AN EXTRAORDINARY EVENING - GORDON BENNETT REPORTS

An admirer from the floor praised Bill Kenwright for being a Socialist who supports Tony Blair. As the Chairman of Everton Football Club struggled to recover from this devastating exposure of his membership of a small but exclusive club, he cleverly informed the audience that he also belongs to an even more exclusive club, that of Premier League Chairmen who put their hands in their pockets to bankroll their own club. Invoking no less an authority than Sir Trevor Brooking, who has recently decided to come off his fence with a vengeance by turning affairs on their head and shafting Sven Goran Erikson (for his tactics), Kenwright declared that we’ll never see another club chairman do likewise. After witnessing a truly extraordinary General Meeting of the Everton shareholders I can only say that I am sure he is right.

Bill Kenwright has obviously been taking lessons from his mate, Tony Blair: the ‘hey, I’m a straight kinda guy’ routine; the cheeky smile; the occasional gentle put down of a revolutionary shareholder/backbencher; the ignorance of procedure, ‘well, ok, if we’ve got to do it’; and an additional prop, chewing gum, as the proceedings grinded on. But all very effective. In response to a hostile motion criticising his management of the club, he basically said:

· he hasn’t done a bad job
· if he had the chance, he’d do it again differently
· True Blue Holdings is going to be dissolved, but it didn’t matter anyway
· the Russians are coming, in a few weeks, with £15m, and possibly more to follow
· a (very) good friend has lent him £15m to tide him over, but he doesn’t need to use it [sadly, no-one asked why it couldn’t have been used to buy players before 31st August]
· the Manager will have plenty of money in January and next summer
· he and Paul Gregg are friends. Invited to do so, they shook hands
· the stadium issue is a big worry/priority
· he’s appointed a new chief executive, and
· Wayne Rooney was sold because he asked to leave, 2 or 3 Sundays ago, and Everton got the best deal Bill could get since to have sold Rooney in 2 years time would have brought in less money.

Along with the Chairman on the platform were his two fellow Directors, Paul Gregg and John Woods; David Moyes; the new Chief Executive, Keith Wyness; and a mystery woman. Mr Wyness, by the way, was introduced as someone who in his previous role at Aberdeen has upset both Celtic and Rangers. With that track record, you can only assume he is fearless but has checked his insurance policies. He was personable, impressive and evidently wants to get on with the job. All power to his elbow. Keith Wyness also comes with the unusual characteristic of being a Scot without the accent. Tony Blair will asking his friend Bill how you actually recruit such people.

David Moyes didn’t say a lot but confirmed that it was Rooney himself who decided he wanted to leave. The Manager also offered to sign a new contract there and then when the Chairman mistook a question about what was on offer to Rooney for discussions about the Manager’s contract and said that £50,000 per week had been on the table for a while!

Procedurally, the extraordinary meeting was an extraordinary shambles. The agenda consisted solely of a critical motion but the proposers, after a flattering introduction from the Chairman, were unsure what to do. The Chairman of the Shareholders’ Association then read out the whole motion. Why? Can’t people read the printed word? He made no attempt to support the motion, bizarrely leaving that to a closing speech, and handed the floor and the momentum back to the Chairman. The author of the motion, Professor Cannon, did not look happy. About 40 minutes later, Bill Kenwright sat down, having put his case with the aid of a power point presentation (which unfortunately confused a mechanism for raising income with a mechanic) and reasonably answered the individual parts of the motion. He called for questions. He’d be lucky. In the next hour, I counted two questions, but plenty of rants and diatribes.

First up was the Professor. He said that it was a good job he wasn’t really angry, that he was older than he looks and that he wants to put the swagger back into Evertonians. Basically, he wants Everton restored to its former greatness and, being an academic, said that a plan is needed. Jolly good. Whisper it quietly, but the Prof’s real agenda shone through: he wants to be on the Board and he wants to write the plan. Sorry, Prof, but I thought you were going about it the wrong way.

Next up was a real Mr Angry, who appeared to have stumbled in from the local amateur dramatic society’s rehearsal of an Alan Bleasdale play. He had, however, one little cracker from the script, “I’m not into etiquette, I’m an Evertonian”. Boy, was he angry, but about what you may ask. Unusually for this kind of remorseless fury, he was angry about one thing only. He was very, very angry about being “lied to every day” by Everton Football Club. Disappointingly Mr Angry did not give a single example of a lie. All he needed to do, presumably, was to stretch his mind back a few hours to find one from a whole litany of lies but, perhaps because he was so very, very angry, control failed him and he tailed off, in a permanent rage of anger. The Chairman thanked him for his question. The response was irresistible.

