Liverpool FC Forum

by **Ciggy** » Thu Sep 16, 2010 10:53 pm

This morning, supporters of Liverpool Football Club woke up to the news that Blackstone/GSO is considering a £281m loan to Tom Hicks to continue in his leveraged ownership of the club, news which is greeted by us with a mixture of anger, outrage and despair.
I can assure you of a number of facts:
Should Blackstone/GSO or any other of the financial institutions cc-ed to this email bail out Tom Hicks, you will be taking a heavy risk, even without the hostility of the supporters of the club.
You are no doubt aware that Hicks Sports Group defaulted on a $525m loan last year and the details of the lenders’ outrage at his subsequent manoeuvres concerning land around the Texas Rangers’ stadium. If not, we would be happy to provide you with the details.
Hicks subsequently gave interviews making clear that the default was ‘strategic’ and painting himself as a successful businessman in other fields.
Hicks cannot have it both ways. Either he is a successful businessman – in which case he thinks nothing of reneging on financial agreements if they prove onerous to him – or he did not have the money to repay the loan. In neither case can he be considered a good risk for repayment of a large loan.
No doubt, Hicks has portrayed LFC as a successful vehicle with a growing commercial profile and the ability to repay high interest payments in his approach to you. You should be aware that LFC is in decline, thanks to Hicks’s tenure, and has dropped out of the lucrative Champions League. Its inability to support the interest on the current loans is one factor draining the on-pitch success that ensures off-pitch profit. On Thursday, its ground was 20,000 short of capacity as fans stayed away. It is said that Hicks is seeking to mortgage the loan against the ground and players: if so, you should also be aware that the ground is worth little, being in an extremely depressed area of Liverpool, and the players have made publicly clear their opposition to Hicks’ continuation as owner so that it is likely the best will leave (their ability to pick their own destinations means there can be no guarantee of their achieving their highest worth) should he stay.
It is said that Hicks believes the supporters will accept him as a sole owner. If he has indeed been so deluded as to have informed you of this, I now seek to correct the impression. Hicks and his son are held in contempt by millions of Liverpool supporters worldwide. We are increasingly mobilised and drastic measures, including boycotts, are now being discussed. We are not prepared to see the club we love bled to death.
Has he informed you about Liverpool’s worldwide supporter base? A word of advice: the lukewarm fans will drift away as the debt bleeds the club dry of success, the hardcore fans will boycott and do everything in their power to ensure Hicks is ousted without a penny of profit as quickly as possible.
Don’t believe me? Research us. Look at whom you are dealing with. Look at the boycott we carried out against The Sun newspaper after it defamed our supporters. Look at how we drove shock jockey S Cohen off the air when he insulted our dead. We are not the tame consumers you lbo people are used to dealing with. We are militant, passionate and committed. I don’t know how we will do it, I don’t know how long it will take, but we will drive Hicks from this club and your organisation will be the target of our considered and organised action if you bail him out.

bennett.goodman@gsocap.com; Stephen.Schwarzman@blackstone.com

lgoldman@beachpointcapital.com; droerig@beahpointcapital.com;
cgoldsmith@beachpointcapital.com; lgoldman@beachpointcapital.com;
droerig@beachpointcapital.com; lfink@blackrock.com; tlevart@dkpartners.com; sleviant@dkpartners.com; jbloom@trimarancapital.com; David.Shaw@deshaw.com; jaranson@centerbridge.com; jbader@halcyonllc.com; mbrancaccio@stonetowercapital.com

by **Kukilon** » Thu Sep 16, 2010 11:20 pm

"Hello

My name is XXXX and I just want to voice my opinion about your company maybee helping Hicks and Gillett to refinance their loans. I'm a fan of LFC and I just want to warn you about these two. Most people that have done bussiness with these two have a very negative view about how they behave. They are liars which have been proved several times and you can just do a search for their names + lies on google to see what I mean. We have 42 million fans world wide and every one of us share the same opinion about them. We don't like to do stuff like this but we will fight to the bitter end to get these evil doers away from our beloved club. Your company will suffer a massive PR backlash if you support them in any way possible and we just want to let you know that in advance. 42 million consumers are ready to start boyocotting products that you are affilliated with if this goes through.

Best regards
XXX"

That was what I wrote.

by **Kharhaz** » Thu Sep 16, 2010 11:30 pm

Ciggy wrote:MODS I know we have the Hicks & Gillett topic but please leave this open for a few days as it will get lost in there.

Hicks is trying to buy out Gilletts share for 75 million, if we can get the ball rolling we can buy his share (more of that to follow tommorrow) Gillett has used LFC as collateral in the States and has defaulted on the loan, meaning he loses his control in LFC.

In the mean time Hicks is trying to get a loan from Hedge funds that make our current loan repayments to RBS look like a fiver.

If he gets the money we are finished this is the company he is trying to get the money from FBR Capital.

Can everyone email please and explain politley that us Liverpool fans do not want Tom Hicks as our owner any longer.

Thanx.

