7/31/2019 Everton 17-11-11

1/2

With the news that fans group The Blue Union are planning to protest before Saturdays match

against Wolves, the current state of Everton seems as good a topic as any for my first post. This is by

no means an authoritative or exhaustive treatment, just some observations.

First off, full disclosure: I have been a supporter of Everton since I was taken to Goodison Park as a

small child by my Grandad. Thats not to say that I view the current situation through blue-tintedspectacles.

Evertons financial travails need no introduction. Long gone are the days when the wealth of the

Moores family meant that the Mersey Millionaires need not fear being outbid or overspent. From

being one of the big 5 pushing for the formation of the Premier League in 1992 to maximise their

revenue potential, Everton go into every season without a net transfer spend and continuously

striving to keep the wolves from the door (not Wolveswell see to what extent they can be held at

bay this weekend).

The financial situation has been explained better elsewhere, so I wont go into it here. Saturdays

protest is about the perceived stagnation under the current board, led by Chairman and lifelong fanBill Kenwright. The Blue Union suggest that the failings of the board have never been better

evidenced for the wider footballing world to see, citing the sales of key players, particularly

midfielder Mikel Arteta, with seemingly no reinvestment.

The response of the board is to reiterate that Everton is available for sale and that the search for

new investment is ongoing.

Ive always been in two minds about this question. On the one hand, who wouldnt want their club

to be sold to a passing Sheikh or oligarch and become attractive to the worlds elite players

overnight? On the other, Everton are a club with strong roots in the local community, are owned by

a well-meaning fanrich in almost anyones estimation, although humble by Premier Leaguestandards.

There has to be a third way. Ive heard talk of how a concept like allowing th ird-party ownership of

star players where investment funds or private companies pay clubs for a all or a share of a

players economic rights, such as the arrangement that brought Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano

to West Ham and as frequently happens in Europe and South America could benefit a club like

Everton by enabling them to be far more competitive in the transfer market.

To my mind, this is a flawed solution: its a bit like an indebted pensioner releasing equity in their

home, it wont make you a lot better off, only more comfortable, and it greatly diminishes the value

of what you have.

Another idea is to heed the example of clubs like Porto and Udinese, who look to secure young,

talented footballers on the cheap, often from South and Central America, before selling them to

Europes giants for vast profit: look at the deal this summer for Chilean forward Alexis Sanchez, who

joined Barcelona from Udinese for a reported 26m. However, this is anathema to those supporters

who feel that the policy of a football club should be to assemble a squad that competes for

championships and cups, whilst living within its means, not to become a glorified feeder club for

footballs top table.

Everton have a famously productive youth academy, and the interest on the overdraft may yet force

David Moyes to cash in on current prospects like recent England international Jack Rodwell, or 17-

year-old midfielder Ross Barkley, in much the same way as they were forced to sell then-wunderkind

7/31/2019 Everton 17-11-11

2/2

and now the only truly world class English player, Wayne Rooney, to Manchester United in 2004

instead of building a team around him as Moyes stated was his wish.

Saturdays protest will not find the right buyer, nor will it improve the performances on the pitch.

They key man in the way this plays out will be, as in everything at Everton over the last ten years,

manager David Moyes. If he stays committed, Everton will continue to nick a top-10 finish and live tofight another day.