Liverpool FC Forum

by **Toffeehater** » Thu Mar 13, 2008 2:48 pm

Gillett breaks his silence on Hicks and advises: Choose your partner wisely
Last updated at 13:19pm on 13th March 2008

The first public shots in the war between Liverpool co-owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks have been fired.

The Americans seem to be at loggerheads over selling the club to a Dubai consortium, with Hick last week blocking any deal with Dubai Interational Capital by invoking his power of veto - despite Gillett's apparent wish to sell.

He had been looking to offload his 50 per cent share in the Anfield giants but Hicks was only prepared to allow him to sell 98 per cent of that so he could hold sway over DIC.

The two have never argued about it openly but Gillett seems to have reached the end of his tether.

Speaking at the World Congress of Sports in California, Gillett said he once had heard good advice, which he said was: "Choose your partner wisely."

And he then mentioned Hicks by name, adding: "He is a great guy - but he has just got a different perspective on the media."

Gillett, also owns the NHL's Montreal Canadiens while Hicks in owner of baseball's Texas Rangers and the NHL's Dallas Stars.

The duo's relationship has broken down since they bought Liverpool for £250 million in March 2007, with Gillett's name absent on January statements announcing plans to build a new stadium and the refinancing of the loan used to buy the club last year.

DIC were reported to offered £400m for the club, which although through to the last eight of the Champions League, is out of the Premier League title race and Liverpool fans have held a series of matchday protests at the Americans' continued involvement.

by **Reg** » Thu Mar 13, 2008 3:25 pm

I´ve tried to put a positive spin on the G&H ownership over the last 12 months and I´m going to try again. I was intiially very pro their involvement then I swung the opposite way which is where I remain today and the sooner they´re out the better. I also see that changes have occured and will continue to occur that will benefit the club going forward due to G&H´s tenure.

12 months ago LFC was a poorly run, under developed and under performing league team and business. G&H recognised a remarkably strong client base (fans), a 40 year record of success and positive consumer goodwill and the basis of recovery - a reasonably strong squad and a first class manager. The 2005 CL victory demonstrated the club could be turned round.

Against that there was cronic underperfoming brand value fuelled by cronicly complacent mangement at all levels throughout the club, from the paternalistic owner to the lethargic commercial management to players who seemed couldnt be bothered to try at times. Everyone was snuggly curled up in their comfort zones and had been for years since Roy Evans lost control of his squad of Spice Boys and all discipline was lost.

Key expressions - comfort zones - complacency - paternalistic ownership - forgiving fans - underperfomance - massive resistence to change at all levels.

G&H came in and sent shivers down the spines of the club - Moores, Parry, manager, players and fans. The media are as stunned as everyone else. DIC have been given a rough time. Like him or not, we´ve got a guy in charge who´s got balls and even pi$$ed his partner off to the extent he wants out.

What I hope to come out of this is Parry goes (the sooner the better) and a more cut-throat CEO comes in and wields a scalpel internally and externally. I´d like to see the comfort-zone club staff who aren´t up for the new challenge moved on and replaced by a new generation commercially minded team to extract maximum value out of the brand which in turn will expand our bank lines and allow us to buy in the players we need. I´d like to see an empowered Rafa move on the journeymen who struggle to meet the grade and buy in class to create a league challenge.

I´d like the players to realise the comfort-zone days are over, we´re got tough-nut owner who expects commitment and a manager willing to move them on with the funds to replace them will better quality.

And I´d like to see the fans in the new Anfield, the best stadium in the country as Hicks called it, acknolwedging that if he does stay, that he turned the club from being a sleeping giant into hopefully a 20 year success story regardless of the fact he is a public relations disaster and a two faced yankee git.

If Hicks could just keep his freaking mouth shut, replace Parry with a man we can immediately respect, give Rafa the funds and turn our club into the awesome success story we know we can be and gain the respect of the fans and media through actions and not words - then in 10 years I´ll shake the tuuat´s hand.

