Analysis

Everton reporter notebook: A time of change and challenge ahead following board members' exits

Denise Barrett-Baxendale, the chief executive, Grant Ingles, the chief finance and strategy officer, and Graeme Sharp, the non-executive director, left Everton on Monday; Bill Kenwright, the chairman, could follow; new investors are set to arrive at Everton

By Alan Myers, Regional News Editor

Tuesday 13 June 2023 11:58, UK

Another week and another dose of drama at Everton Football Club.

Monday brought the news Denise Barrett-Baxendale, the chief executive, Grant Ingles, the chief finance and strategy officer, and Graeme Sharp, the non-executive director, have left their roles, while a decision is set to be made over the future of Bill Kenwright, the chairman, a fortnight after the club escaped relegation from the Premier League on the final day of the season.

Following protests against the board during the final months of the campaign, the process for the changes called for by supporters has begun. Farhad Moshiri, the club's owner, has listened, noted and is acting on their concerns. There is still much work to do and major decisions to be made, but the ball is rolling.

Without inside knowledge of the day-to-day decision making process - and, let's be honest, nobody except the protagonists can really say what has gone on at Goodison Park - it's very difficult for anyone to understand what the credible reasons are for the club's decline over the last few years.

There will be reasons - these things don't just happen on their own - but there has been no explanation, no public understanding and no hint of a theory, other than on the often contradictory and sometimes dangerous football grapevine.

With all that said, you have to then look at the positions of power at the club. Who is charged with making the decisions, no matter what the motivation or reasoning behind them?

This is where responsibility and accountability comes into play. This is why, in the end, people lose their jobs.

The truth is, with the majority of the board already departed and the suggestion in the club statement that a decision over Kenwright's future will be made soon, the coming months, weeks or even years will give the answers to those questions.

If the same decision-making and approach continues, then more of the same can be expected. Change has to mean change. It's not as simple as changing personalities - the roots of the issues need to be addressed.

Ultimately, the buck stops with those in positions of power, as it did back in the late-1990s when Peter Johnson, the club's owner at the time, was removed in similar fashion following a near relegation and financial instability.

He was replaced by Kenwright, who will know the responsibilities that come with the role - and what happens when it fails. He was very much part of the drive for change back then.

So what next? Following a brief period with an interim board of directors, it's expected a new permanent hierarchy will emerge, featuring a mixture of new investors and a local injection who are, from what I understand, serious businesspeople first and Evertonians second. They will need all their knowledge given the challenges ahead.

Nobody - especially the fans - should be in any doubt that the next couple of years will be just as tough for the club. There is no magic wand when it comes to the financial situation and there certainly isn't when it comes to the football side.

Sean Dyche will have his work cut out trying to navigate a period of rebuilding in an austerity-driven environment.

The fans, too, will have to re-evaluate their expectations. The hope and excitement accompanying the arrival of Moshiri and his wealth is not on the table any longer - that opportunity is lost and gone.

But there is an opportunity to build, to grow and to put in place a firm base.

However, internal expectations should always be more demanding than the external version. The people in the privileged positions to bring success should be their own greatest challengers.

There is the opportunity of a new dawn on the horizon, with the club's spectacular new stadium. It's almost like the land of Oz in the near distance, a wonderful place that holds the key to getting back to where Everton fans feel they belong.

But it's going to take some wizardry to get there.