Liverpool chairmen Tom Hicks and George Gillett have been given the ideal opportunity. The opportunity to walk away, to do the right thing. They wanted a profit; they’ve been offered a profit. They can say ‘Yes’ for their own benefit and for our benefit.
But will they?
Al-Ansari talks about Tom Hicks’ valuation of the club being ‘in dreamland’; Mr Hicks is further in dreamland if he thinks he will ever be accepted at LFC. He’s a rich man, a business man, but surely, being as rich as he is, he wants to be able to enjoy his investments. If he tries to grin and bear it then it emphasises what we already know – he’s only in it for one reason: the money and the money alone.
George Gillett’s silence speaks volumes. He’s no longer interested or charming us. He wants to get out with the maximum possible profit. Well it’s time to either get out of hiding or get out of our club, Mr Gillett.
Will they do the right thing, and leave? They aren’t wanted, they surely know that. To stay – and turn down an offer for the club that can hopefully take us out of this sorry mess we find ourselves in – is what we all want. Cash is what they want and they have been offered millions for wasting a year of our time.
If they say ‘No’ it goes against the wishes of virtually every supporter. So they wouldn’t be listening to fans. This would be their clearest indication that they don’t care about the fans. They want to cash in on us, they want to sell the “Kop” brand but when it comes right down to it, the much acclaimed 12th Man has his opinions tossed aside so they can greedily wring every last penny out of the club.
Regardless you’ve been, we’ve all been, given an opportunity – if they reject the offer, take the opportunity at the West Ham game to make it known we will not take this lying down.
If they say nothing take the opportunity to hammer home your wishes as Liverpool supporters. They’ve given us the chance to make our point, DIC have given them the chance to leave with a modicum of grace and a hefty profit.
Take the chance – let the world know what you want.
Please sell!!!!!
You clearly have only a financial interest in this club(“BRAND”), otherwise you wouldn’t have even sat down to “discuss” this proposal!!
G&H OUT!!!!!!!
Personally I can see a huge backlash, and agreeing with one, I suggest a kids day as a means of showing what this club means. I mean who can afford it these days, (I got two) – and once the Americans take hold of the new stadium it’s only going to make it unaffordable and unatainable for us Scousers. OUR KIDS.
Let’s organise youth leaders and caring supporters. One to five or so (will have to look into the legality) who can take care of our kids, or leave them with an empty ground. As much I wouldnt want to do it to the team, it’s my club.
If Hicks is trying to buy out Gillett he will no doubt be trying to raise funds to do so. Making a clear statement before or after the game plus plenty of unambiguous banners just might be enough to put his potential investors off.
Worth a go?
At last a statement from SOS that doesn’t sound as if it was drawn up by the Militant Tendency! A brilliant synopsis of the case against Hicks and Gillette and all fans should subscribe to it and join in at the game tonight. It might even move the centenary stand to get involved.
With so much spin and counter spin its hard to tell who has the upper hand, Hicks or DIC. I just hope the message gets across to Hicks and he/his franchise realises his position currently as joint owner and potentially as outright owner is and will become untenable. Its going to be a while before a deal is agreed one way or another and its a frustrating wait to see if the club will be pulled out of this mess.
In just hope that if DIC do get hold of the club there intentions are honorable. There is no certainty that they’ll be any different.
Hop, it’s definitely worth a go. In fact it’s crucial that tonight we are vociferous in our protest (after the game etc) and that we are clear with our banners. You are spot on that we must make any potential Hicks backers think twice about funding him and also remind him that we will not let him drag our club down. The media will be guaging the atmosphere tonight so let’s make our message clear.
DIC want AMANDA STAVELEY to run the club! Prince Andrew’s ex-girlfriend!
DIC are our saviours…
They will be much different as they will just put lots of money into the club, millions and millions, but they will expect no return. That’s perfect.
They print their own money so there’s no worry about investment requirements…Why on earth did the Americans not just do the same…..?? going to the bank??? to loan money??? against their personal assets?? how stupid are they….just print you own like DIC and give it away willy nilly.
And I suppose our record signings (defender, midfielder, striker) would have been bought anyway as we were soooo wealthy before the takeover.
Oh and I believe that targeting the game that we MUST win to keep our momentum going is a masterstroke. What better way to motivate our players and coaching staff, and all assocaited with the club.
Spot on.
Keep Marching on til our club is a shadow of its former self, but hey!! at least we changed one set of successful, self made millionaire businessmen with those promising family earned, heriditary cash.
