MARCH 27
Done deal...

By David Prentice - Liverpool Echo

The US takeover of Liverpool Football Club received an overwhelming mandate from Anfield shareholders today.

A Stock Exchange announcement this morning revealed that George Gillett and Tom Hicks’ takeover of the club has been formally rubber-stamped – with an astonishing 98.6 per cent agreeing to sell their shares.

Under Stock Exchange rules that means the remaining handful of shares can now be compulsorily purchased and Gillett and Hicks’ offer is “closed”.

Reds chief executive Rick Parry said: “To achieve such an extraordinarily high take-up figure, with minimal fuss or controversy, is testament to the confidence that people have in Tom and George. This is a significant milestone.”

The new owners will now set about the process of sending out cheques to shareholders, with the process possibly completed by this weekend.

The duo plan to watch Saturday’s Premiership match against Arsenal – which could be their first game as Anfield owners.

This morning’s announcement also confirmed Gillett and Hicks will seek to re-register the club as a private limited company (plc).

Liverpool’s board initially agreed to the takeover on February 6 after rejecting a rival bid from Dubai International Capital.

Earlier this month Hicks and Gillett gained unconditional control of the club by passing the 80% threshold of share agreements.

MARCH 26
Reds must spend end long wait for big totitle

By Chris Bascombe - Liverpool Echo

In the final part of the series assessing the challenges facing new owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks, CHRIS BASCOMBE explains why although in the long term the Anfield takeover won’t emulate Roman Abramovich’s ownership of Chelsea, in the short term Rafa Benitez will be hoping there are some similarities

“It’S not enough to be rich any more, you need to be super-rich in the modern game.”

This was the observation of outgoing Liverpool chairman David Moores as he explained why he had sold his beloved club to George Gillett and Tom Hicks.

It was this heartbreaking reality which forced him into a four-year search for investment.

Moores accepted the club not only needed to finance the stadium, but no matter how many multi-million pound strikers he signed, like every football club, he was only a bad defeat away from being accused of not spending enough.

It wasn’t fair, but reason, wisdom and logic are enemies of the modern football family.

Coaches have increasingly shown themselves to not only be astute tacticians, but also mathematical geniuses.

They have a capacity to analyse club accounts and persuade the world a £25m spending spree was conducted with hands tied behind their back.

Whether it’s Rafa Benitez, David Moyes or Sam Allardyce, for every major purchase we see, they’ll point to the players they claim had to be sold to raise the cash.

Even Jose Mourinho was complaining about lack of funds in January.

Thus, while mere mortals presume an £8m signing cost £8m, managers will argue it’s not so simple and seek recognition for their own diligent book balancing, sacrificing other areas of the team and targeting cheaper options.

Managers fighting off relegation say they can’t compete with those who spend millions pursuing UEFA Cup places; those challenging for sixth say it’s a miracle if they get near the top four; and those hoping to gatecrash the title race compare the spending power of the top two with the rest.

When the wealth of any club is assessed, it’s done so relatively. Boardrooms and managers spin the figures in opposing directions.

When the transfer funds of Liverpool are assessed since 1990, it’s little wonder the allegation which has hurt the outgoing board most is they haven’t invested enough in the team.

This clearly doesn’t stand up to 17 years of scrutiny.

Since 2004, Liverpool have splashed out £44m on strikers, yet they’ll still spend the summer searching for a player who’ll guarantee 20 goals a season.

As he looks back over the course of his reign and assesses why financial realities ultimately brought his time in office to an end, the former chairman will justifiably lament the series of bad choices in the transfer market made by a succession of managers.

At the time, strikers like Dean Saunders, Stan Collymore, Emile Heskey and Djibril Cisse were the most expensive on the market.

Roy Evans, Graeme Souness and Gerard Houllier (twice) smashed the club’s transfer record to bring them to Anfield.

Unfortunately for Moores, and this is the point he acknowledged on the day he made his emotional farewell from the chairman’s seat, the emergence of Roman Abramovich utterly changed the landscape of English football.

Chelsea and Manchester United now think nothing of spending £30m or more on players.

Moores had reached the stage where he was dipping into his personal account to fund the capture of Dirk Kuyt.

The £28m outlay which brought Kuyt, Jermaine Pennant, Craig Bellamy, Mark Gonzalez and Fabio Aurelio to Anfield a year ago was, by the standards of 95% of the Premiership, a hefty sum.

But Liverpool’s ultimate focus is the top two, and rather than find the missing links to significantly close the gap, the Reds are in danger of falling further behind.

Benitez said on the day he signed Bellamy and Pennant he felt he was being forced to gamble, opting for good players he hoped would become world class.

In his fourth summer at Anfield, he’s concluded a dramatic change of transfer policy will be required for Liverpool to compete for the title.

His argument is rather than a series of what he’d describe as mid-range priced targets, Liverpool need to spend big on at least two areas of the team. He wants finished products.

The hope is his judgement, backed by the chequebook of the new owners, will transform the depth of quality of the side.

Among the numerous reassurances he sought from Gillett and Hicks last week when deciding to reject Real Madrid for the second successive season, this was arguably the most pivotal.

What’s significant in recent months is not that Liverpool are being linked with players of the calibre and cost of Samuel Eto’o, it’s that no-one has described such rumours as nonsense, or beyond what the club may be able to afford.

Benitez believes an instant, vast investment in the team, coupled with the changes explained over the previous three articles in this series, will ensure Liverpool can return to a less extravagant spending policy over the long-term.

Or at the very least, they’ll have more revenue generating schemes off the field to allow them to compete regularly for the players Chelsea and United target.

