What next for Moyes & Everton?

"Investment". You keep saying that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.

In football, it means "pouring money away".

Perhaps, instead of Everton starting to spend money they don't have, the sustainable long term solution is for other clubs to stop spending money they don't have.

I think Everton are doing a magnificent job of not becoming the next Portsmouth. Half the Premier league are going that way, though.

Excellent article Phil and I think you are echoing the worried thoughts of many Evertonians.

Lots of rumours about Everton on the brink of administration - desperately hope it's not true.
Don't understand how Everton can't attract a buyer, when clubs of less stature seemingly turn down offers every other week.
As for Moyes, has been great for Everton but this season is not acceptable. Even with the weaknesses its a travesty Everton have won just 5 games all season

I think both parties have a lot to answer for. First of all it was Moyes decision to keep with the squad that he had at the beginning of this season, notably an abundance of midfielders but not the right sided winger or centre forward we desperately needed. Several of the players have a decent market value that could have provided the funds for the positions we needed.
Secondly Moyes has not bought well when he has had money to spend. For every Jagielka there is a Koldrup, for every Peinnar there was a Davies for every Arteta a Van der Meyde, do you catch my drift? Bilyatedinov has proved a very expensive waste of ten million pounds, ten million pounds that Moyes really wasn't in a position to waste. Again that money spent more wisely would have safely seen us further up the table.
Finally Moyes has constantly spoke about his love of the club and his respect for the fans, yet he has watched his squad reduced by a further five players this window, four of whom strikers (go figure) yet not one player of note has signed for us, surely Moyes has to give the board an ultimatum, back me or sack me. He is far more popular than Kenwright will ever be and as such would see the chairmen resign as Johnson did over Smith. Otherwise we will be lucky to remain in the top flight, if not this season definitely next.

@1 - I'm pretty sure Phil meant what he said. The way I read the article, Everton needs investment to improve the stadium/build a new ground completely, and money to improve the squad, albeit maintaining a sustainable model in the process.

I'm sure Kenwright does have Everton's interests at heart and won't sell it to a sugar daddy who is just going to splurge money and ultimately drive the club into the ground a la Portsmouth.

In addition, I'm a huge Moyes fan and think he's done a terrific job keeping Everton in the Premiership and even overperforming and getting the club into Europe freqeuently. Yes there have been 'bad' seasons, but he's still kept them in the top tier. I think he'll continue to do a terrific job and will be a big loss if, as Phil implies, he gets so irritated he decides to move on.

And I'm an Arsenal fan.

Kenwright always seems to escape criticism in the press - sadly even you are skirting around it, Phil.

Moyes' achievements have been inspite of Kenwright's inability to pump in funds or sell the club. Moyes has allowed Kenwright to keep hold of his plaything far longer than is reasonable for a man with no resources.

He keeps telling us he's looking for a buyer "24/7." This simply cannot be true. We may not be the most attractive prospect in the Premier League, but at the very least, we are one of the top twenty clubs in the most popular league in the world. With our fanbase and history taken into account, we are certainly top ten.

Someone, somewhere *must* have shown reasonable interest over the last ten or twelve years.

Kenwright, somehow, always finds an excuse to keep hold of his beloved club.

Moyes is an excellent manager and one of very few who would be capable of taking Everton into regular european competition if given funds.

Kenwright is obvioiusly a nice bloke and an Evertonian through and through but he could have sold the club by now, and should have. He is holding onto the club for dear life and while his intentions are honourable, it's holding back a great club.

There is also a member of the board who I'm told is incredibly wealthy, maybe he should start putting his hands in his pockets.

Agree wholeheartedly with post 6. Phil, why do you think it is that Kenwright escapes criticicsm in the press?

If Moyes ever gets fed up and leaves then I really fear for Everton FC. I thought it was a bad move when Kenwright became chairman, ok he loves the club, the problem is, he has no money, you can't survive in this league without it. Look how Moores nearly destroyed Liverpool. I would hate to see Everton relegated and I'm an LFC fan.

Absolutely superbly written article.

I've been following Everton for 35 years and that is the best most accurate piece of journalism yet.

Well done Phil, for once someone has had the courage to shed light on the mis-management of this great club.

Many of the local journalists do not dare to criticize Bill Kenwright and his poor management of the club for fear of being cut off from further interviews.

However, this article sums up how the majority of Evertonians feel, no funds, no ambition, no plan B. Bill Kenwright is killing this club and standing in the way of real progress, failure after failure.

Taxi for Kenwright.

Once again, many thanks Phil and keep up the great work.

Frustration seems to be the buzzword around all of Everton, from the players, manager and to the fans. Having finished the season off as pretty much the form team in the league we all expected big things. If Moyes had been found some money in the summer I believe we could have been up with the top six. Squads need freshening up every summer even if it's just one or two additional faces. But these faces have to be first team players. Look at the impact of Hernandez at Utd, Van der Vaart, Gyan. I think this Everton squad is stale - you could see what staleness has done at Chelsea this season. Unfortunately, we don't have the investors willing to pump the money in. That is what is frustrating, at least one shareholder has the money to pump in to the club but is unwilling to do so until we have a new stadium - but if we can't fill our existing one up - what is the point of getting a 50,000 seater if there is going to be 15000 empty seats? Or even half empty for an FA Cup match against the league champions? Sadly Bill's time has come to an end - if he can't persuade his friends to part with their money what chance does he have with investors he doesn't know?

Personally I think David Moyes will leave Everton in the summer. The situation regarding finances won't change and Bill Kenwright will continue his search for investment 24/7 and tell all us supporters to keep on watching this space.
Does Pat Nevin really want to see David Moyes at Chelsea one day?? As good as a job he has done at Everton over the years he also has some fundemental flaws. Tactically David Moyes is inept, his substitutions are poor or either very late and the need to keep on playing players out of position. He may be considered as the next Celtic or Aston Villa manager but I certainly don't think he will be a success at a top four club in the premier league if ofcourse he's given the opportunity.

