Liverpool FC Forum

by **JBG** » Wed Oct 20, 2010 9:02 pm

Now that all the hysteria and jubilation of last week's victory over H&G I'm starting to get a little nervous about NESV.

Who are they really and will they deliver on their promises? Sure, their record with the Red Sox seems impressive on the face of it but is it really as straightforward as that? I've heard almost nothing but good things about them on Liverpool forums but reading some other forums it appears that they havent been an unqualified success at Boston.

Where has the 300million acquisition fee come from? They claim that it will not be leveraged against the club but then so did H&G. 300million cant have come from nowhere: it was either raised across the NESV group where all its members agreed to cough up a certain amount of their own personal wealth or it was borrowed, or a combination of both. I suspect that there has to be some sort of borrowing somewhere down the line. If there is, how is this to be serviced?

They claim that none of Liverpool's income will go towards paying acquisition debt but can we really believe them when they say this?

How do they propose to make money out of Liverpool? Do they propose to take money each year by way of dividend or will they reinvest all profits back into Liverpool to grow the club and then try to make a big profit in the future by selling the club on when the stadium is built?

How much are they prepared to invest - from their own funds - to grow the club in the short term? Are they going to invest anything at all and load the transfer spending of the next couple of transfer windows onto the club as debt?

I presume that the new stadium/rebuilding will be paid for by loans. I have no problem with this. However, I fear a 'superloan' situation where other debts are rolled into the stadium loan: so what exactly are NESV's plans with the stadium and how are they going to pay for it?

NESV are making all the right noises about being sensible and not making any big promises but again H&G made the right noises too when they come in.

I'll give them the benefit of the doubt for the time being but I'll wince if I start hearing any of those "Our Yanks are better than your Yanks" songs.

by **metalhead** » Wed Oct 20, 2010 11:04 pm

JBG wrote:I presume that the new stadium/rebuilding will be paid for by loans. I have no problem with this. However, I fear a 'superloan' situation where other debts are rolled into the stadium loan: so what exactly are NESV's plans with the stadium and how are they going to pay for it?

NESV are making all the right noises about being sensible and not making any big promises but again H&G made the right noises too when they come in.

I'll give them the benefit of the doubt for the time being but I'll wince if I start hearing any of those "Our Yanks are better than your Yanks" songs.

First, its an interesting question, but I do read somewhere that they will follow the arsenal model if they want to build a new stadium.

Now Hicks and Gillete made the right noise by promising alot of stuff, in which NESV's case they didn't. They said not to expect too much, which is totally different on what H+G promised.

by **Reg** » Wed Oct 20, 2010 11:07 pm

metalhead wrote:
JBG wrote:I presume that the new stadium/rebuilding will be paid for by loans. I have no problem with this. However, I fear a 'superloan' situation where other debts are rolled into the stadium loan: so what exactly are NESV's plans with the stadium and how are they going to pay for it?

NESV are making all the right noises about being sensible and not making any big promises but again H&G made the right noises too when they come in.

I'll give them the benefit of the doubt for the time being but I'll wince if I start hearing any of those "Our Yanks are better than your Yanks" songs.

First, its an interesting question, but I do read somewhere that they will follow the arsenal model if they want to build a new stadium.

Now Hicks and Gillete made the right noise by promising alot of stuff, in which NESV's case they didn't. They said not to expect too much, which is totally different on what H+G promised.

Arsenal sold the naming rights for 100 million to Emirates which paid for a mighty slug of the costs.

Redeveloping parts of the exisiting ground would easily be covered by a similar deal surely?

by **JBG** » Wed Oct 20, 2010 11:34 pm

metalhead wrote:
JBG wrote:I presume that the new stadium/rebuilding will be paid for by loans. I have no problem with this. However, I fear a 'superloan' situation where other debts are rolled into the stadium loan: so what exactly are NESV's plans with the stadium and how are they going to pay for it?

NESV are making all the right noises about being sensible and not making any big promises but again H&G made the right noises too when they come in.