Until then.............

by **redmikey** » Thu Mar 13, 2008 5:28 pm

i think in 10 months time if the fat pr!ck hasn't sold you will want to chop his hand off and shove it up his massive @rse

by **Koppite_Tom** » Thu Mar 13, 2008 5:46 pm

Why oh why doesn't the fat **** just leave, he knows everyone is against him so why stay. He's just a money grabber

by **maguskwt** » Thu Mar 13, 2008 5:59 pm

Reg wrote:I´ve tried to put a positive spin on the G&H ownership over the last 12 months and I´m going to try again. I was intiially very pro their involvement then I swung the opposite way which is where I remain today and the sooner they´re out the better. I also see that changes have occured and will continue to occur that will benefit the club going forward due to G&H´s tenure.

12 months ago LFC was a poorly run, under developed and under performing league team and business. G&H recognised a remarkably strong client base (fans), a 40 year record of success and positive consumer goodwill and the basis of recovery - a reasonably strong squad and a first class manager. The 2005 CL victory demonstrated the club could be turned round.

Against that there was cronic underperfoming brand value fuelled by cronicly complacent mangement at all levels throughout the club, from the paternalistic owner to the lethargic commercial management to players who seemed couldnt be bothered to try at times. Everyone was snuggly curled up in their comfort zones and had been for years since Roy Evans lost control of his squad of Spice Boys and all discipline was lost.

Key expressions - comfort zones - complacency - paternalistic ownership - forgiving fans - underperfomance - massive resistence to change at all levels.

G&H came in and sent shivers down the spines of the club - Moores, Parry, manager, players and fans. The media are as stunned as everyone else. DIC have been given a rough time. Like him or not, we´ve got a guy in charge who´s got balls and even pi$$ed his partner off to the extent he wants out.

What I hope to come out of this is Parry goes (the sooner the better) and a more cut-throat CEO comes in and wields a scalpel internally and externally. I´d like to see the comfort-zone club staff who aren´t up for the new challenge moved on and replaced by a new generation commercially minded team to extract maximum value out of the brand which in turn will expand our bank lines and allow us to buy in the players we need. I´d like to see an empowered Rafa move on the journeymen who struggle to meet the grade and buy in class to create a league challenge.

I´d like the players to realise the comfort-zone days are over, we´re got tough-nut owner who expects commitment and a manager willing to move them on with the funds to replace them will better quality.

And I´d like to see the fans in the new Anfield, the best stadium in the country as Hicks called it, acknolwedging that if he does stay, that he turned the club from being a sleeping giant into hopefully a 20 year success story regardless of the fact he is a public relations disaster and a two faced yankee git.

If Hicks could just keep his freaking mouth shut, replace Parry with a man we can immediately respect, give Rafa the funds and turn our club into the awesome success story we know we can be and gain the respect of the fans and media through actions and not words - then in 10 years I´ll shake the tuuat´s hand.

Until then.............

you think you're overestimating everyone's favourite tycoon Hicks when it comes to sports management... aren't the reports of the state of his american sports franchises enough?

by **JoeTerp** » Thu Mar 13, 2008 6:01 pm

but when you only look at the actions that the owners have done, getting rid of the bowl idea for the stadia, bringing in torres (most expensive signing by a country mile) as well as yossi babel and lucas and skrtel (most expensive defender) signing up mascherano on a permanent long term deal, buying out all of .tv from itv, not sure how much they had to do with it but setting up the LFCTV setanta channel is nice.

I know people are going to bring up the debt on the club issue, but I am not as worried. It is more important to get teh financing anyway possible to start building and getting the stadium completed so we can start making more money every season and that will take of pressure off of making the CL every year or going deep in it. But I would like to think with the extra money we would be buying better players and competting for the league year in and year out.

by **maguskwt** » Thu Mar 13, 2008 6:19 pm

JoeTerp wrote:but when you only look at the actions that the owners have done, getting rid of the bowl idea for the stadia, bringing in torres (most expensive signing by a country mile) as well as yossi babel and lucas and skrtel (most expensive defender) signing up mascherano on a permanent long term deal, buying out all of .tv from itv, not sure how much they had to do with it but setting up the LFCTV setanta channel is nice.

