Lancashire

Why HS2 matters now!

HS2

Despite the fact that the project is one of the most important infrastructure schemes ever proposed for the north of England, there remains a huge amount of apathy from business leaders to the much discussed and debated High Speed 2.

This is largely because the new fast tracks from London to the North are not likely to be laid anytime before 2026, with full completion not due until 2032. Add to that timescale the inevitable delays that seem to accompany every major British infrastructure project, and we’re more likely looking at 2035, by which time many of us will be eligible for a senior citizens rail card – if we’re still here at all.

However, this is to miss the point of how the North and its great cities and regions can market, promote and attract investment.

Speaking to several overseas visitors and potential investors over the past few weeks at the International Festival for Business in Liverpool, and it is interesting to note that they are vaguely curious about the past ten years; certainly interested about the next ten; but most quizzical about what strategies and plans are in place for the next twenty five years.

If you are representing a company that is looking to relocate or establish a major brand in a new city, then it is not unreasonable for you to want to be confident that your investment is being made in a place that has a sustainable, long term future.

This is why the winning of the argument about HS2 is so crucial. And then HS3 on the back of it, to better connect northern cities together.

Getting to London thirty minutes quicker may or may not be a killer HS2 argument for many, but HS3, the ability to then connect Manchester to Leeds on modern, high speed trains and tracks must surely win the approval of any serious business leader in the north.

Whilst London continues to plough hundreds of millions of pounds improving its infrastructure, and is squabbling not about ‘if’ a new airport but ‘where’, there is not a whisper of discontent from the Capitals chattering classes or the Westminster political fixers. Money spent in the south, it seems, is unquestionably well spent.

The nonsense spoken of in terms of the costs surrounding HS2 must be seen as what they are – an antiquated vision of a dilapidated, slow moving north, grateful to be kept afloat by the crumbs from an ever growing, indeed overflowing, South East table.

Of course the renaissance of our big cities in modern times, Leeds, Liverpool and particularly Manchester, has been remarkable. But for us to continue and indeed accelerate the progress of our region, then investment not only in rail, but on our road networks too, is absolutely essential.

HS2 and HS3 may not be here in your lifetime – but those international companies and investors want to be confident that it will be here at some point. And that is why HS2 is important now, and why we must fight enthusiastically for it to be delivered.

What about Lancashire?

George Osborne

The chancellor announced plans for city region mayors for Manchester, Leeds and Liverpool at an event earlier this week.

His proclamation that economic growth in these three great northern cities is the way to rebalance an economy that is so badly skewered towards London and the South East was welcome in many ways, if only because there appears to be a genuine recognition that power needs to be devolved from Westminster to the regions and we need to be allowed to take control of our own destiny.

But if cities are the future, rather than garlic bread, then where does that leave counties such as Lancashire?

With no city hub, no recognised figurehead for the entire region, and no mention from George Osborne in his speech on Monday, will Lancashire begin to see resources reduced and transferred to the big urban conurbations?

How Lancashire reacts to this new political agenda was the subject of much discussion and debate throughout Downtown’s Lancashire Business Week, which we hosted this week.

Though there was inevitably some concern about the possibility of the cities winning more resources in the future, there was also an acknowledgement that Lancashire had to react in a positive way, demonstrate its own key strengths that can significantly contribute to the economic growth of the North and come up with a positive vision that the county’s private and public sectors can share and articulate.

Cities do not have a monopoly on good ideas, as our not too distant past proves.

It was Lancashire, not Manchester, which established the first arms length local authority managed economic development company. Lancashire Enterprises went on to become a blueprint for council’s up and down the country.

It was Lancashire, not Leeds, which established an office in the heart of Brussels to influence European policy and win significant financial support for a whole range of initiatives for the county. Lancashire House, as it was named, ended up renting space to other local authorities, and made money from what was seen by some as a risky project.

It was Lancashire, not Liverpool, which pioneered the idea of a Northwest Partnership, consisting of the top 20 businesses in the region and the leaders of all the Northwest’s council leaders. This was the forerunner to the Northwest Regional Assembly, a body that was led for a number of years not by the leader of Manchester or Liverpool – but by the Deputy Leader of Lancashire.

When the county is confident, bold and takes calculated risks it is at its strongest. For too long we have lacked the necessary confidence, and indeed collective ambition and unity of purpose, to put the county on any government’s economic growth agenda.

I got the sense this week that the confidence and desire, from the business community at least, is returning. We must now press our politicians to join us, and create a vision that George Osborne & co cannot ignore.