I'll give them the benefit of the doubt for the time being but I'll wince if I start hearing any of those "Our Yanks are better than your Yanks" songs.

First, its an interesting question, but I do read somewhere that they will follow the arsenal model if they want to build a new stadium.

Now Hicks and Gillete made the right noise by promising alot of stuff, in which NESV's case they didn't. They said not to expect too much, which is totally different on what H+G promised.

Its true that NESV havent made the same blustering promises as H&G, but what they have said so far is certainly targeted at the fans, such as there being no acquisition debts, how they are committed to not using income for debt repayment and wanting to go toe to toe with UTD.

I'm nervous of how they actually plan to do this, and now that the euphoria of H&G leaving has died down, I'm increasingly nervous about what will happen. We really cant afford another couple of years of broken promises and inertia.

by **LFC2007** » Thu Oct 21, 2010 12:21 am

Where the £300m comes from doesn't concern me so long as it isn't debt secured against the club. Freeing up our revenues to re-invest is critical to making us competitive and the owners realising a worthwhile return on their investment, so I think it's unlikely that they would renege on that promise. I don't doubt their abilities to increase renenues, however, in the short-term I would hope that they would supplement our player spending to get us competitive for the top four again -which must surely be essential to the commercial/stadium side of things. The squad won't be sufficiently addressed - in the short-term at least - by "an intelligent look at the youth system", and of course there is no "college draft system". Producing talented youngsters capable of making the grade is a long-term ambition, and would only ever likely be supplementary to our core transfer business. To ensure we can challenge for the top four places, the current squad needs strengthened with a few players of the top calibre, and very seldom do you get one, let alone a few, for say £5m a piece. But, they needn't all cost £25m, either; the middle area is where we need to start being more intelligent when it comes to signing players. We've missed out on several players who cost similar amounts to the likes of Babel, Keane, Dossena and Aquilani - and I'm thinking the likes of Arshavin, Sneijder, Van der Vaart, Bale and Bent - and the difference in quality between the two groups is truly monumental. How do we become more intelligent? I'm a firm believer in the "manager has the final say" principle, however, I'm also completely for the club demanding better justifications from the manager for his picks. Posing the right questions can lead to wiser decisions, and needn't be seen as a questioning of the manager's authority - you're just keeping him in check. You're not overruling him when you ask "is spending £17m on a fullback making the most of your transfer budget, if so, why?....", "why Aquilani, why not Sneijder?..." etc.. The manager needs to be willing to be challenged, and the chief exec (or whoever) needs to know the kinds of questions to ask; and for that the exec needs to have a reasonable understanding of the game. When NESV say they want to grow the club organically and get as much bang for their buck, that's where I think they should start.

by **metalhead** » Thu Oct 21, 2010 12:36 am

JBG wrote:
metalhead wrote:
JBG wrote:I presume that the new stadium/rebuilding will be paid for by loans. I have no problem with this. However, I fear a 'superloan' situation where other debts are rolled into the stadium loan: so what exactly are NESV's plans with the stadium and how are they going to pay for it?

NESV are making all the right noises about being sensible and not making any big promises but again H&G made the right noises too when they come in.

I'll give them the benefit of the doubt for the time being but I'll wince if I start hearing any of those "Our Yanks are better than your Yanks" songs.

First, its an interesting question, but I do read somewhere that they will follow the arsenal model if they want to build a new stadium.

Now Hicks and Gillete made the right noise by promising alot of stuff, in which NESV's case they didn't. They said not to expect too much, which is totally different on what H+G promised.

Its true that NESV havent made the same blustering promises as H&G, but what they have said so far is certainly targeted at the fans, such as there being no acquisition debts, how they are committed to not using income for debt repayment and wanting to go toe to toe with UTD.

I'm nervous of how they actually plan to do this, and now that the euphoria of H&G leaving has died down, I'm increasingly nervous about what will happen. We really cant afford another couple of years of broken promises and inertia.

