Does Hazel hold Everton's purse strings?

My information is that Everton expect a decision within the next week, and the feeling inside Goodison Park is that it is currently "50/50".

The Government Office for the North West (GONW) has asked for extra time to consider the decision, a move that has actually given rise to optimism on both sides of this argument.

I was contacted by representatives of Everton fans who are petitioning to convene an Extraordinary General Meeting of the club - and who are currently on the way to getting the numbers required to achieve their aim.

The main bones of contention are that they feel the new 50,000-seater stadium is not what was paraded in the original brochure - not effectively free but now costing Everton £78m, and falling into the "mid-range" quality of arena.

They fear it could pile debts on the club and be reflected in future transfer budgets and ticket prices.

They also believe Kirkby is an unsuitable location. To say that the decision to build a ground outside the Liverpool city boundary is a sore point is a massive under-statement.

They are convinced there are other alternatives available and have serious questions over planning policy matters and who exactly will benefit from the new stadium.

And even if the project is called in, they will proceed with their plans for an EGM - to debate the future of the club even though they will inevitably lose any vote.

There is also a feeling that Everton's current inaction in the transfer market is being caused by the delay on the stadium decision - in other words Hazel Blears is actually holding on to David Moyes' purse-strings.

It was important to contact Everton to get clarification on these points and spokesman Ian Ross was emphatic: "These are completely separate issues. It is wrong to suggest the stadium project has anything to do with David Moyes' transfer budget."

Everton are also keen to reject the theory that the £78m borrowed for the new stadium could be spent on players if the so-called "Destination Kirkby" project falters.

Not true apparently - this money will be handed over solely for the stadium on the basis banks will lend money for concrete and steel but not flesh and blood.

This is a hugely important issue to Everton fans and I would love to throw this debate wide open to all sides.

And there is one other outstanding matter currently troubling Everton fans - namely the failure of David Moyes to sign a new long-term contract currently on offer.

Moyes has only 12 months left on his current deal, so the sooner this uncertainty is resolved the better.

It currently hinges on what sort of transfer muscle owner Bill Kenwright can give Moyes, but it is a fair bet that the manager's own improved salary is also a matter for discussion.

We must assume the deal remains unsigned because neither have been satisfied.

Everton fans, rightly, are desperate to try and push on from last season's fifth-placed finish, but my feeling is that the fog over the club will only clear once the future of the ground move is clarified.

This is a sensitive issue and every word written about it must be carefully weighed up. This argument has merit on both sides.

My own personal view is that while Goodison Park is still an atmospheric stadium that has something uniquely Everton about it, they need a new ground.

The club has previously insisted Goodison cannot be re-developed and talk of other sites being offered up by Liverpool City Council has never materialised into serious plans.

Put all these strands together and you have a debate that has become bitterly divisive.

As a Merseysider, I do not buy into the row over the location of the ground. Kirkby is a Merseyside heartland.

He may be on the wrong side of the footballing divide, but Phil Thompson is from Kirkby and I would not like to be the man to tell him he is not a Scouser in every fibre of his body.

Why is it such a huge concern that Tesco is involved - another source of anger to many Everton fans - because this is helping to finance the project and the money has to come from somewhere? Everton cannot finance it themselves.

My main concern is the stadium itself.

The phrase "mid-range" was used to describe the arena in planning documents, and in a world where even the most modest new stadium is often portrayed as the Camp Nou re-incarnate, this is worrying.

If Everton are to move, it should be to a worthy home, not merely the most convenient alternative.

Everton owner Bill Kenwright is sensitive to criticism. I know this from past experience and he will be agonising over the current level of discontent among fans.

And, to put it bluntly, he will not want another failed stadium project on his CV after his much-heralded Kings Dock project did not materialise.

How much longer would he wish to remain at the helm if the stadium does not happen? But how much chance has he got of finding new investment if it is not built?

It appears the day of destiny is approaching for Everton - and who would have thought the hand of Hazel Blears could be at the controls?