It might be better for Everton to pour investment into the youth academy and not in expensive summer imports. Liverpool found Gerrard and Carragher and Everton found Rooney, so clearly, the talent is in the streets and just needs tapping into.

I tend to agree with all that's been said in your blog and most of the comments, particularly the bit about everton being sustained by the fact they have an excellent manager. I am at a loss as to why Spurs made the bid they did for Neville. If 'Arry wanted cover for Benoit AE, then fair enough - why not bid for one properly? He's been telling the world and his wife that Spurs bid £35 million for Villareal's Rossi - it's not a cash issue.
The likely progression - I feel - is Moyes to Spurs. Wenger and Ferguson will likely be replaced by big name foreigners (a long time off probably); he won't go to Liverpool; Ancelotti has shown he's a 'stayer' at Chelsea and Man City will never offer it to him. Spurs - on the other hand - have shown faith in 'normal' British Prem managers and, with 'Arry off to England, there is likely to be a vacancy sooner than any of the other 'big' clubs.
I, for one Spurs fan, would not be unhappy with the prospect.

Clubs need to start cutting the cloth accordingly, the current spending by clubs on transfer fees and wages is unsustainable. As an everton fan i believe we need a period of consolodation we simply cannot afford the current wages and the blame is solely at the players feet not DM or BK. The current crop are greedy and dont care for the club as can be seen by some of the performances especially against lower quality opposition.

As an older fan, when i think Everton i always think Everton of Ball Harvey and Kendall and Co even today.

The Club is indeed in a sad plight compared to those days when they were arguably one of the best footballing teams the Country had seen. It never lasted though.

Moyes for me is an uninspiring dour man, albeit one thats done OK there. Hes prone to looking so dejected all of the time. In the absence of cash perhaps Everton need some dynamism at the helm and a man with the imagination and foresight to go with young players and with a different approach to his dour tactical approach. Contray to what is said about him, hes not a top Club type boss in my view. If Everton had a massive cash injection im not convinced i would want him advising the Chairman as to who to buy.

Phil in this article you have covered all the frustrations that most Evertonians are going through at present. I have been watching Everton since 1957, so I have lived through the Mersey Millionaires period and all the success we had in that period. I dont see how we can attract new investment, we need a new ground so roughly £250 million for that £50 million over a 3 year period to improve squad, and about £100 million to clear the debt and buy the shares. So an investment of £400 million needed, with very little chance of getting any of that investment back.

So we are in a very precarious position, if we cant provide Davie Moyes with investment then he will probably leave, if he leaves then relegation and dwindling crowds will loom large for a once great football club

You have to feel for Moyes. For years now, he has an Everton team playing good football, having been even in the Champions League once, with leftovers when it comes to investment.

Whenever I read of Everton fans expressing their dissatisfaction with the club's results, I'm always left puzzled.

Thanks for the article Phil, most Evertonians let Bill's failures go because he is a blue.
People always say as well "who has wanted to take over at Everton then?"
Well erm, as you highlighted above, three mystery investors just last year apparently, they are nice ones though, they don't go to the press like pretty much every other single company do though, even if just for PR but they are the strong, silent type, so we just have to take Bill's word for it he has spoken to people.
My advice is to take the Pienaar, Yak, Vaughan cash and actually give that to people who will actually search 24/7, Martin Broughton did alright didn't he?

Hi Phil great article I have a couple of questions for you maybe you should interview Bill Kenwright and ask him the questions we want to know, Why did he not answer a shareholders question about how much Everton are up for sale for, why is the rumours of players being sold or loaned out to pay for wages, will he ever step aside for somebody to take over like Lord Granchesters family. and will David Moyes get the money from The Bellfield sale,Pienaar sale and potenially Yobo and Yakubu. And also did you see David Moyes interview before the Arsenal game his mood said it all something isn't right at Everton at the moment maybe he will walk at the end of the season

Well this article pretty much sums up everything wrong with modern football, moaning about a lack of spending. I heard several Chelsea fans state they were happy with the Torres and Luiz deals becuase it meant the club was finally spending some money again, but Chelsea bought Ramires in the summer for just under £20m. If anything goes wrong at a club people automatically suggest fixing it by throwing millions of pounds at the problem.

Moyes is right his job is to get the best out of what he is given, he gets more than some and less than some but he is doing a great job. The problem with football isn't the money, it is what the money is doing to the fans and attitude of everyone in the game. Fans want big names, big signings, and spending more and more is the only option otherwise the 'chairman isn't committed' they expect everychairman to be like Abramovich and pour money into a club with no return. Every team will eventually be owned by some billionaire and what then? someone still has to get relegated and only one team can finish top. If the FA want a better national team they need to address the attitude we have in this country, no youngster is given much of a chance, becuase fans demand big signings normally from abroad and you can't calm that demand at the moment by saying we have good youth players.

Good artilcle Phil

I really do not know how any clubs in the EPL suffer from a lack of funds when you consider the amount of money that is pumped into them via Sky. Stoke seem to be able so spend when a chance arises. So do Sunderland and Villa who all have had no sucess compared to Everton.

It is obvious that the Everton chairman is lining is pockets, and for the first time this sheds light on the problems which engulf Goodison Park.

For to long the chairman has got away with no investment as he able to rely on an overachieving manager who has continually deflected wrong doings in the boardroom, with good doings on the pitch.

As a fan of the Celtic, to hear the Everton chairman complain about a lack of money is just a load of waffle. He only invests what he sells, crowds and sponsors pay for wages and he must be keeping the Sky money.

Lack of money, why not drive north bound on the M6 and enter our country which is dying on its knees. This is where no money is!

Where else is it going?

Fair comment?

@20

Its not about giving Moyes millions and millions to spend, the problem we have under Kenwright is now because he has loaned and loaned apparently people now may want that cash repaid, so we now see players leave the club and not be replaced.

If Everton were debt free and just had to live on what we earned I think most fans and even David Moyes would be happy with that, but we do admittedly need a new stadium going forward.

