Everton ‘stain’ and ‘stench’ lifted by Denise Barrett-Baxendale exit but ‘more pain’ yet to get Bill Kenwright out – 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…
Denise Barrett-Baxendale’s resignation from the Everton board lifts some of the “stain” and “stench” brewing around the club for the fans but there is more to go, says Kevin Campbell.
The former Toffees CEO left along with fellow board members Grant Ingles and Graeme Sharp on 12 June after months of supporter protests against the board, but after an 11 day delay chairman Bill Kenwright was convinced to remain by owner Farhad Moshiri.
Ex-Goodison captain Campbell has lamented the exit of who he sees as an innocent party in Sharp, and has tipped “more pain” to come before Kenwright is shifted.
Speaking exclusively to Goodison News the Sky Sports pundit said of Barrett-Baxendale: “It’s positive because there was a stain, a stench, around the club and she was part of the problem with the fans wasn’t she?
“The fact that three board members have gone, again I think Sharpy was just caught in the crosshairs unfortunately, he was the ex-player on the board who could probably cross the bridge from fan to player.
“He kind of got caught in the crossfire it’s sad the way it’s happened, but he’s taken his medicine and he’s resigned.
“Three of them have resigned but there’s still more things the fans want, definitely Bill Kenwright gone.
“The owners backed Bill Kenwright in the transition so I just think there’s going to be more pain.”
Rightly or wrongly it was inevitable that the previous board had to change since the relationship with the supporters had been broken beyond repair.
The same seems true with the chairman but for now he remains, so what happens in the near future will have a big say on whether the club enters a new era and starts to heal with a fractured fan base or not.
The suggestion from The Esk on Thursday (20 July) that the three exits that have already happened cost the club as much as £7million would mean the cost could have detracted from a vital transfer budget, so if anything comparable is on the cards with Kenwright it would be “pain” indeed.
In other Everton news, Martin Samuel believes the club “may have a new signing” after what he has seen.