Well its a good step that they will listen before they will act. Like Mr. Henry said, actions speak louder than words, and right now they are in listening mode. The couple of meetings with SOS and other Liverpool supporters, they have shown they are taking things seriously, and hopefully with the discussions, they would build up on it and plan more further discussions with these supporters group. Let Reg in there and tell them to install Kenny Dalglish as director of football, which is a brilliant idea.. come on reg mate

. I think I see them taking one step at a time, it will take a while for them to adjust and the rebuilding process will take time. I don't expect them to be miracle workers and turn us into a winning team over night. The process takes years, maybe when we they do start planning to renovate or build a new stadium, we would actually see more revenues and more investment going into the club. In addition, I have a bit of faith on their sporting background, sure its baseball, but they did put in the right people, and hopefully they will do the same thing with us.

Its normal to feel the sense of nervousness, because you really don't know how NESV will plan in the short term and in the long term. Maybe we have to be patient a bit, they might, in 2 weeks time, come up with a plan, show it to us and then give us ideas on how they will achieve the goal. I also agree, we cannot have another crisis, we cannot have a ''from the frying pan into the fire'' kind of sentiment. However, for us fans, we have been there, and we will be watching them with eyes wide open

Finally, I do believe that they did secure the debts and they have not borrowed money to buy the club.

@ Reg, Its true, but I think they will borrow money on the stadium

by **metalhead** » Thu Oct 21, 2010 12:38 am

LFC2007 wrote:Where the £300m comes from doesn't concern me so long as it isn't debt secured against the club. Freeing up our revenues to re-invest is critical to making us competitive and the owners realising a worthwhile return on their investment, so I think it's unlikely that they would renege on that promise. I don't doubt their abilities to increase renenues, however, in the short-term I would hope that they would supplement our player spending to get us competitive for the top four again -which must surely be essential to the commercial/stadium side of things. The squad won't be sufficiently addressed - in the short-term at least - by "an intelligent look at the youth system", and of course there is no "college draft system". Producing talented youngsters capable of making the grade is a long-term ambition, and would only ever likely be supplementary to our core transfer business. To ensure we can challenge for the top four places, the current squad needs strengthened with a few players of the top calibre, and very seldom do you get one, let alone a few, for say £5m a piece. But, they needn't all cost £25m, either; the middle area is where we need to start being more intelligent when it comes to signing players. We've missed out on several players who cost similar amounts to the likes of Babel, Keane, Dossena and Aquilani - and I'm thinking the likes of Arshavin, Sneijder, Van der Vaart, Bale and Bent - and the difference in quality between the two groups is truly monumental. How do we become more intelligent? I'm a firm believer in the "manager has the final say" principle, however, I'm also completely for the club demanding better justifications from the manager for his picks. Posing the right questions can lead to wiser decisions, and needn't be seen as a questioning of the manager's authority - you're just keeping him in check. You're not overruling him when you ask "is spending £17m on a fullback making the most of your transfer budget, if so, why?....", "why Aquilani, why not Sneijder?..." etc.. The manager needs to be willing to be challenged, and the chief exec (or whoever) needs to know the kinds of questions to ask; and for that the exec needs to have a reasonable understanding of the game. When NESV say they want to grow the club organically and get as much bang for their buck, that's where I think they should start.

Good post mate, especially how the CEO have to be involved. I don't think many will like it, but its the good idea, it keeps the CEO in check and knows whats going on about first team affairs.

by **redsoxfan** » Thu Oct 21, 2010 3:15 am

mgabby wrote:I have a question. Will Ellsbury be back in shape next year for a full season? Do you think V-tek should be the backup catcher? Does big papi worth the money, or do we look for a new DH? Can injured Youk move to 3rd, and make room for Adrian Gonzales on 1st? Will Dice-K ever win 18 again? and do you think the Marlins will take back Backett and Lowel for HenRam?

Thanks.