Honestly, if when you have the funds, you buy players like Yakubu and Bilyaletdinov, how much sympathy do you deserve? Expensive flops can kill smaller clubs, even ones with a good chairman (Boro fan, thinking Alves...) and for all the talk of Everton being a big club, that's refected by what? Their current squad is top ten, yes; their history is unquestionable and they have a decent fanbase. But what makes a 'big club' these days is either a sustained run of good form (years, not months)and very good movements in the transfer market (Arsenal) or wealthy owners (Chelsea, Man City). Everton are not really a big club, thats just a perception, and so Moyes has been lucky to keep a solid team amongst some bad flops and limited investment.

To be honest I'm surprised Moyes is stilla t Everton. The only way for him to be sucesful there is for the club to buy some top names & it's obvious that isn't going to happen. I really feel he'll walk at the end of this season & seek a new challenge.

Great result for the Arsenal!

Despite the new interpretation of " off side " by the linesperson even
Massy would have called that one right.

I wont comment on evertons spend or not to spend policy afterall thats
up to the club and its followers but according to the deals described
they seem to have been done in accordance of living within ones means
sales and then purchases etc.

I wish Everton all the best, and their FA Cup replay is a good opportunity for their players to show what they are really made of and
do the Pemiership and FA Cup a huge favour by sending out the message you dont have to spend in order to be successful.

20. At 09:52am on 02 Feb 2011, Czechmate wrote:
Well this article pretty much sums up everything wrong with modern football, moaning about a lack of spending. I heard several Chelsea fans state they were happy with the Torres and Luiz deals becuase it meant the club was finally spending some money again, but Chelsea bought Ramires in the summer for just under £20m. If anything goes wrong at a club people automatically suggest fixing it by throwing millions of pounds at the problem.


TOP MARKS mate!!

Phil so This is All you have to say about Arsenal overcoming contraversy and beat a team that only Arsenal beat twice among the title contenders and a team that hadn't lost a game All season when scoring first?

No talk of the injustice of the everton goal?
No praise for Arsenal whatsoever?

We knew you hate Arsenal but at least try to hide it. You work for the BBC. Shame

Moyes needs to do a McClaren and go abroad. It's a catch 22 for British managers - they can't get the top jobs in England without proving they can win big trophies and they can't win big trophies because the top clubs win them all the time. Mourinho got the Chelsea job based on his success in Portugal - a much more open league; Ferguson got the United based on his success in Scotland - a more open league (then); Wenger got the Arsenal job based on his success in France and Japan - much more open leagues. As worthy as it is, simply surviving in the Premier League with a medium-sized club is not going to advance his career and without a suger-daddy to pour money in that's all Everton will ever be.

Everton will soon want to open contract talks with giant Belgian forward Fellaini, who has blossomed from uncertain beginnings into an outstanding midfield player.

===============================

Just a pedantic point, but Fellaini is not, and never has been a forward other than very occasionally through necessity dictated by injury.

He was bought as a midfielder, plays in midfield and can't really be describing him as a forward is not accurate in any way.

Oh, and his contract negotiations have been going on a while, and are going OK.

Thanks.

"He only invests what he sells, crowds and sponsors pay for wages and he must be keeping the Sky money".

Wrong. The Sky money about covers wages. The shirt sponsorship money is a drop in the ocean, we're miles behind the top clubs in that respect. There are then all the other costs involved in running a football club.

Kenwright just won't put his hand in his pocket. He's not creaming off funds from Everton.

Bill Kenwright is only good at one thing:

Asset Stripping this great club.

To Phil McNulty;


Can anyone explain to me something?

This article on David Moyes complaining about he hasnt been able to strengthen his squad is quite small relative to whats happened at newcastle. I am a toon fan and after loosing our best player albeit for an inflated price that he probably wasnt worth, fact is besides for bringing in stphen ireland which is a gamble coz just that his city years happened to be a sucess his villa days were definetly not and even at his best he dosnt reach carroll. We are significantly weaker after the transfer window and we dont even have anyone to replace coz ASHLEY will pocket the money even though he says he will put it back into the club, come summer and all at toon will have forgotten the £35m+. So instead of writing an article about David Moyes maybye spare a thought for Alan Pardew (unless you are holding of the theory that he is just a puppit of ASHLEY) and all the toon fans and write an article about "black monday" the last day of the transfer window on Jan 2011 which had done no good to fans or the player.

Phil, as Chief Football Writer, can I ask you to have a quiet word with whoever wrote the following "Moyes was left to rue three dropped points" in the match report?

There was little in the game to suggest those were "Everton's points", aside from the falsely allowed goal that itself doesn't justify the statement.

So... the inference is that Everton were expected to win before the game began?

Really?

What's the point in Everton having a bigger stadium if they can't fill the current one?

And why did they sell Peinaar for a paltry £2.5m? Only themselves to blame for having no money if that's the way they do business.

27. At 10:12am on 02 Feb 2011, ArsenalArseneArshavin wrote:

-------------

It does look that way I agree.

I was going to mention it was refreshing to see man u gaining three valid
points for a change without the aid of controversy however I am minded and need to take into account the benifits they could have recieved as a result of the diabolical decision in awarding evertons goal.

had it not been for grit and great determination by Arsenal man u's gap at the top would have been a lot wider. thankfully it remains the same so i am somewhat relieved.

Liverpoll and Everton supporters have to take some reponsibility here. Over the years there has been much talk about a new stadium being built to be shared by both clubs. Both set of supporters were/are against such a scheme and are now paying the price. Had a new stadium been built when the idea was first muted about 10 years ago, the issue, well wouldn't be an issue. I'm sure that many Everton fans at the Emerates last night were thinking to themselves "if only". At some point the clubs need to get round the table and say enough's enough. Build a new stadium that can accomadate both clubs and make the City proud. Won't happen thou...This is Liverpool and they wouldn't give up Anfield (Highbury) for something better.

