Everton fans don’t understand Graeme Sharp position amid board protests – Sky Sports pundit
We’re delighted to welcome former Everton striker Kevin Campbell as our exclusive columnist. Each week the former Toffees captain will be giving his views on the biggest talking points at Goodison Park…
Graeme Sharp can’t solve all of the problems at Everton and his position on the board means he won’t trash fellow members, says Kevin Campbell.
The former Toffees striker was appointed on 5 January last year as a non-executive director but amid near-constant turmoil at the club ever since has now joined the likes of Bill Kenwright and Denise Barrett-Baxendale as targets for supporter criticism, with fan group NSNOW published an open letter to him on 10 March calling for better leadership.
But fellow ex-Goodison forward Campbell doesn’t believe the fans understand that Sharp is not in a situation where he can come out publicly against the rest of the hierarchy so staying quiet is the best thing for him to do.
Speaking exclusively to Goodison News the Sky Sports pundit said: “Whether I’d like to hear more from him or not the fact is, one – he’s a legend, and two – he’s an actual board member.
“This is sometimes what the fanbase don’t understand. When you’re actually on the inside of the club your relationship is totally different.
“People can ask, they want Graeme Sharp to say this or say that. He’s a board member now and he has to act accordingly. Because you kind of act as a group.
“Many ex-players have been called out to say stuff, but the relationship because they have been in the club, and because they have a great relationship with the fans, they have a great relationship with the people upstairs as well.
“So what don’t you do? Sometimes it’s best for people to just be quiet and I think Graeme Sharp is doing that.
“Obviously he’s said bits that the fans don’t like, but fans have to realise he’s a board member, he’s been put on the board for a reason – his football knowledge, and to help.
“But Graeme Sharp saying whatever isn’t going to cure the problem.”
Unless or until things improve at Everton then everyone in a position of any influence is going to remain in the firing line if they aren’t clearly having a positive effect.
Given the board rarely communicates publicly, certainly not in person, and when they do it seems to do more harm than good it is hard to see what work is being done aside from assurances that everyone is hard at it behind the scenes.
But that is really the least that should be expected from the hierarchy of a club that is endlessly teetering on the brink, so while Sharp may not be willing or able to criticise the rest of the board he is going to receive criticism of his own by association for as long as he’s a part of the operation even if it outrages Kenwright.
The BBC’s Phil McNulty suggested this would be an issue when Sharp was appointed rather an “outsider”, and he looks to have been proven right.