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Blue Kipper has been involved with the "Everton for Kings Dock" movement from the start. Here after a lengthy lull, we bring you an EXCLUSIVE report by our intrepid reporter Mickey Blue Eyes. Kings
Dock: Hiatus, not death of the project A swap of emails with chairman Joe Dwyer (even the receptionist refers to him as "Joe"……not even "Sir Joe," nice) brought forth an unexpected invitation to meet him at the headquarters of Liverpool Vision to discuss our Kings Dock bid. Your reporter duly turned up at the appointed hour prepared for more of the kind of stonewall Suit stuff we have endured almost from the beginning. I was wrong. It goes without saying that you don't get to be a former CEO of George Wimpey without at least a measure of manipulation and hard-nosed worldliness. I am sure he has those in sufficient measure to keep his business life buoyant until the moment he decides to lie on a hammock somewhere exotic. However, odd moments apart, none of this was evident during our meeting. He was straightforward in virtually all of his observations and courteous without being patronising. The hour and a quarter passed quickly and easily. Quiet charm gets you everywhere. He was first offered the post of chairman by a government minister. As a West Derby scouser he thought twice before accepting the offer. At the time the difficulties must have appeared insuperable for all the well, not to say adverse, publicised reasons. In the end he accepted it on condition he had a mix of public and private interests on board and not weighted too far in either direction. Given his commercial determinist experience even this must have constituted a strain. Compromise isn't something which comes naturally to anybody in the construction and development industries. He is anxious that LV is not known as a government quango and mere co-ordinators of actions by others. Above all, he wields influence through personal connection. In business, 'twas ever thus. It is also apparent self deception is not part of Joe Dwyer's make up. He knows full well how far our city has fallen, how vulnerable we are, why it happened, and has realistic understanding of genuine possibilities amidst mere fantasies. You get the distinct impression he knows life is what you make of it. For all the gentlemanliness there is a natural undercurrent of impatience with foolishness or incompetence. Fine, that suits me right down to the ground. So we turned to the subject of the Kings Dock. And we all know just how edgy we have been about this recently. Things have gone too quiet. Which means too many irresponsible people have caused too much mischief. Idle hands and all that. But there has been no idleness in progress, only procedural headaches and influence peddling of precisely the sort we long ago forecast. You can forget the rumours. The truth is difficult enough. It was Washington Post editor Ben Bradlee who once told his investigative reporters, "Always look for the women and the money." Well, there's no women involved in this, not as far as we know anyway, so lets concentrate on the project funding. According to Joe, Everton's funding is in place. It is the other areas which need finalising and this will take some time. Nor will it be from a single source. Hence the procedural difficulties. In this case, head-banging is the sound of skulls being knocked together. Gently of course, softly, softly, when required. The ownership split is Everton 49%, English Partnerships 25%, NWRDA 13%, City Council 13%. That too will be the share of revenues from the entire development. Circumstances dictate this share, not wishes. Had Bill Kenwright's wishes counted for anything we would have owned the project lock, stock and barrel. Future commercial reality may well work in our favour but that is in the lap of the economic gods. As it stands, our tenure is "secure in perpetuity." Hence, the natural fears of tenancy - rightly a hugely emotive issue among our fans - are much allayed. The project is provisionally estimated at about £300 million total. The stadium is provisionally estimated at about £130 million. Ownership of the stadium cannot be separated from the site. Ground sharing is not an option. Both clubs have been consulted but it was impossible to get agreement. The pinkies development of Anfield will not be in competition for funds. It is a Private Funding Initiative (PFI). (We already know the stadium name will be sponsored. But there is still plenty of time for our fans to mobilise and have a genuine say in this. The earlier we present options the better, the sooner we get this out into public discussion the better.) The planning application will be made in March 2002. It also requires detailed data input and co-ordination of agreements with other agencies. The weight of support for the project is expected to avoid a planning "call-in" by the Secretary of State. The design concept is presently being amended in compromise with English Heritage and other busy bodies. In my opinion this is a mistake. At the very end, Joe confirmed his opinion that Everton have handled the project in a professional and responsible manner which augurs well for the future. That's another one in the eye for the rumour mongers. He is confident too that the project will go ahead if everybody continues to do their job properly. There are no guarantees because this is the real world, not Disneyworld. But the signs are good and my cautious optimism has returned. I suppose in the end it boils down to whether you have confidence in Joe Dwyer and his team to deliver their side of the bargain. Well, I am cautiously optimistic about that too, even though there were many more questions I could have posed him. After all, it is his name which will also go down in local history if it is successful. If it fails, it is his reputation which will go awry - and I do not think that is on his personal agenda. As I left I was cordially invited to call and ask questions any time. You can't get much more user-friendly than that. I will of course be taking up the invitation soon. Again, there will be no guarantee of answers because inevitably sometimes circumstances dictate confidentiality. So be it. As long as we are not lied to or fed standard PR pap then we can judge accordingly. Our city and our club have had enough of failure, evasion and misinformation to last another lifetime. All we want is a successful project, on time, on budget and up to quality, something we can show our kids with pride. Is that too much to ask? (29/10/01) What do you think? e-mail Blue Kipper
(Sir) Joe Dwyer,
chairman, Liverpool Vision: jdwyer@liverpoolvision.co.uk Be courteous and clear. You can assume that some idiots will try to cause trouble: Leave that kind of behaviour to them. All you need to ask is this: (a) What is the source and amount of finance for each of the non-Houston Securities parties in the consortium? and (b) When will it be available? (c) What is your role in the project? That's all it takes. Repeat it at regular intervals whether or not you get a response. Stick with it. Only cease when you get a proper answer to the questions. Evasion is not acceptable. Take it for granted some of them will pass you from pillar to post. Be patient. Remember, it is your club's future you are dealing with. If the bid fails, don't let it be because you didn't do enough. Time is on our side but not for much longer.(04/11/01)
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