EVERTON FC last night said it remains committed to relocating to Kirkby and will fight a public inquiry called into the scheme by the Government.

Chairman Bill Kenwright also told an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) at Goodison Park, called by angry shareholders to demand a withdrawal from the plan, that he was looking for a billionaire to take over the club.

"I am a pauper when it comes to other chairmen. I cannot go on like this, we need a new owner and we will continue to try to find one," said Kenwright, who endured a barrage of criticism.

He said he had asked Keith Harris, a "Mr Fix it" of the football world, to try to find a buyer for the club which he would "sell tomorrow" to the right bidder.

Despite insisting the proposed move to Kirkby alongside a Tesco supermarket would continue, Kenwright said his door remained open if Liverpool City Council could come up with a viable alternative.

Last night council leader Warren Bradley said he would continue to try to find solutions but claimed former chief executive Keith Wyness had always dismissed the local authority’s suggested options.

Everton’s plans to move to Kirkby with Tesco in a £400m development were cast into doubt when the government decided to call a public inquiry because of the large retail element.

Last night was the first time the club had made public its intention to press ahead with the scheme which will be delayed by up to a year by the inquiry, which will start in November.

Acting Everton chief executive Robert Elstone started the EGM with a presentation spelling out the financial reasons the club feels a move to Kirkby is the only option.

"There has been a suggestion that maybe we can do something at Goodison.

"But Kirkby is the only site that is affordable, deliverable and achievable."

He said the club’s property advisors DTZ had estimated that the year’s delay would cost £6m, but said it was still being discussed with the "partners" Knowsley Council and Tesco as to who would foot the bill.

"We are confident of success at the inquiry," said Elstone.

He said the new 50,000 seater ground, costing £130m, of which Everton would contribute £78m, would generate around £11m additional revenue a year for the club.

Currently Everton takes about £800,000 a match, while Premier League rivals like Arsenal have a gate income of £3.3m per game.

In 2006 the club had the 9th highest spend on player costs – £38m – and finished 6th in the table.

The average player cost in the Premier League was £48m.

Mr Elstone added: "This club has always punched above its weight with a great manager in control.

"It is unwise to continue to rely on that to be successful as a football club.

"We believe there is no other financially available option in Liverpool. We have been offered only two other sites in the city, and they were not viable.

"If we try to develop Goodison Park, we will have to revise our club budget and expectation."

The cost of redeveloping Goodison would range from £50m to £230m depending on the scale of change, Elstone said.

But apart from the most expensive option, the club would either lose money or only gain an additional £2.5m a year. Kenwright admitted he did not have the money to rebuild Goodison Park and could not see an alternative to moving to Kirkby.

"This summer’s transfer window has been the worst and most difficult I can remember.

"Now Arabs have bought Manchester City, making it even more difficult for Everton Football Club.

"I want this club to have its billionaire, I apologise it is not me. My shareholding has been for sale from the day I bought in.

"Every year it becomes more difficult to find the money. It is impossible to continue in the financial way we are at the moment.

"I do not know how I can continue to serve this club the way we are doing at the moment.”

"Everyone knows this club needs investment. People are looking. I would sell tomorrow."

He said it was impossible for the club to continue racking up debts year on year to buy players.

When quizzed on the involvement of retail tycoon Sir Philip Green in the club, Kenwright said the pair were friends.

"He’s not a silent shareholder, he’s my friend. He’s a great friend of this club."

He said Sir Philip was on hand 24 hours a day to offer advice.

Cllr Bradley and his political opponent Labour leader Joe Anderson both addressed the meeting.

Kenwright said to them: "You come up with a viable proposition for Everton Football Club and we are there with you."

Mark Grayson, who was fundamental in securing the 20% of shareholders needed to call the EGM, said: "What’s stuck in my mind is that Kirkby is the only option for the board.

"We are having to look at Kirkby being the only option because we have not got the finances.

"I would rather we saw a change of ownership than go to Kirkby."

A resolution calling for the club to withdraw from an exclusivity agreement with Knowsley Council and Tesco and open talks with Liverpool City Council, pull out of the Kirkby move and open talks with Liverpool City Council was defeated by 26,553 votes to 622.

The rejected options for redevelopment

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ACTING chief executive Robert Elstone last night outlined three options that had been looked at , but dismissed, for re-developing Goodison Park which had been dismissed., making the move to Kirkby the "only viable option".

Watched by club chairman Bill Kenwright, manager David Moyes,who did not speak at the meeting, and club life president Sir Philip Carter, Elstone said The first was to re-build the current ground on the existing footprint at a cost of £130m.

He said this option would which would reduce capacity to 35,000 from the 40,500.

The club could be in the new ground by 2012 but in the meantime, it would involve playing home games would have to be played at the grounds of rival clubs, perhaps even Anfield, and a loss of £6m a year.the JJB in Wigan, the Reebok in Bolton, Deepdale in Preston or even Anfield.

The result of that would be a loss of £6m a year, and even when complete the club would take £1m less in revenue than at present.

The second "extremely challenging" option was a £230m new 50,000 seater stadium over an expanded footprint which land including Gwladys Street school, around 100 homes and a business, moving into the ground by 2013.

Moving out of the ground while work continued would cost £200m, with a loss of £6m a year.

He said it would be "extremely challenging" to successfully acquire the land and at best the club could hope to be inside the new ground by 2013.

It would involve building the new stadium while still playing at Goodison Park with spectators only able to sit in three stands.

Or alternatively moving out while the new ground was built which would cost £200m, but would see the club lose £6m a year while the stadium was built.

The third option was to a new Bullens Road stand at a cost of between £50m and £70m, which would and would create 4,000 additional seats and bring in an extra £2.5m a year.

None of the options was acceptable, said Elstone.

"All these options we believe are not acceptable and will not deliver," Elstone said.

However, as part of £78m cost of moving to Kirkby the club is expecting to recoup cash by selling the naming rights for the new stadium, and also selling Goodison.