It’s a buy now, don’t pay later theory.

This is an idealist view, of course, depending on several unknown factors, not least the capacity of the manager not to waste the money.

Benitez must be certain the choices he makes are right for English football.

As the examples of Collymore, Heskey and Cisse show, a striker who looks as if he possesses all the attributes to score 150 goals over five seasons doesn’t always live up to his potential.

Benitez will also be well aware the more a manager spends, the more expectations grow.

It’s a pressure he’ll willingly accept if it means he has a broader choice of players to sign in the years to come, but the consequences of getting it wrong are sterner.

In Benitez’s defence, there’s no question he’s had to do much more wheeling, dealing and risk-taking than his predecessors.

His triumph in the transfer market so far isn’t just signing Xabi Alonso or Daniel Agger, it’s getting the likes of Cheyrou, Diao, Diouf, Le Tallec, Vignal, Luzi, Medjani, Biscan and a cast of at least 20 unwanted reserves off the payroll.

There’s no comparison between the overall standard of the squad today than in 2004, but the last tweak to turn the side into something special has consistently been shown to be the most difficult.

On a more technical point, it remains to be seen how the process of scouting, negotiating and then signing players will alter under the new regime.

There are currently more Liverpool scouts working on Merseyside than the whole of others areas of England, Europe and rest of the world combined, and Benitez has long argued for a rethink.

His impatience for concluding deals once he’s made a decision has also been a feature of his reign.

George Gillett’s son Foster is expected to be added to the negotiating team, and the dynamic between the different individuals when Benitez is searching for his daily update on the progress of a transfer is sure to be of interest.

Whether it’s extra revenue generated from the new stadium and expansion of commercial activities, or a rethink on how to ensure Academy graduates make the grade at senior level, Gillett and Hicks will recognise what happens on the pitch will determine the success of their American dream.

All the areas of the club are linked by the same, ultimate goal.

When John O’Shea nicked three points at Anfield last month, Jamie Carragher explained in a millisecond why Liverpool has been sold, is prepared to spend £180m on a new stadium, has spent over £20m on The Academy and head into a new era with a mixture of excitement and trepidation.

“We need better players,” he said.

George Gillett Jnr and Tom Hicks would be wise to pin this slogan on their office wall as the truest reminder of what’s required to put Liverpool back at the top of English football.

MARCH 26
Morgan’s faith in US pair

By Chris Bascombe - Liverpool Echo

Former Anfield shareholder Steve Morgan today explained why he agreed to sell his six per cent ownership of the club prior to today’s final deadline.

Liverpool’s American takeover was drawing to a conclusion this afternoon, when all remaining shareholders had to decide whether to sell or not.

George Gillett and Tom Hicks are already guaranteed full ownership of Liverpool having passed the 90% threshold.

Those who have not sold already will be forced to sell later under a compulsory order.

Speaking for the first time about his decision to sell, which came earlier in the process, Morgan said a meeting with Gillett convinced him it was the right thing for the future of the club.

He said: “I spoke to George Gillett and I recognised he needed the 100% ownership, so I decided to sell my six per cent shareholding to the new owners.

“He seemed a nice enough guy and we came to an understanding on the matter. I recognised the deal was going to go through.

“As a Liverpool fan, obviously it’s a sad day for me to have to sell my shares after 12 years’ ownership but it seemed to be in the best interests for the future.

“Now, like every supporter and shareholder, I wish George every success in his ownership of Liverpool.”

Gillett and Hicks will now begin the process of purchasing the shares, before formally taking control.

They hope that will happen before they return to England at the end of the week, when they’ll watch the fixture with Arsenal and hold their much publicised meeting with manager Rafa Benitez.

The American duo also face more pivotal planning meetings as they make a decision on the future of the Stanley Park stadium following a reassessment of those design changes which are both feasible and legal.

MARCH 9
American takeover accepted at Anfield

Sporting Life

Liverpool chief executive Rick Parry has hailed today's "historic" news that George Gillett and Tom Hicks have gained unconditional control of the club.

The Reds are on the brink of a complete takeover by the American duo, with the Merseyside club announcing today they have acquired 80.7% of shares, more than enough for the bid to become unconditional.

Parry told the Liverpool Echo: "It is an historic day for the club. It's obviously very pleasing to hear that George and Tom have reached the threshold they required and I'm sure they're equally delighted with the news.

"It has not come as a great surprise to us because from the moment we accepted the bid the response has been positive. We had heard earlier in the week a positive announcement was imminent."

The pair attended the second leg of Liverpool's Champions League last 16 tie against Barcelona at Anfield in midweek, and Parry added: "George and Tom were genuinely overwhelmed by their experience on Tuesday. They said they had never felt anything like it, and the emphasis was very much on what they felt, not just what they had seen.

"They had heard all about the Anfield atmosphere on a European night, and we had told them what it would be like, but only by experiencing it for themselves could they recognise what they had only seen on video or DVD prior to Tuesday."

He continued: "There are some formalities to go through before Tom and George take over as co-chairmen. Having received indications they can buy the shares, the process of purchasing now begins. That can take a week or two. The next game they will be attending will be against Arsenal on March 31, by which time the process should be concluded."


LIVERPOOL TAKEOVER TIMELINE

2004: March - Thailand's Prime Minister, Thaksin Shinawatra, is revealed to be interested in buying a stake in the club.

May - Shareholder Steve Morgan claims he has had two bids to take over the club turned down.

Shinawatra makes a formal bid for a 30% stake in the club.

June - Shinawatra ends his interest in Liverpool.

Thai media tycoon Paiboon Damrongchaitham reveals interest in buying a stake in the club.

