The death of Everton’s chairman Bill Kenwright has come as a hammer blow to the club, which had been under his ownership for 24 years before the announcement came on Tuesday afternoon.
It confirmed suspicions that had been surfacing throughout the day, as poisonous conjecture turned into a disappointing truth that has left all those associated with the Royal Blue outfit devastated.
Regardless of people’s views on his tenure with the Toffees, the passing of the 78-year-old marks a sad day for Merseyside, who mourn the loss of a man who truly gave his all to make his club and city the best they could possibly be.
However, despite boasting a controlling stake for the bulk of his time affiliated with Everton, he attested on numerous occasions how he never really felt like its true owner.
This is a notion he would further detail in 2015, speaking to The Daily Mail: ‘’I’ve never felt as if I owned Everton.
‘Someone’s gran owns Everton, the community owns Everton, my uncle who took me on the crossbar of his bike. I’m the custodian, no more.
‘I’ll tell you what Everton is to me. It’s about your mates. It’s about that moment when we score and you look around at all the people, from the old boy in the back row to the guys in the dug-out. It’s about them. It’s not about sitting in the Royal Box. It’s about hearing our lot sing Z Cars at Wembley.’
Did Bill Kenwright succeed as Everton chairman?
Although much of the frustrations aired towards Kenwright were born of a lack of silverware, in which it would be hard to argue that the 78-year-old had succeeded during his stint as chairman, he did achieve some huge feats across his tenure which will cement his legacy.
After all, his combination with Farhad Moshiri has finally seen a new stadium crop up, with the Bramley-Moore Dock arena set to be ready midway through the 2024/25 season.
Not only that, but the club did come close to success on occasion, falling at the final hurdle in the 2009 FA Cup final whilst also securing 12 top-eight finishes out of the 19 seasons he oversaw.
However, it was the relationships formed that will truly mark a successful period, at least in Kenwright’s eyes. Most who came across him have clearly formed close bonds, and speak extremely highly of the former vice-Chairman.
The numerous tributes pouring in from all across the footballing world, and other circles too, stand as proof of this.
Although fans may have grown discontented with Kenwright’s reign, they will ultimately bid him a sad farewell, and thank him for all the good he enjoyed rather than the bad he would not have wished on the club.
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