NOVEMBER 12
Liverpool on the brink

By John Edwards - Daily Mail

Tom Hicks and George Gillett may have to swallow their pride and accept a take-it-or-leave-it £500million buy-out offer from Sheikh Mohammed in the wake of grim forecasts about their prospects of steering Liverpool through a worsening financial crisis.

With the deadline looming for repayment of a £350million loan to Royal Bank of Scotland, Liverpool's co-owners face a dilemma over their next move, following claims from financial expert Keith Harris that the Anfield club are 'the ones who worry me most.'

Sportsmail understands a £500million bid from Sheikh Mohammed is still on the table, after being lodged last February, but that it may be withdrawn, if the Americans are forced into a corner by their bank.

Hicks and Gillett are considering asking RBS for a six-month extension on their debt but are acutely aware of the implications, should their plea fail.

A healthy profit of up to £75million each still awaits them, if they accept defeat in an often acrimonious power battle with the Dubai leader and pocket his long-standing offer, but the terms could change drastically, if they take it to the wire and are denied more time to raise the necessary funds.

A refusal from RBS would be followed by an instruction to sell-up, and the Sheikh would need no crash course in the rudiments of business to sense a killing. Hicks and Gillett would no longer have any bargaining power, and a revised figure of around £350million, just enough to clear the arrears, would be the likely outcome.

With the credit crunch biting ever deeper, and Hicks and Gillett struggling to service debts and plans for a new stadium, they are unlikely to risk waiting for the bank's January 25 deadline and may even force the issue in the next few weeks.

Gillett indicated a willingness to deal with Sheikh Mohammed earlier this year, given the package would clear the £350million the American pair owed and still leave a surplus to be shared between them, but Hicks remained defiant.

The oil-rich billionaire is keen to pursue a rivalry with Manchester City's Abu Dhabi owners and is confident it is only a matter of time before he finally assumes control at Anfield. Time appears to be running out for the Americans, who are playing a game of brinkmanship that could leave them out of pocket if RBS bow to pressure from the current economic climate and call in their debt over the next couple of months.

Anfield fans' group ShareLiverpoolFC continue to demand a role in the club's future ownership but are still awaiting an invitation to talks from Hicks and Gillett.

NOVEMBER 11
Crisis threat for Merseyside duo

BBC Sport Online

Keith Harris, chairman of investment bank Seymour Pierce, believes Liverpool and Everton face an uncertain future in the current global financial crisis.

Harris believes Liverpool co-owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett will face serious problems if they cannot pay back their £350m debt by January 2009.

And he has revealed Everton are no closer to being bought out, despite a lengthy search for new investors.

"It has never been more difficult to find buyers," he said.

Toffees chairman Bill Kenwright indicated he is willing to sell the club as far back as August and has asked Harris to help conduct the search.

But Harris said: "There has been no progress at all (with finding a buyer for Everton).

"It's no longer a question of price negotiation, it's should we? People are wondering if now is the time to spend.

"The demographics of Liverpool as an area are not hugely compelling."

And Harris insists the future may be just as bleak for Everton's Merseyside rivals Liverpool.

"Liverpool's debt is due in January, with maybe a six-month extension," he said.

"The two banks which are the principal lenders, Royal Bank of Scotland and Wachovia, are two of those that have suffered.

"Whether they want to lend it again or not, they may not be able to."

Harris, who was addressing a meeting of football financiers in Zurich, has masterminded deals at Chelsea, Aston Villa, Hull, West Ham, Manchester City, and has been charged with organising Mike Ashley's sale of Newcastle United.

NOVEMBER 6
Liverpool must seek foreign
cash to compete, says Hansen

By Jason Benham - Reuters

A former Liverpool player said on Thursday the Premier League club should target foreign investors for cash to compete with rivals Manchester United.

"For Liverpool and the supporters it really doesn't matter who the owners are," Hansen told Reuters on the sidelines of a conference in Dubai on Thursday. "They're only interested in financing of new players and how well it (the team) is doing."

"If the Americans haven't got the money then if DIC came in and bought it and guaranteed a new stadium then that would be great," the former defender said in reference to Dubai International Capital, a state agency of the Gulf emirate.

DIC was outbid by Americans George Gillett and Tom Hicks when the Moores family sold the Merseyside club for 219 million pounds ($348.1 million) in 2007.

DIC in September ruled out a fresh bid for Liverpool or other clubs after mounting speculation that Gulf Arab investors would look to emulate an Abu Dhabi-based group that took over Manchester City on Sept. 1 by buying into British teams.

"If you are a Manchester City supporter you're in dream land ... City have been in the doldrums for such a long time ... now with the transfer window in January, you don't know what's going to happen. They might buy the world."

Hansen said the most important focus for Liverpool was funding a new stadium. "You cannot compete with Manchester United if they've got 76,000 (seats) and we've only got 44,000."

Another Dubai state firm, Zabeel Investments, in October called off its proposed takeover of Charlton Athletic, which plays in the English Championship (second division).

In 2007 Zabeel tried to buy Liverpool.