August - Liverpool reject another takeover bid from Morgan.

December - Morgan abandons his proposed takeover.

2005: November - American billionaire Robert Kraft refuses to rule out investing in Liverpool.

2006: March 29 - Liverpool board confirm talks with potential investors which "may include an offer for the entire share capital of the club".

December 4 - Liverpool confirm they have "entered into a period of exclusive negotiations with Dubai International Capital about a possible investment in the club".

December 28 - DIC deny allegations it plans to sell the club in 2014 after making a huge profit.

2007: January 26 - Liverpool reveal American businessman George Gillett has made an approach "which may or may not" lead to a takeover offer.

January 30 - Liverpool board meet to discuss Gillett proposal after deciding not to formally accept DIC bid.

January 31 - DIC pull out of takeover.

February 2: It emerges Tom Hicks, another American owner of an ice hockey team, joined Gillett in flying to England to present Liverpool chairman David Moores and chief executive Rick Parry with their provisional offer.

February 6 - Liverpool agree to the terms offered by Gillett and Hicks to purchase the club's entire issued share capital.

March 9: Gillett and Hicks' Kop Football announces to the Stock Exchange they have met the acceptance condition of 75% required to secure unconditional control of the club.

MARCH 1
Parry excited at new era

By Al Campbell - LFC Online

Rick Parry says exciting times are ahead for Liverpool football club following the takeover by George Gillett and Tom Hicks.

Parry has just returned from a trip to Dallas where he spent time with the new owners, and returned confident that a bright new era is unfolding for the Reds.

"There was a lot of brainstorming and good ideas to come out of that," said Liverpool's Chief Executive.

"There's no intention of copying everything they do in America because it's different. The nature of the sport is different, the nature of people who attend events is different and the culture is different.

"But, undoubtedly, there are things they do phenomenally well which we can learn from. The quality of arenas in the states is by and large truly inspiring.

"The attitude of the new owners is so far very much one of telling us what they can do and saying if we think it's of benefit, do it, but if it's not right for the club, don't. That's encouraging for us.

"You have to be open minded and go into this with the attitude of hearing good ideas and thinking how much we can benefit.

"At the same time, there's tremendous respect for the values we have here.

"It's a balance of being modernising without undermining the traditions which really matter. It's a genuinely exciting time. They've a lot of energy and good ideas.

"There will be a lot of change, but I wouldn't see it as a revolution. It's about preserving the things which are good and building upon them. As ever, the first priority is success on the pitch. That unites everybody."

FEBRUARY 27
Parry: Club is in safe hands

By Ian Doyle - Liverpool Daily Post

Rick Parry has written to Liverpool’s supporters and assured them the club is in “safe hands” following the takeover of American duo George Gillett and Tom Hicks.

And the Anfield chief executive has reiterated manager Rafael Benitez will be handed funds in the summer and building work will commence “very soon” on the new stadium at Stanley Park.

Parry has written a letter to all Liverpool shareholders and season ticket holders in the light of Gillett and Hicks acquiring the majority shareholding of outgoing chairman David Moores.

“From the perspective of ownership, I believe the future of the club is in very safe hands,” said Parry. “The Gillett and Hicks families possess a tremendous regard and admiration for the standing that Liverpool is privileged to hold in football – not just here in England, but throughout the world.

“To them, our virtues, heritage and culture are precious assets that will help to inspire everyone connected with us to continue to strive for further success – both on and off the field.

“From the team perspective, funds will be made available for the manager to further strengthen what is already an excellent playing squad.

“In tandem with this, building work will start very soon on our new stadium complex in Stanley Park – the first tangible sign of the financial commitment and expertise in the construction and management of world-class sporting arenas that George and Tom provide.”

Parry confirmed he will continue as chief executive following the takeover, while Moores has agreed to become Honorary Life-President and will retain a seat on the board of directors.

And he added: “The search for the right investor has been an exhaustive process. The recent developments were the culmination of almost three years’ intensive activity to secure a partner that would respect and uphold the traditions of a unique ‘football institution’.

“From the start, that was our unequivocal goal. Allied to this, any prospective partner also had to match our passion and commitment to winning trophies.

“The approach from George Gillett and Tom Hicks demonstrated these qualities in abundance. ‘Success breeds success’ is a philosophy that runs right throughout Anfield and with the additional knowledge, resources and credibility that both George and Tom bring to the club, I am convinced our enviable record of honours and silverware will continue to grow over the years to come.”

FEBRUARY 12
Hicks and Gillett want far east tours

TEAMtalk

Liverpool will be expected to play promotional friendlies in Japan and China now they have been taken over by Tom Hicks and George Gillett.

Chief executive Rick Parry has flown to the United States for talks about the club's future with their new owners, and he is likely to be told the "brand" needs to be promoted more in the Far East.

Anfield boss Rafael Benitez took his players to Portugal on Monday for a week of warm-weather training ahead of their Champions League return, while the club's worldwide exposure was also being discussed on the other side of the Atlantic.

In a National Post interview in Canada, Gillett has been expanding his theory of how to get the best from the £450million total investment he and Hicks have made.

And Benitez can be expected to haul his superstars to Asia for friendlies, with Gillett making it clear he sees Liverpool as one quarter of a four-sport franchise around the globe, taking in the Dallas Stars (ice hockey) and Texas Rangers (baseball) teams Hicks owns and his own Montreal Canadiens ice hockey club, plus motor racing.

Gillett said: "Liverpool is the number one brand in Europe. If you go to the Far East, where Manchester United has historically been the number one brand, Chelsea has recently become quite popular.

"They have a global branding concept which involves playing a number of games in the Far East.

