BILL KENWRIGHT insists he is still searching for investment "24 hours a day" - after admitting for the first time that any hopes of the Fortress Sports Fund becoming involved at Everton are now dead.
The Goodison chairman was finally able to shed some light on the lengthy and frustrating saga that cast a cloud over the club for much of last season.
The Fund, led by Swiss-based financier Chris Samuelson, had been due to buy almost a third share in the club but despite repeated assurances - Samuelson even appeared at last year's AGM in an attempt to convince sceptical supporters - no deal materialised. And speaking at last night's AGM, Kenwright finally expained the reasons behind what one questioner suggested represented a "charade".
Kenwright said: "(Samuelson) was someone who I believed could have come up with the money, he had his credentials and thought he could come up with a deal that was good for the club.
"So I brought him to you (to last year's AGM). But he didn't, like many many other people, come up with the goods. I didn't lie, and I don't think Jon (Woods), Paul (Gregg) or Keith (Wyness) did."
He added: "I am spending 24 hours a day trying to raise finance for this club. I had a meeting today, three yesterday, all involving money that would dilute my shareholding - but I'm not interested in that."
Chief executive Keith Wyness also denied claims that Samuelson had at any stage been paid money by the club. "He (Samuelson) was never paid one penny," he insisted.
A lively meeting saw Wyness also attempting to clarify several other issues that attracted heated questioning from last night's attendees. Among them were: V Villarreal ticketing: Wyness blamed "an exceptional situation" for the shambolic way tickets were distributed ahead of Everton's long-awaited Champions League debut back in August, claiming the club were left with only six days to sell their allocation.
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