NOVEMBER 6
Share Liverpool FC tell Gillett
and Hicks: Sell our club to us

By James Pearce - Liverpool Echo

The fans group which wants to buy Liverpool FC today sent an open letter to the club’s American owners urging them to sell to them.

The ShareLiverpoolFC group, spearheaded by football expert Rogan Taylor, has plans for a Barcelona-style buyout at Anfield with supporters – or groups of them – each owning a stake.

ShareLiverpoolFC is supported by Anfield legends including Phil Thompson, John Barnes and John Aldridge and also has established close working links with the fans union the Spirit of Shankly.

It says in the letter to George Gillett and Tom Hicks, who took over at Anfield just under two years ago, that it agrees with their reported decision to offload the club.

Gillett recently refused to be publicly drawn on the claims the pair have hired bankers Merrill Lynch to pursue a deal on their behalf.

The co-owners have been at the centre of controversies which have rocked Anfield in the past year and left supporters angered and demanding their departure. In particular their major personal fall out plus the earlier courting of German Jurgen Klinsmann as a potential successor to Rafa Benitez left fans fuming and staging protests on the Kop.

Said Share Liverpool in the letter to the Americans: “We understand you have decided to relinquish your ownership of Liverpool FC and are actively looking for a buyer.

“Along with the vast majority of Liverpool fans, we agree with your decision to withdraw.

“We would like to buy the club on behalf of the fans, and invite you to sit down with us to agree a deal.

“We are confident that if you’re willing to sell to us for a fair price, we would have sufficient backing (either from the fans alone, or with a suitable partner).”

It continued: “As you may know, ShareLiverpoolFC is an IPS – effectively a ‘Co-operative’ – owned by single shareholding members (not unlike the Green Bay Packers).

“We are not motivated by making a profit from the commercial exploitation of Liverpool FC; all income would be directed towards the benefit of the club and the team itself.

“We want the club we love run solely in the best interests of a successful team, the fans and the community.

“We believe we represent a real opportunity for both of you to bring to an end a troubled period of ownership; an ‘exit strategy’ which would lead to admiration and respect from many.

“Doing the honourable thing and selling the club to the fans would return it to the values that made it the most successful football club in England and one of the best supported in the world.”

“As you are no doubt now aware, the stewardship of a club like Liverpool cannot be separated from the interests of its fans and its community, and anyone thinking of bidding for the club will realise that the backing of the fans is essentia lto ensuring a harmonious and successful club.

“There is now a growing feeling across the sport and from the grassroots upwards, and even from our own government, that big clubs are in real danger of losing touch with their audience.

“You could help reverse this trend.

“We’d also like you to be able to leave with dignity. George, in an interview last March, you said, “Our goal from the beginning was to add … to the lustre (of Liverpool FC) …”

“At this point you can only achieve this by doing the right thing – and that is to offer the club to the fans.”

NOVEMBER 5
Liverpool jilted by
another suitor

By Oliver Kay - The Times

The ownership saga at Liverpool has taken another twist amid claims that a Middle East investment group came close to buying the Merseyside club two weeks ago, only to drop its interest in mysterious circumstances.

Tom Hicks and George Gillett Jr, the club’s American owners, continue to deny that they are looking to sell Liverpool and that they have held negotiations with any potential buyer, but sources claimed last night that an Arab group — unrelated to Sheikh Mohammed, the ruler of Dubai — had made a firm offer for the club, having inspected the company accounts, but walked away without explanation with a deal looking imminent.

The Times has learnt that there has been interest shown in Liverpool recently by a consortium from Kuwait, although it is not clear whether this was the same group that came close to buying the Merseyside club. The previous £500 million offer from Sheikh Mohammed, now operating independently of, rather than through, the Dubai International Capital group, remains on the table.

The American tycoons are expected to issue another public denial today, amid concerns that the price could be driven down if they are seen as active sellers, but it is an open secret in the world of football finance that they are willing to sell for the right price. Even if they have not been directly involved in negotiations, others have negotiated on their behalf.

Last month The Times revealed that they engaged Merrill Lynch, the investment bank, to help to find a buyer. Another swift denial was issued that day, but Gillett squirmed and declined to comment when put on the spot in an interview with a Canadian radio station last week.

Gillett conceded in the same interview that he was “embarrassed” by certain episodes since buying the club with Hicks in February 2007, such as the failure to deliver their promise of a new stadium in Stanley Park, the construction of which has been postponed indefinitely because of their inability to raise the funds.

The Americans are under additional pressure to restructure their £350 million loan with the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) and Wachovia banks, which expires on January 25.

If no buyer can be found in time, they hope to be given permission to take up the option of a six-month extension, but RBS, at present under public ownership because of the credit crunch, is by no means guaranteed to renew thereafter. Amid that growing pressure, Hicks and Gillett are firmly expected to sell the club sooner rather than later.

NOVEMBER 4
Gillett's Reds embarrasment

Sky Sports

Liverpool co-owner George Gillett has admitted the club's financial difficulties have left him embarrassed.

