Bill Kenwright

[Duncan Donuts]

And who brought Moshiri into the club after years of supposedly searching the globe for the perfect owner? How could it be that after all this work we ended up with the one guy who was quite happy to keep Kenwright and his creatures around, still making money and from the club and basically running thing for him? If Moshiri is partly responsible for the position we're in then the man that sold him the club and continued to profit and benefit while he ruined it is even more responsible. Stop making excuses for this moron. We where grabge pre Moshiri too you know. We never won a button. You might have bought into the propaganda that being "best of the rest" was an achievement of some sorts but knocking around 5th, 6th and 7th while never winning anything (as the likes of Birmingham and Portsmouth and Wigan do) doesn't count as anything other then failure.

Better than being in a relegation battle every year. 7th/8th gets you European footy and the chance to build on it.

 

[BNJ1878]

Better than being in a relegation battle every year. 7th/8th gets you European footy and the chance to build on it.

Only we never did build on it.

That final piece of the jigsaw was always tantalisingly out of reach under poor old Bill. Moyes (who let's not forget Bill appointed through pressure from the guy he'd just sacked) was an absolute bloody miracle worker.

We had to continually sell players, not for fear of league sanction, but to keep the dodgy lenders at bay. This was despite taking loans at extortionate rates and taking cash up front for merchandising sales.

The often asked question "Where's the Arteta money, Bill?" is easily answered. It went to pay off debts he'd allowed the club to run up. He'd lie about these debts rather than admit he was out of his depth.

A needy, vain, old man. Desperate to be adored.

Quite pathetic, really.

 

[Gwladysstreetlad]

Better than being in a relegation battle every year. 7th/8th gets you European footy and the chance to build on it.

The only think it built was Bill’s bank account and ego.

 

[PhilEFC]

Bill was a reasonable chap in many aspects of his colourful life. With a difficult job, he was effectively a poor chairman for us, but he was always a true Blue.

Lets draw a line under all this now and move on.

The state his legacy has left us in makes it very difficult to mate.

 

[Gwladysstreetlad]

Bill was a reasonable chap in many aspects of his colourful life. With a difficult job, he was effectively a poor chairman for us, but he was always a true Blue.

Lets draw a line under all this now and move on.

If we as a club where in a position to move on I'd agree but we aren't. We'll be dealing with the ramifications of his legacy for years, possibly decades, to come. Until we turn things around and get past the disastrous legacy he's left behind I'm afraid that we simply can't just "move on".

 

[Blue Willy]

“Move on” from everyone fighting about Bill, not move on from us being in deep do do. Were going to be in that for a while mate.

 

[NathDogg]

Exactly.

Borrowed money of close personal friends for his share of 'True Blue Holdings' to 'save' the club from Peter Johnson. (which was debt free at the time, so not sure what it needed saving from)

Made up a fantasy story about ring fenced money and a mystery investment fund to head off a play for more control from those same friends that loaned him his stake. A genuine case of cutting off your nose to spite your face. We'd could potentially have been playing our 18th season in a city centre stadium right now.

Frantically scrambled around his other associates and this eventually led to Planet Hollywood fella (genuinely forget his name he was so engaged with the club) to buy out the Greggs.

Built a training ground.
Sold the old training ground.
Then sells the new training ground and takes out a long term lease instead.

Sold a '50m player' for not much over 10m up front to stave off Barklays bank.

Refuses questions regarding 'other operating costs' at AGM.

Cancels AGMs. Our director of comms at the time is quoted as saying "They're full of drunken knobheads."

Rebuffs an approach from Sheikh Mansour. (who knows who else)

Tries to surrender the city to our rivals by moving us to supermarket car park in Knowsley borough.

Starts an orchestrated media campaign against Everton fans after the Blue Union release a transcript of the interview held at Bills office.

Despite repeated claims that he's "The best salesman for Everton Football Club" the 24/7 search for investment finally turns up a buyer that pockets him 10s of millions for ZERO personal investment. And wouldn't you know it? That buyer is quite content to let him stay on as Chairman.

WHAT. ARE. THE. CHANCES!!??

Despite having a billionaire (and a very generous mate) seemingly happy to spend, Kenwright and his board are happy to remain silent, taking handsome salaries and putting the club in breach of regulations. Fact.

