Everton fans call for Bill Kenwright to be removed as chairman
- Published
A group of Everton fans have held a protest march before every home game since early February
An Everton fans' group has called on owner Farhad Moshiri to sack Bill Kenwright after saying it had "no confidence" in the Toffees chairman.
Long-serving Kenwright, 77, defended the way the club is run in an open letter to fans last week.
Everton's 4-1 home defeat by Newcastle on Thursday leaves the club rooted in the Premier League relegation zone.
"The situation is not sustainable [and] not befitting of our great club," said the Everton Fan Advisory Board.
It added: "As Evertonians, we do not deserve it."
Second-bottom Everton, who have been in the top-flight for 72 years, are two points adrift of safety with five games remaining.
Kenwright and the rest of the board of directors have not attended a home game since January after what the club described as "threatening correspondence" was received before a game against Southampton.
Some supporters have held peaceful protest marches before every home game since, expressing their frustration at the running of the club.
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The target of their frustrations are Moshiri and the board of directors, which includes Kenwright, chief executive Denise Barrett-Baxendale, chief financial officer Grant Ingles and former Toffees striker Graeme Sharp.
Kenwright, who has been Everton chairman since 2004, says their removal will not help the team's current on-field struggles.
"The chair of any organisation has a core responsibility for leading the board, ensuring its focus on strategic matters and direction, overseeing the company's business, and setting high governance standards," said the Everton Fan Advisory Board, an independent body which consults with the club's board.
"We were therefore hugely disappointed at the chairman's statement last Friday.
"At a critical time for our club, when we most needed leadership, understanding, accountability and a recognition of the strength of feeling and concern across large parts of our fanbase, we got the absolute opposite.
"After careful consideration, we are therefore making a call of no confidence in the current chair.
"The FAB is also calling on the majority shareholder to urgently take charge of securing stronger expertise, experience and more appropriate leadership for our club."
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Analysis
Phil McNulty, chief football writer
Everton's board failed to hear the alarm bells ringing at deafening volume when they narrowly escaped relegation last season, and now it looks increasingly like they will be punished by dropping into the Championship.
The scale of mismanagement from owner Farhad Moshiri, chairman Bill Kenwright, chief executive Denise Barrett-Baxendale and the rest of Everton's board has been on an industrial scale when measured in money squandered in hundreds of millions and the lack of any coherent plan.
Now, with five league games left, Everton are teetering on the precipice after the 4-1 loss at home to Newcastle United left them second from bottom, two points from safety.
Chairman Kenwright's ill-timed open letter to fans in recent days made no reference to any of the failings that have landed this proud club in crisis, with the board not attending a game since January amid security fears and the Premier League referring them to an independent commission for an alleged breach of Financial Fair Play rules.
All this against the backdrop of Everton sliding towards the bottom of the table.
Kenwright's letter smacked of "nothing to see here" in the context of a board that has presided over catastrophically bad decision-making in recent years. They bear a huge weight of responsibility.
There have been hints change is coming in the form of new investment and boardroom upheaval. The biggest change could be in Everton's status - from Premier League club to Championship.
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