Everton's best interests to become sustainable, and to sell well and buy well. That allows the club to spend heavily, provided it is within FFP confines.

This point is wasted on you, so don't worry yourself too much about it.

I am critical of Moshiri for the Jim White crap, the fiasco over searching for a manager, Steve Walsh, Ronald Koeman, and the amateurish way we still behave in certain commercial matters (pictures of the kop on t-shirts).

The problem is therefore not the quantum of expenditure or financial restrictions, which you are wrong-headedly focussed on. The problem is that our hierarchy, including Moshiri, still do stupid things whilst spending huge amounts in the process. Now that is a worry.

What is also worrisome is how long he will keep pumping in money as a 49.9% shareholder. What if he wants more shares and Bill and Woods get very greedy?

If the club was sustained by Moshiri's injections because to appease you a large net spend was needed every year, we would be in the shit if Kenwright gets greedy.

Again, don't worry yourself over this. Keep in your deluded world where you think you came up with something new and original to post as a criticism of Moshiri... but in fact it was pure unmitigated shite.

According to David "And in fact, the attempted sales of Barkley and Niasse would have meant that “heavy expenditure” would actually have been no expenditure." Erm.. if we're talking hypotheticals, what would the net expenditure have been if we'd signed Giroud, which was obviously on the cards?

I don't understand why some Evertonians are cynical about everything.

I believe the point you are trying to make is that this was at least partly set off by a substantial income from player sales in the same period.

I think the converse argument being put forward is that if Farhad Moshiri had not put his hand in his pocket and lent the club 𧵎 million, interest free, to clear the previously crippling loans, then some of the expenditure on playing staff, would not have been possible.

Setting aside the financial arguments, I think what all Evertonians want to see is an improvement in the playing staff. What we all hoped, in the summer, was that this would be achieved with the signings made, irrespective of how that expenditure was funded.

That it turned out to be a debacle and parody, has more to do with the abilities of the Everton personnel responsible for player transfers and much less to do with how it was funded.

Personally, I think Moshiri is moving in the right directions and has the same ambitions as we do as far as playing staff capabilities is concerned.

If he is guilty of anything, it was of putting his trust in a manager that he had head-hunted and who did not truly have the interests of EFC at heart.That being the case, Moshiri, as I would have expected, took the swiftest and best action that he could to rectify that.

That, regrettably, leaves us where we are today, with the rebuild of the team having been set back by at least 12 months and, as much as I believe that Sam Allardyce is the right appointment at the moment, an interim manager in place.

According to Wenger, Giroud was never interested. I think David is right. The club were gutted the other 3 didn't go deadline day.

Moshiri has no clue about football and its a good job Niasse didn't leave that day.

I share the doubts of those who fear that the stadium may not arrive but we can only hope. Otherwise, we just have to succeed on the pitch fairly quickly because that is still going to be the best source of renewed impetus.

Interesting thought. Liverpool sign Virgil Van Dyke for 㿷m (a world record for a defender) but agree to sell Coutinho for 𧵆m. Does that mean they are a sell to buy club?

Same old stories while we patiently await another trophy. And, oh yes, like Moshiri says, while we sell Stones, Barkley & Lukaku.

We will likely lose most of our best players to bigger clubs until we are getting into the Champions League places regularly, which is very hard to do unless you can build a consistent team around your best players. This is the disadvantage we are at.

They hate hearing it but they know it. It was obvious when they spent that Van Dijk money, Coutinho was a formality and they won't spend £100 million on a new Coutinho.

Having said that, I don't care what they do.

Amit, some good knowledge of the bigger picture, and if I had put in 𧵎 million of my own money, I would also be calling it "heavy expenditure".

David, you just want to see either a winning team, or if this is not always possible, at least an exciting team, which is what is so frustrating now?

Paul A, my favourite phrase is actions speak louder than words and some of the things I've read also have me more than a bit suspicious.

Laurie, great points made about the improvements that are going on behind the scenes. It does look like Moshiri, is at least removing “Kenwright's Quicksand” for a much stronger base!

Conor, imagine the people on ToffeeWeb, getting together for a tournament once a year? Walking football for the seniors, and Steve Fearns on the touch-line with his notebook, and his laminated instructions!

The thing that's got me most baffled is how us fans, have let Kenwright get away with it for so long. He had the 㿊 Million ring-fenced in the 90s, and now the same fella is uttering the words half-a-billion pounds 20 years later. If Moshiri, can learn one thing off Bill, it would be to stop The theatrics and just concentrate on what he his best at. The End!

