Everton F.C. Talk Is Not Cheap

Whilst the annual madness that is the summer transfer window yet again chokes the hope out of Evertonians, the latest installment of a continuing spat between a recently formed supporters group and current CEO Robert Elstone has flown somewhat under the radar.

In short, Evertonians For Change would still like to talk and our egg chasing CEO is having none of it. The reasons given are apparently twofold; firstly Mr Elstone accused Evertonians For Change of "openly seeking to disrupt Club events and having the ousting of the current Board of Directors as one of its explicit aims." Both of these accusations have since been denied by the group.  

Secondly and once again according to Mr Elstone, "the Club works hard on all aspects of communication ensuring we reach as many fans as we can, in a variety of different ways. We are confident our dialogue is open and transparent, our engagement with fans is representative and our agendas are relevant. We believe we do a good job."

CEO

As is par for the course with most things EFC, a view from a safe distance displays a pro-active club, one that seeks both a meaningful and earnest club/supporter relationship. As the man says; "dialogue is open and transparent, our engagement with fans is representative and our agendas are relevant."

Yes, a quick scratch of the surface reveals numerous initiatives in which the club strive to meet the demands of interested supporters. Within the last twelve months alone there has been a roadshow, a fan's forum and an exclusive Fans Conference. The club has been mobilised to reach out to supporters, doing their bit to ensure an openness and transparency not seen since the banning of AGMs and EGMs.

I mean we are only the fans, giving up our very hard-earned money and time and as many an Evertonian will tell you; a professional football club and private company such as Everton FC are simply under no obligation to communicate with its loyal supporters.

Well, actually they'd be wrong. It turns out those supporters who felt a manipulative edge to the rather clandestine and secretive, recently implemented fans forum, fans conference and roadshow had it right all along. Not only will Everton FC be required to communicate with supporters, refusal to do so will see the club failing to meet the UEFA licensing requirements and the occurrence of  penalties this football club could ill afford.

From UEFA: Under Article 35 of the new UEFA Club Licensing and Financial Fair Play Regulations, clubs will have the obligation to appoint a Supporters Liason Officer (SLO) to ensure a proper and constructive dialogue between a club and its fans.

The SLO concept, which has been under consideration for some time, has gained full approval from the national associations represented in the UEFA Club Licensing Committee and has been drawn up with the strong cooperation of Supporters Direct.

Supporter liaison officers at clubs already exist in a limited number of European countries and primarily help improve the dialogue between the fans and the clubs they follow. Most importantly, SLOs must be credible with supporters, and therefore should have experience with, and contacts to, the networks in the club's fan base.

They inform supporters about relevant decisions made by the club's management board and, in the other direction, communicate the needs of the fans to the board.

With the scrapping of AGMs and EGMs the current board of directors have left themselves exempt, excluded, unchecked, unaccountable and totally closed to any meaningful scrutiny and whilst on the one hand, the current CEO paints a very rosy picture of openness and transparency, his disdainful refusal to talk to a genuine and organised group of Evertonians tells its own enlightening story.

Whether the new UEFA article will carry enough weight to force Everton FC to do away with the current veil of secrecy remains to be seen but instead of going through the motions perhaps Mr Elstone will feel the need to address the real concerns of Evertonians before he is obligated to do so by the governing body of European football.

Right, have we signed anyone yet..............

 

 

Everton FC: Failure Rate Gathers Pace

If it were at all possible to measure an audible expression of an online community, then the collective *sigh* following Everton Football Club's latest commercial failure would surely have registered significantly on the well-worn 'sad-but-predictable' EFC failure rate scale.

If news that the planned '£9m' retail and hospitality development 'Everton Place' will now not open until the summer of 2012 came as no real surprise to long-suffering supporters, the cross-wired explanation emanating from within the club as to the reasons behind the 12 month delay, only served to re-enforce the general consensus concerning the powers-that-be at Goodison Park.

Addressing the concerns of shareholders, the club announced work on the development would begin in December 2010. Broadcast as being a 'cash-positive' project and at 'no cost to the club,' the four-storey building, incorporating a club shop, museum, café, corporate hospitality and administrative offices would be completed prior to the 2011-12 season. 

In November 2010 the 'Club Everton' hospitality tent was removed, followed quickly by the re-housing of the much-loved Dixie Dean statue in preparation for the commencement of on-site work. Alongside this, planning permission was applied for and obtained for land close to Goodison Park to replace the lost parking spaces at the Park End.

All systems go then, at least that's how it seemed at the time.......

In February of this year, with no visible progress having been made, shareholders were informed by Robert Elstone, that the delay was due to "minor legal issues,"  with the CEO giving reassurances that work would be starting "soon." Later that same month and somewhat ominously, Mr Elstone in his official blog expanded on this explaining that "We expect to start work soon as we wade through some complex legal matters."

[caption id="attachment_321" align="aligncenter" width="304" caption="Pie In The Sky?"][/caption]

On Wednesday March 23 and coinciding with the unexpected lifting of a local press ban, the Liverpool Daily Post and Echo reported that the development had now been delayed until the summer of 2012, 'the club say the complexities surrounding IT moves and office relocation make it sensible to avoid a mid-season move.'

According to the preposterously titled 'Head of External Affairs,' Ian Ross: 

“This has been the acknowledged target date for some time as operationally it would have been difficult to open it mid-season. All of our partners are happy with the current timetable.

“This is a complex project involving several partners which when completed will deliver a prestigious multi-use building, one which will unquestionably benefit both club and supporters.”

In a later edition of the publication, Mr Ross felt the need to clarify the clubs position by claiming his CEO's previous reasons for the delay, surrounding "complex legal issues" were in fact incorrect: 

'Today Mr Ross denied legal issues were the cause of the schedule change.'

Interestingly and 5 days in advance of Ian Ross' 'IT relocation' excuses published in the local press, the Everton supporters pressure group, KEIOC, reported a very different take on their website: 

'Further examples of this contemptuous relationship are numerous; shareholders were told construction of the boards latest solution to our inept commercial ability, the development at the park end, was due to commence in December, following the West Bromwich home game, yet nothing has happened.

The little known official explanation, that some minor "legal difficulties" are being experienced, is being offered, yet for some time now KEIOC's information, from their club source, has indicated that "funding difficulties" are the greater problem as, yet again, Everton discover that there's no such thing as a free lunch, that mysterious and unexplainable deals aren't as cash positive as one would like to think and that nothing is, dare we say, effectively free.

The fans and shareholders are, as ever, being kept completely in the dark as to the degree of concessions to our "partners," concessions that may benefit them greatly yet see us firmly at the bottom of the premiership club commercial revenue generation league; a result that highlights Everton's commercial performance equating to just 11% of our total income whilst our peers deliver double and treble this amount.'

[caption id="attachment_323" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Hole In The Wall"][/caption]

Who to believe then? What excuse should we supporters plump for? Is there a 'delay' or a 'schedule change?' Are we backing CEO Robert Elstone and his "legal Issues" or getting behind Head of External Affairs Ian Ross and his 'can't find a decent removal company' story? Or, with rumours circulating of a construction firm 'pulling-out' of the planned development, are the "funding difficulties" suggested by KEIOC closer to the mark?

It would seem in any case and once more all to sadly and predictably, concerned Evertonians, due to the glaring mixed-messages coming out of the club, are left to come to their own conclusions.........