Gillett, along with fellow American Tom Hicks, gained control of the Anfield club in February 2007, but the duo have endured a difficult time at the helm.

The pair were involved in a much-publicised bust-up last season and they were also involved in a war of words with Reds boss Rafa Benitez.

The Americans have come under fire from Liverpool supporters over the failure to fund the planned new stadium in Stanley Park and the debts their £350million loan with the Royal Bank of Scotland have placed over the head of the club.

Gillett admits he has been left red-faced over the failure to fulfil their promises.

"You feel a responsibility and an embarrassment on occasions when you haven't provided all you might have," Gillett told The Independent.

"There's a level of embarrassment and you want to correct it quickly."

OCTOBER 30
Gillett insists Liverpool
can ride financial crisis out

Liverpool Daily Post

George Gillett believes Liverpool are in a sound position to ride out current financial problems but refused to comment on whether the club is up for sale.

There had been speculation that Gillett and co-owner Tom Hicks were ready to sell their stake at Anfield with the investment bank Merrill Lynch believed to have been contacted to find a buyer for the club.

Hicks and Gillett need to restructure their £350million loan with the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), which expires in January.

But the bank, at present under public ownership because of the global credit crunch, has adopted a policy of restructuring loans only in extremely favourable conditions which prompted talk of the pair looking to sell.

Asked directly about the rumours Gillett said: “The stories feed on themselves and some are made up.

“With regard to what we’re doing we would not have any comment on that - there has already been enough speculation on that.”

Gillett is confident Liverpool - and Premier League clubs overall - are in a good financial position despite large debts they have to survive in testing economic times.

“I don’t know all of the facts. What I read is not in the newspapers because it is an unreliable source - what I am looking at are other financial filings which I think are more reliable,” Gillett said.

“There are certain sports which have felt the impact. It’s a good time to be cautious but it’s a bit early to write the obituary of professional sports.”

Gillett also admitted that plans for a new stadium have not been shelved permanently and revealed his relationship with the fans has improved.

OCTOBER 23
Liverpool FC owners Hicks and
Gillett are targets of coup by MPs

Liverpool Daily Post

Liverpool’s American owners could be the targets of an astonishing coup attempt – by Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

The PM has been urged to topple Reds owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett by six MPs.

The Merseyside MPs, led by Walton’s Peter Kilfoyle, want the government to pull the plug on a crucial £350m loan to Hicks and Gillett.

Their move came as Tom Hicks last night reinterated his desire not to sell Liverpool FC, despite suggestions investment bank Merrill Lynch has been instructed to find a buyer for the club.

A source close to the Texan said the bank were merely providing expertise in refinancing the existing debts.

He said: “Tom is not looking to get out of Liverpool – it is an asset he likes and he doesn’t plan an exit.

“They have not engaged Merrill Lynch to sell the club. They have been an advisor of Tom’s for 12 months.”

Those close to Hicks believe he and co-owner George Gillett will exercise a six-month extension on their loans due in January but the Mersey MPs believe they can put pressure on the Prime Minister – through the part-nationalisation of the Royal Bank of Scotland – to prevent such a move.

If RBS did stop an extension, the MPs – who are furious over the ongoing delay of plans for a new stadium – believe the pair would be forced to sell the club.

Yesterday, Kilfoyle tabled a parliamentary motion, quickly signed by George Howarth (Knowsley North and Sefton East), Eddie O'Hara (Knowsley South), Louise Ellman (Riverside), Bob Wareing (West Derby) and Derek Twigg (Halton).

The motion calls on the government to act because “the American owners have failed to deliver a new stadium for Liverpool FC, thereby delaying indefinitely the regeneration of one of the most needy areas of the country.”

A mistake by the Commons authorities meant the word “renew” accidentally appeared as “review” – changing the motion’s entire meaning – but that was due to be corrected last night.

Mr Kilfoyle told the Daily Post: “The government is not putting £20bn of taxpayers money into the Royal Bank of Scotland in order for two foreign nationals to use that money to buy a British institution without putting in any money of their own.

“The fact is that the owners are doing nothing about the stadium, which was their big selling point. They are of no value to the club, to football, or to the city of Liverpool.”

OCTOBER 22
Hicks has no intention
of selling Liverpool

By Martyn Ziegler - PA

Liverpool co-owner Tom Hicks remains insistent he has no intention of selling the club despite their plans to build a new stadium being thwarted.

Hicks and co-owner George Gillett want a 75,000-seater stadium at Stanley Park to generate the cash to repay their £245m personal debts as well as the £105m tied to Liverpool. The debts stem from the Americans' takeover in 2007.

The global financial crisis has brought a halt to the plans, however, as no bank is in a position to issue further loans to finance a new stadium, and the Americans have been reduced to using Liverpool's profits to pay off the interest on the loans but have not been able to reduce the overall debt.

Despite the situation, Hicks is adamant he does not want to sell up - although should that position change then Sheikh Mohammed, the ruler of Dubai, remains the most likely buyer as he continues to have a personal interest in Liverpool.