He offers us hope, he has a plan, he is in the process of building one of football's greatest stadiums. He has relieved the club of punitive interest payments.

Most fans, me included, were delighted with Koeman's appointment. He let us down, and failed Mr Moshiri. His only failure so far was the complete naivety of failing to see the rank stupidity of the last transfer window.

It sounds to me that lessons have been learned. Errors are already being rectified; signing Tosun is a start.

Criticise the man by all means, but keep it constructive. He is our biggest asset, and is possibly irreplaceable.

His money is today's equivalent of Kenwright's money a few decades ago. Unfortunately a billionaire doesn't cut it, you need a multi-billionaire like Usmanov or a country – see PSG or Man City.

Reduced the debt... yes, but apart from that

Got USM to pump money into Finch Farm... yes, but – apart from reducing the debt and getting USM to invest in Finch Farm – what else has he done?

Helped finance a new stadium... Okay, but – apart from reducing the debt, getting USM to invest in Finch Farm, and investing in a new stadium – what else has he done?

Now someone has posted "Look, he might be a billionaire but he is not as rich as Man City and Chelsea owners." Is this for real? We didn't have any credit rating at the bank before he came and couldn't spend till we sold.

[Sorry for substituting the word 'ground' for 'stadium' but I am one of the old brigade which has always brought up with a football ground.]

Whoever was responsible in summer seriously sabotaged his/our three year project, and not by a mere year or two, I fear. A repeat performance is out of the question but hopefully with the likes of Craig Shakespeare and Sammy Lee on board and active at Finch Farm we should be able to create a proper team providing we add to the attack, central defence and left-back areas in particular in summer. Tosun will be a miracle if he delivers anything like what Shearer did, as some have compared the two.

Lee must have done well at the training ground in Southampton in melding several new arrivals in successive summers, so well that Koeman seemingly got the credit alone. Shakespeare behind the scenes shaped the so-called ordinary Joe's at Leicester into Champions, leaving Ranieri to gurn for the cameras.

I just hope that Allardyce sees this job as the one where he can at last show credentials as a top manager of a successful club but I've always worried that his 18-month contract shows the football world that he's a very temporary measure indeed, and therefore risks further delay in acquiring the better players we'll need to progress.

After all, even Allardyce expressed the need to go face-to-face with the squad to judge their attitude given they'd mostly signed for Koeman, not him, and that to me indicates there may well be a real reluctance out there in Footy World for aspiring talented players to commit to a manager whose chief achievement for years has been to keep a clean sheet and hope to nick one, and little more.

The rest of this season poses a problem to Moshiri. Does he get rid of Allardyce before the summer window or continue on with the half-arsed contract? Or does he nail his colours to the mast in support of a Sam who's already by then started to show credentials to deliver?

As ever, it's the hope that does your head in.

Now its a billionaire storytellers toys. Remember the Sissoko didn't sign because we realised McCarthy was family. Bill sits in a dark room when we lose. Now witch doctors. While we wait and wait and wait for real football success stories. These people all become fatter.

Another year passes with no trophy another derby we can't provide a capable 11 for and another window waiting for a wage to go so we can buy a striker. Then get the striker when the season has just ended in another derby defeat.

Let's talk Witch doctors and power rangers. Worst of all, some people are going with the flow yet again. Waiting and waiting and waiting like the NHS operation list. Also, all the mindset Allardyce haters are very likely to be disappointed next summer when he's still here.

His speech on Tosun almost had me in stitches and "Bill miraculously getting a 㿏M bid for Barkley". Only a man clueless about football would call that "miraculous".

Paul I think you may be doing him a disservice on that particular comment mate. I think he was being sarcastic, especially with further info that's come to light on that transfer.

Chelsea offer 㿏M for a player with one year left on his contract, a player who has an injury, and another which requires surgery, pretty miraculous offer you could say.

Fact may well have been that they made an offer they knew Everton would accept simply to get Barkley (and his agent) round the table so they could then collude on a plan which has since come to fruition.

I could be totally wrong but I don't think Moshiri was trying to "big up" Kenwright by his "miraculous" comment, more just draw attention to the whole Barkley transfer saga maybe?

As far as I'm aware, Kenwright & Elstone run the club (as chairman & CEO... amazing, isn't it?) and Bill himself said he was "responsible for bringing the players in."

So let's not hear any more crap about these two having nothing to do with running the club. They are as influential as they ever were. Moshiri will have the final say, but Bill will be giving his 'advice' – the poor fecker.