Growing a business is bloody tough

Growing Business

Downtown celebrated its tenth anniversary in May. It is a fact I am proud of, because not many people backed us to last ten minutes, never mind ten years.

During the past decade the company has established the brand in four locations, adding Lancashire, Manchester and Leeds to the original Liverpool offer, and we have done so ‘organically’ – or put another way, slowly!

The biggest challenge throughout my entire time in business has been finding the right staff. My experience is that through economic good times, and bad, that challenge gets no easier.

In my business plan for this year, we should by now have a team of fifteen. That we haven’t is down to a mix poor recruitment, natural churn of staff, a lack of great people being available and downright bad luck.

Our marketing guy, who has done a fabulous job in his short time with us, has just announced that he is off to fulfil a lifetime ambition and live in Barcelona. Good luck to him, but it adds another pressure to a business that is trying its best to grow.

During the past week, 600 people have attended Downtown events, and the positivity and buzz that has been around has been real and in stark contrast to where the business community was a year ago.

However, when successful entrepreneurs who have made their millions tell us at various forums ‘surround yourself with people who are better than you’ the reply back is overwhelmingly ‘I’d love to, but where are they?’

This may sound like a moan, but actually it is simply a reminder to myself and other ambitious business owners out there that there are no short cuts, no easy wins, and still huge obstacles for those of us who are looking to build a bigger business.

Access to finance is a problem that businesses are slowly but surely getting to grips with, finding alternative sources of funding, or experiencing a little more support from the banks. Recruitment, on the other hand, remains the absolute pain in the arse that it always has been!

The big consolation for me is that the team that I do have, and who have helped to deliver a fantastic series of events this week, are absolutely brilliant. I thank them for their wonderful efforts, and for keeping me sane.

David Moyes

Moyes

It came as no surprise that David Moyes failed as the manager of Manchester United. Not to Evertonians anyway.

During his reign at Goodison Park he turned Everton from perennial relegation strugglers to a team that finished consistently in the top half of the table. He replaced an ageing squad with a younger, hungrier group of players. He brought respectability and pride back to one of England’s traditional ‘big clubs’. And on the back of all this, he became the third best paid manager in the Premier League whilst at Everton – and then landed the United job ten months ago.

His achievements at Everton did not go unnoticed; largely due to Moyes’ own ability to spin a very credible and plausible tale. He was doing all this with one hand tied behind his back. He had no money to spend. He was operating on a shoe string budget. He had to sell his best players.

He convinced the media, and he convinced the majority of Everton fans, myself included, that finishing in the top half of the Premier League was ‘job done’ at a club like Everton.

The facts somewhat betray the ‘miracle’ that he and his friends in the press would have us believe he presided over though. Indeed, Everton were not punching ‘above their weight’. They were finishing in a league position that was in and around the amount of money they were spending in comparison to their Premier League rivals.

Other than Wayne Rooney, he was able to replace any player he sold with someone better. He was given the resources to break the club record transfer fee on several occasions. And, he was never undermined by his chairman, or the supporters.

His Premier League record was decent, but closer analysis of his performance at Everton clearly provides evidence that he was a ‘bottler’.

In his eleven years at Everton, Moyes failed to win a single game at Anfield, Old Trafford, Stamford Bridge or the Emirates. He took Everton in to the Champions League in 2005. But his side were knocked out in the qualifying Round.

Though he led the Blues to an FA Cup final against Chelsea in 2009, his side failed to show up on the day, weakly surrendering despite taking the lead within a minute of the games start. Often overlooked, he scraped through to the final with a penalty shoot out victory over Man United’s RESERVES!

In 2012, he was back at Wembley for another semi final, this time against arch rivals Liverpool. Again Everton took the lead. Again, they lost the match as they went in to a second half meltdown against one of the worst Liverpool sides I have ever seen.

In truth most Blues supporters thought it was time for him to go then. He had taken Everton as far as he could.

Unfortunately the clubs chairman was not among that number, and we were ‘stuck with Moyes’ until United came knocking – but not until he had led Everton to an FA Cup Quarter final battering to Wigan.

On his final day in the home managers dug out at Goodison, he was given a heroes farewell by those of us who had accepted his ‘managed expectations.’ The Everton faithful recognised that when the biggest club on the planet come knocking…

There was a guard of honour, a standing ovation and a bloody great send off for a guy who had actually not won us a single trophy or even an away ‘derby’ game in eleven years. He left on the crest of a wave, head held high and with our very best wishes. But then!