A source close to Hicks denied a report saying the investment bank Merrill Lynch have been instructed to find a buyer, maintaining they were merely providing expertise in refinancing the existing debts.

Hicks and Gillett refinanced their debts earlier this year with the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) and that deal is due to expire on 25 January, although the Americans will almost certainly exercise an option to extend the deal for a further six months until the end of July.

The source told PA Sport: "Tom is not looking to get out of Liverpool - it is an asset he likes and he doesn't plan an exit.

"They have not engaged Merrill Lynch to sell the club - they have been an adviser of Tom's for 12 months.

"There is an option with RBS coming up to extend [the refinancing deal] by a further six months until July and they will take up that option unless they have agreed another refinancing package before that."

OCTOBER 22
Owners launch bid
to find buyer for Liverpool

By Tony Evans and Helen Power - The Times

Tom Hicks and George Gillett Jr, the Liverpool owners, have signalled that they are ready to sell their stake at Anfield after engaging Merrill Lynch, the investment bank, to find a buyer for the club.

The Americans need to restructure their £350million loan with the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), which expires on January 25. However, the bank, at present under public ownership because of the credit crunch, has adopted a policy of restructuring loans only in extremely favourable conditions.

While discussions with Gillett and Hicks have not yet opened, their circumstances are not believed to fall into this category. The owners have always denied that the club were available for sale but the latest move signals an acceptance that the American duo's future control is unsustainable.

Although the Liverpool owners denied yesterday that Merrill Lynch has been engaged, The Times understands that auditors looked at Liverpool's books last week with a view to finding a buyer. So far, the search appears to be unsuccessful.

Sheikh Mohammed, the Crown Prince of Dubai, has maintained a longstanding interest in acquiring Liverpool but has balked at the price tag set by the American pair, which is upwards of £550 million.

The owners admitted last month that plans for a new stadium in Stanley Park have been put on hold indefinitely. RBS is bracing itself for a campaign of protest by the Spirit of Shankly, a Liverpool supporters' union.

An offer from Dubai of £500million has been on the table for many months, but there has been minimal contact between the Sheikh's representative, Amanda Staveley, and the American camp over the past few months.

Rumours of interest from Robert Kraft have swirled around Anfield in the past few weeks but it is not believed that the owner of the New England Patriots American football team is a viable bidder for Liverpool.

OCTOBER 12
Dubai retain Liverpool
interest despite Charlton talks

By Duncan Castles - The Observer

Liverpool could still end up in the hands of Dubai's ruling family regardless of their proposed takeover of Charlton.

The Championship club last week announced the receipt on an indicative offer from Zabeel Investments. The involvement of Sheikh Hamdan Al-Maktoum, son of Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed, has been interpreted as the termination of the long standing pursuit of Liverpool.

Dubai, however, remains intent on buying Liverpool whenever the club's current owners are prepared to sell. Tom Hicks and George Gillett rejected an offer in the region of £500m earlier this year, but remain under pressure to fund the debt with which they purchased the club and to obtain finance for a new stadium.

"Nothing has changed," said a source. "The Maktoums still intend to takeover Liverpool and the possible purchase of Charlton certainly has no bearing on it."

OCTOBER 10
Hicks and Gillett told:
Put real money into Liverpool FC

Liverpool Daily Post

The fans group which wants to buy Liverpool today challenged the club’s American owners to put ‘some real money’ into Anfield and fend off potentially devastating debts over coming years.

The ShareLiverpoolFC group, which has announced ambitious plans for a Barcelona-style buyout at Anfield with supporters – or organised groups of them – each owning a stake in the club, has conducted its own analysis of Anfield’s finances.

The study comes in the wake of the recent credit crunch – blamed by Tom Hicks and George Gillett for their halting of plans to build a new stadium – and the global banking crisis.

It also follows calls this week by UEFA president Sepp Blatter for controls on the foreign ownership of football clubs, and comments by the FA chairman Lord Triesman and UEFA’s general secretary David Taylor, regarding the excessive debts held by Premier League clubs.

Share Liverpool’s founder Rogan Taylor, a lifelong Liverpool fan, says the probe has raised serious questions about the Reds financial stability, given its dependency on borrowed cash – and the need to find over £20m a year plus to service interest payments on loans lumped onto the books by the owners.

ShareLiverpoolFC is supported by Anfield legends including Phil Thompson, John Barnes and John Aldridge and also has established close working links with the fans union the Spirit of Shankly.

In a statement released today, it said: “Even if the current RBS loan is extended beyond Jan ‘09, under the current arrangement it will only be until July, 2009.

“With both American owners unable to raise money for the stadium, in today’s financial climate, can they raise more ‘real’, unleveraged money to restructure the loan and keep the club afloat?

“If the football bubble bursts, could the loans secured against LFC become sub prime and put the club at risk?

“Kop Football Ltd has to find £20m plus to service the debt of £245m.

“How will the debt be serviced?

“Can the owners assure us that Kop Football’s indebtedness is not to be serviced by the club? If it is, how can the club pay it?”