He is trying to refinance with FBR capital markets get them emails sent

* Human Resources: hr@fbr.com
* Investor Relations: fbcmir@fbr.com
* FBR Funds: advisors@fbr.com
* Media: media@fbr.com
* Prime Brokerage: mmurray@fbr.com
* Research: fbrresearch@fbr.com
* Web Producer: webproducer@fbr.com

Surely potential investors have also considered this option. It cant be as simple as this surely? If this is the case then surely Hicks or Gillett have sought partners to invest in not the club, but themselves in order to buy out the other.

by **Reg** » Thu Sep 16, 2010 11:34 pm

Tom Hicks aims to refinance debts in an effort to remain in control at Liverpool

Liverpool co-owner Tom Hicks is attempting to refinance the club’s debts of £237 million with Royal Bank of Scotland in an effort to remain in control at Anfield.

By Paul Kelso Daily Telegraph 16 Sep 2010

Deeper in the red: Tom Hicks is considering raising fresh finance to buy out the RBS debt

Hicks met with Liverpool chairman Martin Broughton in London on Wednesday and is understood to have told him that raising fresh finance to buy out the RBS debt is one of a number of options he is considering ahead of the Oct 6 refinancing deadline set by the bank.

Hicks’s discussions with Broughton took place with co-owner George Gillett in talks with an American lender intended to protect his 50 per cent stake in the club, which could be vulnerable if he fails to renegotiate a $75 million loan secured against the shares in 2008.

Gillett secured the loan from funders Mill Financial in 2008 to help him meet personal guarantees demanded by RBS in a previous round of refinancing, putting up his shares in the club as collateral.

Mill Financial called in the loan this summer and Gillett could technically be in default if he takes no action in the short-term, but sources with knowledge of the situation said on Thursday night that he was in talks to extend the loan and remains in control of his shares. He is also understood to be working closely with Hicks on the refinancing options that would allow them both to remain in control.

While Hicks is not thought to have met with RBS during his UK visit the bank is considering extending its financing to the American’s in order to provide Broughton with more time to secure a buyer for the club.

Bank sources have told Telegraph Sport that taking control at Anfield is their least-favoured option, and that they will consider extending the current financing arrangement if required.

Were Hicks to be successful in raising the money to buy out RBS, Broughton and his colleagues on the club board would have to decide whether to attempt to block the deal.

Broughton, managing director Christian Purslow and commercial director Ian Ayre blocked the American’s last attempt to refinance in June. They did so only having taken legal advice from Slaughter & May that they were able to do so.

Company law requires directors to act in the best interests of the shareholders - in this case Hicks and Gillett - but in some circumstances they can over-ride those concerns if it is deemed to be in the company’s interests.

If Hicks returns with a refinancing deal before Oct 6 they will face the same choice. Broughton is understood to have told Hicks on Wednesday that the board remain open-minded and will listen to any proposal he places before it.

Broughton, who was appointed in April as a condition of RBS extending the financing to the Americans for six months, has made it clear that he considers the sale of the club to an owner who removes the club’s debt and allows investment in a new stadium to be the best deal for Liverpool’s future.

The absence of any buyers willing to meet Hicks’ and Gillett’s valuation has placed RBS in a deeply uncomfortable position, and despite pressure from supporters there appears to be little appetite within the bank to force the American’s into default.

While RBS has moved the loans to its “bad bank”, the global restructuring group, Hicks has consistently maintained that Liverpool is a growing and increasingly profitable company rather than a distressed asset.

His pursuit of a potential refinancing deal indicates his determination to remain involved and recognise value from the club.

by **Ciggy** » Thu Sep 16, 2010 11:34 pm

Kukilon wrote:"Hello

My name is XXXX and I just want to voice my opinion about your company maybee helping Hicks and Gillett to refinance their loans. I'm a fan of LFC and I just want to warn you about these two. Most people that have done bussiness with these two have a very negative view about how they behave. They are liars which have been proved several times and you can just do a search for their names + lies on google to see what I mean. We have 42 million fans world wide and every one of us share the same opinion about them. We don't like to do stuff like this but we will fight to the bitter end to get these evil doers away from our beloved club. Your company will suffer a massive PR backlash if you support them in any way possible and we just want to let you know that in advance. 42 million consumers are ready to start boyocotting products that you are affilliated with if this goes through.

Best regards
XXX"

That was what I wrote.

Thanx mate well in.

by **Fauxy** » Fri Sep 17, 2010 12:17 am

Kukilon wrote:"Hello

My name is XXXX and I just want to voice my opinion about your company maybee helping Hicks and Gillett to refinance their loans. I'm a fan of LFC and I just want to warn you about these two. Most people that have done bussiness with these two have a very negative view about how they behave. They are liars which have been proved several times and you can just do a search for their names + lies on google to see what I mean. We have 42 million fans world wide and every one of us share the same opinion about them. We don't like to do stuff like this but we will fight to the bitter end to get these evil doers away from our beloved club. Your company will suffer a massive PR backlash if you support them in any way possible and we just want to let you know that in advance. 42 million consumers are ready to start boyocotting products that you are affilliated with if this goes through.

Best regards
XXX"

That was what I wrote.

Nice one mate, mind if I nick it and send the same one out some more?