The first lot didnt have a clue about business did they…
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If Hicks wants to stay he will, if we want to force him out with this type of ‘action’, and coupled with many voices screaming “we must do more, and make it massive. Let’s show them!!” The consequences of these battle cries materialising will adversely affect Liverpool FC in the long term.
That’s my view.
I wouldn’t expect to get much agreement on this site but then it does appear to be morphing into a propoganda page….. One story about football in the last 10 I reckon….
Jules, I disagree with your post in it’s entirety.
Thanks for your views Jules, I read them but it’s not my place to speak for SOS, however I know they do like to hear comments and views from all different perspectives.
As for the propaganda on this site – first of all any messages from Spirit of Shankly will now be either “introduced” or will be posted with “by SOS” under the heading. That way you can be clear that it is what SOS are saying that is being posted. This site may or may not agree, in full or part, with what’s being proposed.
As for the above – well I agree with it personally. I’m not saying I’ll agree with everything said by SOS but I don’t think we all ever will.
In terms of your comments, and this is a simplistic view I admit, how much debt would we be in now if Moores and Parry had decided to turn Hicks and Gillett down after scaring DIC off a year ago, but had still allowed Rafa to spend what he has?
Our net spending, based on what figures we can get our hands on, was around £15m for the transfer windows of summer 2007 and winter 2008. £15m. We went into the summer transfer window on the back of a £24m Champions League run. We had £44m debt 13 months ago.
£15m is not over the top or abnormal spending in a season on transfers for LFC. There’s nothing, takeover excluded, that would have taken money from us last year that isn’t normally there. Even so, if we’d borrowed that £15m for the spending of the two transfer windows how much debt would we be in? Less than £60m, assuming no other debts came in. In fact £60m is a reasonable figure to use in assuming our debt had there been no takeover.
We’d still have our record-signing in Torres, we’d still have our record-signing defender in Skrtel. As for Mascherano, most of his £17m fee (£18.6m if you include the amount for the initial loan) is wages, a relatively small amount going on payments to MSI, from what has been leaked. We can’t say he is our record midfield signing because £18.6m isn’t his transfer fee. We sold Momo Sissoko for probably more than Mascherano’s actual transfer fee. And what we now save on Momo’s wages will at least pay part of Javier’s wages.
DIC will expect a return. Of course they will. But to get it they’ve not got to find £25m-£30m in interest payments before they can even see a return. In fact if they put £350m of their own cash in, then took £25m-£30m a year back out as dividends, that’s more of a return than they’d get on most investments.
The up to £30m Hicks and Gillett have to get the club to pay in interest is going straight to RBS and Wachovia. If they want a return, it’s got to be on top of that.
Even if DIC decide to hedge their bets so to speak and buy the club with part cash and part loans, the interest payments will be reduced.
Getting us through the next four years until we’ve had a full season in the new stadium is no easy task. There’s no guarantee Hicks or Gillett could even get the loan for that.
I don’t for one minute assume DIC will come without bringing problems of their own, or that we’ll be complaining about something or other down the line, but I honestly feel from what information I have that they are the best option by a long way.
We’ve only got limited options. Gillett wants out so it’s either Hicks or DIC to take us forward.
And I know football stories have been lacking, but this issue has been the focus of my attention as far as LFC are concerned lately.
This issue is far bigger than one season’s final league position unfortunately – in my view – and so that’s why it gets my attention so much. That said, the two issues are still related. But if the owners are as happy with their financial decisions as they seem to want us to think they are, it won’t matter if we lose tonight. Will it?
If Hicks is determined to buy out Gillet, then we will all HAVE TO give him a chance. End of story. It seems Rafa now WANTS him to stay.
shut up john wallen.
tom heeks just want to win the heart of fans thus using the poor rafa as a scapegoat. you r too naif my friend. you r like the gogo whores who change dicks like socks. support another team.you don’t seem to understand the real liverpool situation
I could point out that I do know how to spell, unlike some others–but I won’t. Instead I’ll say that if Hicks buys a majority stake, extended demonstrations against him are pointless.
John
So what you are saying is that even though Hicks has lied to us more than once, you are willing to give him a chance?
Even though he approached another coach to replace Benitez?
Even though he promised (along with Gillett) that no debt would be placed on the club?
And the stadium plans?
I’m sorry but i just don’t agree with your views.
It’s impossible to take posters like Jules or John seriously. Their arguments just don’t make any sense.
One has to wonder about the intentions of some posters.
Anyways, back in the real world – it’s great to read Oliver Kay’s article in today’s (Thursday’s) Times. It looks like Gillett is close to going. Seemingly there may be a way around having to allow Hick’s first chance at his partner’s shares.