Said Dr Taylor: “This is not a comfortable position to be in at a time when the game’s regulators are calling for a reduction in debt and foreign ownership – not to mention the effects of the global credit crunch.

SLFC board member, Barrie Baxter, added: “ShareLiverpoolFC already represents thousands of fans prepared to invest real money into the club.

“Raising the required funds won’t be the issue once we have a deal in prospect.

“We’re confident we’ll be able to succeed. We are prepared to consider a partnership with any incoming buyer with the right attitude to the development of LFC going forward.

“After the experience with the current owners, it will be important for any new owner to ensure that they have the confidence of Liverpool fans.

“We call on the current owners to inject cash as capital to reduce the club’s debt.

“If they are unwilling or unable to do this, then they should move over and let others that can better serve the club take control.”

ShareLiverpoolFC’s long term objective is to gain control of the club. However, in the medium term, its strategy is to work with suitable new investors to help achieve a change of ownership, stabilise the club’s finances and represent the fans interests by acquiring a stake in the club.

ShareLiverpoolFC believes its participation in the future will assist with this.

It says its message to potential new owners of “their” club is: “Come and talk to us; you need the fans behind you and this is no ordinary club.

“We understand it and have the experience to help”.

The group is still urging supporters who wish to get involved in taking a stake in its planned fans buyout to contact them via their website - www.shareliverpoolfc.co.uk.

SEPTEMBER 16
Liverpool still a target
for Dubai takeover

By Tony Barrett - Liverpool Echo

Liverpool could still end up in the hands of Dubai - despite Dubai International Capital's insistence that it is no longer pursuing a deal to buy the club.

DIC – the investment arm of the Dubai government – put out an official statement yesterday denying it is ready to launch a fresh bid for the Reds or a new one for Newcastle United.

But it has been several months since DIC were leading the Dubai bid for Liverpool, with Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum having made acquiring the Anfield club a personal rather than a government venture.

DIC are out of the picture because – as Dubai’s investment arm – they must always make a return on any purchases. Liverpool’s troubled financial situation means that is now a pledge DIC can no longer realistically make.

An offer from Dubai remains on the table, but owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett are currently refusing to do a deal.

The Americans claim publicly that they are not interested in selling, but sources close to the situation insist they will cash in – but only if they walk away with around £100m in profit each.

That is a price which Dubai are not prepared to pay.

Dubai's determination to buy the club has not diminished but unless the expectations of Hicks and Gillett are reduced they are prepared to walk away.

The ECHO understands that Hicks made an approach to Abu Dhabi prior to the cash rich Middle Eastern city buying Manchester City, but that was rebuffed. It is not clear whether Hicks was trying to sell the whole club to the Emirate or was offering a minority share but he did make an unsuccessful attempt to secure investment from them.

The Texan has also made at least one more approach to another potential investor, but that has also so far come to nothing.

Hicks has good reason to seek investment, with just four months to go before the £350m loan secured against the club is due to be refinanced and borrowing has become even more fraught with difficulty.

Financial experts believe the bombshell that hit the US stock markets and banking industry yesterday will make the effects of the current credit crunch even greater, and longer lasting, with opportunities to borrow being further reduced.

The situation is further complicated by the fact that shares in American investment bank Wachovia were among the hardest hit in yesterday's stock market nosedive.

Shares in Wachovia - the fourth largest US bank - fell by 22% in the day as investors’ anxiety about the American financial sector and banks in particular hit the stock market.

Wachovia were involved in the last refinancing deal secured by Hicks and Gillett, along with the Royal Bank of Scotland, who loaned the Americans the bulk of the cash.

Should Wachovia Bank require new capital it is a possibility that they could call in some of their existing major loans.

SEPTEMBER 15
Gillett in talks with
LFC fans’ union

By Ben Schofield - Liverpool Daily Post

Liverpool FC co-owner George Gillett met the leadership of fans’ union Spirit of Shankly (SOS) minutes before they joined a protest rally against him, it emerged last night.

In the meeting, Gillett insisted the club’s financial crisis was being overplayed, but admitted a breakdown in communication at the top of the club.

Around 4,000 SOS members then marched from the Liver- pool Supporters Club to the ground ahead of the Anfield clash with rivals Man United.

But, beforehand, four of their number met with Gillett after the American sporting tycoon requested a get-together.

He quizzed them on their intentions and the reasons they established SOS.

The SOS leadership told Gillett they wanted him and co- owner Tom Hicks to sell up and leave Anfield.

In response, Gillett insisted the club was on a secure financial footing and blamed the recently-announced delays to building a new stadium on a funding crisis caused by his banks and the credit crunch.

An SOS statement also claims the multimillionaire admitted communication at the top of the club was "not as it should be" – between himself, Hicks, commercial manager Ian Ayres, chief executive Rick Parry and manager Rafael Benitez.

The statement added: "It was made absolutely clear to Gillett that we were not running our campaign against the current owners at the instigation of Amanda Staveley or anybody else connected to Dubai [International Capital, who have bid to buy the club].

