Fans claim idol Ferguson backs stay-put campaign

Aug 15 2007 by Alan Weston, Liverpool Daily Post

FANS aiming to stop Everton FC’s planned move to Kirkby have brought one of the club’s most famous names into the campaign.

The Keep Everton in Our City (KEIOC) group distributed leaflets at last night’s away game against Tottenham which claimed Duncan Ferguson was against relocating the club to a new stadium outside Liverpool.

Headlined Goodison Idol Casts His Vote, the flyer quotes Ferguson as saying: “Like I said at the beginning of the campaign, if you were to take Everton out of the city, Everton FC could no longer call itself the People’s Club.”

In the leaflet, Ferguson goes on to describe his favourite memory of his time as an Everton player, when he went into the city centre after scoring his first goal in the derby game of November 21, 1994.

“The sight was simply awesome – a sea of blue and white. I had no idea that so many people in the city supported the blues,” he adds.

The KEIOC group has also produced a second leaflet which shows more detailed plans they have drawn up for how they say they want to see Goodison Park revamped, as an alternative to the move to Kirkby.

The group claims their redevelopment scheme “will produce a tall cavernous arena representing the most unified yet traditional stadium in the country, and a direct evolution of Goodison Park.”

It says the new stadium would cover the same footprint as the old one, with capacity never dropping below 40,030 and possibilities for further expansion.

The leaflet goes on to say: “We are not saying that this is THE option, we are saying it is AN option for the future of the club, and an option that we believe is financially viable and deliverable and as such, should be fully explored by the club and board of directors.”

The plans, developed by design engineer Tom Hughes, were first unveiled at an event organised by KEIOC at St George’s Hall earlier this month, which was swamped by around 4,000 supporters.

Spokesman Dave Kelly said: “Our whole intention has been to prove there are viable alternatives out there to a move to Kirkby, and to put them in the public domain.”

The club has said its preferred option is to move to a new 50,000 to 55,000 seater ground in Kirkby town centre, in a joint deal with Knowsley Council and Tesco, with the potential to expand to 60,000 seats in future.

Everton FC chief executive Keith Wyness has described the offer on the table as the “deal of the century”. The move is also backed by chairman Bill Kenwright and manager David Moyes.

Cash-and-carry firm Bestway, which is working with Liverpool council leader Warren Bradley, has put forward another proposal for a new stadium they believe could be built off Scotland Road, known as the Tunnel Trumpet site. However, Mr Wyness has dismissed the site as too small.

A ballot is being held among Everton fans as to whether or not they support the move to Kirkby. The club has said it will abide by the fans’ decision.

The Daily Post was unable to contact Duncan Ferguson.

alanweston@dailypost.co.uk