Too Close for Comfort?

Actually there is a high element of Kenwright actually sabotaging many of Moshiri's plans. Why he let him is the real jigsaw piece that is missing.

A brief glimmer when Moyes stabilised up but then the realisation we were scraping by, It dawned that we were in the land of mediocrity, knowing we were not breaking the so-called glass ceiling as the double act beat the expectation out of us. Different generations will have different views on the Moyes years. I know mine and have voiced them many times.

Aside from Howard Kendall working his magic briefly (and let's not forget that dark winter of 1983), some would argue it started after the 1969-70 title-winning side was allowed to break up.

If you look at some of the league finishes in the '70s, it doesn't make pleasant reading. Even the few 3rd and 4th placings we achieved; you have to remember, this was a time when only the Champions qualified for Europe's top competition.

Yet, many supporters do look back fondly. Andy King's derby winner. Bob Latchford's 30 goals in a season.

Aside from those 3 seasons in the mid-80s, a near miss in 2009 and a few European nights that the supporters enjoyed no end, we've largely been feeding off the scraps thrown from the Main Stand ever since 1970.

Really it began with Johnson, Kenwright being a sidekick. Johnson bought the Club for £8M and sold it for £26M. Kenwright ultimately financed his share of the purchase using the assets of the Club. He worked everyone else out.

This was his sole ambition and he has continued with this self-serving attitude right till this day. Even the sale to Moshiri was an investment in the existing Kenwright & Co regime, with Moshiri's sole influence being his hand on the money tap.

It is a different scenario than Malaga, since the Stadium is being funded, and there is no restriction on funds being used. Though they may be provided out of Moshiri's own funds which he appears to have.

The Stadium Development Company is separate from the Club company, as is the Goodison Development Company.

Don't ask me to explain the crossover in the accounts, according to Paul the Esk. We will see in the final Accounts on the 31 March.

Danny, Should read 'Don't ask me to explain.' In the previous post.

Even after the FA Cup win in the 1990s, Joe Royle found himself having to deal with a player contract mess, meaning he couldn't build that Summer, eventually leaving the Club.

I remember period between 70s and 80s as being challenging, but Everton where still been run and were a big Club and the Finances were in order.

Yes, younger fans deserve alot better.But frankly none of the Fans have been a priority with this Club, since way back.

Peter Johnson was vilified for telling the truth, but Kenwright had thousands eating out of the palm of his hand, because he’s definitely one of us🤷‍♂️

So please castigate Kenwright he deserves it, but please don't ever hold Johnson up other than being an absolute disaster as chairman and another who made a fortune from this club, while running it into the ground.

He never begged stole and borrowed though, or left Everton in debt, and he also helped us put a trophy in our cabinet.

Kenwright should have never been let anywhere near Everton, but this is something we all have our own opinions on.

He should have left with Moyes, is a head shaker though, because how any Everton chairman, should have been happy with a manager who never put a trophy on the table in twelve years, definitely tells me everything with regards our inept Chairman, who’s actions, or intentions were only about surviving as Everton’s owner for as long as he possibly could.

How much has Kenwright put in again?

We signed some good players, but it wasn’t sustainable, although at least Peter Johnson had the good grace to move us on.

I’m not sure he would have been so quick in trying to sell, if he wasn’t being called Agent Johnson, but he definitely stitched us up more than he could have ever thought possible, (if this was even part of his plan) when he sold the club to Agent Kenwright.

It's a long time ago though now chaps.

Do better than the chairman or manager? Since we last won a trophy we have had eleven managers, plus three ex players who have been our caretaker manager. Seven of those managers have won trophies elsewhere, one being Howard Kendall, who is our most successful ever manager.

During this time we have had 3 Chairmen. Johnson won us the cup, we won nothing under Carter, although I’m sure he was our most successful chairman with regards the club, winning silverware, and for the last 19 years, we have William Kenwright, the man who gave us some good times.

So under our current chairman, we have had ten full time managers, who have helped to deliver us the square root of absolutely nothing.

Be careful what we wish for, and just remember it could have been a lot worse. Or forget our illustrious past and just be thankful that Kenwright, always had our best interests at heart?

