As an Everton fan I can appreciate how lunacy in the boardroom can destroy a club.

Peter Johnson (dubbed “Agent Johnson” by the Anfield faithful), did a mini-Leeds with Everton, mortgaging their future away so we could buy a cavalcade of stars. After a season we had to sell almost every single one.

Johnson also had the charisma of roadkill – he once took Nigel Martyn to a meat-packing factory for contract talks and, unsurprisingly, Martyn chose to sign for Leeds.

‘Peter Johnson had the charisma of roadkill – he once took Nigel Martyn to a meat-packing factory for contract talks and, unsurprisingly, Martyn chose to sign for Leeds.’


David Moyes said in an interview a few weeks ago that chairmen shouldn’t run the rule over prospective managers as much as potential managers should interview potential chairmen.

But are there any altruistic fat cats among the nest of vipers? And who is the best fat cat in the league?

Everton’s “fat cat”, is more of a anorexic moggy, Bill Kenwright – theatre impresario and obsessive Toffee fan, who has been a constant supporter of Moyes, and wears his heart on his sleeve.

Moyes has often spoken about how tirelessly Kenwright has supported him but there are question marks about how far he can take the club and he has been criticised for his central role in moving Everton to Kirkby.

Across the park we have an utter mess, with Tom Hicks and George Gillett at the helm. They made a huge mistake by sounding out Jurgen Klinsmann, and now that another DIC bid looms on the horizon in the next few months neither will put their foot down and sack Rafa Benitez…

Hicks was described by Luton boss Kevin Blackwell as having “the morals of an alley cat” – is Blackwell right, and is Hicks really unusual when you look at his Premier League peers?

Analysing the ever-growing American presence we move on Aston owner Randy Lerner, who has provided funds for Martin O’Neill and kept himself to himself, and in comparison to ‘Deadly’ Doug Ellis he appears to be an absolute saint.

Even the Glazer family come out well, having taken over Manchester United in controversial circumstances, and facing angry supporters groups. But Glazer himself seems to have slipped off into the shadows and is far less visible than his children.

Perhaps you think that Chelsea fat cat Roman Abramovich is a good chairman and you’re able to forget his constant meddling. Abramovich – lots of money but no patience. If the stories are true, Abramovich and his sycophantic retinue go round to Chelsea players’ houses with little or no notice, to ‘discuss’ football matters, and this – in my mind – is the biggest Abramovich flaw. He seems to think that he knows about football and management.

Reading chairman John Madejski has to be up there with his total backing for Steve Coppell and seems to be one of the most benign and positive forces in the Premier League, even claiming that he will sell up for the good of the club, but only to a super-rich billionaire. "I'll listen to sensible offers – but from billionaires only. Millionaires need not apply," he has said.

Spurs chairman Daniel Levy is infamous for the utterly cack-handed way they have handled the Martin Jol situation. Levy’s demands for Champions League football were reasonable considering their spending. Going behind Jol’s back to court another manager wasn’t the big mistake, being caught was.

Now that Juande Ramos is in the Spurs hot seat, animosity towards Levy and his cronies has receded – but the possibility of another ‘stab in the front’ campaign always remains.

And Spurs’ north London rivals could also have an interesting “fat cat” if Russian Alisher Usmanov gobbles up Arsenal and belches all over their history and traditions and then starts putting his greasy fat sausage-like fingers in places where they aren’t welcome.

However, whilst he tried to convince the Arsenal faithful that he was a Gooner at heart, he also made a teensy-weensy confession – that he thought about purchasing Manchester United with his business partner, and I haven’t even mentioned Usmanov’s supposedly dodgy past.

So is Usmanov a nice guy, or just a sly toad trying to appear as a nice guy? Chairman Peter Hill-Wood claims that there is no place for such allegedly tainted money, even if the party claims innocence or politically motivated attacks.

Then again, tell that to Manchester City…