Ok, this whole Everton stadium row is getting a bit tedious now, so I'm going to have one last quick go at the subject, and then move on to other topics.
I can't let some of the comments being posted on this blog go without a response, though. Thanks again for the supportive ones, and to the rest of you, it is such a mixed bag of the genuinely concerned and passionate and the quite clearly unreasonable, cynical and blinkered that it is very hard to come up with a collective response. I need to say something though, so that regular readers don't believe that some of the rather ridiculous criticism of our journalists has any basis in reality.
There are a few John Pilgers out there who clearly believe that "investigative journalism" is simply a case of picking up the phone to the powers that be and demanding answers, which we will be automatically given. I worked as an investigative journalist for several years, and actually won some awards for it, so I can tell you will some authority that it is a time consuming and difficult process that a regional newspaper with the relatively limited resources at its disposal deploys only when it is convinced that there is serious wrongdoing to investigate. Then, getting the evidence you need to publish takes a huge amount of skill and patience.
Do we believe Everton FC is an appropriate subject to launch a major investigation into? No. Why? Because it is a football club, not a drugs cartel. We are talking about business people running a business the best way they can. Criticism is perfectly legitimate, from those who are stakeholders in that business, including, clearly, the fans. But there is not a glimmer of evidence of wrong-doing of the sort that would justify any kind of in-depth investigation. If anyone out there believes that they actually have such evidence send it to me, in confidence, and I will have it looked into. But right now, all I am reading is dark mutterings that something is rotten in the state of Kirkby.
Everyone who supports a football club believes, from time to time, that they could run it better than those in charge, whether it is the manager, the backroom staff or the board of directors. We get passionate about it and we feel as though we are entitled to every detail of its business plans. The truth though, is that football clubs are commercial businesses, even if some of them aren't exactly profitable. That means that the information those of us outside the club have a right of access to is very limited, compared to a local authority or a health trust, for example.
It isn't taxpayers' money, so tools like the Freedom of Information Act don't apply.
What we can do is ask questions. A lot of the posters on this blog seem to think we haven't done that. Well, they are just wrong, pure and simple. We ask questions all the time, and ask for interviews with key people. When we get answers, or are granted those interviews, we share them with you. That is our job, and whether the conspiracy theorists like it or not my team work hard at it, and are actually pretty good at it. We print the facts, without fear or favour. When we believe one of the football clubs has got something wrong, we will say so, even if it upsets them. We have done it frequently in the past, and will continue to do so, when it is justified by the facts at our disposal.
I know a lot of you are very concerned about the Kirkby plan, for a variety of reasons. If you read what I have written carefully, I haven't expressed a definitive view, one way or the other, beyond saying it looks like a very good deal on the facts currently available, and that there does not appear to be a genuinely viable alternative.
All I have said beyond that is that I think the "city of Liverpool" argument is utterly false, given the artificiality of the boundaries. Kirkby is 4 miles from Goodison Park, Speke is 10. That's how daft this whole issue is, in my view. You don't have to agree with me, but I hope you will respect my right to an opinion, as much as I respect yours.
Meanwhile, as my own final word on the subject for the moment, although not, I suspect, some of yours, I'd like to assure you that we will continue to ask questions about Everton's plans, and continue to strive to bring you all the news we can, first, here on our website and in the pages of the Liverpool Daily Post. Watch this space...
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Paul Collyer wrote...
Mark,
There have been some very valid points raised that I dont feel have been addressed by the Post or Echo. Could you at least try to ensure that the following are asked and explored before the vote?
- What research have the club done into the effect of moving to Kirkby upon the make up of the fanbase, in the short, medium and long term?
- On what factors are Everton basing their view that we need to leave Goodison asap? Namely....
- Safety - What evidence is this based on? What would it cost to sort it out?
- Upkeep costs - how do these compare with other clubs with similar stadiums...Villa, Spurs, Liverpool etc?
- Why did the club enter into an exclusivity period at all?
- Will the club still consider a site closer to the city centre if there is interest from LCC and potential business partners?
- Will we be seeing plans that go beyond "artist impressions" before the vote?
There are others of course, which no doubt my fellow blues will draw your attention to. In the meantime, please use your position to ensure a proper debate is had via the local media and that the statements of all parties concerned are scrutinised fairly and objectively.
Paul
Posted by: Paul Collyer | July 25, 2007 4:18 PM