Ah yes, interviews at Park Hampers.
Hello, I am Mr Finch. You are Mr Martin I understand. Here to be interviewed by Mr Johnson I understand. He will be a few hours yet. Sorry about the wait.
That's OK. By the way I need to get to Leeds tonight - can you tell me the best way?
Certainly back onto the M53, then the M62 and you can be there in a couple of hours.
Thanks.

More seriously, I'm under no illusion that I could actually coach a professional football team. But I do think we all witness certain managers making fairly elementary mistakes at times. Like last season Lampard leaving it very late to tighten up away and stop fiddling with formations. I think most supporters were struggling with that and results improved when Lampard belatedly did what looked obvious to a lot of fans.

With the club management, there are kids doing GCSE economics (or just those with a few brain cells) that could have improved upon the utter shambles of recent years and the inevitable consequences we are now seeing. It's happened to quite a few clubs, true - but to hit the financial abyss as a result of getting a major cash injection and as an established top 10 Premier League club is quite a breathtaking example of incompetence.

So you can see,a massive turnover of managers, with only
Leicester having won the PL.

He didn't cause the decline of Everton but he is the worst thing that happened to the club once it started to decline. He is the classic asset stripper and he will walk away as a multi millionaire and blame the fans for forcing him out.

Note this is my opinion of what has happened, it could be total myth.

He’s definitely a classic asset stripper, but his latest lie, was a major slip-up, and although he will walk away having made millions, I think he’s destroyed a legacy, which has had Evertonians arguing for way to long already.

Give me a well run Everton, where the fans unite behind the team, and our club will always win silverware imo, no matter whatever anyone else also does, during that same era?

One has to ask why Everton never stayed in the elite circle, why we fell so far. One can see that, like Kenwright, Moshiri wants to make a killing. But despite the money, his big mistake was allowing Kenwright to continue to run the club.

One of the clearest messages that was drummed into me when working with and for wealthy individuals, was the understanding of their end game. What do they want, why are they doing it, what is the entrepreneurs idea of risk... I learnt to read the signs, read the messages they sent, the words they used.

To me Kenwright always rang alarm bells, his associates belied the man. People who all just lie on the cusk of respectability but only just on the right side of law. They know how to lie, smile as the knife goes in, but never use their own money and never get their hands dirty, but always, always, end up losing the one thing they can't and never could buy, respect.

I might just stand you a round at the BMD for that last post Martin...

I agree with your point about the players and the exceptional season but there was plenty of skullduggery and excessive, beyond FFP limits, spending involved in getting Leicester into the Premier League the year before their title. They finally coughed up a few million in a fine for financial doping.

Different scale to that alleged at Man City but same principle and just as, comparatively, unfair against their peers at the time in the Championship. It's a murky old world. Having said that, I hope Moshiri has their lawyer's number.

I can't remember the game at all – just the mood at the time during the Johnson era – one of ‘this can't get any worse can it?' Little did we bleedin' know!

The death of Sir John Moores began the true decline of Everton Football Club and the various owners and directors since that point have somehow managed to exacerbate that decline, as nobody involved has had the vision to see the club regain its former glories because they were happy to take the Sky money and jog along with the other also-rans.

It's come to the point today where being a member of the top division is important financially, but does it really matter which division we're in, if we don't have any ambitions much higher than mere existence?

By that 777 company?

Scouring the news sites now for confirmation.

I think Leicester might be the only team to win a trophy on that list since 1992, John, (maybe Spurs?) which probably shows that loads of people could be football managers, mate!

Other than after the war, Everton won at least one major trophy during every decade of their long and illustrious history. Then along came an actor who completely changed the narrative and has even left a few proud Evertonians that I speak to actually feeling that they would sooner see Everton competing in the Championship, rather than continuing to struggle in the Premier League.

Most people will probably find this incredible to believe but this is what the boring Kenwright years have yielded. Everton, a team that always tried to compete to win, have played in only one cup final since 1995 (nearly 29 seasons) and still that bastard remains.

