Agm

Last updated : 04 December 2007 By Les Roberts

I always imagine these things to be held in a little boardroom somewhere in the bowels of Goodison with Kenwright, Wyness and Moyes sat at the head of one of those teak oblong tables with wobbly legs.


All the major shareholders are sat round the table and those people with just a couple of shares, to keep their hand in, are all packed in and stood up at the back, like the kids who were always late for school assembly.


Tonight's meeting will probably go something like this:


BK: "Welcome, shareholders, to Everton's 2007 AGM, things are going pretty well for us right now aren't they? Everything alright with you Dave?"


DM: "Aye"


BK: "Great, anything to add Keith?"


KW: "It's the only deliverable option…there is no plan B…if LCC come to us with a viable alternative we will listen…it's the only deliverable option…there is no…."


BK (gathering papers) : "Thanks Keith! Any other shareholders anything to add? No? OK…"


Shareholder (at the back): "Let's talk about this bloody Tesco thing."


BK (closing his briefcase) : "No, no further comments?"


Shareholder: "Yeah, this effin ground move!"


BK (standing up, putting his coat on) : "No? Great, see you all at the game tomorrow!"


Or maybe not…anyway, the Keep Everton In Our City (KEIOC) campaign have seized upon the AGM as an opportunity to appeal to Kenwright, the assumed weak link at the top of the Everton tree, to have another look at all the options before we finally commit to a move to Kirkby.


KEIOC will have members at the AGM and have produced a newsletter that, in addition to highlighting the board's need to look at all available options, looks at the clubs finances and Keith Wyness' 'three-year-plan' and asks '10 vital questions' that range from Finch Farm to Robert Earl's involvement in the club .


I know a lot of people are fed up with the KEIOC and have questioned some of their tactics and motives, but it's clear that they are doing a job that needs to be done and one that should be getting done by someone within the club.


But the truth is, despite the outcome of the ballot, the Tesco deal is not the fait accompli that many think it is and the club still need to be pressured to look at all the options.


No-one is going to turn their back and stop supporting the club should we move to Kirkby, but many could stop going and it could change the whole dynamic of 'The People's Club'.


Apparently, the only way to make money on matchdays is via corporate hospitality, just look at Arsenal, they make £7 billion per game apparently.


But are we sure that we will be able to sell out to all these corporate clients that are seemingly chomping at the bit to go and have an overpriced scran on an out of town retail park?


I'm not convinced that Everton are such a big draw for the neutral so to overlook the needs of the 'ordinary fan' could have massive implications for the club, particularly given the news that there will be no additional transport infrastructure around the new site.


So, in effect, there'll be the train station in Kirkby town centre, the usual bus routes and a big frig off car park that will probably take about three days to get out of after the game!

It doesn't really sound like the matchday mecca it's cracked up to be!


Sorry, didn't mean to turn this article into a bit of an anti-Kirkby rant but it's hard not to given how ludicrous the whole situation is, particularly given the club's persitent 'smoke and mirrors' strategy.


Anyway, the newsletter also highlights how Bill Kenwright funded the Goodison For-Everton campaign when the last move to Kirkby was mooted 10 years ago.

This is something I'd completely forgotten about and it does offer some food for thought on how Kenwright's views on a move to Kirkby have changed now he's in charge!


It also calls for our chairman to put the brakes on the Kirkby proposals, look at all the options and conduct another ballot.


That is clearly not going to happen and it's unfair to put that back on the club as they did conduct a, seemingly, fair and proper ballot and we can't have a repeat of it just because it didn't go the way a lot of us wanted. Where would that end, best of three?


The only way to read the document is, strangely, via Toffeeweb so at the risk of losing you to one of my rivals, what do you mean you read When Skies Are Grey as well, here's the link...


Website containing too many in depth financial reports and conspiracy theories...bitch? moi?!

And they'll be talking about it on Radio Merseyside's 'Football Football' show from 7pm tonight.


Speaking of which, is it just me, or does Alan Jackson really have a beef with the shite?

AGM