Ellsbury: yes
Varitek: no, they will groom a young catcher
Ortiz: they will sign his option for 2011
Youkilis: I don't know - will they sign Beltre?
Matsuzaka: yes (but it will be torture watching him do it)
Beckett & Lowell for Ramirez part 2: that would be a heck of deal now that Lowell is retired! :;):

by **SouthCoastShankly** » Thu Oct 21, 2010 9:42 am

JBG wrote:Now that all the hysteria and jubilation of last week's victory over H&G I'm starting to get a little nervous about NESV.

Who are they really and will they deliver on their promises? Sure, their record with the Red Sox seems impressive on the face of it but is it really as straightforward as that? I've heard almost nothing but good things about them on Liverpool forums but reading some other forums it appears that they havent been an unqualified success at Boston.

Where has the 300million acquisition fee come from? They claim that it will not be leveraged against the club but then so did H&G. 300million cant have come from nowhere: it was either raised across the NESV group where all its members agreed to cough up a certain amount of their own personal wealth or it was borrowed, or a combination of both. I suspect that there has to be some sort of borrowing somewhere down the line. If there is, how is this to be serviced?

They claim that none of Liverpool's income will go towards paying acquisition debt but can we really believe them when they say this?

How do they propose to make money out of Liverpool? Do they propose to take money each year by way of dividend or will they reinvest all profits back into Liverpool to grow the club and then try to make a big profit in the future by selling the club on when the stadium is built?

How much are they prepared to invest - from their own funds - to grow the club in the short term? Are they going to invest anything at all and load the transfer spending of the next couple of transfer windows onto the club as debt?

I presume that the new stadium/rebuilding will be paid for by loans. I have no problem with this. However, I fear a 'superloan' situation where other debts are rolled into the stadium loan: so what exactly are NESV's plans with the stadium and how are they going to pay for it?

NESV are making all the right noises about being sensible and not making any big promises but again H&G made the right noises too when they come in.

I'll give them the benefit of the doubt for the time being but I'll wince if I start hearing any of those "Our Yanks are better than your Yanks" songs.

Wherever the money has come from it isn't a loan. Our debt servicing charges (interest) have been reduced from circa £50m per annum to circa £3m per annum.

As long as the club isn't responsible for servicing debt, who cares.

by **redsoxfan** » Thu Oct 21, 2010 1:10 pm

An interesting read - a reporter followed Henry around on the day of the sale:

The Boston Globe
Tough way to get your kicks
Henry’s purchase of Liverpool FC was fraught with legal complications before the goal was finally reached
By Stan Grossfeld
Globe Staff / October 21, 2010

LONDON — The silent darkness of John W. Henry’s suite at the Intercontinental Hotel is pierced by the ping of an Apple laptop booting up. It’s 6:32 a.m. last Friday, and as the soft light from his computer glows, the angst on the Red Sox principal owner’s face becomes clearer.

“I couldn’t sleep last night,’’ says the barefoot Henry, sipping a bottle of water. “There have just been too many twists and turns.’’
http://www.boston.com/sports....?page=1

Photos: http://www.boston.com/sports....verpool

by **7_Kewell** » Thu Oct 21, 2010 1:51 pm

the new owners have been making all the right noises, but (as many have said) actions will speak louder than words. On paper, they look good...but like many i'm not taking anything for granted.

First thing first, Roy needs a wad of cash to spend in Jan. our squad isn't good enough and they need to back the manager.

by **Reg** » Thu Oct 21, 2010 2:01 pm

SouthCoastShankly wrote:Wherever the money has come from it isn't a loan. Our debt servicing charges (interest) have been reduced from circa £50m per annum to circa £3m per annum.

As long as the club isn't responsible for servicing debt, who cares.

There's no such thing as 'free money'.

The NESV syndicate of 15 investors 'could' have stumped up 20million quid each as a cost of 'buy in' or opportunity cost to buy LFC cheap, restructure, turn it round and resell (hello Hicksy...) however past that buy-in, investment is going to have to be commercially structured.

I would expect the stadium to be funded from a loan, name rights and long term outside events income (concerts, world cup/internationals, rugby world cup etc..), if not we are living in Man City cuckoo land.