"In that part of the world, Liverpool is number two and growing. We have had conversations with management in the last several months and I believe you will see Liverpool playing some friendlies in Asia.

"I think you'll see Japan first in this coming year and then others beyond that."

The likes of Real Madrid, Barcelona and Manchester United may well contest Gillett's view that Liverpool are the number one European brand, but there is a clear business decision being made on how best to promote the Anfield club.

Gillett continues: "We have looked at the possibility of branding in a different way, in that investments in soccer clubs in emerging parts of the world is part of our strategy.

"There is a strong consciousness within the Liverpool family about the worldwide aspects of the sport. When you see the number of people who watched the World Cup, it was something like 2.3billion people."

Gillett sees Liverpool as part of an umbrella branding of several sports.

He adds: "You have the Texas Rangers in baseball, which is hugely popular in the Far East, the Dallas Stars, the Montreal Canadiens, Liverpool and our family's involvement with NASCAR (motor racing).

"You've got four unbelievably popular sports with growing international interest. If we get a hard-hitting marketing team that could provide potential sponsors with that array of opportunity, that's something I don't think has ever been put together before.

"There's a unique opportunity because the market is demanding it. If you look at the new sponsors in the Premiership within the past five years, more than a third of them are from Asia.

"There are something like 1,000 new Mercedes dealerships in China. The greatest amount of true new wealth in the world is in Russia. This alliance could have some interesting benefits for all of us."

Liverpool must be aware by now that they are being drawn into a very different style of sports marketing, and when Parry sits down with his new bosses this week, the club's whole attitude to pre-season friendlies may well have to change.

They have toured Thailand in the past, and were in Japan for the World Club Championship, but Benitez is known not to be a fan of long-haul friendlies, and a trip to America was turned down only recently. Times could be about to change at Anfield.

FEBRUARY 8
You'll never meet alone

By Mike Hornby - Liverpool Echo

Liverpool FC’s new owners want to meet Reds fans face to face.

George Gillett Jr said he wanted to reassure supporters personally that their club was in safe hands.

He announced his plans after reading about several protesters objecting to the American takeover of Anfield.

In a briefing for journalists, Mr Gillett said he was willing to answer questions one by one.

A spokesman for the multi-millionaire businessman said: “This is not hot air, it’s the way George Gillett Jr goes about these things.

“When he took over the Montreal Canadiens there was a lot of concern because the club is a national institution in Canada.

“Mr Gillett knows a club like Liverpool or the Canadiens is nothing without the fans and he wants to show them his respect.”

The spokesman said any meeting was unlikely to take place before the final exchange of contracts in early March and how supporters were selected remained undecided.

Richie Pedder, chairman of Liverpool FC supporters’ club, said: “We would welcome the chance to meet the chairmen or the directors.

“Our club’s facilities are ready whenever he says the word.

“I am not aware of any particular protests or strong feelings against his takeover, but that is not to say fans are not concerned about the future.

“His early commitment to building the stadium is welcome, but little else I have heard him say has been particularly reassuring.

“He spoke about the transfer budget, but what is that budget? Is it £20m or £120m? We don’t know and ideally these questions should be answered before the March contract signing rather than afterwards.

“We want to know how much he plans to invest in the club and how he will raise that money.

“The fans are looking for reassurances about the long-term future. Where does he want to take the club in the next five or 10 years – on and off the field – and how does he plan to get us there?”

FEBRUARY 8
Reds can muscle in on the big deals

By Chris Bascombe - Liverpool Echo

Jamie Carragher is hoping Manchester United and Chelsea’s dominance in the transfer market will now be seriously threatened by Liverpool’s American takeover.

The Anfield defender and captain Steven Gerrard were the first players to be informed of George Gillett and Tom Hicks’ plans.

Carragher summed up the mood of the players and fans when he said success on the pitch will define the new era.

But he says it’s an exciting time for the club and his brief meeting with the new owners went some way to reassuring him about the future.

“All the players have been talking to each other for the last few days and we’re all excited this is going to move the club forward,” said Carragher.

“We’re hoping it’s going to help us get to the level of Manchester United. It would be nice to think we’ll have as much money as Chelsea, but I think that’s unrealistic. Being able to compete in the transfer market with United would be good enough, and being able to sign players of the calibre they’ve managed in the last ten years would make a big difference.

“I look at it as a supporter as much as a player, and the main thing is to have a great team competing for honours every year in a brilliant new stadium. That’s a legacy which will serve the club for the next 100 years and our children and grandchildren will enjoy.

“We only spoke for ten to fifteen minutes on Monday night. They just told me and Stevie the same things as were mentioned in the press conference, telling us they had the interests of the club at heart and want to bring success to the club. That’s all you want to hear, really.

“It was a privilege. Anyone thought they had to come and meet the two of us. We’re just players really, so for them to feel they should come and speak to us was great for us.

“Now we’re all delighted it’s all sorted. I’m particularly pleased for the chairman that the club has put all this behind it now.

“I was at a function with him on Saturday night for Kenny Dalglish, and he was telling me how he’s been having sleepless nights.

“He’s spoken a lot about the trophies he has won, and the one thing we should remember is he’s won every trophy as chairman except the Premiership.

“It always winds me up a bit when I hear people talking about needing a change to bring the trophies back to Anfield. We’ve won lots of trophies under David Moores. There aren’t many clubs who’ve won as much as us lately.

“It’s just that we all know the one we want most of all, and obviously there’s the money we need for the stadium. That’s the reason he’s stepped down as chairman. It’s got nothing to do with his record in charge.

“What we need in the future is what every top side needs. Good players who are capable of winning us the Premiership.”

