Everton board provide further details of alledged threats
In another development to an issue that is part of the ongoing crisis enveloping Everton, the club’s board of directors have given further details concerning alledged threats to them.
As we all know, just before Saturday’s game against Southampton, Everton released a statement saying the board were staying away from Goodison Park due to a ‘real and credible threat’, presumably from sections of the club’s supporters.
This included allegations that CEO Denise Barratt-Baxendale had been put in a headlock and was subjected to other forms of abuse.
The timing of this statement was, to put it mildly, hardly helpful as the team prepared for a match that felt as though it really was a must-win.
Despite another of those raucous coach greetings we became used to seeing at the back end of last season, the Blues’ failed to take the points and fell to a catastrophic 2-1 defeat to leave them joint-bottom of the Premier League.
It has since become known that although these are serious allegations, no formal action has been taken by Merseyside Police and the matter is essentially now closed.
And, the board have released another shorter statement that reiterates that as a result of these alledged issues, extra security measures will be in place, presumably in time for the next home game against league leaders Arsenal.
We don’t know exactly what that means in practice or if any of the board members will attend that game, I guess we’ll find out at the weekend.
All this has added to a situation in which the Toffees’ hierachy and supporters seem ever more divided and the club is locked in a permanent and unresolvable crisis, both on and off the field. It feels like it’s in a sort of death spiral which is almost impossible to get out of.
This is charaterised by repeatedly failed attempts to turn things around, resulting in a managerial merry-go-round, accentuating financial constaints that then inhibit who the club can bring in next in terms of players and as the latest replacement manager.
Those players and manager then either don’t have the quality required and/or money to sustain any short-term improvement, leading to poorer and poorer results on the pitch, and so it goes on.
It has also has led to a further deterioration in the relationship between the board and supporters, which we saw develop last season.
This though is a stage worse and it feels like the breach between the board and supporters is impossible to bridge without new people in charge of this chronically failing club. But, will that realistically happen in time to save Everton from the oblivion of relegation?