I dont mind paying interest. I dont mind borrowing top dollar to build a value-for-money stadium against a business plan that shows the strategy will work.

I dont mind any of this, when the business is being well run by honest men where profits stay in the club and aren't being syphoned off by untrustworthy, shyster owners.

Show us the business plan and numbers TJ, the surest way to gain the trust of the fans.

by **Reg** » Thu Oct 21, 2010 2:02 pm

7_Kewell wrote:the new owners have been making all the right noises, but (as many have said) actions will speak louder than words. On paper, they look good...but like many i'm not taking anything for granted.

First thing first, Roy needs a wad of cash to spend in Jan. our squad isn't good enough and they need to back the manager.

The only wad I'd give Woy is to dry his eyes on the way out.

a) He's wasted what he's been given so far,
b) Obviously far more sensible to give it to his long term successor.

Apart from that agree with you!

by **7_Kewell** » Thu Oct 21, 2010 5:02 pm

Reg wrote:
7_Kewell wrote:the new owners have been making all the right noises, but (as many have said) actions will speak louder than words. On paper, they look good...but like many i'm not taking anything for granted.

First thing first, Roy needs a wad of cash to spend in Jan. our squad isn't good enough and they need to back the manager.

The only wad I'd give Woy is to dry his eyes on the way out.

a) He's wasted what he's been given so far,
b) Obviously far more sensible to give it to his long term successor.

Apart from that agree with you!

i wouldn't say he's wasted what he's been given. Ok, the jury is out on Poulson, but Meirles is a very good footballer.

by **zarababe** » Thu Oct 21, 2010 11:47 pm

J Henry tours Anfield

http://www.boston.com/video....0532001

good read ...

" LONDON — The silent darkness of John W. Henry’s suite at the Intercontinental Hotel is pierced by the ping of an Apple laptop booting up. It’s 6:32 a.m. last Friday, and as the soft light from his computer glows, the angst on the Red Sox principal owner’s face becomes clearer.

“I couldn’t sleep last night,’’ says the barefoot Henry, sipping a bottle of water. “There have just been too many twists and turns.’’

Shadowing Henry on the day that New England Sports Ventures will acquire the Liverpool Football Club is a stomach-churning roller coaster ride.

The $476 million deal for the legendary team, which is in the throes of its worst season in 57 years, has been “a long and winding road,’’ to quote a Liverpool band.

Henry has been living, breathing, and eating soccer (which the Britons call football) “every waking hour’’ for a solid two months. He has been watching games in person and on television, studying players and reading everything he can download into his Kindle. Red Sox chairman Tom Werner, currently en route from Los Angeles, has also made several trips to England.

“It’s been such a surreal sale process,’’ Henry would reflect the next day, standing on the pitch at Anfield, the Fenway Park of England. There have been times when Henry thought he had a done deal, only to be temporarily thwarted by a restraining order issued some 4,700 miles away, in Dallas. There have been lawsuits filed, lawsuits dropped. He has been outbid but not outmaneuvered.

“We were comparing it to the ninth inning of Game 4 of the 2004 ALCS against the Yankees,’’ says Henry. “Once again we came from behind in the bottom of the ninth.’’

This saga began with a message from Red Sox senior vice president Joe Januszewski, an Army brat who fell in love with the Liverpool team back in the mid-1970s, when his father was stationed in Germany.

He remembers his mother weeping when 96 Liverpool fans were crushed to death at a soccer stadium in April 1989. Januszewski’s office at Fenway Park is half Red Sox/half Liverpool memorabilia. In August, when bankruptcy loomed for Liverpool, the team was put up for sale by controversial American owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett. Januszewski texted Larry Lucchino and Henry and begged them to “save my team.’’

“Learn all you can about them,’’ was the reply from Henry.

Armed with the appropriate information, the energetic but soft-spoken Henry went to work. And on Oct. 8, New England Sports Ventures negotiated a binding agreement to purchase the debt-ridden team. Henry returned to Boston a happy man.

