Seasons » 2015-16 » Everton News
Kenwright talks theatre and drama

Interview predates the current Stones saga

Bill was speaking with David Whetstone of the Newcastle Chronicle about four new shows opening at Newcastle Theatre Royal – an Agatha Christie murder mystery, And Then There Were None, The Sound of Music, Jesus Christ Superstar and The Glenn Miller Story – all of which are Kenwright productions.
He touches on his recent ill-health but, typically, could not be kept away from the topic of his beloved Blues. The conversation appears to have come before the controversy of the Stones saga erupted.
Talk soon veers towards his footballing obsession, that which represents the blue half of his native Liverpool... but first he volunteers a word about his wellbeing.He sounds pretty chipper but owns up to a spell of ill health. He is determined to get better, he tells me. “You know what, I’m on the right side of the grass... and we’ve just beaten Stoke City in the Asia Trophy.”
Bill explained that he loved Everton, not necessarily football ownership for its own sake. “I said I bought it because it was in terrible trouble and no-one else was around to do it. You buy a club and you get terrible shite thrown at you. He said, ‘Oh, right’.”
For the record – and this may not reassure the bitter Evertonian who sits behind me – Bill thinks good times lie ahead for his ‘blues’. “We’ve worked really hard to stabilise this club and we’ve got a great squad, a young squad... Lukaku and John Stones who has to be the best centre back in England.”
And Newcastle? “I’m a big fan of Steve McClaren (head coach). I was when he was at Middlesbrough and as England manager. He wasn’t in that job very long but he was very communicative. Some are a bit stand offish but he would ask about your players.
“I always thought he was a really good manager and he’s got that sort of sharing spirit that you need. If we score I share my pleasure with 40,000 Evertonians. You’ve got to have that sharing sense that says ‘We’re in this together’. It’s no good saying it, you’ve got to feel it.”
Quotes sourced from the full interview at Newcastle Chronicle
Reader Comments (30)
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2 Posted 22/07/2015 at 15:31:04
Our Chairman and ultimate decision maker states Stones is the best young centre half in the business but fails to say he is not leaving Everton.
Maybe he is more chummy with the Chelsea board than we believed because if that was a statement of intent then as sure as hell JS is going.
I gave up my season ticket a few years ago in protest at Kenwright and the Kirkby debacle but if we sell Stones to Chelsea after the way they have belittled us I will never set foot inside GP again till this man is gone.
3 Posted 22/07/2015 at 17:40:27
By saying nothing specific we're going to end up with another Lescott saga, where we'll cave in after several bids once a bid creeps up to 㿊M+. Just give them the inflated the valuation and it's up to them if they want to pay it. He'll be a 40M+ player the following season anyway.
4 Posted 23/07/2015 at 05:13:04
5 Posted 23/07/2015 at 05:52:44
6 Posted 23/07/2015 at 05:49:19
BK did say "We've worked really hard to stabilise this club and we've got a great squad, a young squad..." ... why would he say that if he's about to try and flog one of the two players he specifically mentions in that quote? It's not going to change Chelsea's valuation and it's not going to do anything to Stones himself except make him feel even more wanted. I am not sycophant but I think there's a standard of objectivity we can all strive for.
Nothing to see her re. Stones.
I might also suggest all go and read "A plea on negativity and the need for patience and perspective" (I believe it was written by Gabriel GarciÂÂa Marquez, Milan Kundera, or possibly by a certain Lyndon Lloyd of TW not too many days ago .... before commenting straight out of the gate with such presumed negativity)
More importantly, I wasn't aware BK was unwell, and I for one, I wish BK a speedy recovery. Let's not resume the ad hominem attacks, frankly they're Rafa (beneath us ...)
8 Posted 23/07/2015 at 06:48:00
Or is that too easy?
9 Posted 23/07/2015 at 06:57:55
Testicles, I don't swear.
10 Posted 23/07/2015 at 07:11:07
Or are you happy to just stave off relegation again like last season?
I reiterate if Kenwright was born a Red like Peter Johnson was, he would have long been hounded out of town.
16 years and no investment, nothing whatsoever done to our clapped out stadium apart from a few coats of paint.
Disgrace really.
11 Posted 23/07/2015 at 07:38:36
I was just hoping some friendly Evertonian could confirm the timeline of events, so as to clarify why Bill didn't address the Stones saga and maybe help some people not freak out too much. Just trying to be nice.
12 Posted 23/07/2015 at 07:55:21
And I hope we don't find out the hard way that not all ownership changes are positive.
13 Posted 23/07/2015 at 08:10:00
Gary Cahill, the boss's dummy, now shooting his mouth off.
14 Posted 23/07/2015 at 08:14:45
Stabilising the club was done by David Moyes. Increased debt, and robbing Peter to pay Paul is how this Board have constantly operated.