I went to the AGM last night and the main points of the meeting about Everton FC I was left optimistic about the future. The half-hour or so spent on Everton in the Community, and I appreciate the good they do, I could have done without, and I was left unimpressed with the few minutes Steve Walsh was on the floor. Was anyone who was there inspired by his very dull personality? He didn't speak like he was a football man, it was the second time I had heard him speak and he just doesn't come across as someone who could grab your attention and keep it. And he is The Director of Football... bored me stiff I'm afraid and that was just a few minutes of him.

I think Steve Walsh is One lucky man, I don't know what he offers to be honest, but what do I know?

Not blaming Walsh, but I saw his namesake come on for 25 minutes against Man City last night, and in those minutes, he had much more intent in his little forward passes than Schneiderlin has had all season.

Maybe Walsh has found us a couple of cracking kids, but we have spent a lot of money on distinctly average, so, some people have definitely not been doing their jobs very well

Sam Allardyce was asked last night had he assessed Luke Garbutt yet? Sam replied that as Garbutt couldn't play until 1 January and hadn't been training with the first team he hadn't had a look at him yet. Same must have applied to Liam Walsh... hasn't he got a tongue in his mouth to ask some one about him especially when he is being transferred (Liam Walsh)?

The Director of Football might have been able to help him, or maybe even told him Everton were making a big rick in letting him go because this move, Walsh to Bristol City, will come back to haunt them.

First time I had ever seen this kid play, and I liked his awareness, and that he wanted the ball, even if these two things should be top of the list for any central midfield player. Hopefully we have put a couple of clauses into Walsh's contract with regards to his future, and I also think Bristol's manager might be worth keeping an eye on in the long-term.

With nonesense like this, I'm finding it difficult to believe that EFC is in safe hands.

We will have continuing doubters hence his reference to importance of getting the building started.

Now some will believe, others not, some talk about their own years of angst and others will just call the Board, manager or anyone who pisses them off 'cunts'.

Myself? I think there is a plan and it will annoy us for a couple more seasons yet. So no change on TW for a bit.

People had been saying lately that Everton aren't a joke in the footballing world because nobody even pays attention to us. Well, Moshiri just put us in the headlines with that voodoo shite and they sure as hell are laughing at us now.

Fuck me, who needs a government to shut us up when our own fans do their job for them!

Moshiri, say what you want, what you said did not bother me one bit. The way society is going, we will have to go the match with duct tape over our mouths!

I know we've been let down before (sounds like a song) but, if you believe that, because we've been let down before, we'll always be let down, what's the point of it all?

On a more serious note (slightly) it will depend on who was present when what was allegedly said was, or wasn't, said. Witnesses, if it comes to that!

He seems to be acting like politicians who are stupid enough to say or write unnecessary shite and thereby discredit themselves. When this happens, I tend to think that the people concerned aren't the sharpest tools in the box, but simply arrogant because of their positions.

"I didn't spend as much time to keep Ross as I did Rom. When it got to the two years, I met his agent and said 'We need to extend the contract'. He said 'You need to get Ronald Koeman' and we got Koeman."

As if it wasn't bad enough a bloody witch doctor wading in when he was just about to blow Chelsea out the water, but poor old Farhad also had to contend with a kid from Wavertree coming over all amazing Kreskin as soon as contract negotiations commenced? The man must be cursed.

Next, he'll be sharing the story about the time he very nearly shat himself at Finch Farm, after becoming thoroughly convinced he was being stalked down the corridor by a real-life demonic Chucky doll....until the distance shortened and he was dead relieved to see it was only Sammy fucking Lee.

Not primarily out of 'political correctness' as it could be construed as (more than) borderline racist and institutionalized stereotyping, but knowing how the 'meedjah' works I just KNEW this would be THE story from last night's meeting.

And so it is proving. There was a LOT of good stuff come out of last night's meeting, but it has not been giving much if any coverage because of Moshiri's comments on Lukaku.

Now of course we have the consequences as the 'meedjah' add further episodes to the soap opera, with Lukaku considering legal action.

If Moshiri had left it at the "unbelievable" amount of money to stay and the "issue was not financial..."

If he had just kept it to saying: "I wasted two summers to keep him. First summer with his agent, him and his family we managed to keep him. Last summer we offered him a better deal than Chelsea - whatever they offered we matched but he just didn't want to stay..."

Then Evertonians could have been appeased and the resulting furore wouldn't have followed.

And what is now being revealed by Lukaku's agent as a result does not put Moshiri or the club in a good light.

