Liverpool FC Forum

[Kharhaz]

This is what happens when hall people get involved. What we really needed all along was our own Ambramovich. Someone who could fork out the dosh whenever needed.

What and sell our soul in another way? No what we needed was owners to keep the club financially sound while providing funds for one or two quality player while providing funds for the new stadium.

[NANNY RED]

Anyone know were i can find the link to the Melia interview on soccer sat today i forgot it was on

[puroresu]

This whole thing has been a debacle.

A complete joke.  An embarrasment considering the stick Man Utd was getting when taken over by the americans.  What has happened at LFC in the last year has been nothing short of a joke.  It looks no end is in sight and this will drag on and on.

[holylamb2006]

Wow , has this thing turned around.

First we all hated the 2 of them , then we hated gillett for going public about talking to klingsman now we hate Hicks for not letting Gillett sell HIS shares and now wants to buy out gilletts share i laughed because it said he is trying to get private equity which isnt a loan but it shows us that he wont be able to fight with manu arsenal and chelsea , and now we like gillett for selling sorry trying to sell his share.

All i hope and pray is that dic comes up with a way to get around this and i know that i dont know anything bout DIC but i read some comments on here they look way better ( finacially stable ) then gillett and hicks .

[Kharhaz]

A lot of doubt was aimed at hicks, most of the bad press is about him and gillett and stayed in the background like all chairmen should. Hicks' biggest mistake was blabbing about klinnsman and from that more people have taken a more disliking to him. The whole attitude hasnt really turned around many supporters have always wanted the pair of them to go.

[holylamb2006]

i got them mixed around

[account deleted by request]

HICKS IS KILLING KOP

By CHRIS BASCOMBE

TOM HICKS today stands accused of sucking the life out of Liverpool Football Club.

The Anfield co-chairman's refusal to step down threatens the heart and soul of a proud institution which has been decimated by his divisive, gruesome reign.

Hicks seems hell-bent on creating the ultimate terrifying scenario on Merseyside.

He's ruling the club with outspoken arrogance, taking chilling financial risks to preserve his own position and making consistently ill-thought, off-the-cuff decisions on the future of boss Rafa Benitez.

The Texan seems to have no concept of the damage he's causing, and an utter disregard for the long-term repercussions of his callous resolve to stay at the helm. The fans want him out. Around 90 per cent of his employees want him out. The players want him out and his co-chairman wants out.

Liverpool is in the grip of mayhem at every level, fractured from the boardroom down, with some respected Anfield figures admitting they're in a state of depression as the nightmare continues.

"At the moment, the situation can only be described as catastrophic," a well-placed Anfield source admitted.

Hicks retained control of the club by plunging Liverpool into £350m debt. He still needs to raise £300m within the next three months to start work on a new stadium on Stanley Park on time.

And if he wants to buy out his partner, George Gillett, he'd need to find a further £200m.

It's this final sum, and not the stadium money, which has become Hicks' main priority in recent weeks as he has tried to fight off Dubai International Capital's advances.

That's despite the fact he knows DIC have deep enough pockets to construct the stadium and rebuild the team without carrying a begging bowl to the world's banks every 18 months.

Instead of leaving with a handsome profit, Hicks has been seeking an alternative investor to join him at Liverpool.

The consequences of him buying out Gillett would be grave.

The Texan plans to remove members of the old-hierarchy with a ruthless cull to ensure all opposition to his chairmanship is eradicated.

Rick Parry and David Moores would be the first to go, cutting off DIC's path into the club.
Answer

If Gillett was to agree to sell to Hicks, Liverpool would face a prolonged era of debt-ridden uncertainty.

The club must pay £30m a year in interest alone, which means even winning the Champions League each season wouldn't cover the costs of their annual bank repayments.

Hicks has continuously refused to answer where summer transfer funds will come from, leading to the conclusion that high-profile signings will also be purchased through his bank loans.

That's the route Leeds fatefully took under the chairmanship of Peter Ridsdale.

Only a fans' protest and Champions League progress have saved Benitez but now Hicks has vowed to keep the manager for the remaining two years of his contract – providing he makes no further public criticism of his chairmanship.

In the meantime, the performances on the pitch have left more moderate Anfield fans believing a reasonable debate about the manager's future should take place.

But despite Hicks' short-term backing of the Spanish boss, there's been no suggestion he's willing to extend Benitez's contract, which in normal circumstances would be in the process of renewal in the summer.

And if Benitez does get the chop few of Europe's most sought after coaches would be tempted to move to Anfield given the current conditions.