I'm a Liverpool fan and a close friend of mine is an Everton fan. "Investment". This subject over a drink or ten crops up every now and again.

It's all well and good having a rich benefactor, but these clubs have to be sustainable in the not too distant future..... this "may" depend on whether or not UEFA is just making those clubs with the fan bases and revenue streams richer and those without poorer.... so status quo as it were....

OR.... and I hope this is what will happen... It will level the playing field a little and we could end up with season's like the 70s and 80s where the so called "unfancied" teams can do well in the league like they used to (Derby, Forest, Ipswich, QPR, Watford and Southampton)...

... sorry I was meant to add at the end, that if it is the latter, Everton would benefit from being a sustainable club in the future.

And why did they sell Peinaar for a paltry £2.5m?


because he has 6 months left on his contract and would have walked in the summer for free- so actually, it was a good bit of business.

Some of the comments on here are totally missing the point. we arent greedy and dont want owners who allow us to splash out millions at the drop of a hat... that will eventually end in collapse. What we want is the ability to spend some money in each window- to build a team- to strengthen- to grow. We have absolutely nothing to spend and thats what is frustrating.

Bill needs to actually find an investor and step aside. We all know he is blue and loves the club. But the club is sliding towards the Championship with no future investment.

We just dont believe he is trying to find it.

Imagine you were working for a company. And they made all these promises that the company was going places, and that they were going to invest in all the best staff, facilities, a great salary package etc. You'd jump at the job, right? What would you then think, 9 years later, when it turns out that those promises were just hot air, and despite working your nuts off for the company you were still just treading water, going nowhere, while your peers were living it up at other companies with more money than sense. I don't know about you, but if that was my job I would have quit a long time ago and moved to a company who were actually going somewhere. How we have managed to persuade a manager of Moyes's ability to stay for so long is beyond me.

Hi Phil, appreciate your not Robert Peston but is Kenwright's problem simply that he is unrealistic as to the value of the club? Hence not being able to sell?

The problem as well with Moyes is, because he rarely has that kind of money to spend on a Bilyaletdinov anything other than a raging success if going to be judged badly, managers make mistakes on big signings, every one has, Wenger, Ferguson, Redknapp.

The point is Moyes has only spent over 10 million twice I believe so you judge those more, Yak was a success up until his injury and as usual his reluctance to run for his current employers past two years.

If Moyes were able to constantly spend more than that, at Spurs for example he would in my opinion be a massive success, because he brings the right players in for the club attitude wise, rather than just doing what Redknapp seemingly does which is akin to collecting Pokemon figures, but so far it is working for him.

Everton is a club with a big fanbase, one of the leagues original big clubs so it is baffling when other clubs with the same rundown stadiums, smaller fanbase, less history and tradition are being bought, sometimes bought twice even.

Kenwright has been very quiet recently, he usually hides fro the press when we are on a bad run.

It's the start of bad times for Everton. *casts web

It appears there are Board Members with plenty of loose change, you have to question why they are not investing into the club?

All Evertonians would like to see a few new faces coming in, but in reality we all know it will be in expense of either Rodwell or Fellaini leaving in the Summer unless something changes. Rumours of not being able to afford loan signings is a worry sign.....

Good article by Mcnulty......stating all the obvious things though that most blues already know, little bit of stirring in there too, all the the things you expect from this future Sun or NOTW journo,just like bascome hey.

Good article.
The problem we have is Kenwright has no real interest in selling the club. Take Liverpool as the example they paid a company £2million to find a buyer. I'd rather we use the money we got in the transfer window for Pienaar to pay a business to do this. We wont because he doesn't want to sell.

There are people out there who will invest in football, Blackburn found someone.

How can the manager do his job without the backing of the board? Not being able to afford players on loan is out of order.
Times up bill, a few more bad results and you will be forced out.

Ask yourselves why no one has "officially" come in with an offer of investment- and then think of how much that figure would have to be to get Everton up there even to where Sunderland are at the moment

Thats a big enough ask and then factor in that Liverpool are half a mile away and the perception out there beyond the blues fans base is that Liverpool are the bigger club in the city - you know its true even if its very painful to accept- big investors ( other than the likes of Man city owners) generally expect to be no 1 in town


Everton spent a lot 18 months agoon players like Billy and then gave Arteta a long deal and last month new deals to Anichebe and Coleman - lads who cost little or nothing - some you win!!!
So For time being Everton do have to potter along and wait for a buyer - i heard David saying last night that the blues are a club who look to bring the youngters through and thats admirable - we're going to need them

as for David going in the summer - not a chance - still a couple of years to go on his deal , he wont walk and no one will come in either - they would have done it a long time ago

Good article Phil

It sounds simplistic but one thing that has been baffling me is Everton's financial state. Can anyone provide a basic revenue/expenditure profile over the last couple of years? To me, expenditure is obviously exceeding revenue. As this is not in the transfer market, we must be leaking costs elsewhere. This could be players wages however most other clubs seem to be outspending us?

Answers please?

I understand people's frustrations with Bill Kenwright but I was pretty close to him in the Main Stand after the Derby win. Like me, he stood alone for a few minutes after the griound had cleared and savoured the moment. For all his perceived faults the man is an Evertonian like us and you'll find that hard to get from an American or Middle East owner. Just look at the new owner across the park and his knee jerk signing of Carroll to appease the fans. Better the devil you know?

Moyes and Everton are in a difficult position. He is a top manager and the club are lucky to still have him. The club will probably have to sell again in the summer, and the big money will be for Rodwell. I think they are lucky none of the big boys came calling on Monday or the lad may have gone cheaply. I understand this will prompt arguments that the club will continue to fail if they sell their best players, but the reverse is also true, in that Rodwell will not improve into the player he can be while he stays with a struggling side. A move would be beneficial for the player, the club and the purchaser. Spending the money wisely is what will count and Moyes seems to have a fairly good track record - if he stays.