"He simply had no faith in Everton and no confidence in Mr Moshiri's project. That is why he did not want to sign on any condition.

"He wanted to make the next step in his career and wanted the security to be able to leave."

This actually pisses me off more than the voodoo comment. Lukaku still had 2-3 years to run on his Everton contract.

At the same time as Everton played the obliging submissive to United's approach for Lukaku (including not insisting he returned for pre-season training as he was contractually obliged to do so, rather than part-aying with his new best United buddies in the US), Southampton refused Liverpool's overtures for Van Dijk and Liverpool themselves rejected each and every increased offer for Coutinho from Barcelona.

Look at how that stubborn gambit by both clubs worked very much in their favour last week. Why did we not play the same game?

Besides that; he is basically saying that Moshiri is fabricating, what was probably a one-to-one conversation; so how can he prove or disprove anything?

I don't believe in Voodoo, Mumbo Jumbo, or PooPoo either; but for two pins?

Regarding the message, it could have been misconstrued; it was a Voodafone message!

Progress, really!!! I think Moshiri has been getting Lukaku's voodoo messages!!!

An interesting article you all shoud read.

Everton shareholder reveals two demands Barkley made to stay

Christ, how is that so hard to understand, that he's pissing on your leg and telling you it's raining? Claiming voodoo for Lukaku leaving, after Lukaku had publicly stated that he was upset with the lack of ambition shown by the club and knew of players that could have been signed. Claiming that it was Barkley who wanted Koeman to be manager. And claiming it was Barkley that pleaded for him to sell Stones in order for him to stay.

He's just blaming everyone else for all that goes wrong, making insane claims. He didn't do that interest-free loan out of the goodness of his heart. He did it because he now owns this company and it saves him fucking money to not be paying out interest elsewhere!!! It wasn't a gift. It was an investment in his business.

No matter how you turn it, football is a results-driven business.

This is a man who has also talked shite in the past. I want to take him seriously about his stated ambitions, but it's difficult to do that when he talks so much shite. So being sceptical, giving him down the banks as you say, seems quite logical really.

I think it was Barkley's agent that Moshiri said had requested the Stones to Chelsea deal, not Barkley himself.

So that could be 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, 15 years?

I like opinions that enhance insight, but when it seems chronic, nark-driven bile that denigrates someone's character then it feels rather uncomfortable. When it is against our own club, then it feels even worse.

Moshiri came across as genuine and said all the right things.

Compare him to some of the owners that have ruined other clubs and I feel we have got lucky with him.

He'd be a pretty hopeless businessman if he ran the club into the ground and then tried to sell it.

I don't care if he doubles his investment because if he does that'll mean we have been successful.

Some of the negativity and conspiracy theorists, on here, is breathtaking.

Time for Bond methinks.

You are a star. Lots of data points, well argued and most rational to a level that the other narks on here, who look to use exaggerated hyperbole, cannot cope. Well done, sir!

Let's be positive, guys – there is no magic wand but we have a half-decent hand at the minute. Two months ago, we were all worried we were going the way of the Villa!

So Moshiri saying that Lukaku demanded to leave because of some voodoo after a trip to Africa, that Stones was sold at the request of Barkley's agent, and that Koeman was brought in as manager at the request of Barkley in order for him to sign a new contract is saying all the right things?

Wow, I'd hate to see what he'd have to say for you to believe he was saying the wrong things.

First, the Moshiri interview at Finch Farm before the meeting:

Link

Next, Robert Elstone's presentation:

Link

Then Dan Meis' relayed message from New York:

Link

Next, Denise Barrett-Baxendale:

Link

Can't find anything on the Sam and Steve show and their presentation from last night.

We will have a new dockside stadium and we will make progress. He does need to cut out the off-the-cuff comments. (Please tell me he hasn't rehearsed it!) Voodoo – give me strength!)

Everton has been badly run for years, we all know that, and it'll take years to put it right – he's the man putting his hand in his pocket as he says, and of course that also means selling players, and recouping money at the same time – that's business.

We ARE getting a new stadium this time, clearly, and for that I applaud him. He has a long term vision for Everton which has often been our downfall (especially us supporters) so I for one am happy to sit back and let it happen over time.

I reckon I might have about another 35 years left on the planet, barring incident, and that might well mean I get to see us win something!

If Barkley's agent had said "get Koeman and Barkley will sign" after already saying "let Stones go and he will sign", then seeing a deal through for Barkley to leave at a very low price, is that not worse than what Joe Anderson has asked about?

