777 partners' The attempt to take over Everton caused controversy. Photo: Getty Images/Jay Barratt
Everton's traumatic recent history is the result of a series of disastrous decisions by Farhad Moshiri. I fear he has saved the worst for last by agreeing to sell the club to 777 Partners.
Everton's biggest danger this season has never been the consequences of an eight-point deduction or the prospect of relegation. The biggest threat remains that the club will end up in the hands of the wrong owners.
It's been seven months since Moshiri agreed to sell 777. Since then, everything about American investors has screamed danger, with countless stories seeming to cast doubt on their ability to take control of such a reputable institution that urgently needs financial support . .
The more questions 777 ask, the more suspicion grows that the Premier League is in trouble, eager for the necessary assurances that Everton will not face further financial problems and wary of approving the wrong bid.
Those who have the best interests of the club at heart must show the same passion for this subject as they do for point deduction. Not for the first time in Everton's recent history, it feels like too many passers-by are waiting for the bandwagon to jump on board rather than steering it. When something looks wrong, feels wrong and smells wrong, there's no point in waiting around in the hope that everything will turn out okay in the end.
Last year I wrote a column blaming Everton for that it is the worst managed club. in England. A day later, one of the club board members called me.
At the time, chief executive Denise Barrett-Baxendale objected to my comments. It was a cordial conversation in which I stood my ground and Barrett-Baxendale explained the problems facing the club.
My overall impression was that the Everton management were operating in fear. Fear of potential relegation as the team was getting worse.
Fear of a backlash from fans to problems on the pitch, with the focus at the time being on the situation of Barrett-Baxendale herself and former chairman Bill Kenwright.
And above all, fear of Moshiri cutting off his financial support, Everton will not be able to cover their huge wage bill or pay for their £500 million stadium if the owner leaves.
By the end of the conversation, my anger and distrust at the way Everton were being managed was balanced by a slight sympathy for Moshiri. He is a tragic figure in the Premier League. To use a famous Liverpool phrase, the football industry «knocked him down». His intentions in buying Everton were noble, but the facts suggest he was being used as a cash cow by agents and players.
Farhad Moshiri is often blamed, but he is not solely responsible for the Everton rift Photo: Getty Images/Alex Livesey
Ultimately, the wage bill accounts for 92 percent of the club's turnover — and he has nothing to show for it. this proves he was taken to the dry cleaners.
The blame lies with everyone who followed Moshiri's dream and turned a blind eye to the red flags when the club overspent and began to rely too heavily on his business relationship with Russian oligarch Alisher Usmanov.
Externally. It is clear around the world that Usmanov's partnership with Everton was as important as, albeit a significantly less profitable version of, Sheikh Mansour's partnership with Manchester City. The USM brand at Everton was once as prominent as the Etihad brand at City.
No one associated with Everton was willing to give an impartial assessment of Usmanov's role, although there were allegations is that the payments received from his sponsorship did not reflect market conditions at the time. Who else was going to pay Everton £30 million to, say, get «first refusal» of naming rights to a new stadium?
Every time questions were asked about this or whether Everton were at risk of breaching the PSR, those associated with the club vigorously defended it.
No one seemed to realize that their actions could lead to charges , not to mention the punishment.
When this finally happened, rather than directing all their fury at Moshiri or the board members who had either created or acted as enablers of the mess, fans and senior politicians turned on the Premier League. Everton had no defense to the charges they pleaded guilty to, so the focus was on the extent of the punishment.
The fans' reaction to the possible eight-point penalty is understandable. They see the club as their family. We all defend what cannot be defended from time to time, to protect those we care most from what we perceive as an external attack.
They were afraid that a point deduction would lead to relegation, and they found that many high-ranking figures had rallied. to your business.
Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, who I know cares deeply about Everton, effectively became interim chairman in the absence of any Goodison executives with any real power, Barrett-Baxendale eventually left the club and Kenwright sadly passed away .
I was more cynical when other politicians thrust themselves into the spotlight, playing to the public eye to perpetuate the idea that the Premier League, rather than the club itself, was to blame for Everton's predicament.< /p>
Even former Bank of England governor Mark Carney decided to intervene, questioning the integrity of the independent Premier League commissions that decided on the club's overspending.
Even Mark Carney became caught up in the Everton takeover saga. Photo: Getty Images/Arun Sankar
Why were these influential voices so quiet when legitimate questions were raised about the extent of Usmanov's involvement at Everton?
Why don't they question how the club could end up in such a financial mess, owing £225 million to the media and rights fund and paying 10.25 per cent interest on an £80 million loan taken out in 2019? The numbers are staggering.
And why are these influential voices so silent about whether 777 are truly the “fit and proper” custodians of their club? There must be outrage that an organization with so many questions to answer is the preferred bidder.
With all due respect, this should not be said by a former Liverpool player. It should be those who achieved the PSR result and former Everton players shouting from the rooftops that Moshiri and 777 should give the fans a full and detailed explanation of why the Premier League is wrong to delay the match. If they can't explain in detail why this is a good deal for the club, how can the people of Everton expect to be involved in the project?
There are elements of Everton's grassroots support that have been demanding answers from day one. The Fan Advisory Council is constantly told that there are confidentiality agreements in place that prevent further discussion. To me this sounds like brushing off. The issue is too important to remain silent.
To some extent I can understand this if there was a feeling that issues on the field had to be prioritized until the team was safe. No matter how dire the situation was, it could be corrected. Credit must be given to Sean Dyche and his players for preventing the penalties from leading to championship football.
There may now be an element of 'crisis' fatigue among hardened fans who want to savor the moment of assurance. safety.
Deep down, they know that the respite will be short-lived if the 777 brings as many negative headlines about Everton, both as owners and about them as bidders.
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