The proof will be in the pudding come 1 September. Mouriniho is suggesting he's going to start bidding for players the day after the window closes, Everton usually sign a couple the day before!
15 Posted 23/07/2015 at 08:36:23
All he has to do to reassure thousands of Evertonians who he purports to share his love of the club with, is for him to issue a very simple and short statement saying he fully supports the manager in his team building efforts and that John Stones is not for sale at any price, despite Chelsea's determination to destabilise our team and our preseason preparations.
Come on, Bill, show some guts!
17 Posted 23/07/2015 at 09:20:03
I've always felt the chairman hung Moyes out to dry over Lescott's leaving and this business has the same smell to it!
18 Posted 23/07/2015 at 09:34:29
Yes, thanks Chris. I think it was Patrick (thanks, also) who pointed that out when I posted #1 on another thread.
Sorry Bill K!
19 Posted 23/07/2015 at 10:08:45
20 Posted 23/07/2015 at 10:21:21
Not to do so will serve to undermine our own manager's credibility and make it almost impossible for him to do his job properly. How is he expected to prepare the team for a new season when he doesn't even know if one of his first choice centre backs is even going to be with us for the first game?
Bearing in mind we have no effective cover in that position, does he now go hell for leather to try and secure a top-class defender, which in a way will be counter-productive as it will give Chelsea the green light to believe they are winning in their campaign to lure Stones away through their dirty tricks department?
One thing is for sure, to sell Stones now, with no other clubs bidding for him would be tantamount to us rolling over and surrendering our independence and credibility as a Premier League Club. It will, in my opinion, put us on par with a cash-strapped Championship club, or worse.
Please, please, let it be a long, long time before we consider ever doing business of any kind with that punch of pirates from West London.
21 Posted 23/07/2015 at 10:41:41
Stone's massive value is his potential which hasn't been reached yet and the fact that he's English and the big clubs are desperate for UK players. We have UK defenders with very good potential. It could be that selling Stones is great business and there'll be a price where this becomes so.
Surely, as a club in debt and desperately in need of money, we can't say "never".
I desperately hope that we can keep Stones and not have to suffer the humiliation that being a feeder club to the likes of Chelsea always brings but I accept that selling could just be an opportunity. Unlike many I think we have a good board and an excellent chairman, I trust them to make the right decision based on information that we fans don't have.
For me, losing Jags will be a greater blow but something that we have to face.
22 Posted 23/07/2015 at 11:04:17
I couldn't agree more. Trust those in charge. Good Health, Bill. ;))
23 Posted 23/07/2015 at 13:06:26
24 Posted 23/07/2015 at 13:05:33
Stones has great potential, that's doesn't mean he is a great player as it stands now, so we could replace like for like for less and invest the money into clearing the debt. That to me would be sensible as it would also aid the sale of the club without damaging too much the playing side; if the bid exceeds 㿔 million, then we are stupid not to sell.
Do Barnsley have a sell on clause?
25 Posted 23/07/2015 at 13:22:57
27 Posted 24/07/2015 at 17:34:47
28 Posted 24/07/2015 at 23:11:45
You say you try to post positively, but never give us any real reasons for your positivity. 64TH ST MAYBE?
29 Posted 25/07/2015 at 09:03:26
If I'm honest, when he uses the word 'bitter' about this bloke who sits behind, it feels like he's having a swipe at all his detractors. This man knows no shame!!!
30 Posted 25/07/2015 at 09:33:38
32 Posted 25/07/2015 at 10:23:34
33 Posted 25/07/2015 at 16:28:52
When I see in the Echo how LFC are putting up new structures and re-building their ground when Bill's Management Team will be adding another flag, probably to Dixie or Labone etc.... I do wonder what the Board at Everton have been doing over the years. No proper business plan, they really are a bunch of amateurs.
As much as I love the Old Lady, all we can expect is restricted views and the reality is that the last proper building built was the Park End built by Peter Johnson. I wrote as much in 'When Skies are Gray' years ago. The Board have let us down over the years and Bill must take some of the blame.
But it could be worse, I am a scouser now living in Leeds. I would take Bill over an Italian chancer anytime. It does put it all in perspective somewhat!!!!
34 Posted 25/07/2015 at 17:02:21
Unfortunately we have not got a rich 'sugar daddy' like Man City and Chelsea. They were doing nothing before they arrived, and money has bought their success.
Liverpool, Arsenal and Man Utd always had funds from 1980s so were always breaking transfer records regardless of sugar daddlies...
Moyes was actually genuinely fighting above his weight. Therefore the key question we must ask is can we attract a 'billionaire' who will buy into our history etc....but a proper 'sugar daddy' not a Hong Kong or Italian spoofer....without that we carry on regardless. That is the reality. However taking 10,000 fans to France last year shows the passion of our supporters...lions led by donkeys
COYB
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1 Posted 22/07/2015 at 15:21:15