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14/01/05 |
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The Art Of Deflection
Defiant to the last. With his head well and truly buried in the sand… But it got me thinking – not for the first time! Just how many Evertonians out there look no further than what’s printed on the back pages for their diet of news about Everton? Their only sources of information may well be the Liverpool Echo, the Daily Post or the nationals. Heaven forbid, they’ll treat as gospel every word uttered on Sky Sport News. “It must be true – yer man on ‘You’re On Sky Sports’ said so it last night!” And Rodney Marsh agreed with him! Not everyone has access to the Internet — and most who do tend to use the Official Everton website as a necessary port of call for news updates surrounding the Club. Then we have the likes of our good friend, Alan Nixon, who has license to write whatever he likes. This past week alone, he wrote about the possibility of David Thompson coming to us from Blackburn. With his editor requesting an article not longer than 300 words he also included the names of Tottenham’s Simon Davies and Arsenal’s Jermaine Pennant – just for good measure and to cover all angles! Jason Koumas was also mentioned but only as a “surprise capture” (Nixon’s words, not mine!) so we’ll dismiss that one as a filler. He also wrote, a few weeks back, that it was a possibility that Thomas Gravesen, and I quote, “could be pitched into the mouth watering Champions League clash between Manchester United and AC Milan in February... by the Italians.” Wonderful. Is this the same Thomas Gravesen, Mr Nixon, who you said was days away from moving to Glasgow Celtic if a fee could be agreed, last July? Almost as big a beaut of a story as David Moyes and his ‘shock swooping’ for Newcastle’s Kieron Dyer – incidentally exclusively revealed in the Sunday People on the day we travelled to Newcastle! The Sunday before that Newcastle game he wrote about David Moyes swooping for Tottenham’s Robbie Keane – for £7M no less! People read this stuff and take it at face value. It must be true, it was in the paper… Which leads me nicely to those three words on every Evertonian’s lips for months now: Fortress Sports Fund. Where is it, folks? I’d wager a guess that a vast majority of Evertonians out there are convinced this cash injection is already a done deal — sure, hasn’t it been pretty much reported that way ever since we first heard those three little words? “Alternative Funding Secured” screamed the exclusive headline on the Official Everton website, as the clock ticked towards the transfer deadline: David Moyes would indeed have funds available to strengthen his depleted squad. And this was before we sold Wayne Rooney! Furthermore, the Club were eager to stress that this alternative funding was not the Fortress money. Excellent, we must be swimming in money… Of course, the transfer deadline (1 September 2004) came and went with no sign of this alternative funding being spent on players. In the eyes of many, Everton’s financial woes were easing. Just a shame that the transfer window had closed, eh? With the transfer window closed, the silly season could be left behind us and we could concentrate more on the business in hand – on the pitch. Depleted we may well have become, squad-wise, but a minor miracle was happening before our eyes. Fantastic! But proof that the silly season had not quite ended came with the Chairman losing the run of himself in an interview with BBC 5Live’s Jonathan Pierce two days after we found ourselves moving into third place in the League, following a fine 1-0 win away at Portsmouth. I know some find it tiresome but I believe it’s worth refreshing a few memories. Here’s what Bill Kenwright said to Jonathan Pierce back in September:
After the AGM in December 2004 we had the Official Everton website boldly claiming - “Kenwright Confident!” – where the Chairman revealed that “the £12.8 million generated from the deal will not be used to fund any potential January transfers as that money is already in place.” Indeed, the money from the Fortress Sports Fund was going through the laborious stages of the banking system! All fears from shareholders who voiced their concern at the AGM were allayed, we were told by the Official website – again, that’s excellent news. Back to speculating where we’re going to spend the new found wealth! With this Fortress money in place, Mr Kenwright said “It’s something that’s hopefully being sorted and there’s a bit of light coming at the end of the tunnel.” Agreed Bill – however this light at the end of the tunnel? Perhaps it’s the light of an on-coming train?
Which one's Chris Samuelson? Christ, It ain't half hot, Mum! Anyway, enough of my unabashed cynicism. On 22 December 2004, Christopher Samuelson himself came on Sport on Five to assure the highly sceptical presenter that the money was on it's way, and would be in place not by Christmas but by the end of January, following approval of the deal at an EGM of Everton FC Co Ltd. [Listen to the .mp3 audio clip] The following day, we were informed on the Official Everton website that the Chairman could indeed confirm that the deal bringing in the Fortress money was as good as done – “Bill Confirms Deal”. Unfortunately, despite the headline alluding to something not quite yet true (allaying shareholders fears perhaps?) it included that time-honoured word ‘hope’ – which meant something entirely different to the headline above it! Instead of confirming it as a done deal, Bill ‘hoped’ to conclude a deal with the Fortress Sports Fund. Which makes a bit of a mockery of the headline declaring it as fact, does it not? Not quite what it says on the tin… A month on since those bold statements (of fact) from our Club’s Chairman and still we await further news of our missing Fortress Sports Fund investors. Before we even consider its prospects of being ratified at an EGM, we have to see it being presented to the Club! That EGM requires 28 days advance notice, and has still not been called. Come on Bill – where’s this money gone? Did it ever exist? There’s a lot of Evertonians out there waiting for answers and we’ve only got sixteen league games left before the season’s over. What’s another year eh, Bill? In the meantime, another important player exits despite the Official line initially suggesting otherwise, no contact made. I suppose, once that fax finally arrived, the hand that feeds was well and truly bitten? Not what I would have expected from a Big Club with European ambitions and so much investment incoming… Through all this, our Brummie Evertonian, the last caller on the midweek 6-0-6 phone in, just might begin to feel as though someone’s not been telling him the truth about Everton’s potential financial windfall incoming. But it said so on the Official Everton website. And the back of The Echo… Indeed. |
14/01/05
The
clock was
slowly heading
for the top of
the hour and
time for one
or two last
calls on the
midweek 6-0-6
phone in on
BBC 5Live –
the topic was
Thomas
Gravesen and
the caller, an
Evertonian
from
Birmingham. 
BK:
“That was
a close one…”