All was well until he was ambushed by British media. While fleeing, he was blinded by a photographer’s camera flash and smacked into a pole, injuring a shoulder. That was just the beginning. A British newspaper reporter left a note in his ex-wife’s mailbox in Florida, seeking dirt.

This wasn’t going to be easy. The next day, lawyers for Hicks and Gillett, citing two higher bids, tried to block NESV’s takeover in court, calling it an “epic swindle.’’

Henry flew back to London in his private jet and made a surprise visit to the Liverpool Football Club’s law offices of Slaughter and May to ensure that the deal went through. But at 8:25 p.m. — five minutes before the meeting to complete the sale was to begin — a Dallas judge issued a temporary restraining order against three Liverpool board members, the Royal Bank of Scotland, and NESV. Hicks also filed a $1.6 billion lawsuit for damages, but later dropped it.

“This is ludicrous,’’ says Henry. “We have a binding purchase-and-sale agreement.’’

By 9 a.m. Thursday, rumors were rampant that Mill Financial — with the backing of Hicks and Gillett — was scrambling to buy the debt, fire the board members, appoint new ones, and capture the company.

With a Friday evening deadline looming for the debt to be paid to the Royal Bank of Scotland, the Dallas court agreed to address the issue at 7 a.m. Dallas time. The timing was crucial because if the transaction was not completed by Friday evening, the club would be placed in bankruptcy. That would force Henry to withdraw his bid.

The High Court in Britain met again and ordered Hicks and Gillett to withdraw their claim or be held in contempt of court.

As Henry sits bleary-eyed at his computer at the Intercontinental, he types out a tweet about Hicks, Gillett, and Mill Industries.

“We have a binding contract. Will Fight Mill Hicks Gillett attempt to keep club today. Their last desperate attempt to entrench their regime.’’

In the past year, thousands of Liverpool fans have taken to the streets in protest of the team’s owners. Hicks’s son, Tom Jr., a Liverpool board director, had to resign after sending a fan an obscene e-mail in January.

It has been just five minutes since his tweet was sent, but it’s already scrolling on the TV.

“Tempers are running high,’’ says the Sky TV announcer.

History a selling point -
Henry says there were many times when it looked as if getting the 18-time Premier League champion team was impossible. The Liverpool board initially didn’t want more American owners.

“There were other higher dollar figures,’’ says Henry. “But part of the decision was they felt we were the best buyer because of our track record and the articulation of our plans that we have to strengthen LFC going forward. We want to win championships.

“We’ve gone toe-to-toe with the New York Yankees, and that’s very analogous to going toe-to-toe with Manchester United here

Though the team plays in a small stadium in a small city, revenue can be raised by targeting the Liverpool brand in Asia. LFC-TV is currently seen in 100 million homes, Henry says. And there is room for growth.

“We see this as a global property,’’ he contends.

Henry says the similarities between the Liverpool acquisition and his group’s purchase of the Red Sox in 2002 are “almost eerie, in a positive way . . . there is the stadium issue.’’

A new stadium to replace the 1894 bandbox called Anfield has been put on hold because of a lack of funds.

“It’s a good question whether we build a new one or try to renovate Anfield,’’ says Henry. “But it’s too early to decide.’’

Henry calls room service and orders a double cappuccino espresso and a half-dozen egg whites and toast. Ten minutes later, he has checked out of the hotel and is heading for the law offices of Shearman & Sterling, where his team of lawyers has been laboring for days. On the street, a man approaches Henry.

“You are our savior,’’ he says, bowing slightly. Henry smiles and shakes his hand.

In a chauffeured van, he passes Big Ben but keeps his eyes on his BlackBerry.

Meeting with his lawyers, he never sits, preferring to pace like a cat in a cage. Time is running out to get the judge to lift the restraining order so they can transfer the funds and complete the sale.

“I’m still worried, maybe a little neurotic,’’ he says.

At 9:07 a.m., news comes that the restraining order had been dropped by Hicks at 1:46 a.m., Dallas time.

