This week’s Talking the Blues podcast looks back on a momentous day at Goodison where everything that is good about Everton and Evertonians was on display in spades. The fans, the team and our new manager produced an occasion which personified Everton, an Everton which we haven’t seen for an awful long time.
(Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
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Well said George Costigan !
If Man City are found guilty and expelled from the PL it opens a can of worms and potential legal action by clubs who have missed out on trophies, European qualification and suffered relegation during the time of the alleged offences.
If Man City are found guilty of the alleged offences it opens a can of worms and potential legal action from clubs who have been denied trophies, missed out on European qualification or suffered relegation during the period of the offences
Good cast fellas. Some great points raised as always.
Two things spring to mind about our present situation;
If you want to know what the future holds learn the lessons from the past.
&
Never look back to look forward!
Two comments at the opposite ends of the spectrum that nail the dilemmas at the club. What do we do?
To avoid flailing back on my old view of “what does sack the board mean” I’d like to see a more in depth structured analysis of where the club has failed commercially.
There are obvious links to failure on the pitch which I’m sure we all accept and the failures to take the right decisions regarding players and managers. Some of those decisions come with the natural ebb and flow of an elite football club and we all have an opinion on who should manage and play for us. Albeit, we have done it over and over and over again. So is that THE problem or do we have have other issues that have failed to see us compete commercially?
Without at all pointing the finger at anybody that demands the board to go (I am largely one of them now), what I’m referring to is some real evidence of where the club hasn’t exploited its position to gain commercial sponsorship and additional revenue sources. I see comparisons made withLFC or one or two others that really don’t fit the bill because, like it or not, they have remained largely successful on the pitch and that (I’m sure some will argue) will be the catalyst for their success off the pitch.
Why do I ask? Largely because I want to move us on as no doubt we all do. So the point you make about FM never having a better opportunity to do so, is for me, the point entirely. But what would that take?
Trust becomes an issue and it remains difficult to trust FM other than by his current and future deeds rather than his words – FM has roundly supported DBB for her tireless efforts in the BMD project – on course, on budget and on time. Paul, has heard me say this before but after hours of searching, I could not attribute one DIRECT reference to a £550m ish project for BMD made by the club. So, it came as no surprise to me that the new directly referenced cost was indeed £760m.
I would add that I am also reluctantly setting aside the headlock scandal because I have no real evidence of where or how that materialised and who was responsible for it. It’s pointless speculating.
Alongside stadium naming rights, direct investment into completing BMD and obvious sponsorship deals on the back of it, I see some commercial opportunities being touted such as the “ALL” commercial venture which looks to promote match day experiences, deals, meals and all sorts of associated products – it’s in full flow already and it looks very slick and it’s very impressive and everything you would want to see for BMD. So, if the argument is now dead that it will take BMD to make those happen (because Goodison is not compatible now), who, if anybody should be getting praised, who, if anybody should receive the plaudits and who, if anybody is falling behind all of that and needs to go?
I want to lay praise where it is due and I want answers from those responsible for failure.
MSP (as an example – are mighty impressive in their structure and goals etc but it might not end up with them), want a sizeable stake and a sizeable contribution to how the club is run and operated. This is a huge step forward. For me, that means one thing to start with – BK has to go, go quietly with whatever dignity remains intact and reduce his control quickly until the switch to BMD when he can miraculously reappear for his final curtain call and can tell everybody he has achieved what he set out to achieve. I’m not going to comment on that. It’s his script and let’s face it – he will write it!!
So, if we have to rely on FM’s words and some independent reports then we appear to have a number of very promising and extremely viable opportunities waiting to come to fruition over the next few months. They all appear to depend on two things (for me), PL survival going into our final season at the Grand Old Lady and reaching BMD, on time, on schedule and on budget.
So where do we go now and do we need to start some form of healing process with FM? I think he is in for the short to mid term so he can actually consider at least breaking even. After that I would not be at all surprised to see him sell up as soon as possible.
BK seems non negotiable for me and many others. He has to go. Too much of a plastic dinosaur in a world of 8k avitars!
DBB – I just don’t know. Is she really responsible for what must be considered a world class BMD delivered on time, on budget and to spec? What would Colin Chong, the BMD project lead for EFC and previous Laing O’Rourke employee say about that?
I still don’t know enough about the other board members rolls to make an informed comment. Others might have information and facts they can share that would influence that opinion but I really want to see what facts are out there to support the mass sacking of the others.
Is GRANT INGLES good or bad at his job? I don’t know enough but we AH get some answers from the points raised above. If he has safely “manouvered” us away from strict ffp control and sound accountancy (referenced in your podcast re M.City) then he may be brilliant. He may also be responsible for ensuring that FM was not put under a tighter leash which got us in this mess and he may be a yes man.
SHARP – non exec role – to “shape the future of Everton” don’t know what he does but whatever it is, we don’t seem to have benefited at all for it.
All in all, I should be seeing for myself what benefits there are from having these people on our board and their achievements for the club should stand on their own feet with having to rely on FM to remind us.
Regards
Keith