Mr Angry was followed by an Irishman. Amazingly, for an audience in Liverpool, the Irishman felt the need to point out at the start that he was an Irishman. We were then treated to a reading of an early chapter of a draft thesis also on the blindingly obvious: that football is corrupt. I don’t know if the Professor knows the Irishman but, if so, he could pass on the tip that a handy way to start a thesis is to write the executive summary first. It helps with the discipline. As the self-proclaimed Irishman read on, and on, each page was read more rapidly than the page before, so rapidly that you looked with increasing anxiety to see that the Irishman’s sheaf of papers had no more to turn over. As his voice moved beyond over-drive, we were two sheets of A4 away from an unpleasant ending.

At this stage I reminded myself that the motion had not been moved and seconded and so there was actually nothing to debate. But why should that matter? Scattered around the room were papers from the Shareholders’ Association, who appeared to represent a tiny proportion of the shareholding, which indicated that someone had thought about structuring the evening. Did I say ‘thought’? Were these not the same people who had called the EGM by submitting a hostile motion, who had in their ranks supporters of the ‘F-off Kenwright’ internet campaign and proponents of the ‘Billy Liar’ website, who had generally rubbished the Board, but who at the eleventh hour were now suggesting that everyone behaved “with due decorum”? How could these people have any credibility? Was anyone applying any logic? What was the purpose of the mystery woman on the platform?

As the evening wore on, and the Chairman’s guillotine of 9 o’clock seemed increasingly a good idea, the Shareholders’ Association tried to carry out their cunning plan of set questions by their leading members. Evidently forgetting that having given Bill Kenwright advance notice of their intentions, and that he might have thought it a good idea to answer those questions when the Chairman of the Shareholders’ Association conceded the floor to him at the start of the meeting, there was embarrassingly no holding back on the unravelling of the less than cunning plan. So we had a series of questions asked, most of which produced a polite answer along the lines of ‘I dealt with that at the start of the meeting’. Bill Kenwright could have said ‘Weren’t you listening?’ Others might have said to the Shareholders’ Association ‘Weren’t you thinking?’.

As the roving microphone slowly made its way around the room, I noticed that more and more questioners described themselves as ‘ordinary Evertonians’. On an extraordinary evening, a rule of thumb emerged: the more ordinary the Evertonian, the better the question. Surely there was a lesson to be learnt, underlined by a question from another Shareholders’ Association representative who wanted a “forensic audit” of the Company’s accounts. If you really want to demonstrate ignorance of company law and offer up an easy opportunity for the top table to have an exasperated blast back at you and your Association, that was it. Apparently, the Shareholders’ Association had engaged a lawyer to help them ahead of the EGM. I hope he isn’t charging a fee.

There was one final tit-bit. A further member of the Shareholders’ Association stood up to ask a question about “added value”. Presumably a new Labour man, rather than a Socialist, he wanted to know what “added value” Jon Woods brought to the Board. Sadly, as is the way with jargon, the question degenerated into a bout of verbal diarrhoea, with about twenty five references to “added value”. Jon Woods could have said that he was pleased with the presumption in the question that he brings value anyway, but gave a different sort of answer, pointing out quite properly that at least he had put his hand in his pocket with a few million quid to support the Club. According to Bill Kenwright he has continued to do so, with the additional half million quid here and there. Disarming or not? You pays your money …

And that’s the problem for the opponents of Bill Kenwright, Paul Gregg and Jon Woods. The Directors have stumped up large amounts of cash and they’re in the process of acquiring more for the Club. In the real world of football, is there an alternative for Everton? Anger can only take you so far when you don’t like what you see.

Football isn’t the same as, say, the theatre. If you don’t like the show and it gets bad reviews from the critics and the punters don’t buy tickets, the show closes; the theatre may close too. Despite the wretched summer Evertonians have endured, we’re not going to walk away from paying our money to watch the team, and I guess that includes the ranters and some of the not terribly astute questioners. What they’re actually doing to help Everton Football Club is an altogether different consideration.

Shortly after 9 o’clock the Chairman announced that was the end of the meeting, to be greeted with a cry of protestation from the Professor. ‘You have got to have a vote’ said the Professor. ‘On what?’ said the Chairman. ‘On the motion’ said the Professor. ‘What motion’ said the Chairman, ‘I don’t understand these things’. The Professor then sought to make a case that so accommodating had the Directors been towards his motion that their only course of action was to vote in favour. To an observer, this seemed nothing less than extraordinary (that word again) since voting for the motion would have required the Directors to express deep concern at their own actions, to provide information which they had provided two hours earlier, to present more information to a meeting which was now closing and, conceivably, to resign.

Whilst increasing numbers of heads were being scratched, the Chairman of the Shareholders’ Association came to the front of the room to make what he called his closing speech. He prefaced his remarks with words to the effect that his role is not to support members of his Association but to represent their views. Further scratching of heads inevitably followed, both on the floor and on the top table. The Chairman of the Association’s further comments seemed to run contrary to the Professor’s preference in regard to voting but, just when utter confusion threatened to reign, the mystery woman on the top table came to the rescue. She advised Bill Kenwright to take a vote on whether the meeting was satisfied with the explanations and assurances he had given. Within seconds a show of hands indicated that was indeed the case and the meeting closed. The mystery woman had played a blinder.