It took Moyes eleven minutes to destroy a reputation that it had taken him eleven years to build. In a remarkably stupid press conference at Old Trafford he criticised his former club, the club that had made him, the club that paid him a salary that was the third highest in the league, the club that had given him that rousing farewell only weeks earlier, for not being grateful for a nickel and dime bid for two of their leading players.

He tried to bully Everton in to selling Marouane Fellaini and Leighton Baines on the cheap. He disrespected Everton in a way that would have been unacceptable for any manager to do, let alone one who had enjoyed the long association he had enjoyed with the club.

Not surprisingly Evertonians best wishes evaporated, replaced by the contempt he had shown them and their club.

Long before this though, and long before the disaster that has been the last ten months at United, I knew the Old Trafford job was too big for him. United fans often told me Moyes would succeed Sir Alex and I always, always said ‘that job is too big for him’. So it proved.

The manner in which he was dismissed was appalling, and not in keeping with a club of Manchester United’s stature. However, some may say ‘what comes around goes around.’

Many pundits have argued that Moyes hasn’t been given enough time. In my opinion, ten months or ten years, he would have been unable to hack a job where expectations cannot be managed; defensive football not tolerated. Even inheriting a Premiership winning team, albeit one in decline, he still failed to win at Anfield, the Emirates, Stamford Bridge or, fatefully, Goodison Park.

And if there was ever any more evidence required to prove that Moyes and United would never have worked, you only have to look at Everton since he left, under the leadership of Roberto Martinez.

Gone is the pragmatism, the negativity, the dampening of ambition. The Spaniard oozes positivity, confidence and hope. He dares his club to dream; recognising rather than dismissing its rich and proud history.

He does this whilst his team on the field of play perform in a swashbuckling style that has seen the phrase ‘school of science’ return to Goodison Park, replacing the more conservative ‘people’s club’ motto coined by his predecessor.

David Cameron once said to Tony Blair across the dispatch box of the House of Commons “You were the future once.” Martinez could have shouted the same thing across the dugout of Goodison Park to Moyes as he managed United for the final time.

The Old Trafford hierarchy may not have covered themselves in glory over Moyes’ dismissal, but give them credit for recognising relatively quickly that he was the wrong man for the huge job that is manager of Manchester United.

That does not make Moyes a bad manager though, and I expect him to return to a hot seat soon with a Newcastle, Villa or Sunderland and do a fantastic job for them. That is his level, and he, along with thousands of Evertonians and United fans, should know that now too.

The highs, lows, laughter, tears and downright frustration of Football

Football

I have been a football supporter for as long as I can remember – and an Evertonian even longer than that.

As a kid, my Dad always told me that whoever was top of the table at Easter would win the league. If that still holds today, then in a few weeks time Liverpool will be crowned Champions.

This week on Merseyside football fans have gone through every single emotion that the beautiful game can throw at you.  At Anfield on Sunday, Liverpool finally overcame Man City 3-2, and then in mid week watched their Manchester rivals totally blow the title with a disappointing performance against relegation bound Sunderland resulting in a 2-2 draw.

After the euphoria of an incredible performance and win over Arsenal less than a fortnight ago, Everton seriously dented their prospects of joining their neighbours in the Champions League next season, falling to a 3-2 defeat at the hands of lowly Crystal Palace.

Amidst all this was the twenty fifth anniversary of a football related tragedy that remains an indelible stain on the English game – Hillsborough.

Far more qualified writers than me have put into words just how much of a catastrophe that totally unnecessary and wholly avoidable horror was. Those that lost loved ones have finally secured a modicum of justice and content through their sterling, relentless campaigning work.

Weather you support Leeds, Blackburn, Burnley or Carlisle, you will admire the work of those families. If you were going to big football matches during the seventies and eighties you will have thought at some point ‘that could have been me’.

It took twenty five years for the 96 who were killed at Hillsborough to get some kind of justice. It took about twenty five weeks before the powers that be recognised that if it was to survive as a sport and as a business football could not go on treating fans like cattle, sub human, cretins.

Today we have 21st century state of the art stadiums, sensible policing and clubs that by and large recognise the need to ‘entertain’ before and after the match even if what you are watching during the ninety minutes of play is not particularly riveting.

All the regeneration, television money and razzamatazz have made football a safer sport to watch in terms of your physical well being. Emotionally, it can still kick you in the guts when you’re least expecting it. And that’s why it’s still the greatest game on the planet.

Justice for the 96. And don’t buy the Sun!