“Oh, man, let it be true,’’ Henry says.

He gets back in the van with two lawyers and heads to Slaughter and May’s law offices. He is now cautiously optimistic that NESV is the proud owner of a football team.

Closing the deal -
On arrival, news photographers pounce on Henry as if he’s the fifth Beatle. But Ed Weiss, the general counsel for the Red Sox and NESV, sets a block, and Henry slips quickly into the building. But there is more aggravation. Henry learns that one of the banks is demanding $10 million more to cover costs.

One lawyer suggests simply paying the money. Henry is furious but never raises his voice.

“I can’t believe this thing could blow up,’’ he says. “This is crazy. I’m not going to give them another dime.’’

Worse, the bank representative, rumored to be arriving “shortly,’’ is nowhere to be found an hour later.

“Shortly isn’t soon enough,’’ says Henry, clearly antsy.

He declares he needs some fresh air and wants to go for a walk.

Liverpool’s anthem is “You’ll Never Walk Alone,’’ the Rodgers and Hammerstein standard made famous by Liverpool’s own Gerry and the Pacemakers.

Right now, that couldn’t be more true. There are more than 100 media members camped outside the front door. But Henry finds an unattended door in an alley. Like the Beatles in “A Hard Day’s Night,’’ he hustles into the afternoon chill. When he sees a TV cameraman and a photographer walking toward him, he quickly takes off his glasses and ducks his head. The trick works, but later an elderly man is not fooled. He, too, wants his picture taken with Henry.

You are the messiah,’’ he says. Henry looks at the ground, uncomfortable with the attention.

It’s cold and damp, and he’s running on empty. In fact, he’s feeling a little dizzy.

“I miss my wife, my daughter, and the baby,’’ he says. “I love the way the baby smells. I am a little homesick, to tell you the truth.’’

He stops dead in his tracks. It’s time to call his driver to the rescue. He looks for the nearest street sign to tell him where to go. The sign reads “Fortune Street.’’

But the sleep-deprived Henry misdials the number from his speed dial list. After a few seconds he realizes it’s not his driver on the phone; it’s one of the bankers who owns the vast majority of the debt.

Henry tells the banker the game is over.

“I’m going to the airport,’’ he says firmly. “Maybe to Boston.’’

There’s silence on Fortune Street as Henry listens. And then a big smile crosses his face for the first time all day. He hangs up and calls his partners.

“Congratulations, we own a football team,’’ he says. “I can’t believe we went through all that stress for nothing today.’’

Five minutes later, he is sipping French champagne.

At the press conference one of the journalists asks, “How are you going to pay for this?’’

Henry answers right away. “With pounds,’’ he says, drawing laughs all around.

Meet the team -

Henry leaves immediately and boards his private jet, wiping his feet before stepping on the Red Sox logo on the carpet. Thirty-three minutes later, he’s in Liverpool. He lands at John Lennon Airport, and is treated like a working-class hero everywhere he goes.

In the morning, he makes an unscheduled trip to Anfield, surprising a security guard who scurries for keys. Henry walks the famous pitch and calls it “magical,’’ adding, “It has tremendous charm.’’

He shakes every hand, from groundskeeper to chef. He poses with fans and even meets with a group that has boycotted the team. The loudspeakers play a tape of 45,362 fans singing “You’ll Never Walk Alone’’ and his eyes get just a tad misty.

With Werner and Januszewski alongside, he addresses the players at Melwood Training Ground. The team hasn’t won a title in 20 years and is in 19th place, which puts it in jeopardy of being sent to a minor league next season.

“We are going to do everything we can to support you to help you win in the pitch,’’ Henry says to the assembled troops. “To create an atmosphere of winning.’’

But the following day, a lackluster Liverpool team gets beaten, 2-0, by Everton, whose Goodison Park is within sight of Anfield Stadium.

It’s a British version of a Subway Series. As Henry and Werner make their way through the enemy stands, some pitbull fans in the cheaper seats shout words ironically painful to the new owners.

“Bleepin’ Yanks!’’

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