There's a lot more evidence for his case if all Moshiri said is true? Whether that can all be proved is another matter.

We all know agents dictate what players do but us letting agents dictate what we do (as Moshiri makes out) is nothing short of more amateur business.

PS where's the new TV money ?

I wonder why... you really couldn't make it up!

Those profit-hungry owners over there know what they are doing. They run one of the most successful American sports franchises in the Boston Red Sox.

If they sold top players, believe me they have a plan in mind.

That's one well-run organization across the park over there. We'd do well to follow suit.

And I think Moshri is doing just that. He has a plan, and from everything I can see it's a good one he obviously believes in as he took $150 million pounds of his own money to kick-start the backing of that plan.

Rome wasn't built in a day. I think we have the right man wearing the crown.

Sell when it suits us, don't over-buy, and reinvest in a longterm strategic plan which includes a new stadium.

Not sure what else we can ask for?

Open-ended questions are usually such fun on this site

I have no doubt that Moshiri is a very good accountant, who's earned himself a few bob over the years, but I maintain my impression of him as a “football man” in that he comes across as a bit of a divvy.

What a fantastic post!

I agree with all of it.

Bounds from the covers.

Koeman was odds on to be appointed. Stones was always going. Whilst Barkley or his agent may have said what was reported to suggest that the club responded to this by doing it is nonsense.

Move on.

Moshiri may or may not be "a football man" (Is Kenwright? Just asking?) but he is not an Arab SWF, a dodgy Russian billionaire laundering his money, an American business group intent on lining its pockets, a German forklift company, a dodgy Chinese/ SE Asian consortium, etc.

He was involved at Arsenal for years and he had so far used almost a quarter of a billion of his own money at EFC.

That'll do me for now.

Simply to say Amit is speaking total sense, David is speaking total bollocks. You can tell who the accountant is.

Sorry if that offends you, David, but it is true in this case.

This morning? I read in the Mirror, Moshiri proclaiming his Fab Four... Rooney is one of them, so that's a bad start. Then the new striker, none of us know what he is like.

Bolasie is another just back from injury, hopefully he will prove to be a good player and signing and the last is Sigurdsson, got one right.

Then again in the Echo, Billy Kenwright is saying that, as soon as Allardyce got here he said he would have to assess Luke Garbutt. On Tuesday night, Allardyce said Garbutt wasn't training with the first team squad so he hadn't looked at him yet, that's six weeks after he got here.

Someone is telling porkies... maybe a left back is being ruled out of the desperately needed signings. I'm edging back to "What the fuck is going on owing on here?"

Going to church to light a few candles (again).

On another thread (Barkley moves to Chelsea), Brian Harrison points out that since 2008 Liverpool and Man Utd have each spent about 𧿘M on players. But since 2008, Utd have won the league 4 times, averaged over 80 points per season, and won a number of other trophies, whilst Liverpool have won just the League Cup (I seem to recall).

On this basis, I would consider Liverpool to be anything but a good example of effective business. They seem hopeless in terms of what they've spent. No wonder their fans are frustrated and hate Man Utd.

Saying you can see who the accountant is sounds a bit crazy to me. Amit is using figures from the club and Sky etc. That hardly gets you a degree.

Dave could argue he can see who is gullible or easily pleased and not just from this debate.

James (#131). If it was all true,he has just let Stones's agent dictate our future and set us back 2 years. Shameful if it is true.

Anthony, I loved the multi-year plan statement. Place your bets.

I don't think that too many of the Premier League clubs are much different in terms of ownership. Haven't heard of other AGMs.

Incidentally, a fellow STH working in the City, comes up for every game, bought a share last year. His comment on detail in the reports/accounts was that it was much more complete than those he was used to seeing from other AGMs.

That's manure, certainly, but the shite won't be far behind. The Glazers paid a lot more than the other yanks. Both of these owners care solely about the bottom line. Winning things only features as a priority in that it impacts on the "brand awareness" and how much they can sell/charge to watch.

Globally those two are miles ahead of anyone else in the Premier League. Trace it back and its all down to Ferguson and Paisley.

All businesses buy and sell. They have to sell to be able to buy. Net expenditure in business is going to translate into profit or loss, and of course it would be suicide to simply keep hemorrhaging liquidity, however big the available resources.

Businesses have a choice to buy. They can keep hold of their money and accrue it or they can re-invest it. If they choose to re-invest it in stock, plant and machinery, property, marketing or whatever with a view to keep the business turning over, that is their expenditure.