Moyes is worth more than Everton. But he's no Arsene Wenger. Top 4 for that many years? On that budget? That's worth an article Phil

A very good article Phil. As with other posters however, I challenge Kenwrights will to let go of the Club 'he loves'. I have heard him say he is seeking investment, I have heard him say we are taking this Club forward, I have heard him say, he has taken the Club as far as he can. I have not heard him say he is willing to sell or give up his own involvement in what most of us believe is his personal Toy.

So annoying and frustrating that people continue to point the finger at Kenwright for lack of funds. Fair enough, he hasnt been able to transform Everton a la Roman Abramovich / Sheik Mansour but he has always ploughed money when possible. The money from the sales of Rooney and Lescott were allowed to be pumped back into the club and we've broke our transfer record a number of times in the last 3 / 4 years (Beattie, Johnson, Yak, Fellaini).
Whats the point in saying 'sell up' to Kenwright if theres nobody who wants to buy? If there is somebody who wants to buy and Kenwright is supposedly preventing them, why dont they go to the media and let the fans know and 'smoke him out'?
Nonesense. Everton are a fine club but thanks to all the Keep Everton In Our City lot, we have an decaying stadium and no European football to offer.
EFC fans with blinkers on have stifled progress because they didnt want to have to travel to Kirkby

As a fan of the Mighty Reds at Anfield I feel sad to see Everton become what it is. I remember seeing Gary Lineker and Ian Rush smashing goals in in the FA Cup final when we won the double and it was such a great occasion. I miss those games, great derby days, and what a cup final it was.

I am sure most LFC fans too want to see Goodison brimming with talent, fans and epic games again. Good luck guys. I hope you keep Moyes - a truly great manager - and dump Kenwright, though I suspect it will be the other way round.

Good point 42

....but is Kenwright's problem simply that he is unrealistic as to the value of the club? Hence not being able to sell?

as the saying goes...everything will sell at the right price.

Not an Everton fan but i use to live in the city and know a lot of them and they do seem to be worried about what's going on. The problem Everton have is they can't get a new stadium.

There is only room for one new stadium within the city, and when it comes down to it, on a match day a lot more Liverpool fans travel from outside the city (eg Dublin, down south, etc) as oppose to Everton (match day) fans who generally come from the city (not having a dig at Liverpool, they just have a bigger fan base outside the city).

taking this into account who do you think the local council would rather have a new stadium, Liverpool who's fans bring a lot more money into the city by way people using hotels, bars, public transport etc, or Everton fans who don't and then go home on the people's buses (which are free).

without a new stadium Everton can't compete with other big EPL teams, and therefore it is hard for them to find buyers willing to put money into them. Maybe the only way out is a ground share with liverpool, but i can't see that happening.

Must say I think Moyes has worked wonders at Everton. Other clubs have spent (wasted) huge sums in that time just trying to get to or stay in the Premier League and whilst Moyes has had some scary moments he's also given Everton fans some great memories. Believe me as a Birmingham fan I wish we had had the kind of stability over the last few years that Moyes has given to Everton. Its easy to deride Kenwright but he's a genuine Evertonian in my view and I suspect he's had plenty of opportunity to offload the club to some Tom, Dick or harry but cares enough to want them to thrive longterm - in that respect he deserves credit and to say he's ripping off the club is, in my view, ludicrous.

Blue70 - In theory the opportunity to step down and hand over to someone who could and probably would use some of their not inconsiderable wealth is already there. Quite why the Granchester family do not wish to take over the helm or Kenwright does not hand over to them is a mystery.

Surely at some point the owner should start looking at the overall financial picture at the club, and not continue to (apparantly!) search for investment. Taking just yesterdays game as an example, the entire Arsenal starting 11 cost less than 40m GBP apparantly.
If Wenger can do it at Arsenal, and clubs like Cardiff and Southampton seem to regularly make a profit from their youth academy, when are Everton going to start turning out more youth players like Rodwell? Even a half decent English player can be sold for around 2m, so they don't all need to be of Rodwell's calibre.

Very good article.

Under Moyes Everton had a great period from 2004 to 2010, finishing in the top 6 four times, getting to an FA Cup final, champions league qualifier, Uefa/Europa league and despite what the media portrayed playing some great football.

The final season in that run we finished 8th mainly due to an awful start put down to the impact of the Lescott saga, however a run of 2 defeats in 24 left everyone optimistic for this season.

However the optimism has soon turned to frustration, the reality is that there has been minimal investment over the last 5 years with a sell to buy policy which has got worse during this window, the squad hasn't moved on and become slightly stale and showing major gaps up front where the lack of any money has been the most acute, whereas, for example, Sunderland went out and bought Bent, Gyan etc. over the past few years we got a league one player on a free.

Perversely we have played better against the top 6 sides this season, our away record isn't too bad but where we have struggled is at home against sides we have beaten previously

- Newcastle
- Bolton
- West Brom
- Wigan
- Wolves
- West Ham

Brought 4 points whereas we would have looked the start of the season at approx 12-14 I think

Excellent article and the truth from start to finish. Everton have become a ticking time bomb and Bill really needs to think about the next step before he loses top flight football for us. Phil I hope this is the start of a wider campaign for the removal of Bill kenwright. Very few Evertonians believe in the act of protesting in front of the team but very few are now left supporting Bill.

Nothing but the best is good enough bill just in case you didn't understand latin!!!!!!!!!!!!

Good manager. Needs to get out of Everton.

35. HAHA CharadeYouAre wrote:
"I was going to mention it was refreshing to see man u gaining three valid points for a change without the aid of controversy however. I am minded and need to take into account the benifits they could have recieved as a result of the diabolical decision in awarding evertons goal."

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Haha, you make me laugh.

Perhaps you didn't notice that United had a 'stonewall' penalty turned down last night when the score was 1-0, almost identical to the Blackpool non-penalty last week that you got your knickers in a twist about. You might have missed it since it wasn't the headline grabber because United won the match.

Or more likely you just conveniently ignore all of those decision that go against United in aid to make yourself feel better. It's a bit pathetic when you think about it...

