Kenwright dares to hope Everton’s blues over

BILL KENWRIGHT says the past year battling Everton’s financial turmoil has been the worst of his life.

The Everton chairman is within touching distance of a potential £30million cash injection - the first £12.8million of which he hopes will be in the club’s bank account within 14 days.

With his club third in the Premiership and facing Liverpool at home on Saturday with their biggest points’ lead over the Anfield side for 17 years, Kenwright is still cautious about allowing himself to sound a note of optimism. He has battled through a power struggle with fellow director Paul Gregg which is now little more than an uneasy truce - and the club owner said:

“I can’t begin to think about a happy end to 2004 yet, because without a shadow of a doubt it has been the worst year of my life.

“It is something I will never ever go through again and never want to go through again. It is something that I hope has been sorted out, and there seems to be a bit of light at the end of the tunnel. I want everything sorted for Evertonians and want the money in the bank.”

Kenwright had wanted to be able to announce to shareholders at last night’s annual general meeting that the first instalment of cash from the Fortress Sports Fund - a Brunei-based trust - was already in the club’s accounts.

But even that plan fell through, and the financier behind the scheme - Geneva resident Chris Samuelson - flew in for the meeting and faced hostile questioning by shareholders who doubted his motives and sensed a potential takeover.

It was the last thing Kenwright needed. He has overseen a savage cost-cutting at the club, the axing of 15 senior players and a power battle which at one time in a summer of discontent saw the dreaded thought of administration rear its head.

Now Kenwright just prays the 14 days granted to Samuelson to come up with the money will have a satisfactory conclusion.

He explained: “We have talked to the lawyers and have done a background check. But there is always a waiting period, and there are a million and one reasons for that.

“Obviously I am not an idiot. But you say ‘where’s the money, why isn’t it in the bank?’