But that was done when both Gillett and Hicks were in charge. Who is the one with the good will? we don't really know. If Hicks manages to own LFC 100% I fear for the future... he has already shown what a selfish :censored:

he is... now he will have the opportunity to become a full-blown tyrant and I won't be surprised if his priority is to gain as much money from his investment short term rather than spending money from his own pockets to ensure LFC's success...

btw what's so special about getting rid of the bowl idea of the stadium...

by **Phil (moaning twat)** » Thu Mar 13, 2008 6:22 pm

That fat pr.ick is going to destroy this club, arghh i cant stand the b.astard

Sell up now you bellwhiff

by **Igor Zidane** » Thu Mar 13, 2008 6:29 pm

JoeTerp wrote:but when you only look at the actions that the owners have done, getting rid of the bowl idea for the stadia, bringing in torres (most expensive signing by a country mile) as well as yossi babel and lucas and skrtel (most expensive defender) signing up mascherano on a permanent long term deal, buying out all of .tv from itv, not sure how much they had to do with it but setting up the LFCTV setanta channel is nice.

I know people are going to bring up the debt on the club issue, but I am not as worried. It is more important to get teh financing anyway possible to start building and getting the stadium completed so we can start making more money every season and that will take of pressure off of making the CL every year or going deep in it. But I would like to think with the extra money we would be buying better players and competting for the league year in and year out.

They didn't bring those players in joe , RBS did , ffs David moores could have got all kinds of loans to sign big players and put the debt on the club . They have constantly lied and dragged the club through the sh!te with all the worlds press looking on . Joe it would only take one bad season mate and we would be deep in sh1t ,we can't let them take that chance on our behalf.

by **Reg** » Thu Mar 13, 2008 6:32 pm

Thanks for the moan Phil.

The point I tried to make is the commerical operation of the club has to improve and thats where I think Hicks can contribute - wipe away those cobwebs and create a focused, professional commercial structure. From that solid base, the team on the field will reap the rewards, otherwise we continue to be a house of cards, dreamers and false starts. Face it - it needs to be done!

For sure he comes over as an anally retarded P.R. disaster however if he turns the club round financially then that will be an achievement.

by **NANNY RED** » Thu Mar 13, 2008 7:38 pm

Have they shot each other yet :laugh:

gone a bit quiet at the Alimo at the mo

by **Igor Zidane** » Thu Mar 13, 2008 11:18 pm

I thought i would put this in here, just incase anyone thought that the mancs were managing there debt . If you read the post it shows just how much sh!t there in with regards the debt on there club.

£650 million and rising

How the Glazers' debt threatens our club

The Glazer Family paid a total of £921 million to buy United.

They borrowed at least £650 million* of that sum, some at 20% compound interest.

The terms of the debt, which has now been shifted onto the club, means that if it is not paid off it increases to £938 million within 5 years. That means the debt is growing at more than £300,000 per day.* No. We're not kidding.

This isn't our spin on the situation either, for these figures aren't open to interpretation. The numbers above are the facts as spelled out in the Offer Documents posted by the Glazers at Allen & Overy during the bid period. There is ample evidence to indicate that the debt is not only real, it's likely to be crushing.

The debt clock in the sidebar (over there on the right side of the page) gives an approximate debt calculation -- and we've even given the Glazers the benefit of the doubt that the clock didn't start ticking until the end of June 2005

http://www.joinmust.org/thefacts/theirdebt.php

Now think of what a money making machine utd is and how they wont be able to cope with the debt. That's our future under G+H and no signs of a new stadium.

by **NANNY RED** » Thu Mar 13, 2008 11:26 pm

Hell whats left to say :angry:

by **god_bless_john_houlding** » Thu Mar 13, 2008 11:32 pm

Hicks is here for as long as he wants, not as long as we want. So there's not a lot we can do, we can boycott this that and the other, but if the :censored:

doesn't wish to leave then he won't. We've just got to get behind the lads and wish success on Liverpool Football Club rather than failure on Tom Hicks.

by **Reg** » Thu Mar 13, 2008 11:42 pm

Hicks wants to spend cash with fear of interest charges to increase the assets of the club then float us on the stock exchange in 5 years recovering his money and making a handsome profit.

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