If business owner grosses ٟ,000,000 and then reinvests 𨂟,000, it would be fair to say he has spent pretty heavily in that period, and to say if he had managed to sell say 㾶 grand more his expenditure would have actually been zilch is nonsense.

David's argument almost infers, that without Moshiri's financial input (or his perceived lack of it) things would be no different. Clearly Moshiri has invested his own money into the club – in addition to money he spent acquiring his shares which did not of course go to the club.

He might, in the future, increase his stake in the club by investing in a new share issue in which case the club would benefit from that cash injection.

Aside from that but on topic, there is also the prospect of USM lurking. Can anyone else envisage the "USM Bramley-Moore" stadium in 5 years time?

The clubs you listed won't have AGMs because the are wholly owned by one person, family or business.

For example, LFC don't have them because they have no independent shareholders. The scenario whereby a shareholder could ask the manager, at the AGM, about Luke Garbutt could not happen at Liverpool, Chelsea, Man City et al.

Moshiri was asked if he was considering increasing his 49.9% stake to obtain a controlling interest. His reply was that he didn't need to as he had a controlling interest anyway due to 4% of shareholders being untraceable. He cannot be outvoted.

I wouldn't rule out a new share issue, though, as a way of raising funds for the new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock.

You say Liverpool won't be far behind Man Utd, but I can't see any evidence for that. And at the end of the day, the most important thing for fans is winning, which is the aim of football games.

On that front, Man Utd are elite, whereas Liverpool are mere nearly-men who talk about winning stuff but seldom do. I'd much rather emulate Man Utd's business model.

Equivalents for LFC: 𧷤m in 2010, 𧴯m, ٟ.2bn.

This is crude but, for all United's relative success over the period, the percentage returns for FSG are impressive. Need to take account of the fees paid to Glazer family out of the top line though.

By contrast, the Blues are valued at around 𧷆m.

I see the Guardian has joined in today, undermining Sam Allardyce, having a snide swipe at Farhad Moshiri, and attempting to drive a wedge between the two men who will put us back on the football map.

Sam Allardyce heads to Wembley with nothing to lose except an Everton future

Ask yourself this question: Do you think we will get hammered tomorrow?

I have checked my PAM (personal anxiety monitor) this morning regarding our trip to Spurs tomorrow. To my pleasant surprise it is has risen above the line from the Pessimism to Optimism. That in itself is a huge step in the right direction.

So, for me, it's bollocks to the press... unless of course they decide to print something positive about us, in which case, I will exercise my right to take some notice of them.

UP THE BLUES!!!! (Not the Chelsea Pensioners.)

Lighten up, drama queen.

Unless you've just woke up from a 20-year slumber, agents in England and across the continent have a major influence on players' comings and goings.

Stones's agent dictated nothing. He did his job. His boy could make a massive wage increase by leaving, so set it up for him. Twice. The second one took. Stones wanted to leave.

Me, I'll need to see at least 2 seasons' display of young John's "brilliance" before thinking we didn't play Man City for chumps.

It seems to me that this guy has been running the club like he wants to sell it, sometime in the future. His commitment to the stadium being built will only make him get a bigger check when he sells out.

Meanwhile, he will still have his £150M to be paid by the future owner, that is why he didn't bother too much with a timeline or interests, in fact as far as I know, in a club with a board that hasn't got a penny to throw in for a wish, that should scare the crack for any of them or even another investor.

You could say that a future investor would have to deal with that as well, yes!! A sound yes!! But for now, Everton haven't got a new stadium, and the commercial and financial muscle isn't in place, so no-one would touch the club, no matter how many 24/7s you look, so Moshiri is no fool and he knows no-one can buy him out.

As for Everton being competitive, I think most of you seem to forget that is Liverpool City Council that will provide a big chunk of the money, with Everton repaying it and this, along with the increase of TV revenue, will no doubt help toward the stadium being built without Moshiri risking a penny; it's the lack of debt and the balance of the books that will provide the money to purchase new players – that's why he paid the debt in such a hurry (and then said he had £100M to spend), which to some extent I think is kind of cool, because it will be the acumen of all involved, on the club's running on the pitch, that will make or break in the league table. Unfortunately, it has been 'break' so far.

In fact, Moshiri strikes me more as backer than an investor; he doesn't want or need to put his money, or a big part of it anyway (which is kind a genius) while still selling the club for an enormous profit sometime in the future.

God bless ya!!

Hmmmm.

