Bill Kenwright: Chairman How?

Critics claim that Kenwright caused the potential move to King’s Dock to collapse. With business deals in place and Liverpool City Council securing almost £200million of European Funding, Everton only had to spend £30million to make the move. Kenwright told the media that this money was ‘ring fenced’, making it guaranteed. Unfortunately, the money never arrived and, as a result the project collapsed.

This was a move that was greatly endorsed by a majority of Everton fans. The location would have been right on the iconic Liverpool waterfront and the stadium was planned to have a capacity of 55,000+ with the freedom to expand when desired, not to mention modern hospitality facilities.

Just why the £30million never materialised has been open to much debate. Theorists speculate that the former share-holder Paul Gregg was prepared to put up the money on the club’s behalf. Opponents of Kenwright claim that Gregg, having lost faith in the chairman wanted him to step down as part of the loan.

Using the local media to question Gregg’s credentials, Kenwright engineered a split between the two resulting in the deal being terminated.

This claim has yet to be validated but, alongside the rumour that Kenwright preferred Gary Megson to David Moyes for manager, is often used to add to a growing list of reasons why the club will never achieve success with the current man at the helm.

As Gregg was isolated from the board and from Kenwright himself, another prominent businessman still retains a keen interest in Everton: Philip Green.

Following his exit from Everton former CEO Keith Wyness voiced his hesitancy with Green’s position at the club. Despite holding no official title, and repeatedly spurning opportunities to invest Green was able to consult with the board and view finances on numerous occasions. Board members have even been called to Bhs (Green’s company) headquarters. His reluctance to invest shows a lack of interest in the club, so why would he have access to their finances?

The proposed move to Kirkby was the second unsuccessful attempt to relocate. Unlike the King’s Dock project, Evertonians were staunchly against this move from the beginning. Kenwright cited the need to sacrifice tradition to better compete to justify a move, which would have taken the oldest club in Liverpool outside of the city’s boundaries.

The deal, like the King’s Dock move never materialised (and again cost Everton millions of pounds in planning) and since then all has been quiet on the Everton front as outgoing transfers appear to be the only potential business.

Whether or not Bill Kenwright believed Gary Megson to be a better prospect than David Moyes remains a rumour. What is fact, is that Kenwright has stuck by the Scotsmen when most (if not all) chairmen would have sacked him. During his tenure, the club have broken their own transfer record on four occasions. And the record transfer of Rooney was done to save the club from administration. At the time their debt was 126% of their turnover.

This is not to say the chairman is perfect. The move to Kirkby seemed short-sighted from the start, isolating him from fans who were already becoming increasingly disillusioned. And for a self-confessed Evertonian to not see an issue with the club leaving the city seems staggering.

Finally, those Evertonians adamant on the need for change at their club might want to recall the events across the park in the last few years.

Hicks and Gillette grinned their way into Anfield with promises of huge player investment, a spade in Stanley Park and no debt. What they did was to lie through their bright, white teeth and nearly destroy one of the biggest clubs in the country.

Also, after purchasing Blackburn Rovers last year the poultry experts of Venky’s boasted of £100million for player investment which might include the likes of Ronaldinho and Beckham. What they actually did was sack a reliable manager and nearly plunge the club into relegation.

Some fans might see Bill Kenwright as the devil. They would do well to remember that old cliché about which one it’s best to know.

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