Bill Kenwright gave his all to Everton - the club he loved as a child and fought until the bitter end to fix

Bill Kenwright first joined the board at Everton in 1989 and became deputy chairman a decade later after buying a majority share in the club; His legacy won't be bricks and mortar at Bramley Moore Dock, it will be that he gave his all to the club he loved as a child

By Alan Myers, Sky Sports News

Wednesday 25 October 2023 10:03, UK

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Late one night, around midnight, my phone rang, no hello, just a voice saying «I've had enough son». I knew instantly it was Bill Kenwright.

Not just because he often called me son, not even because it was midnight, a regular time for him to call, but because of the sheer desperation in his voice.

Despite being a trained actor, Bill Kenwright couldn't hide his emotions when it came to Everton football club. The team had been on a losing streak and he was feeling the pressure, he needed to talk, to vent his frustration with a like-minded confidant.

He was contemplating resigning as Everton chairman. We spoke until 2am eventually getting around to discussing who our favourite players to wear the royal blue shirt were.

By now he'd forgotten his earlier dilemma, everything was OK again. He called me a few days later to thank me for stopping him doing something he said he would've regretted.

This, however, was not during the relative tumultuous madness of recent seasons. This was a good few years back, before Farhad Moshiri had arrived, but when running Everton was still a slog, a challenge but for Kenwright also a labour of love.

A far cry from Christmas Eve 1999, when a new millennium ushered in a new dawn at Goodison Park.

Sat at home in Liverpool, in my role as Everton's press officer, I received yet another midnight phone call.

This