SPEND five minutes in the company of Robert Earl and you get a small snapshot into the hectic world he orbits.
Fast talking, his mobile phone persistently ringing, he is clearly a man who makes things happen.
One task he faces this weekend is to secure four ringside seats at the MGM Grand for some of Hollywood’s A-list desperate to see Ricky Hatton tackle Floyd Mayweather.
At such short notice, you would think the chances of strolling into Buckingham Palace and asking for an audience with the Queen would be greater but Earl is not in the slightest bit flustered.
“I do billion dollar deals, so it’s not a problem,” he says chirpily.
As the mogul who launched the Planet Hollywood empire and numbers Sylvester Stallone, Barbara Streisand, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Demi Moore among his friends, Earl is someone who carries considerable clout.
To Evertonians, however, he has been something of a mystery man since he bought Paul and Anita Gregg’s shares in October 2006 with many believing he was simply helping out another of his friends – Blues chairman Bill Kenwright.
After all, his visits to Goodison Park had been sporadic but in the past few days he has emerged from the shadows to show that he is going to be a figure who plays a huge role in shaping Everton’s fortunes.
Having introduced himself to shareholders at the AGM on Tuesday evening, the club’s newest director – a 56-year-old who was born in North London – watched Everton progress to the UEFA Cup group stages 24 hours later before jetting back to the US.
What, then, is his interest in Everton? Simple. Though Planet Hollywood has gone bust twice, he is not someone who is accustomed to failure and is a shrewd investor, so it is hugely significant that he thinks the Blues can go global.
But to do that, Earl makes one thing crystal clear: moving away from Goodison Park is absolutely essential.
In his view, as difficult as it maybe for some to contemplate, heading to Kirkby is the only way forward.
“This is a club that has unexploited potential. It has an incredible fan base, a wonderful squad and a great manager and good management in house,” noted Earl, who says he has been “driving people mad” with daily phone calls across the Atlantic to Goodison.
“As a result, I have invested for my family. Now I have got to learn quite a bit and I am very keen on the whole thing. I have become a big fan, I watch every game and speak to the lads regularly. I love it.
“I feel I can add some value in certain areas, wherever Bill Kenwright wants to point me and I think that the move is absolutely essential.
“I understand all the emotions. I really do. I don’t have to be an Evertonian to understand the emotions.
“The AGM didn’t surprise me at all. If anything, it was probably less venomous than I thought it would be. Some very good points were made but unfortunately a lot were based on limited amounts of information that people react on.
“If I saw an article from a Liverpool city councillor that said a site was available in the city of Liverpool, I would react the same way.
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