Peter Johnson walked around the Lower Bullens Road stand before the game asking fans how they felt about the club, I spoke to him on three occasions and he not only spoke to the fans, he listened to them as well.

One time, I told him I couldn't a ticket for the derby game coming up in a couple of weeks time at Anfield. He told me to write to him with my details and a cheque with the right amount and he would send me a ticket, which I did and I got the ticket. Seemed alright to me.

He never told me any fanciful tales about the Boys Pen or Dave Hickson or how much he loved the club, he was just himself.

I've tired of the same people on here bashing Johnson who for years defended Kenwright until all of about a month ago.

Obviously Johnson wasn't perfect but in his short spell we won the FA Cup. In my mind, he's easily the best owner we've had since John Moores died.

We are getting old anyway, and when I was speaking to my son and his mates after the Brentford game, these younger Evertonians who have followed the team everywhere, whilst seeing us win nothing, said I was just being selfish if I wasn't that bothered if Everton got relegated.

I told them we all love the Blues as much as each other, but the Everton I know and love were never meant to just make the numbers up. I can't wait for the day they can finally feel the joy that comes with Everton winning a trophy. A trophy these young supporters deserve more than anyone.

We seem not to mention bad things about Peter Reid.
The dark side seem to have little problem with Carragher, Fowler, Owen and a lesser extent McManaman

Initially, like every other manager we've had since Carey, I've accepted them. When it starts to go pear-shaped, then my feelings changed. In a way, I would have loved Benitez to have done really well with us, just to rub it in to the RS!

Johnson did well for us. Our nightmare began when the lying asset stripper got his claws in. The way he bought the Club, the lies and deceit to feather his own nest… sickening.

The only good thing that will come out of this nightmare is that those who thought he really was a blue and doing his best for us now realise what a scumbag he is and is quite rightly vilified.

I do remember Johnson having a interest in Transmere at that time, which did cause a issue.I wasn't as up on what was going on. Dependent on Media, Radio Merseyside and The Evertonian.What you say adds up.

Sheedy and Harper, neither could get through at Liverpool, but both excelled at Everton, in different ways, and then we had Gary Ablett, who played the last time we won a cup.

Whatever we say about Liverpool, they have always been ultra professional, and even through their bad times, have usually still found a way to go and win a cup. Even if it usually takes penalties, for the bastards to win.

I often wonder how long Liverpudlians would have taken Bill Kenwright’s bullshit, and think he was a very cunning man picking us gullible Evertonians.

Only Dixie the mascot has brought more shame to this club

When we were nearly dead in the early 80's my understanding is we went from crowds of 50 to 60 thousand for a home game down to 15 thousand. Yet here we are - 37000 will turn up for our game against Spurs next Monday night despite the fact that we haven't looked like winning anything for over twenty years and our current flirtation with relegation.

Then those youngsters will be out in force at Old Trafford the following Saturday. And there's me saying I think our goose is cooked a few weeks ago.

Their day will come because their is something about Everton "the club" that cannot be killed and they are a big part of it. Tell your son what my dad (God rest his soul) told me before he passed away from this life - "We will be great again". (In the best stadium in England)

But Kenwright did manage to get a foot hold which has been disastrous for the Club, using his inside position to get control and then procede to basically asset strip the Club.I would not be surprised if Kenwright is now trying to get a angle in the middle of Moshiri's woes.The interest of Multi Club investors still provides the opportunity for Kenwright to stay on.

Though given that MPS Directors where in free attendance at the Southampton game and later given a tour of the facilities of the Club, whilst the Board did not turn up at Goodison,on what proved to be unfounded reason,he may see such interest as interference in his plan.I think he would prefer more Moshiri woes so that he could get Everton on the cheap.

It is beginning to seem that the now desperate search for a new investor is Moshiri's last throw of the dice on the football side.I just hope that the separation of the Club from the Stadium Development and other Merseyside property investments in seperate companies, means that such third party investment has to improve the Football Club, standing alone, to realise a return on their investment.Paul the Esk seems to think this is not the case, but only the release of the final accounts on the 31at March will show the true situation.

By the way I expect the loses to be bigger than Paul the Esk predicts.If only the Chairman and Board would resign, as they should do, in such a scenario.