FEBRUARY 8
Reds duo making right noises

TEAMtalk

TEAMtalk's Chris Burton feels Liverpool's new owners are making all the right noises after becoming the Premiership's latest foreign investors.

The arrival of George Gillett and Tom Hicks at Anfield continues the recent trend of overseas investment arriving in the English game. Liverpool have now become the seventh Premiership club to be controlled by a foreign consortium, and the third in the last 18 months to be bought by American businessmen. For a country that hardly takes 'soccer' seriously their involvement seems somewhat surprising.

Mystery still shrouds the intentions of the Glazer clan down at Old Trafford, and their unwillingness to speak to the press makes it unlikely that the situation will be cleared up anytime soon. Fortunately for them they can point to the fact that Manchester United currently sit six points clear in the title race, a postition they have not found themselves in for over three seasons, and remain well on course in Europe.

However the club is still in massive debt as a result of the takeover and don't appear to have the transfer funds available to them which would allow them to match Chelsea, and potentially now Liverpool.

Glazer should be viewed as a special case, though, as most other foreign investors have been beneficial to their club.

Mohamed Al Fayed took control of Fulham in 1997 and has bankrolled their transformation from struggling basement boys to established Premiership outfit.

Milan Mandaric took Portsmouth out of administration and into the Premiership, and his replacement Alexandre Gaydamak made the money available last January which allowed Harry Redknapp to perform his Houdini act.

Roman Abramovich has obvioulsy spent a bit of money at Chelsea and made them a force to be reckoned with, and actually seems to care more about how the team performs on the field instead of off it.

More recently, Randy Lerner and Eggert Magnusson have attempted to reverse the fortunes of Aston Villa and West Ham respectively by throwing ridiculous money at any half-decent player who becomes available. This may not be the best idea from a business point of view, but it has helped to keep the fans happy.

Refreshingly for Liverpool fans their two new owners are making all the right sounds at the moment to suggest that they have the best interests of the club at heart, and aren't just looking to make a quick buck.

They have been quick to refute any similarities made to the Glazer situation, stating: "We are passionate about winning. We did not come over here to try to milk the club. We're here to build a winning tradition."

They have made it clear that money will be made available for strengthening, and their records with their American sporting franchises prove that they know what it takes to win. The building of the new stadium will help to bring in even more revenue for the club and allow them to attempt to recreate the glory days of the 1970s and 80s when they ruled at home and in Europe. This may be a necessity, as it may take a couple of trophies in the cabinet for the fans to finally accept that their team now play in the Adidas Arena or the Budweiser Bowl.

Gillett and Hicks have also spoken about their plans to have more diversity in ticket prices at the club, which will make a welcome change to the current all-or-nothing costs involved in watching Premiership football. References to the club as a 'franchise' and 'The Liverpool Reds' will amuse rival fans, but if the duo help put the club back on top of the Premiership tree then most Liverpool fans wouldn't care less what they call them.

So with three of the so-called 'big four' now in the hands of sugar daddy foreign investors, what price Arsenal to follow suit in the near future? It's a sad state of affairs that the power in the game is moving away from our shores, but if thats what it takes to be succesful, then it may have to be done if they want to keep up.

FEBRUARY 7
Benitez impressed by new owners

By Jamie Gardner - PA Sport

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez believes the club's new American owners have "a clear idea" of how to make the Reds bigger and better.

The Spaniard met with George Gillett and Tom Hicks yesterday and, following their £470million buy-out of the club, he has backed them to help Liverpool challenge Manchester United and Chelsea for the Barclays Premiership title.

"We spoke a lot about the future of the club, and by the end I was very happy with what the people said. I was convinced they want the best for the club," Benitez said.

"We spoke about bringing through young players for the future from the academy, and how we can sign players for the present.

"They have a clear idea what we can achieve. It was not a meeting where we discussed how much we will spend on transfers or where we were promised £100m. To be a successful club, it is not just about spending a lot of money on new players."

Gillett and Hicks both returned to North America yesterday, as their respective NHL franchises - the Montreal Canadiens and the Dallas Stars - were in action.

Hicks also owns Major League Baseball team the Texas Rangers and Benitez believes their sporting pedigree is good news for Liverpool.

"They are successful businessmen and they realise the real business of a football club is the business of the first team," he added.

"We need a strong first team to make the stadium successful and for all other areas of the club to perform well.

"They recognised they need to change a lot of things. There are some aspects of Liverpool which must also remain the same, but it's clear where we can improve. This is a club which has a great history, but also has a great potential."

Benitez, who won the European Cup in his first season at Anfield, paid tribute to outgoing chairman David Moores, who will remain at the Reds as honorary life president.

"I want to say thank you to David Moores," he told the club's official website www.liverpoolfc.tv.

"Thank you for the support you have given me since I came to Liverpool. Thank you for bringing me to Liverpool, and thank you for everything you have done for the club.

"It was not an easy decision for him to sell Liverpool, but he has shown he is a good person and a nice person.

"I'm happy he still has a role to play in the future and hope we can share more success together in the future."

As the dust settles on the takeover, it is expected that the Football Association's chief executive, lifelong Liverpool fan Brian Barwick, will meet with Gillett and Hicks in the near future.

Barwick has met with the Glazer family and new West Ham chairman Eggert Magnusson in the past and told the Liverpool Echo last week: "I am sure at some stage I will be able to offer the same invite to whoever eventually invests in Liverpool.

"Liverpool FC is something very precious to me and I have never made any apology for the fact that part of my upbringing has been to support a team."

Barwick added: "Foreign ownership is an issue that excites an emotional response.

