The silence emanating from the Everton hierarchy is overwhelming. Our 94.1% owner Farhad Moshiri, our Chair William Kenwright are both as silent as church mice on what’s going on with our club.
Our current status
In the last three weeks we’ve had the resignation of three directors – the 48 hours update saga, MSP’s notification to the US SEC of raising $165 million specifically for investment into Everton, the appointment of new directors (subject to PL approval) including Farhad Moshiri himself and the appointment of a 73 year old non executive director with no public history of involvement in football and besides an almost dormant consulting company, has held no directorships since 2013 in the UK (source Companies House).
We’ve had the (temporary) retention of the Chairman who according to Farhad Moshiri has the “knowledge and vast experience (which) will be crucial for us as we look to reset, deliver on external investment and position Everton for a successful future.” This, the same Chair who has overseen our longest trophy drought, has chaired the club through five successive years of losses, seen ten managers (permanent and interim), three directors of football come and go in 7 years, overseen appalling player recruitment, contract negotiation and has been unable to provide proper governance, custodianship and leadership since the ill fated day Moshiri arrived in February 2016.
We have an extremely weak squad, further weakened by players leaving at the end of their contracts. The squad currently consists of 24 players including (with all due respect to them) a 39 year old reserve goalkeeper in Lonergan, Gomes, Dele Alli, Gbamin and Neal Maupay.
But what about the stadium? I hear those with a more supportive attitude to the owner and Chair shout. Yes, the stadium that is not fully funded. The stadium which using Moshiri’s estimates of the club’s contributions to date and the likely final costs is short of perhaps as much as £360 million of funding. The stadium that required the club to seek emergency funding from Andy Bell and I believe, MSP. The club that is in such desperate circumstances it borrows money at 12% p.a. from an anonymous offshore lender.
Relationships with the most important stakeholders – the fans? Since the events of mid January, the insinuation, the allegations that Everton fans represent such a threat to directors that they could not (and still cannot) attend games at Goodison Park, the alleged “headlock” incident, the Chairman’s comments in the annual report and accounts, his ill conceived and badly timed letter on the eve of a vital relegation battle, the failure to acknowledge the role that fans played in maintaining our Premier League status (thankfully acknowledged fully by Sean Dyche and many of the players). The demonisation of the greatest asset the club still holds – the one asset that can’t be sold or stripped.
If this seems an untypically emotive rant about the people running the club and a list of our unresolved issues, let me explain. It’s written out of frustration and fear.
Frustration
The frustration is obvious – many of the issues highlighted above have been known for years, hidden and unreported in the main until recent times when more of the professional media plus many fan channels, have highlighted the performance and governance issues around the club. Yet despite that we have an owner and Chair who clearly believe they are adequately skilled, motivated and sufficiently credible to steer the club not only to calmer waters but to better times ahead – possibly even the foothills of the elusive “good times”.
Fear
This is where the fear steps in . I’ve quoted Warren Buffet several times over the years regarding his view that the biggest risk in business is having people running companies who “don’t know what they are doing”
“Risk comes from not knowing what you’re doing.” – Warren Buffet
If the owner and Chair refuse to respond to such concerns, refuse to acknowledge their role in our accumulated difficulties, refuse to acknowledge the risks attached to their approach to running Everton football club, what can we as fans do?
Fan campaigning
The lessons of the last few years of campaigning is that unity is required among the fan base. A unity driven by concern for our current circumstances and the need for alternative solutions and individuals executing those solutions. The need for someone, or a group of people to take responsibility, formulate a plan, communicate it, be brutally honest with the fan base and other stakeholders. This has to be our message. The current majority owner, the Chairman and perhaps some of the executives can have no role in the recovery of the club should such a recovery occur.
It’s time for that message to be delivered again, time before the season starts in five weeks time.
Just as with the fabled “strategic football review” when the people responsible for overseeing the condition of the club reported to themselves on what they believed to be the solutions to the problems they created, there’s a danger, a likelihood even, of the same happening in relation to the business itself, particularly the issues surrounding funding and the implications for Thelwell and Dyche as we enter what is likely to be our third successive fight against relegation.
So if the incumbents and the hastily put together “interim board” are not to be entrusted with the recovery, and certainly the short term needs on the footballing side who is?
Who leads us to recovery?
We need clarity on the status of the interminable discussions/negotiations with MSP. We know from the papers presented to and published by the SEC that MSP has raised $165 million to form a limited partnership with the intention of investing in Everton football club. Perhaps the general partners, Jahm Najafi and Jeff Mourad could signal a break from the past behavior of Everton owners and communicate openly with Evertonians as to their intent, ambition and timings? What benefit will their funding bring to the club and most importantly how does their involvement in Everton change the way the club is run and governed? What will be different about an Everton with MSP formally engaged and committed compared to what we have now?
Similarly what is the role of individuals, successful local business people, mentioned in the press, indeed one at least, significantly financially committed (Andy Bell). Whilst it is not perhaps for those as individuals to speak out, where is the explanation from the club as to the charge Blythe Capital currently hold. From MSP, what role do they see from Andy Bell and George Downing? Do they see roles for other prominent executives or directors?
I wrote last week we need a New Everton. We don’t need it in three months time, we need it now. We need to rid ourselves of the people responsible for the circumstances we find ourselves in. At least rid them of the responsibility in providing solutions. No one has any faith in their ability to do so as surely they would have provided them before now if they were able or willing.
Whoever the saviours, the deliverers of the New Everton are, they have to start the task immediately. We cannot afford another day’s delay or obfuscation. That has to be the message to the current incumbents, new investors and those charged with the task of recovery.