Only increase in income, or decreasing of expenditure (or debt) will make them lend any more money, unless you put money in the club and say it was an increase in income from marketing, popcorn selling, or whatever reason you may think of.

There are many other ways to do this (all illegal) but the beautiful game, as we all know, is a snake pit.

Your point about the shite not winning anything since 2008 – when did Fenway Sports Group / New England Sports Ventures take over? I don't think it was that far back - 2010 possibly? The barometer has to be since FSG took the reigns, as that was my point. I don't think, since FSG bought the stink, that they've been poor owners, and LFC presently is playing what I would define as excellent, entertaining football in the main.

Having a quick look, the stink have finished in ascending order since 2010-11: 6, 8, 7, 2, 6, 8, 2, 4. That's three top 4 finishes in the last 8 years, inheriting an English team that has a history to be sure, but one that was clearly a train wreck at the time they took over. And honestly I don't see how, from what I've seen with my eyes, they don't make it three years straight of top four finishes this season.

And before anyone gets all jacked, I fucking hate them. Credit where it's due, even if it hurts. Look at it this way, I'd cut an arm off if someone told me Everton would have Champions League football three years running.

Peter – NESV care a fuck-ton about money. You are correct. But they also care a FT about winning.

2004 World Series for their flagship enterprise in the Red Sox. First in 86 years (now that's suffering...). Also won it in 2007 and 2013. They've won three World Series in the last 14 years. That's impressive in the world of baseball over here. Believe me, they are in it to win.

But enough about them. Let's talk about us...

And my original point was, both Liverpool-based clubs seems to be running in a similar fashion – don't overpay, sell high and reinvest with players (Cuntinho and Suarez, Lukaku and pick another), own your own fucking stadium, etc. We'd do well to follow the FSG growth plan IMHO.

Sacrilege? Nah. I just want to fucking win. Don't care if I copy the devil's business plan. Just make it happen.

Although all of this is true, my simple point is that, ultimately you want to win trophies, that's where there's glory, memories, etc. From a supporter's perspective, that's what matters. Trophies, with entertaining football, like in the 60s and 80s. Well, with a comparable spend to Liverpool, Man Utd have done that, and are still doing it, whereas Liverpool aren't.

The media portray Liverpool as an elite club, but in my view they, like Spurs and Arsenal, are not elite (but they are better than us). The true elite clubs are Man Utd, Man City and Chelsea, the ones who win trophies consistently.

Yes, that was discussed at the time but it wouldn't be of any benefit (cash-wise) to Everton as, of course, the money paid for shares goes to the seller and not the club.

As previously mentioned, Moshiri already has a controlling interest so I'm not sure what advantage buying more shares would be for him.

Of course, if there's a shortfall in funding the new ground, then a share issue would be an option and that money would go to the club.

The advantage is he can have an even bigger slice of the pie when the rewards of investment are being doled out.

Having control with 49.9% shares still means he has to share the returns generated with all other shareholders pro-rata with his shareholding.

He would be stupid to continue putting interest-free loans in forever as he gets no shares or indeed any interest. If he does continue, he is effectively paying more for the same 49.9% share of the returns. It becomes benevolence.

Moshiri is an important source of cash, and until the club becomes self-sustaining – ie meeting all expenditures from its revenues – he will back-stop our funding needs.

He would be within his rights to seek more shares for providing more cash injections to the club and one assumes the shareholders agreement sets out the terms for him to do so.

If it is not set out and a dispute arises as Bill gets greedy, Moshiri turning off the taps would be a big problem if the club is not self-sustaining.

Anyone wanting an example look at AC Milan. Bought using expensive debt, financed using expensive debt and now facing financial meltdown as the colossal summer net spend has back fired badly.

Moshiri meanwhile clears our club's debts and funds us with equity. I would say we are on to a good thing with him in this regard.

What would be really perfect is if he shut his mouth, and used his hand to sign Steve Walsh's and Elstone's termination, whilst ushering Bill out of the building. At the same time, appointing a few people who know a thing or two about football.

Unfortunately, this part may not happen soon so he will deservedly kop flak for these particular issues.

Here's to a win tomorrow against one of the “almost” teams in Spurs.

I was at the wind-up, with a few reds today because they were saying that no way would we be building this new ground now the cost has risen so much. I just repeated what I'd read off some on ToffeeWeb that maybe the club have known it was going to cost this much from day one.

Maybe, we have been clever I said, maybe we've been clever and stopped Liverpudlians kicking up even more of a fuss? Think about it for a minute, I was saying, why would Usmanov come on board just yet, with so many financial fair play issues in place?