"Spirit Of Shankly told George Gillett what they believed was wrong with the football club, primarily how they were running it and have done since the takeover last year, and also re-emphasising that fans no longer want himself or Tom Hicks running the football club."

SOS spokesperson James McKenna added: "For George Gillett to request a meeting with us shows they are hearing our message. They just need to start listening, and we are in no doubt they will soon have to.

"They have made a number of promises and failed to deliver. Gillett was told this. Him and Hicks should take a leaf out of [Newcastle owner] Mike Ashley’s book, and admit when your time is up, and accept the blame for the wrongs they have done.

"They ought to take the profit they have been offered, and close the door behind them."

Undeterred by the thousands that rallied, Gillett was seen in the directors’ box at the ground during the match, which Liverpool won 2-1. His co-owner Tom Hicks was also represented by son Alex.

Alan Kayll, an SOS member, said: "The march was magnificent. We knew fans were angry and they turned out to prove the point. We all want Hicks and Gillett out, and they can now see as well hear our message. We won’t go away and will do everything we possibly can to force them out."

SEPTEMBER 10
Carragher denounces
"ruthless" Liverpool owners

By Rob Harris - AP

Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher called the Premier League club’s owners, Tom Hicks and George Gillett Jr., “ruthless” and accused them of breaking promises and profiteering.

In his autobiography to be published Thursday, Carragher does express sympathy with the Americans in saying manager Rafa Benitez publicly undermined them over transfers, but gives a largely critical assessment of a year of turmoil.

The 30-year-old Carragher, who has been with Liverpool since he was a youth player in 1994, hesitantly embraced the Americans at the time of their March 2007 takeover, when they pledged to invest in the team and replace crumbling Anfield stadium without burdening the Reds with debt.

But the stadium remains on hold. and Carragher said he became disgruntled over infighting that triggered “the demise of those values which come under the definition ‘The Liverpool Way.”’

“For richer or poorer, we’d sold Liverpool to two ruthless businessmen who saw us as a moneymaking opportunity,” Carragher writes in “Carra: My Autobiography,” published by Bantam Press. “They didn’t buy Liverpool as an act of charity; they weren’t intent on throwing away all the millions they’d earned over 50 years … They wanted to buy us because the planned stadium offered a chance to generate tons of cash and increase the value of the club.”

Hicks didn’t respond to a request for comment.

Carragher said the owners’ worst mistake was claiming no debt would be put on the club’s balance sheet when in fact the loans used to buy the five-time European champion created annual interest payments of around $50 million.

“Breaking this vow set the first alarm bells ringing. The embarrassing continual changing of the stadium plans was irritating too,” he wrote.

Carragher said internal strife swelled in the aftermath of the May 2007 Champions League final defeat to AC Milan, when Benitez demanded that Hicks and Gillett quickly invest more money in the squad.

“These words sparked a chain reaction that brought problems into the open, almost cost (Benitez) his job a couple of months later, riled Liverpool’s owners into an ill-fated meeting with Juergen Klinsmann, and ended Hicks’ and Gillett’s honeymoon relationship with The Kop (fan base),” Carragher wrote.

“I understood why the owners were unhappy with him too,” he wrote. “They’d been undermined by Rafa and now they were undermining him. “It was a political rather than football battle, and although the fans wanted to see it in black-and-white terms, with the owners the bad guys and Rafa their hero, I saw far more shades of gray.”

SEPTEMBER 7
Carragher admits concern
over ownership of Liverpool

Liverpool Daily Post

Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher has revealed his concern over the structure of the club.

Carragher believes a lack of footballing knowledge within the Anfield hierarchy could prove damaging.

The 30-year-old Liverpudlian would like to see American owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks appoint a figure such as former manager Kenny Dalglish to a senior role to help with key decisions.

Hicks and Gillett last year revealed they had sounded out Jurgen Klinsmann with a view to succeeding manager Rafael Benitez should the Spaniard leave, but admitted having limited knowledge of the German.

Carragher, writing in his autobiography Carra, printed in the News of the World, said: “What worries me about Hicks saying saying he’d never heard of Klinsmann is this: what happens when we do need to appoint another manager?

“Liverpool fans will shudder at the idea of names being checked on the internet.

“If Kenny was on the board, the owners would be able to ask his advice in the knowledge he has a grasp of what supporters here expect.”

SEPTEMBER 4
John Thompson:
One city which won't
welcome this bling thing

Comment by John Thompson - Liverpool Echo

Inevitably, the Abu Dhabi purchase of Manchester City has led to many Liverpool fans hoping Dubai will soon be able to follow suit and take over at Anfield

But if they ever do – and it remains a very big if – then it is to be hoped they will behave very differently to their Gulf State neighbours on the day it happens.

Current American owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett have been widely condemned for totally abandoning the old Liverpool Way.

The club has for 18 months been battered by regular bouts of factional in-fighting and painful, public self-destruction.

Those who’ve had the chance to privately influence the Dubains – who to be fair seem to have bent over backwards to listen to them all and learn – have frequently stressed how important it is for Liverpool FC to rediscover that way.