On top of all that, his CEO (the best in the business!) clearly saw no risk of having the vast majority of our commercial revenue from one group of companies. Instead, she was content to crow about record deals which in reality were average at best. (the outlier being the 30m to be head of an imaginary queue to sponsor an as yet built stadium)

When fans started to question their suitability as the executive leadership, he orchestrates one final hatchet job. Security threats, headlocks. Not safe to attend matches.

He was utterly, utterly shameless, but plenty of us had seen that movie before. It was standard Kenwright. Friends in the media, friends with some high profile 'fans.' Some fans who get their news from the match day program lapped it up and refused to believe the whispers that Bill didn't have the club's best interests at heart. "He's hurting as much as anyone." lol

I'm absolutely delighted he's no longer the chairman of this football club. The damage HE IS RESPONSIBLE for will take a long long time to repair, that's provided we make it through the next 18/24 months - by no means a certainty.

When he took control we were still just about regarded as 'big 5.' We then morphed into 'the best of the rest' and we're now perennial lower mid/relegation scrappers.

Undoubtedly the worse individual in the history of Everton Football Club.

One of, if not the best posts I have read on this fine forum to date. Superbly done mate.

Well written and factual - we will be feeling the ill-effects of Chairman Bills involvement with Everton for many, many years to come.

If he had left when he should have, when finding and selling the club to Moshiri, I’m sure his eulogy would be different for the better. Sadly, his ego put paid to that.

I am genuinely sad it ended like it did at Everton for Kenwright, and I am sad about his death, but I won’t recolour his past to cast a glow over what was and is a wretched time in OUR clubs history.

 

[The Binman]

Bill was a reasonable chap in many aspects of his colourful life. With a difficult job, he was effectively a poor chairman for us, but he was always a true Blue.

Lets draw a line under all this now and move on.

He may have been reasonable, but he demonstrated none of that in connection with OUR football club.


Absolutely the worst chairman ever

 

[BNJ1878]

I am genuinely sad it ended like it did at Everton for Kenwright, and I am sad about his death, but I won’t recolour his past to cast a glow over what was and is a wretched time in OUR clubs history.

This is pretty much a duty now.

We cannot allow people to airbrush over close to 3 decades of steady decline because he's no longer around.

He was an utter disaster. I won't let him get away with it.

 

[windymiller]

So what if he took a million pound salary! It's his business to do with as he pleases in my opinion. Pales in to significance against the player wages anyway..

He could do what he wanted, and he did, but he then doesn't get to be kindly old uncle Bill, worlds biggest blue, loved by all. He was a selfish nob. His death doesn't change that.

 

[Blue Willy]

He may have been reasonable, but he demonstrated none of that in connection with OUR football club.


Absolutely the worst chairman ever

If you read what I said, I said “reasonable in many aspects of his life” but HE WAS a “poor chairman”.

Like a lot of Blues, Im neither a hater or an admirer of him. But I do know how badly weve been run lately, so like you Im probably more in the dislike camp, but the like/hate him thing is getting a bit boring for many now. Weve got enough on our plate to not be arguing among ourselves over such things. Trying to be positive.

 

[Tramps_mate]

He could do what he wanted, and he did, but he then doesn't get to be kindly old uncle Bill, worlds biggest blue, loved by all. He was a selfish nob. His death doesn't change that.

Arguing over someone who is now dead doesn't change anything either!

 

[Mr Mig]

Arguing over someone who is now dead doesn't change anything either!

It sort of does though. Many fans are still dealing with the chaos he brought to our club, so it is very important that Kenwrights actions are not brushed under the carpet

 

[windymiller]

Arguing over someone who is now dead doesn't change anything either!

A bunch of fans arguing about someone who is alive on an internet forum doesn't materially change anything either. Death or no death, the reason we are where we currently are is, in a very large part, down to William Kenwright. Additionally, pretty much the only people to have benefitted from Kenwright's ownership of the club is the Kenwright estate. Everybody else has lost out or suffered. The man was a grifter, not a hero.

 

[Exeter_Gently]

“Move on” from everyone fighting about Bill, not move on from us being in deep do do. Were going to be in that for a while mate.

Asking people to move on over such controversial character in the clubs history isn't gona happen unfortunately.