Fellaini or rodwell will be sold. Fellaini must be worth £35m, Cannot beleive Utd or chelsea have not moved for him.

Its the beginning of the end for Moyes and Everton

Moyes is a manager who can motivate a team when the chips are down. He is master of being the underdog, and this season (after being tipped as title challengers by Sir Alex Ferguson) he has failed at kicking on with Everton being recognised as a top side.

There is a scent of stagnation at Goodison, despite the wonderful achievements of Moyes.

He has a galling loyalty to players who are simply not good enough. Hibbert and Osman so badly failed in our chance to shine at the FA Cup final, after this, when we had the chance to build, they should have been sold or at least cast as back up members of the squad.

The arrival of Distin has coincided with a terrible record of keeping clean sheets - this is simply something we cannot do consistently at the moment. Disitn plays at the expense of a potentially excellent centre back partenership of England centre back Jagielka and World Cup finalist Heitinga.

Yobo is out on loan, who I also rate as superior to Distin.

Moyes will not pick his strongest side, and when Yakubu looked to have kicked on with an excellent Goodison Derby display, he was not given the run of games he deserved.

All football fans can see that Vaughan has double the amount of ability, desire and class that Anichebe has. Yet it is the former who finds himself out on loan. Injury records of the two over the last eyar are comparable.

It is almost as if Moyes has to be forced into picking his best side. leighton Baines was on the verge of being sold at a loss because he could not oust Lescott from the Centre Back Spot. Jagielka began life with us as a holding midfielder and then right back. The...injuries occur and all of a sudden Lescott moves to Centre back along side Jagielka to form an amazing partenership in 2009, with Baines becoming one of our most influential players.

Fellaini was bought as a holding midfielder and it took until midway through last season for him to be playing there and his form to pick up.

Beckford began our season as the lone striker - this was a seruiously inept tactic from Moyes. Arteta simply is not performing in the middle and needs to rediscover his creativity by playing on the wing as he did 2005-2008.

Moyes also likes to make his substitutions in the last 5 mins.

I actually think there are elements of Everton’s approach that can be commended – and as I’m assuming this is governed by Moyes he must be too.

Take the expensive signings mentioned (Fellaini, Bilyaletdinov and Yakubu) out of the equation and look at their typical approach – taking a chance on ‘lower league’ players such as Cahill (£2m!!), Jagielka, etc and turning them into top-level players whilst blooding their own youth, many of whom have also flourished (Rodwell).

I think they should use the Pienaar money (and perhaps controversially cash in on Rodwell or another established player) and trust Moyes to unearth a few more gems from the Championship and rebuild the side from there, adding the next crop of youngsters.

It’s only the fact that so many clubs are throwing good money after bad, but it may not be long til that bubble bursts and those with a more measured approach, like the two teams last night, are sitting pretty.

As a fan of a club in a similar position, albeit lower down the ladder, I can only cross my fingers.

"And the need for a new ground to replace the wonderfully atmospheric but ageing Goodison Park is also cited as a major handicap to attracting new money."

Although it would make commercial sense, it would be very sad if Everton left Goodison Park. It's one of the few great old-fashioned football stadiums still remaining.

View 1: Clubs should only spend what they take in from TV, player sales (+ or -),marketing and gate receipts. Great in a perfect world.
Problem: Income can easily be driven up by inter company revenue (ie investment!) and bending of the rules.

View 1: Why stop anyone pumping money in, even if it never comes back, if they want to? Can't really see a valid reason to stop this income coming into the industry.

Chelsea has just proved that if you enforce view 1 they will get round it one way or another!

So what is the solution to get the clubs with super rich backers to play fair. Frankly I have no idea!

Kings Dock; Fortress Sports Fund; Destination Kirkby; 24/7; Sale of every off field asset; Trevor Birch; Keith Wyness; Banning of AGM’s; Goodison Park and Finch Farm mortgaged off; Increased debt; Philip Green; Robert Earl; 16 outstanding loans; 2010 accounts still not signed off (only 26 days to go for the Companies House submission deadline, and I’m absolutely terrified at what will be in them).

Why did the club take out a loan/mortgage agreement in December with Barclays? How much was it for, and what is it for? We haven’t heard a dickybird about it, why is that?

Kenwright has completely and utterly destroyed Everton Football Club, and it’s about time the journalists of this country started getting into Kenwright and make him answer some very awkward questions, and exposed his total miss-management of the club. I hope this is the start of that Phil, otherwise the end of Everton could be nigh.

There is every chance Fellaini and Rodwell will be sold in the summer and Moyes wont see half of what we receive, that’s if he hasn’t walked by then.

We are in desperate need of Kenwright to come out and tell us what is going on. I have never known so many fellow blues being so scared and so depressed about our future, even under the Johnson years.

When things are going well, ‘Blue Bill’ is everywhere, you can’t shut him up. Yet when things are going bad, and Evertonians need answers, explanations, he disappears off the face of the Earth.

I'm 44 and remember when football used to be about football. I look at "fans" of Everton slagging off good people like Moyes and Kenwright and realise the the old saying of money "corrupting absolutely" is correct. All the money the premiership has washing around has "attracted" the most horrible sort of people (fans, players etc) that I'm coming to the conclusion that I don't want anything to do with it.

Chase out Moyes and Kenwright and I guarantee their replacements will leave you dreaming of the "good old days" of February 2011...

I think Moyes has done a fantastic job, but has hit a glass ceiling at Everton in a similar way to O'Neill at Villa. With the dominance of Man Utd, Arsenal and Chelsea at home and in Europe, as well as the bottomless resources at Man City, there is very little hope of a club like Everton or my Villa breaking through that. The only way forward I can see is through youth development, and hopefully growing your own Rooney or Messi to try and get you up the league. Having said that, it would only be a matter of time before the big guns snap them up anyway. I can't see the PL ever being truly competitive again unless there is a major financial collapse of the top clubs.