To find again its harmony, its dignity and direction – however rich and powerful an individual owner might be. And while ruthlessly pursuing success for Liverpool, to do so with a touch of class, even a bit of humility and respect for the game and the other clubs who populate it.

Quick-win, last-gasp mega-million pound bids for Dimitar Berbatov may have dazzled Manchester City fans who found themselves suddenly blinded in a delusion of transfer day ecstasy on Monday.

Further talk of Abu Dhabi-funded bids to buy the world’s top stars and rocket the club to the top of the domestic and European table (as if it really is that easy) are equally enticing to City fans who have seen their hapless club so badly run for decades.

But for all its passing entertainment value, none of this unsightly, wad-waving nonsense is pretty or correct.

All true football fans know this baseless, global Festival of Bling is not what the game was ever about. Or what it needs to flourish in the new millennium.

Real fans in real communites, the type who bring the Kop alive and themselves create its magic – are still what actually matter. And these supporters risk being turned off as much as turned on.

It’s crucial any prospective new owners understand this and appreciate the real component value of their inner-city inheritance.

You can hang as many fancy baubles and trinkets as you like on a tree, but unless you take care of the roots from which it has grown in the first place, you’re likely dressing up a dying specimen.

It will probably soon wither, or at least change so much in appeal that it fails any longer to deliver the aura which first attracted a world audience and tempted you to own it in the first place.

Liverpool may or may not find itself under new ownership again as football now elevates itself to a new level of wealth.

But the club must never have a flashy, loadsamoney culture.

Reconciling the incredible riches of today with the values of Anfield’s past (and thanks to groups like the Spirit of Shankly and ShareLiverpoolFC its present too) is the biggest and most important challenge – and opportunity – of all.

It’s the footballing goose that matters most. Not the golden egg it laid.

And anyway, no one likes a show-off.

SEPTEMBER 4
City cash brings Dubai group
nearer to Liverpool takeover

By Ian Herbert - The Independent

The Tom Hicks camp at Liverpool are known to feel a sense of frustration and helplessness at Abu Dhabi wealth being ploughed into Manchester City while the Dubai consortium with similar ambitions for Anfield believe City's buyout could clear the way for them.

Dubai International Capital (DIC) believe that Hicks and his co-owner George Gillett would be unable to maintain their financial grip on Liverpool without the minimum £25m delivered by Champions League group stage qualification.

With City's new-found wealth creating even more competition for next season's tournament the prospect of their bankers – Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) and Wachovia – granting a six-month extension to their loan in January is by no means certain.

RBS will be left in no doubt about supporters' feelings on the issue, with the Spirit of Shankly (SOS) group urging fans to boycott the bank unless they stop providing support to Hicks and Gillett. They are ready to urge Liverpool supporters to close any accounts they have with them, should they renew the loan on 25 January 2009.

It remains unclear whether the increased risk of non-qualification may affect RBS's thinking. The qualification money delivers two-thirds of Hicks and Gillett's interest bill and it is difficult to see where they would find that money from if they were deprived of Champions League football next season. City's wealth – which the Hicks camp accept they cannot match – has compounded another difficult period for them, with the narrow qualification against Standard Liège on penalties last week a matter of huge significance.

For Liverpool fans, the timing of City's windfall has been grim – 72 hours after Hicks and Gillett declared that they were being forced to delay construction of the club's new 60,000-capacity stadium at Stanley Park. There has been a multitude of agonies for Liverpool. City's new owner, Sheikh Mansour, a member of the Al Nahyan royal family of Abu Dhabi, is married to the daughter of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum – the man on whose behalf DIC have been operating.

Amanda Staveley, of London-based PCP Capital Partners, has acted for Manchester City in the Abu Dhabi deal and remains DIC's negotiator in the proposed Liverpool purchase. Matters have been low key over the close season but DIC have been in regular contact with both the Hicks and Gillett camps. The delay has been compounded by Gillett's need to attend to financial business of his own in the US. "The Liverpool situation is ongoing," Staveley said.

The failure to land Gareth Barry this summer illustrated the difficulty Hicks and Gillett have had raising funds, but the stadium project has always been considered the true test of their financial means.

Hicks has gone to great lengths to say that he and Gillett can raise the £300m needed to build the stadium and that it would not be derailed by the credit crunch. But the statement he issued last week contradicted this. "Global market conditions" had been the deciding factor, it said.

RBS will be aware of the £400m DIC bid on the table and, as the Americans' banker, can order them to accept it.

AUGUST 31
Parry: Reds rows are behind us

TEAMtalk

Liverpool chief executive Rick Parry says the infighting that threatened to derail the club is over and that everyone is all pulling together.

The Reds found themselves in the headlines for the wrong reasons last season due to the ongoing row between American owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett.

The American duo were involved in a public slanging match last season, but Parry insists the problems have been resolved and stability has returned to Anfield.

Parry has also found himself at loggerheads with Reds boss Rafa Benitez over transfer targets, but Parry insists everyone is working together to bring success to the club.

"Everyone is working together," said Parry.

"Everything was relatively calm during the close season compared to the publicity at other clubs and now we just want to focus on winning games.