"Football clubs are not passive. They are a big part of peoples' lives and they make a lot of peoples' lives tick.

"However the reality of the situation in which we live is that nationality is not something that we discriminate on. We have tests about whether people are fit and proper."

FEBRUARY 7
Reds fans can live the American dream

TEAMtalk

TEAMtalk's Mike Barton gives a Liverpool fan's perspective on the club's American takeover.

A new chapter in the glorious 115-year history of Liverpool Football Club has begun.

And when David Moores sold his majority shareholding in the Reds to George Gillett and Tom Hicks, he left the American tycoons free to write it.

Moores deserves thanks for carrying on the family legacy and generally being a chairman who proved himself very capable of running the club.

Indeed I couldn't help feel a tinge of sadness at events on Tuesday, as I started supporting the club when Moores was in the early years of his reign and it seems like we are saying goodbye to that era.

There is no question people had their issues with his stubborn attitude towards other buyers and his complete lack of interaction with the press.

But he can never be criticised for doing a bad job.

Not delivering a title was not his fault, that fell down to the managers.

Moores certainly didn't rule the club with an iron fist and gave out enough cash to the likes of Gerard Houllier and Roy Evans to provide the Reds with a real shout for the title.

But did we ever get close? No, not really.

When Roman Abramovich took over Chelsea and the Glazers took over Manchester United, Moores knew that his time was coming to an end as he just couldn't compete with the money being thrown around in the game.

He has backed Rafa Benitez with serious money but it's been spent too much on average-priced players whose ability justifies the term 'average'.

Only when Benitez pushed the boat out on players like Dirk Kuyt and Xabi Alonso has the money really being repaid.

And let's not forget the trophies that were delivered during Moores' reign.

He owned the club when they won five trophies in one year and, of course, when they recorded victories in two of the greatest finals in recent memory.

No-one can take that away from him.

I never thought that Moores was the money grabber some assumed - he loves the club too much to watch things fall apart and knew that making the wrong decision would be with him to his grave.

After an initially promising relationship developed with the Dubai-based DIC, their bid was rejected, with the board apparently put off by an ultimatum.

So the announcement that Gillett and Hicks were taking control came as a relief to all Reds fans as it was the end of an issue that had gone on too long.

During the opening messages of their press conference at Anfield, things were uncomfortable, but once the questions came they began to express themselves better.

Of course, there was talk of "franchises" and "Liverpool Reds" - which was a tad worrying - but their repeated references to "respecting tradition" sound more promising.

Hicks looked a little uneasy but I was impressed by Gillett, who seemed very enthusiastic and developed a good relationship with the press straight away. They were also both very quick to set out their agenda for the club and were very clear about the most important things to the fans - the new stadium and the budget for transfers.

The thought of leaving Anfield is very hard to imagine. It is steeped in history and the thought of moving to The 'insert high-paying sponsor here' Stadium is something I'm not keen on.

It will be almost impossible to maintain a special atmosphere in the new stadium and the imagery of the Kop suffocating opposing teams will never happen in a modern state-of-the-art stadium which could just be an Emirates clone.

However it has to be done and I look forward to the last days at the old ground - maybe there will be a few more magical European nights there.

The previous two American buyers of British clubs haven't done too badly so far.

United are back at the top and apparently have the funding to buy top players without jeopardising their future while Randy Lerner is beginning to turn Aston Villa's fortunes around.

These people don't treat their clubs as a meaningless plaything and are willing to pay to get success.

Being a Liverpool fan right now it's hard to be anything but excited about what the future holds.

Two flashy American owners not scared to open their chequebook, a brand new stadium, top new players and - finally - the chance to really give Chelsea, United and Arsenal a real run for the title.

FEBRUARY 7
Mihir Bose view

By Mihir Bose - BBC sports editor

The Liverpool takeover by American tycoons George Gillett and Tom Hicks is an extraordinary story of a bride who changed her mind almost at the altar.

The club seemingly pledged to the Arabs but suddenly, almost at the steps of the church she decided that, no, it was the Americans she wanted.

Curiously, it was something the Arabs had said, or rather a document that they had produced, that made the bride change her mind.

The story is of course entirely in keeping with the Liverpool takeover which has been going on for three-and-a-half years - even on the day the wedding vows were to be exchanged there were problems and delays.

This time the problem was IT.

PDF files on e-mail just would not go from Liverpool to London which meant that a marriage meant to be announced at 0730 GMT finally emerged at just gone 1200, the clock ticking past before I could go on BBC News 24 and confirm the deal was done.

The midday hour had struck and Liverpool had finally found its suitors.

The story had always been complicated by the rich cast of foreigners who, during the last three years, have wanted to buy Liverpool.

This was a list including the Thai Prime Minister who has since lost his job, a company ultimately owned by Sheikh Mohammed, the ruler of Dubai, and now two rich Americans - one of whom is a Texan who did business with George Bush.

There were three failed takeover attempts in 2004 alone.

So why was this takeover so complicated?

One of the main reasons was David Moores, chairman of Liverpool. As owner of 51% of the club he effectively decided who the buyer would be.

But I am told that during the three-and-a-half years he would sometimes want to sell the club and sometimes not.

His mood swings varied according to how his team was doing on the field. If they had won he wanted to hold on to the club, hoping they would win the league title they have not claimed since 1990.

However, by the end of November he seemed to have decided that Dubai International Capital was his ideal partner.

Moores knew Liverpool needed more money, not least to fund the new stadium the club is committed to. He could not provide the money. He also felt that DIC - ultimately owned by the fabulously wealthy Maktoum family - had the sort of deep pockets that Chelsea's Roman Abramovich has.