Im awful at writing letters.

by **Igor Zidane** » Fri Sep 17, 2010 12:53 am

Done .

by **aCe'** » Fri Sep 17, 2010 1:07 am

mmm.. to the guy up there suggesting the template.. While the effort is appreciated it might be a better idea running it through a spell checker before sending it... Oh and we have over 120million supporters worldwide, 60million in China alone so might be worth fixing that too...

by **Greavesie** » Fri Sep 17, 2010 5:31 am

get out you pair of :censored:

snakes. just go and :censored:

off. is the word die too strong? :censored:

it, Im

. die,

by **TarnRed** » Fri Sep 17, 2010 7:31 am

Sent.

by **SouthCoastShankly** » Fri Sep 17, 2010 8:48 am

Kukilon wrote:"Hello

My name is XXXX and I just want to voice my opinion about your company maybee helping Hicks and Gillett to refinance their loans. I'm a fan of LFC and I just want to warn you about these two. Most people that have done bussiness with these two have a very negative view about how they behave. They are liars which have been proved several times and you can just do a search for their names + lies on google to see what I mean. We have 42 million fans world wide and every one of us share the same opinion about them. We don't like to do stuff like this but we will fight to the bitter end to get these evil doers away from our beloved club. Your company will suffer a massive PR backlash if you support them in any way possible and we just want to let you know that in advance. 42 million consumers are ready to start boyocotting products that you are affilliated with if this goes through.

Best regards
XXX"

That was what I wrote.

You can't use and send that, the spelling is awful not to mention it sounds like it has been written by a 10 year old.

I mean how many "consumers" do business with an investment bank?

If I had time I would produce a professionally worded document. Can anyone else help?

by **SouthCoastShankly** » Fri Sep 17, 2010 9:08 am

Something like -

To whom it may concern,

I am writing to you today to voice my concern regarding recent speculation that Tom Hicks, joint owner of Kop Holding's Limited, is intending to refinance a large loan attached to Liverpool F.c. with FBR Capital.

As you may be aware Liverpool F.c. supporters worldwide are campaigning for the sale of Liverpool football club in an effort to remove both Tom Hicks and George Gillett. These individuals bought the club on provision that leveraged debt would not used to facilitate the purchase. This was a lie and since then the club has been financially destitute.

This letter to you is a petition to refuse any business dealing that are associated with Tom Hick and George Gillett and the refinancing of loans associated to Liverpool Football Club.

We intend to petition any person, business or organisation that enables Gillett and Hick to remain at the club.

Yours Sincerly,

But feel free to improve/elaborate/personalise, etc.

Try and keep your responses civil and professional. Emotionally loaded responses will not get taken seriously.

by **Ciggy** » Fri Sep 17, 2010 9:59 am

Here is another template from TLW

Employees of FBR,

If your company loans Tom Hicks money, the only return you'll see is bad publicity.

As you are probably well aware, Hicks is trying to refinance his debt to the Royal Bank of Scotland before October 6th so that he can continue his disastrous ownership of Liverpool Football Club.

There's no point in me listing the countless and well-documented offenses of his grossly destructive reign. The media is full of articles about them. And that's the point. No longer do we rely on the occasional heroic journalist to expose corruption within institutions we hold dear. This is a new age, an era of organized resistance at the click of a mouse.

You are facing an energized, well-informed mass of Liverpool fans from around the world. We are tapped into a constant stream of information on the ownership situation. Every day, dozens of web forums buzz with the latest news. Protest marches, newspaper ads, boycotts and billboards are organized. Every move Hicks makes is scrutinized. And every associate of his is warned.

Refinancing is our nightmare scenario. Anybody who helps Tom Hicks refinance will become our primary target.

We know this won't be the deciding factor in your decision. But we will make certain that the world knows if FBR joins Tom Hicks in raping and pillaging Liverpool Football Club.

Respectfully,

by **lakes10** » Fri Sep 17, 2010 10:02 am

done.

by **Kukilon** » Fri Sep 17, 2010 8:40 pm

SouthCoastShankly wrote:
Kukilon wrote:"Hello

My name is XXXX and I just want to voice my opinion about your company maybee helping Hicks and Gillett to refinance their loans. I'm a fan of LFC and I just want to warn you about these two. Most people that have done bussiness with these two have a very negative view about how they behave. They are liars which have been proved several times and you can just do a search for their names + lies on google to see what I mean. We have 42 million fans world wide and every one of us share the same opinion about them. We don't like to do stuff like this but we will fight to the bitter end to get these evil doers away from our beloved club. Your company will suffer a massive PR backlash if you support them in any way possible and we just want to let you know that in advance. 42 million consumers are ready to start boyocotting products that you are affilliated with if this goes through.

Best regards
XXX"

That was what I wrote.

You can't use and send that, the spelling is awful not to mention it sounds like it has been written by a 10 year old.

I mean how many "consumers" do business with an investment bank?

If I had time I would produce a professionally worded document. Can anyone else help?

English is not my native language.

Consumers buy stuff from companies that are being financed by companies like this. If you stop buying their products it will make it so those companies doesn't want to use this bank.

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