It could spell real trouble for the toffees if Moyes leaves. No money, and a very limited pool of managers to choose from. I'm sure Big Sam would be keen!

https://www.inofftheghost.com

Everton are in desperate need of some much needed investment. Even teams like Blackpool who just got promoted strengthened considerably in this window. I can seriously envisage Moyes walking at the end of the year if he has to sell and not buy as has been the case recently for Everton.

It'd be a sad day to see such a historic club go down and I'm an LFC fan to boot. If there is no investment next year and Moyes walks, relegation is not an impossibility next year.

Bottom line is, Everton are probably living within their means, and that's fair enough. They appear to cut their cloth appropriately and for that should be lauded.

Moyes is a good manager, and does well with what he has, however, I wouldn't say that in his nine years there he has produced anything that good. Everton are a team that have no clear style and seem to promote a fire fighting, obdurate image which doesn't make them particularly easy on the eye.

Other teams seem to try to play football, West Brom for example, or other teams have more success taking the Everton approach, Stoke for example.

In terms of the squad and playing staff etc etc, why lend players out then moan you have a thin squad? Vaughan was meant to be the next best thing, and now he's at Crystal Palace isn't he?

If Moyes wants something different to what he currently has, then a move is the way to do it. Perhaps he should simply look for another job, or is he simply hanging on for one that suits him and then au revoir Everton?

Either way, the hard luck story that seems to be associated with Everton and Moyes is wearing a bit thin and none of us outsiders can change what's happening there so let's just leave it to them.

re 27...
It's not a match report...it's a piece about David Moyes and Everton. Silly Person

Can somebody please enlighten me here:-

In any market sector there is the market leader who makes some money, the number 2 and three who make less and the rest who scrape around. Football is no different. Man Utd are a virtual monopoly in the UK who are only threatened by by teams with huge resources such as Chelsea and now Man City.
Teams like Everton have to live within their means and likely as not will win nothing despite having a very good manager. This is the reality for all teams outside the top 2 of Man Utd and Chelsea...Man City may soon join this three and Arsenal...well we'll see.
Will it change...no. I do think however that Moyes and Everton deserve more praise and Man Utd deserves less because Man Utd are good but are playing with hevily loaded dice.
(Heavily loaded dice: Cash gives a big squad, Winning gives stability, stability gives winning...Players like Giggs, Scholes would have left Everton by now and Rooney already has)

I am an Everton fan living and working in Middle East. I saw my first game at Goodison in 1966 and remember the Golden years of the late 60s and mid 80s. I understand the fans frustration with the results this season and lack of signings - but let us be realistic. We do not want to become a Portsmouth nor follow the example of the red shower over the road.

I think that Moyes tactically is too defensive at times - especially at home, and that the squad of players we have should be good enough to achieve a top 10 finish.

We need a bit of luck and give me Kenwright to Ashley any day.

Keep the faith!

Definition of invest "to put money to use, by purchase or expenditure, in something offering potential profitable returns, as interest, income, or appreciation in value"

The very first comment was absolutely spot on. Since then there are many comments who have said Everton are looking for an "investor". They are not. They are looking for someone to donate money. That's not "investment".

Unfortunately, Chelsea and Man City have found someone like that and it's created a situation where well run clubs can't compete. I don't know what you can do about it but it's wrong.

If you're still not convinced by the definition of "investment, here's a thought. If all the Everton fans sold their houses and gave half the proceeds to Everton, they could afford a couple of players. Come on, what's wrong with you? "Invest" in your club!

The Everton situation at present reminds me of Villa in the days of "Deadly" Doug Ellsi, with the one exception being managerial stability.

In those days, Ellis was happy to stay out if the red, and in the black. A mid-table finish with the odd cup run or dalliance with European football was seen as success. But then, Villa have never really had a sustained period of seeing their neighbours doing very well (look at Liverpool's success during Moyes' reign)....so Everton fans want more.

It will be interesting to see it all unfold....if you look at the swuad he has built, it's largely players from bigger clubs that want football (Howard and Neville) along with players he has snapped up and developed well (Baines, Jagielka, Fellaini, Coleman & Arteta are all better players than when they arrived).

The real shame is that when they;ve had a windfalln (Rooney and Lescott) they've not managed to use it to kick on, only to consolidate.

Seeing Liverpool active in January must be galling...

Everton are going through a bad period of form...they are a very good team.
According to the Times Fink Tank they are the 4th best team overall in the Premier League. https://www.dectech.org/football/rankings.php

Phil, a good article and I hope Everton can find outside investment, as they have in my books always been a very competitive team.

But I bet you changed your article headline sharpish, once Arsenal got our two goals to win the game. Shame really as I was looking forward to you writing how Arsenal are still young and naive, pretty football with no end product, no way near title contenders.... :)

Marouane Fellaini is certainly not an outstanding midfield player!

Marouane Fellaini is certainly not an outstanding midfield player!


you obvioulsy havent been watching him all season then.

fantastic article phil. great read.

bill kenwright needs to start making things happen.

thanks again,

-mike

I heard a terrible rumour that the players did not get paid in December, Phil you are well positioned, is this true and are darker times just around the corner?

What I don't understand is: Everton were one of the first clubs to tighten their belts and this was around 1999. We spent hardly any money between 1999 - 2005 until the transfer of James Beattie. Yet in that time we had sold Michael Ball (6m) Francis Jeffers (10.5m) Wayne Rooney (27m) Nick Barmby (6m) and many others. We bought small in that time, average of 3m transfers i'd say.

We sold Beattie at a loss of Just 2m, Made huge profit on Lescott, and made profits on both Andy Johnson and James McFadden.

We could sell Fellaini, Jagielka, Heitinga, Rodwell, Cahill, Arteta, Baines, Coleman, Beckford etc all at Profits - these are our assets, why would a buyer not see this squad and team as a surefire investment opportunity. Is there something we do not know?

We have had consistent crowds of 30,000+ each year for 11 seasons. We have had Premiership Prize Money, Sponsorship Money, Shirt Sponsorship etc in that time.