But George Gillett, the rich American who owns the Montreal ice hockey team, was not to be denied.

He knew he could only do the deal if he could persuade Moores to change his mind.

And as luck would have it DIC provided him the weapon. They had produced a document entitled Project Oslo, a seven-page document which dealt with their reasons for buying Liverpool.

This clearly indicated that they saw Liverpool as an investment and explicitly stated that they wanted to develop the commercial business of the club. They expected to make a return on capital of around 25% a year.

They wanted to sell the club after seven or eight years.

I was given a copy of the document just around Christmas and the moment my story appeared it led to problems.

The Liverpool board were not aware of the document and not pleased when they heard it had been circulated around the City.

DIC were forced to provide an explanation. DIC said that this was an internal document that had been produced just to look at the investment they were making. They were committed to Liverpool and had no plans to sell the club after a few years.

The Liverpool board, too, tried to brush it aside. Chief executive Rick Parry told Radio Five Live that the sale to DIC was on course and Liverpool also engaged Mike Lee, a very successful press operator, to handle the news.

But for all their denials behind the scenes, the story had a big impact on the Liverpool board and some of the directors who began to have doubts.

Just before the story broke, on 18 December, Gillett had formed Kop, the company that has been set up to buy Liverpool.

I ran my story, with the leaked documents, on 27 December. A few days after my story appeared, Gillett struck. He had gone back to America, rebuffed by Moores, but had not sulked.

Instead he decided to look for a partner and found one in Tom Hicks, a sports owner even richer than himself. This meant he could come back to Liverpool with real means. It was now not one rich American, but two in tandem.

In his new improved offer, Gillett offered more money. DIC was offering £4,500 a share, valuing the equity of Liverpool at £156.7m. Gillett and Hicks offered £500 a share more, valuing it at £174 million.

They also promised no groundshare with Everton - vitally important for fans of both Merseyside clubs.

Initially, Moores was inclined to ignore the offer but I am told there were other shareholders who wanted it looked at.

By this time the exclusive negotiation period with DIC had ended and Gillett was allowed to start due diligence, examining the books of Liverpool, but even then it seemed Liverpool and Moores would wed the Arabs.

Gillett wanted assurances that while he was doing due diligence Moores would not sign up with DIC, though the Liverpool chairman refused to give this assurance.

Gillett started the due diligence not knowing whether it was worthwhile and all the briefings from Liverpool were that it was still the Arabs who would win the bride.

But Gillett completed his due diligence in remarkably quick time, less than a week. He and Hicks flew over to England and started a series of meetings with Moores.

The turning point came one night last week when Liverpool played West Ham at Upton Park. While they won on the field, in the boardroom the Arabs were losing to the Americans.

Liverpool held a board meeting and when a DIC representative turned up and began to seek assurances he got none, or at least that is what DIC afterwards claimed.

Liverpool said a gun had been held to their heads, with Moores being asked to agree within 12 hours. But whatever the truth, relations had broken down. The bride, in sight of the church steps, had decided to turn around.

By the end of the match the two Americans were almost ready to slip the wedding ring on.

It took a few more days for the new wedding to be arranged and, despite the 11th-hour problems, in the end the Americans won.

FEBRUARY 7
Kop’s debt of gratitude

Comment by John Thompson - Liverpool Echo

We'd rather you didn’t mention the F-word, please. You’re in Liverpool now.

But apart from a polite suggestion that Tom Hicks and George Gillett might perhaps be better referring to their new asset as a football club, rather than a sports franchise, that was just about the only minor matter of concern on a truly historic day at Anfield yesterday.

A day which seemed to prove, as far as can be deduced at such a very early stage, that outgoing chairman David Moores really is the biggest Kopite of them all.

And a man who got it right.

Moores listened to his late pang of conscience for the sake of the club he so clearly loves, when the easier option would have been to keep stum and and wait for the sands of time in Dubai to pass until a deal with DIC had been successfully concluded.

There would have been no public embarrassment then. There would have been no need for his chief executive to astutely ask for concerned supporters to ‘Trust us’. There would have been no cynical, yet understandable suggestions that Moores was out to line his own pockets via a late gazumper and his new found Texan pal.

But it would have been wrong.

They say first impressions count. They also say we shouldn’t judge a book by its cover.

So we will have to wait and see whether Gillett and Hicks and their sons Foster and Tom Junior keep all that is precious to Liverpool and their fans, while developing the club commercially and globally so it can finally harness the potential it posseses in spades around the world.

But what walked into Anfield yesterday looked, sounded, smelled and felt like very rich, very warm, very talented and very decent family people who love sport to their core and who see the chance to become - in George Gillett’s words - custodians, rather than owners, of something unique and special which is a rare privilege for them, but one in need of help, development and moderinsation to really achieve its massive potential.

Their demeanour was one of respect, similar in some ways to that shown by Rafael Benitez when he first arrived in Anfield’s trophy room and repeatedly apologised that his English was not better.

Gillet listed winning, passion, tradition, legacy, fans and community as his lieutenants. For a hugely wealthy man, his curled lip dismissal of money as a personal driver smacked of real sincerity.

And sincerity is perhaps, the most important aspect of all with this monumental change and one which lies at the heart of a protracted three year hunt for new ownership.

Within a few minutes of speaking privately to these two pin-sharp yet avuncular all-Americans, and as they continued talking, the first impressions crystalised into a simple thought.

Well done, David Moores. Well done.

With tears in his eyes during his last emotional interview at Anfield, when the pain of letting go mingled with an unburdening sense of relief, Moores had explained that he only had one decision in handing on the club he has owned for 16 years.