"There is a dialogue between the two owners on a regular basis. And they have been supportive throughout the last six months, especially in the transfer market.

"People forget that we have bought Robbie Keane and paid a huge fee for Javier Mascherano. So the commitment has still been there. They have been supportive through this transfer window and, at the moment, it is stable."

Parry also insists he has no plans to quit his role at Liverpool despite being linked with replacing Brian Barwick as chief executive of the Football Association.

"I'm still here but it's not about me. The story should always be the players," he said.

AUGUST 27
Minister backs Reds takeover bid

BBC Sport Online

A plan for a supporter takeover of Liverpool Football Club has received the backing of Andy Burnham, the Minister for Culture, Media and Sport.

The Leigh MP and Everton follower is supporting a consortium of fans who want to buy out the club's shares.

They hope to take control of Liverpool FC from the current owners, the Americans Tom Hicks and George Gillett.

Mr Burnham is due to speak at a meeting before the Champions League qualifier with Standard Liege, on Wednesday.

It will take place at the Liverpool Lighthouse pub near Anfield.

The supporters' body, known as ShareLiverpoolFC, has a new website, and wants as many fans as possible to buy one share - at £5,000 each.

ShareLiverpoolFC founder member Dr Rogan Taylor will also address the meeting.

It is aimed at re-establishing the group publicly, as the current Liverpool owners try to raise money to re-finance their own loans as well as the £400m needed to build a new stadium.

Dr Taylor, director of the Football Industry Group at Liverpool University, said: "We want to make sure everyone realises that we are serious and intend to be around and ready whatever happens."

Dr Taylor believes that financial pressures will call into question the Americans' ability to carry on as owners.

He thinks there will also be further interest from Dubai-based investors, who have been waiting in the wings to mount another takeover bid of the club.

Taylor continued: "Whoever takes over the club, they are going to need a local partnership.

"We are here to stay, and have people signed up to help and support the plans we have.

"We want to be around when the next roll of the dice comes, and that could be very soon."

ShareLiverpoolFC has re-launched its website, and wants the 28,000 fans who initially registered their interest to sign up again.

The group currently has 9,500 supporters who have signed up, another 9,000 who have registered interest but cannot afford £5,000, plus a further 9,000 who want to be kept informed.

Dr Taylor added: "There is a long way to go, but we believe we can have a genuine impact.

"You can't score a goal if you are not on the pitch, and we are certainly on the pitch as players."

JUNE 20
Hicks and Gillett in peace pact

By David Prentice - Liverpool Echo

George Gillett has revealed that Liverpool's feuding co-owners are trying to patch up their differences.

And he has suggested that he and Tom Hicks were now trying to revive a partnership he had previously described as “unworkable” – with a desire to help Rafa Benitez “be more competitive in the chase for the Premiership.”

But the Reds co-owner pointedly refused to discuss whether he still intended to sell his half of the club.

Gillett gave a rare interview to Canadian radio station Fan590 late last night, when he revealed: “It’s fair to say that communication between the Hicks and the Gilletts has been substantially improved and I believe that it will be for the benefit of the club.”

After his last appearance on the same station led to a public and apparently irretrievable breakdown of the working relationship with Tom Hicks, this time he said: “Time is a healer and there were things that had happened previously. It took a while for both of us to realise that we weren’t communicating very well and the huge responsibility we have to the fans to do the right thing for the club.

“I believe that the Hicks family are communicating better with us and we’re communicating better with them and I think that will be much better for the club.”

Asked whether the ‘For sale signs had now come down,’ he declared: “I’m not going to comment on anything specifically.”

But he did add: “All of us are focused on the transfer window and we want to be ready for that and we want to have adequate resources and good communication with Rafa and our hope is that we’re making better progress.

“What did I think of last season’s performance?

“I’d would rather let the fans make that decision. But for a club that has a history of winning trophies, any season that you don’t win one of the five or six trophies that we compete for, I suspect the fans, as well as the Hicks and Gilletts, are disappointed.

“But overall I felt that the team played quite well, particularly beginning and late.

“I think they were very representative and I think Torres was a wonderful selection.

“By summer I think the rest of the boys played quite well and we have to help Rafa try and be more competitive in the chase for the Premiership.”

Gillett’s interview does not confirm whether his long term ambition is still to sell out his half of the club, but it does show that he is prepared to bury his differences with Tom Hicks in the short term.

Interviewer Bob McCown admitted that the radio station had been “inundated with e-mails from Great Britain” when it was advertised that the American was due to be a guest on the show.

And Gillett admitted he had been taken by surprise at the levels of passion shown by Liverpool supporters worldwide.

“It was really amazing,” he said. “Soccer is the leading sport in the world and it’s just shocking how popular Liverpool is. So it surprised me, but it really is an amazing responsibility.

“We’ve always felt that for the 40-plus years I’ve been around professional sport that we really hold these assets in trust for the fans and that we have an obligation to the fans. We feel that very strongly in Montreal and Liverpool.”
 

Thor Zakariassen ©