Laurie#48

I do have faith in your father's prediction.and the young supporters definitely deserve better times.

I also believe that we will have new full or part owners in the close season and the chances of our current board being around at the beginning of next season are very slim indeed given their abject failure to do their job.

The only reason I can think of that they are still around is that our chairman still has some influence in Gloucester Place and at the moment that is of value to our owner.

Look at the scenes before, during and after the Crystal Palace game, and make no mistake that Everton, will always be a special club, because of the massive passion that sits deep inside everyone of us. (The blue smoke generated from the blue flares was actually pictured from Wales, on that balmy spring night🙏)

We might have been kicked from pillar to post, and from the top of Everton valley, all the way into town, but we are still standing, because we shall not be moved!

He sanctioned the signing of some good players. The permanent signing of Duncan Ferguson, Kanchelskis, Nick Barmby probably at the peak of his career.

To compliment Anders Limpar, Joe Parkinson and Barry Horne as well as the unpredictable but likeable Amokachi. Either too dumb to realise or just refusal to leave the pitch, but what a decision that turned out to be when the bench were calling him over to be replaced. Sod that, I'm just going to make Elland Road explode!!

But then we had what, to me at the time, looked like a dodgy deal to bring Simonsen from Tranmere to Goodison. Someone might be able to explain it, but it felt like some form of money laundering. And that highlights that he had a conflict of interest in my opinion.

The alleged Nigel Martyn "hamper-gate" transfer negotiations.

The sale of Duncan Ferguson and the, to this day, "did he or didn't he" speculation as to whether Walter Smith knew about it.

The Tor Andre Flo refusal that led to Joe Royle walking away.

So for me, a mixed bag. He did oversee our last trophy, but by the end, it was getting pretty dire. At least he had the decency to walk away, handing the keys over to the new custodian for brighter times.

Oh wait!

Laurie (50) One of my best memories of Evertonians and what Everton means to them was coming away from Burnden Park after we got to the final of the league cup, the street outside was jam packed with Bluenoses singing their heads off and I was shepherding a little old lady, around about seventy years of age, through the crowd, I asked who she was with, she told me she had come on her own, she had to come she said for the sake of her husbands memory, he had been a passionate Bluenose, followed them everywhere and she came for him, I ushered her until she was safe, she was getting the train home to Liverpool and said she knew by following the crowd she would be okay, love and Everton, Laurie, they go hand in hand don’t they?

Hard nosed professionalism I call it, and If Sean Dyche can implement just one thing right across our football club, then above all else, I hope he can implement this🤞

We never seem to unearth or buy players when they're young. Lately, we buy players who had their time and command high wages with no possibility to move them on for a profit if they don't work out.

I do think the Stadium.is sperate and will be completed, even if Moshiri does it himself.Which would not affect Profit and Sustainability rules.I do think there will be a investor. These are both areas which Moshiri has the expertise that made him a billionaire.

Investors with Management expertise is what he is seeking.Hopefully this is him finally deciding on change and such investors would not want such Management around them, if they have the required expertise.So I agree with you to this point.

I did think that Kenwright maintained his role due to being value dealing with the authorities, and have often posted so.But that has went up in smoke, with the referral to the Commission.I do think that Kenwright thought he was home and dry, with the Premier League using Everton as a dry run for the Government plans of real time reporting, but they proved not sufficiently able able to Manage the situation, even with this information and MSP pulling out.

In preparation for the Commission changes at Board Level and Management are imo needed, since the Premier League has no confidence in the Club Management, referring the Club to the Commission.

Johnny Morrissey was my favourite player after Bally, and his 3.0L Capri was my favourite car at the time.

Moyes was good and solid but did not have the money to sign that one player who would have got us to the top ie a top class striker. The more recent culprit is whoever sanctioned the dreadful signings for way in excess of players values when there was no resale value and the wages were ridiculous.

The wastes of space that were Walsh and Brands and the gdreadful absence of communication with the fans leading to the broken relationship between fans and owner. Step back and look at the history of it and you can see when it began and where it was heading.
Tragic!