The Professor appeared in a state of shock, the Chairman of the Shareholders’ Association looked lost. I can’t speak for his members. We repaired upstairs for refreshments. On entering the refreshment room, flash lights were popping and TV cameras whirring in the far corner where voices were loudly raised. People were shouting about ‘drunken knob-head Evertonians’ and I decided it was time to leave. A final thought was that, if the theatre-going population ever tire of Blood Brothers (which hopefully and surely must come soon) there was enough rich material at this extraordinary evening for Bill Kenwright and his theatrical friends to create another long running and profitable family saga. Gordon Bennett. (10/09/04)

Shareholders EGM - Goodison Park 9th September 2004

A full house at Goodison Park; the Joe Mercer Lounge was full, with standing room only at the back, and an overflow of further shareholders had to watch from the Vice President¹s Lounge on closed circuit Television. At the top table were the three directors with Davie Moyes hauled in, and
the new Chief Executive, Keith Wyness.

Tom Cannon introduced the motion to the meeting and stated passionately that this meeting had been called because the shareholders and other supporters had had enough ­ it was time for this Board to show what their plans were, and to admit the mistakes of the past. It was time to move this club forward, and if this Board couldn't do it, they should step aside and make way for others who can.

Several people spoke, in no particular order, but with great passion. Frank Hargreaves spoke passionately about the need for communication, and no more lies. Colm Kavanagh launched into a tirade against Pro-Active Sports and Paul Stretford. Why did the Club allow its previous Chief Executive (M Dunford) to hold a large bank of shares in Pro-Active? Kenwright replied that he didn't know at the time, but that as soon as he (Bill) found out about them, Dunford was instructed to dispose of the shares. I gave my two pennorth about the terrible loss of the Kings Dock project.
How could we lose half a billion in future revenues for the sake investment of less than £40 million? I have no idea what the answer was supposed to mean ­ either from Bill or Paul Gregg. It was simply gobbledigook.

John Shearon asked about stadium development. When the Kings Dock went tits up, Bill agreed at the time there was no Plan B. At the present time, was there even a Plan A? Bill said yes, we're looking at two sites, one in the City and one outside. Paul Gregg made an impassioned speech extolling the virtues of a joint stadium with the other lot. Nick Williams called for the disbandment of True Blue Holdings so that further investment avenues and wider share ownership could be realised. Bill Kenwright confirmed that TBH will soon be no more. The investment expected from the Russians is nearly tied up, and they will take a 29 per cent share, rising to 40 per cent. £15 million in now and the same again later, possibly more. Bill to remain Chairman. There would be a share issue next year, and another the year after.

On the Rooney affair, Kenwright insisted they had got the best deal going. As soon as the player said he wanted to leave, the Club had no choice. This was endorsed by David Moyes. I pointed out that it could all have been solved in two minutes, with three phone calls. One to Newcastle and another to Manchester saying he was not available. And a third, to David Moyes, to instruct Rooney that his transfer request had been turned down. They refused to accept this. It was clear that they believe this is sound business, and Everton came out of it well. Jeez.

On the Academy, Gregg admitted they should have put in their planning application earlier for the Bellefield site, but that M Dunford had been concentrating on getting a couple of other properties adjacent to the site (to make an access road) and now the law had changed, giving us problems. Another planning application will be made in 12 to 15 months. As the night wore on, it became much of a muchness ­ lots of passion from
the floor, answers that no one could later remember from the top table. At the end, Bill Kenwright tried to close the meeting, but it was pointed
out that we had not had the vote. "What are we voting for? Which way do you want me to vote?" he laughed. For the record about thirty votes against the Board's conduct, and some 200 in support. The people in the Vice President's lounge were not even given a
vote.

At the end of the night, Communications supremo Ian Ross blew sarcastic kisses at Ian MacDonald (they have had bitter rows in the past, particularly when Ross allegedly refused to attend the Evertonians for Change meeting at the Blue House, allegedly with the words, "I won't waste my time on a bunch of drunken knobheads") and Ian's response was to launch into a tirade against Ross, calling him an utter disgrace and telling him to get out of our Club, and get out now. Ross was no longer smiling, nor was he when at the end of Ian's tirade a number of fans burst into applause and endorsed Ian's words.

So, in summary, TBH to disband; new investment (expected soon) ; Moyes to have considerable funds for players in January and next summer; new Chief Executive in post; it wasn't our fault it was all Wayne's; Gregg wants to ground share, Bill looking at two undisclosed sites; and a full strategic plan to be in place by the AGM in December.

As someone said, "It's like watching Tommy Cooper, this. Cup, ball. Ball, cup. What's going on?"

A little progress, I suspect. But it won't bring Wayne Rooney back. And that will hurt for ever and a day.
Phil Pellow. (Editor of Satis Fanzine) (10/09/04)