I reckon he's sent the accountant to get the ball rolling, get these much better loans off the council, which will move our club along, and he doesn't have to show himself just yet, because he wouldn't have anything to gain, until the time comes that everything is up and running?

Steel has gone through the roof they said, I know, so wouldn't Peel want to be close to a man who owns one of the biggest steel companies in the world, I said? They all went quiet, but it might have been because they think I'm a crank. Maybe that's my problem?

For a start I didn't make the case or care how Stones agent behaved. You missed the point. I wondered why after acting on 2 suggestions from Stones/Barkley's agent, ie, "Let Stones go, Get Koeman". Barkley was still not signed up.

We have let Stones go as you asked. We have got Koeman as you asked. Now sign. These are things Moshiri said. He should have been signed on the first request in my opinion, ie, getting Koeman. So in all this, they are suggesting Barkley's agent conned them, are they not?

Fooled once, it's regrettable. Twice is just plain stupid.

Are you seriously suggesting Everton sold Stones and engaged Koeman just to get Barkley to sign a contract extension?

Barkley may have wanted this to happen but it would have happened anyway. To suggest Moshiri was fooled is absurd.

I knew nothing of Stones agent before (I say again) Moshiri said it. I didn't know him and Barkley had the same agent until it came out of yesterday's chat with Moshiri.

Brian, thank you for having the normal ability to read between the lines.

What I don't recall him saying is that he agreed to sell Stones and sign Koeman solely to keep Barkley. I don't recall that because Moshiri didn't say it. He was merely disclosing what the agent had said. There's a huge difference. Whether Barkley wanted it, or not, these two events would have happened.

Stones was sold (but not to Chelsea and there's a clue) because Stones wanted to go. Koeman was engaged because Martinez would have taken us down.

To even suggest these two things were done to appease Barkley is ludicrous!

Great post #52. Total knockout blow.

Many a true word however, is spoken in jest.

Your theories sound totally plausible to me.

I would have thought being sat at the front would enable you to smell the bull a bit quicker.

Moshiri's 'explanation' of why he regularly relays info about Everton to supporters via his mate on Sky:

"As it happens, Jim White is a friend of mine.

Sometimes late at night he calls me. Sometimes there is no caller ID and I think it's Bill. Then, if we've had a bad game and I'm upset, he gets to me and he gets something out of me.

All the conversations are between two friends, they shouldn't appear on Sky but that's the world we live in.”

Seriously, I fucking love that.

Jim White, withholding his number, getting on the blower and giving it his best Bill Kenwright impression with a load of bog roll scrunched in his mouth in order to blag a scoop?

Does that mean Farhad wouldn't pick up if he knew it was really Jim White phoning? Bit of a shitty way to treat a 'buddy'.

Why would he automatically think whoever was calling "late at night" was Kenwright? Is Bill in the habit of bothering people at all hours?

Is it purely because there is no caller id that Moshiri becomes convinced it's Bill? Why would Kenwright want to continually hide his number from Moshiri? Does he disturb his other mates in such a manner? Is 'midnight caller' Kenwright the reason Michael Crawford now only communicates through carrier pigeon?

Quite pathetic isn't it. But what it also does is put to bed this idiotic notion that so many keep claiming that Kenwright has nothing to do with the running of the club anymore, that he's just a figurehead Chairman. If that was the case then surely he wouldn't be in conversation with Moshiri so often that he would expect a caller ID blocked call be Kenwright.

We are in very deep trouble given the ownership and top brass at this club. This is scary. Incompetence on a massive scale. Maybe we should all start practicing voodoo, since Moshiri seems to be a big believer in it's impact on events.

I think it's condescending we're-just-like-you bullshit to the little people, which is very patronizing. The media has a sickening amount of power to influence people, just not quite yet, as much as some at the "Top" seem to believe.

The trophy drought ended, then onto European football next season in the Europa League; that then becomes our priority, to win another Cup we have never won in our history.

Onto the Super Cup Final with belief, hope & new-found confidence to go up against the best team there is in Europe, a benchmark to set ourselves against... win that & the club has new found hope & belief that anything is possible. Three Cups on the bounce... imagine it folks!

As it stands, Moshiri & Co could build our new stadium on the banks of the Royal Blue Mersey out of gold & make it 100,000 capacity but who will fill it ?!.

One thing I do know – if the above happened our trophy cabinet would still be fucking empty!

Looking like we'll just plod along...sigh.