And it was a shot he had to get right or he would never have forgiven himself.

He said he felt the trust of the supporters all along as he agonised and anguished and tossed and turned, trying to fathom out the future.

Those same supporters seemed in the main to breathe a huge collective sigh of relief as they took up George Gillett’s demand that he be looked in the eye when answering questions on subjects like the thorny issue of a shared stadium.

He slayed the idea as surely as he could.

Make no mistake though, while it maybe business as usual in a rounded sense, in reality it is of course anything but.

Britain’s most successful football club has made a sea change. And it’s one that comes from across the Atlantic, not from the shores of the Persian Gulf.

The best hope is that Liverpool supporters accept this major change, including the unfamiliar accents, the sometimes unusual names and even the sometimes strange phraseology, and welcome the new owners with the respect and confidence they deserve after as impressive a first appearance as they could have hoped to make. They will.

And in so doing they should say a huge thank you to a man who was back at home, no doubt with another tear in his eye, watching it all unfold on TV yesterday.

He is an intensely private, yet decent and passionate man who was ultimately bold enough to take on his own demons and defeat them.

Well done David Moores. Well done.

There’s a seat waiting in the middle of the Kop any time you want it...

FEBRUARY 7
'It’s all about the fans
and Anfield’s winning tradition'

By David Prentice - Liverpool Echo

Bill Shankly once famously stood on the Kop.

It was in the mid 1970s, after the Anfield Messiah had retired, and it caused a minor sensation.

Modern inhabitants of the Kop should perhaps brace themselves for a similar visit from their new owners.

George Gillett likes to get behind the scenes at sports clubs, to go walkabout and see what makes the fans tick, and he intends to maintain that approach at Anfield.

“It’s all about the fans and the winning tradition,” he explained.

“Liverpool have 28 million registered fans around the world. They have the largest fanbase in the world of any football club. That by itself is pretty amazing.

“But then when you go to the game and you feel the passion and the tribal nature, which is as basic as anything I’ve ever felt, it’s great fun and it’s delightful to be associated with this extraordinary club.

“I won’t be a visible owner. You’ll see me in the stand yes, but probably not so much in the directors’ box as out in front meeting people and thanking them for their support, visiting to see the quality of our food service and the length of time people have to wait in line – to get some idea as we start to build the new facility of things we can develop.

“I’m not a person who goes and hides. I’m not particularly interested in being available to the media, I’m much more interested in a relationship with the fans, finding out what’s on their mind and supporting their dreams.”

Co-owner Tom Hicks echoed his friend’s approach: “I guess my first official game as co-owner will be March 6 against Barcelona.

“I will meet the fans, but I’ve never met anybody like George Gillett for that. I had him down for an NHL game in Dallas two weeks ago and I couldn’t stop him wandering around the stadium talking to fans.

But if Reds fans fear an erosion of the club’s dearly held tradition and heritage, Gillett offered reassuring words also.

“I don’t think it’s appropriate for Tom or I to try and convince the fans that we understand the heritage and legacy of the sport anywhere near as well as they do. But I think what we would try and say to the fans is that we have the word respect,” he added.

“Tom had the privilege of inheriting two sports teams which had a history before he arrived, and I had the Harlem Globetrotters and Miami Dolphins, so we’ve both been in situations where we’ve been at clubs which had a heritage, an illustrious heritage, and I would intend to meet some of the older players.

“We’ll take some time, but we had a similar situation in Montreal where we had a different country and a totally different culture in the French-Canadian province of Quebec and we didn’t try and convince anybody going in that we had that feeling.

“But after six years I think the fans understand that our job is to be custodians of this franchise, not the owners of this franchise.

“This is a special privilege to be afforded the opportunity of owning perhaps the greatest franchise in the history of the greatest sport in the world.

“It’s something rare and we would like to add to its lustre, not detract from that lustre.

“We love sports and we love passion. We love winning and I’ve never seen anything like the fans at a Liverpool match, away and at home. It’s just fabulous.

“The fans are so good and the club is so famous

“To have the privilege of having the number one club in the most popular sport in the world is really quite rare.

“I hope you never give me a test but I think we’re already learning a lot.”

“We went to see the match the other night between Arsenal and the Hotspurs, I thought to see the new stadium, but he kept wandering off and was talking to everybody, to fans, the waitresses, the box stewards, he was trying to see what was needed to make it better for the fans.”

FEBRUARY 7
Parry: Shanks would hail takeover

TEAMtalk

Rick Parry is adamant the great Bill Shankly would have approved of the takeover of Liverpool by two American tycoons.

George Gillett and Tom Hicks' £470million takeover means work is now expected to start on the new 60,000-seater Stanley Park stadium within the next two months, with the new owners also considering selling the naming rights on the ground.

With the emphasis on tradition at Anfield, the American duo raised eyebrows by referring to the famous old club as a "franchise" and "Liverpool Reds" on Tuesday.

"George maybe made that mistake a couple of times," said Parry. "If I went over there I might make the odd linguistic mistake."

But the Anfield chief executive remains convinced the legendary former Reds manager would have approved of the deal.

"Bill Shankly was one of the great innovators of all time," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

"It was a masterstroke by George to bring in Tom Hicks as his partner. It made it (the bid) much stronger, much more compelling."

Liverpool have become the latest Premiership club to fall into foreign hands but Parry does not know why more investors from these shores have not looked at buying into the top flight.

"Clearly we have been on the look-out for three years. There have been other clubs for sale, maybe they have overlooked opportunities in their own back yards, maybe the grass looks greener elsewhere. You will have to ask British businessmen."

Thor Zakariassen ©