Source: Liverpool_Echo
David Prentice: Kirkby snub can break down Everton FC’s divisions
SO Kirkby is now a termination, not a destination. The deal of the century has joined Kings Dock as a footnote in Everton's home-owning history.[LNB]And you know what, I'm kind of glad.[LNB]Not because I was ever ardently against the move.[LNB]I've written in the past that I was uneasy about the switch, but could see no alternative.[LNB]But this morning I'm relieved because the issue divided Evertonians like no other, and a divided football club is clearly a weaker one.[LNB]Everton now have the opportunity to pull together. The bickering and infighting which has infected messageboards and letters pages must end.[LNB]Everton needs its fans to present a united front because the grand old football club is at a pivotal point in its fortunes.[LNB]Their present stadium is atmospheric, but outdated.[LNB]They do not have the funds to either rebuild it, or construct another.[LNB]And that lack of a new arena appears to be turning away anybody even remotely interested in investing in one of English football's most famous names.[LNB]Everton need help.[LNB]Perhaps their first port of call should be the City Council which campaigned so hard to keep them in the city.[LNB]The body which granted Liverpool FC planning permission to build on a Victorian Park without so much as proof of funding, yet knocked back planning permission for their neighbours to build houses on the site of their old training ground, owes Everton.[LNB]Unfortunately our civic leaders are often muddled in their thinking.[LNB]Yesterday we had the bizarre sight of Council representatives travelling to London with a World Cup bid which contained a proposed new stadium - a project already derided by their leader as: 'A glorified cow shed built in a small town outside Liverpool.'[LNB]Bet that impressed the bid assessors.[LNB]So perhaps it's best if Everton look elsewhere.[LNB]They're unlikely to get help from across the park, nor should they.[LNB]The shared stadium is a non-starter.[LNB]I've long believed it's the most sensible option for both clubs, but when has good sense ever held sway in football?[LNB]And at this moment in time Everton seek to benefit far more than their neighbours from sharing a stadium.[LNB]Which is why Liverpool won't consider it.[LNB]The naming rights alone for a new Anfield are worth hundreds of millions of pounds.[LNB]Whether Evertonians like it or not, Anfield is a name which resonates around Europe.[LNB]Would there be the same scramble from blue chip businesses if the stadium was not a new Anfield, but a new Goodfield or a new Anison Park?