As DIC become increasingly exasperated by Hicks' bullishness, the focus will now shift to Gillett.

He's remained silent since the rift between the co-chairmen was exposed and, unlike his partner, has done nothing to dampen speculation he wants out.

DIC hope Gillett will be the catalyst for Hicks' downfall.

While Hicks insists Gillett can't sell without his agreement, the same is also true in the other direction. If Gillett refuses to sell to Hicks, the stalemate will continue and the Texan's frustrations will grow.

The question now is how sincere is Gillett when he tells his allies at Anfield he cares about safeguarding Liverpool's future.

DIC have not gone away and have presumed from the outset Gillett will never sell to Hicks.

Distressed Liverpool supporters would feel more encouraged if they heard Gillett make such a vow public. Otherwise, The Kop's best hope is to arm itself with a crucifix and start praying.




Kinell! If any of that is true we are well and truely in the sh!t

[god_bless_john_houlding]

more great news for the club just before a match. gotta give these yanks some credit their timing is spot on.

[LegBarnes]

ok enuff is enuff time to kill this fat pig really seems only way to get rid of him. 

I think we could pay a crack head 2 bags of gear and a mars bar to do it.

Any other ideas.

[LegBarnes]

Hicks' sell-off move delays Dubai takeover


Duncan Castles
Sunday March 2, 2008
The Observer


Dubai International Capital's proposed takeover of Liverpool is being delayed by the attempts of one of the club's American owners to sell off a percentage of his sport businesses.
Tom Hicks is seeking an off-market placement of existing shares in Hicks Sports Group, which includes investments in Liverpool, the Texas Rangers baseball team and the Dallas Stars ice hockey franchise. Investment bankers JP Morgan have been advising on the 144A listing, which was first attempted in January but failed because of challenging financial market conditions. JP Morgan representatives are understood to have visited Liverpool in the last fortnight to work on the placement.


Hicks' current 50 per cent share of Liverpool is thought to be fundamental to the exercise. DIC's interest has helped the football club's value to rise during a period in which American companies with sporting assets have declined sharply in worth. While DIC would prefer to buy Liverpool in full, the Arabian investment group is currently concentrating its efforts on purchasing George Gillett's half share and establishing an agreement with Hicks that would allow it full control of Liverpool's day-to-day operations. Hicks has engaged in talks with DIC over a proposed management structure after the purchase.
Though it has been suggested that Hicks is attempting to raise funds to buy out Gillett and take total control of Liverpool, such a move would cost around £300million (£151m) in equity and loan guarantees. Hicks is not thought to have the resources to cover such a transaction, while his moves to place shares in Hicks Sport Group would effectively reduce his stake in Liverpool, making him a seller rather than a buyer.

[ConnO'var]

Another ray of sunshine from Hicks.....
When will this nightmare finally end?

We've sold our soul to the devil and are now paying the price...

[account deleted by request]

Gerrard and Carragher set for Liverpool exit?!?!?
Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez could be preparing to offload Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher this summer.

The Mail on Sunday are reporting that should Tom Hicks complete his takeover of the club then Benitez will seek to take total control of the playing squad.

Gerrard and Carragher have been pretty much undroppable for the last 6 seasons but Benitez is now starting to bring through his own star players and could be tempted to ship out the home grown stars as he aims to regain full control over the squad.

The Scouse duo have been very influential at the club for some time now, but with Benitez bringing in the likes of Fernando Torres and Javier Mascherano, he could take this opportunity to cash in on both Gerrard and Carragher as he aims to rebuild the squad to challenge for the title.



WTF?

[tubby]

This has got to be . I mean I did hear that Hicks forced one of his baseball of football clubs to sell a top player to raise funds. I just hope he doesnt try to do something similar here.

But anyway what the hell is this article about?

[metalhead]

Gerrard and Carragher set for Liverpool exit?!?!?
Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez could be preparing to offload Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher this summer.

The Mail on Sunday are reporting that should Tom Hicks complete his takeover of the club then Benitez will seek to take total control of the playing squad.

Gerrard and Carragher have been pretty much undroppable for the last 6 seasons but Benitez is now starting to bring through his own star players and could be tempted to ship out the home grown stars as he aims to regain full control over the squad.

The Scouse duo have been very influential at the club for some time now, but with Benitez bringing in the likes of Fernando Torres and Javier Mascherano, he could take this opportunity to cash in on both Gerrard and Carragher as he aims to rebuild the squad to challenge for the title.



WTF?

This is the most BS i have read in my life.

The person who wrote this must be drunk or on crack

[tubby]

Or both.