I cannot understand how we can still be in such a complete mess.

#77 grimois

Seeing Liverpool active in January must be galling...
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Why?

For a start, you've said yourself, the money received for Rooney and Lescott has not been used to kick on. i.e. not spent very well?

Also, all this Everton have to sell to buy business. So do most clubs (though not all, obviously) don't they?

Why should Liverpool's activity be galling? Liverpool received around £61m for Torres and Babel and spent £58m on Carroll and Suarez. You think Liverpool would have spent that amount if they didn't know the receipts were coming? The Torres deal appears to have been something of a fete a complis so, Liverpool were selling to buy.

Actually Phil, I think most Evertonians would understand us having sell in order to buy (to a certain degree).... I think we are worried that if we do sell, Moyes won't be given all the money to re-invest in the team.

There are 16 players at the club with first team experience. That's scandalously low. It's not about buying big or throwing money at the problem, it's about having enough people to field a team and fill a bench with at least recognised squad players.

Part of me is glad we haven't gone down the route of hawking ourselves to the highest bidder, tarting ourselves and showing a bit of footballing thigh purely so we can rub shoulders with the likes of, I dunno, Blackburn.

Most of me thinks we need at least 20 decent players. We've got a half decent first eleven, and we're so far off plugging those gaps that even a rubbish - let's not beat around the bush - Liverpool side that we've taken four points off this season is still five points clear of us. And they're not even a benchmark of success any more.

"Perhaps you didn't notice that United had a 'stonewall' penalty turned down last night when the score was 1-0, almost identical to the Blackpool non-penalty last week that you got your knickers in a twist about."

Tell you what, let's give both penalties then, change the results to 3-3 at Blackpool and 4-1 last night.

Everyone's happy then! Except United, who'd be down 2 points...

Mr Moyes......i don't see you taking a pay cut to help the club get some more money in the bank. Loving the comments on Fabregas, course Arteta doesn't moan and argue with refs at all, and go down like he has been shot. Nah course he doesn't Moyes. Perhaps if you smile for once things will get better instead of moaning about every single thing.

If David Moyes left Everton Tomorrow , i would shake his hand and thank him for staying so long and doing a fantastic job at Everton. In My opinion he is the best manager in the premiership, and given a fraction of the money that Utd/City/Chelsea et all have spent then Evertons trophy cabinet would be full to bursting.I hope David stays for a long time to come ,but unless we can attract some investment then he will go to a richer club

20. At 09:52am on 02 Feb 2011, Czechmate wrote:

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Top post - exactly my thoughts. Too many fans expect money pumped in but it's not sustainable and they'll be the first to moan when administration looms.

I don't know the ins and outs of Everton but not spending money is the story for most teams.

As an Arsenal fan, ive always had a soft spot for Everton. The lack of money is a huge problem, and is problem because of the size of their stadium. Everton's team is PACKED with quality, especially in midfield, and Moyes is an excellent manager.

However, i fear that if Everton fail to invest in years to come, Moyes could well be off. Every chairman in the league knows hes one of the best around, and i fear Man U, Chelsea, Arsenal, Tottenham and even Liverpool could come sniffing around once their respective managers leave.

I hope there isnt a glass ceiling, as this often leads to decline, something which Toffee's fans dont deserve.

This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.

Great article.

Last night and Saturday were both nearly famous victories. How different this article would be if we had held on against Chelsea and Arsenal!!

I agree that derisory bid for Phil Neville was worrying. Does Harry know something about Everton's finances that we don't?

Moyes is doing a great job and I am sure we are better than our league position, but if we don't get a few results soon, we are in grave danger of getting involved in the relegation scrap.

Its time for Everton and Moyes to part company, really it is. I've thought this and said so on many of these blogs.

Firstly he has done a great job, missing out on 4th spot a couple of seasons n a row will be the high water mark, even winning the FA Cup would have been enough. but Moyes is tired of the situation and it shows, the team he has a a very good one and finally his lustre has gone and the players arent responding.

That team should be easily completing for a fringe Europa league spot.
However Moyes won't leave because there is no job for to move into and Everton don't want him to leave because there is no one suitable to take his place

I'm sure O'Neill, Jol etc would get a mention but not good enough based on we'd get a swap for similarily achieving managers

Tactically Moyes cannot get passed teams who see Goodision as a very hard pace to come and they just pack the defence, in turn our success this year against the top 5 is palpable as we are allowed to play football. Time to be more direct if we want to restore some credibitly to our season

Good article, the only way forward for us to get investment, everything has gone a bit stale and to be honest i dont know what the direction of the club is anymore. Moyes has done a great job with the resources he's had and his loyalty to us when he could of moved clubs in the past is always appreciated. If it wasn't for Moyes i doubt we would be a premier league club anymore. Kenwright needs to move on now and let someone else try and get this club back were it needs to be which is winning trophies and competing for the premier league.

Post #1 couldn't be more spot on!

Investment means spending money to build an even more sound financial footing for the club, one that is profitable.

The money being spend this week, including that of my own Liverpool, is frankly stupidity.

I love my football, but quite how the average supporter still turns up week after week when the extravagence and money involved these days is so far removed from the grass roots where it came from is beyond me.

I do wonder whether the time will come when supporters say "enough is enough" and rebel against this blatant disregard for them. Who wants to be a supporter for a club that is no more than a "play thing" for its outrageously rich owner!?

Clubs would be lining up? Really?

I don't profess to have seen his every game this season, just the ones I've managed to catch on tv, highlights on MOTD etc.

But who'd be lining up? I really couldn't see a 'top 4' club sending £15+ million to have Fellaini in the team.

Stand to be corrected i suppose.

On another point, one transfer I wouldn't mind seeing from Everton to Old Trafford would be that of David Moyes to take over when Fergie decides the time is right to retire IF, as a comment above states, he finds something to smile about.

Phil, Kenwright has been on looking for investment for over 10 years - that suggests to me that he isn't looking very hard.

I welcome the press coverage on this subject.