Liverpool Season 2010/11

[Bully]

All this take over talk and liverpool being sold IMO i dont think it will help their on field performances. The team from merseyside is so far away from the top of the table its just not funny.

Sorry to say

[JK]

All this take over talk and liverpool being sold IMO i dont think it will help their on field performances. The team from merseyside is so far away from the top of the table its just not funny.

Sorry to say

I dont think it can make their performance any worse than it has been (at least I **** hope not)

[Jim05]

What are the odds for first manager clipped this season? If they lose to Everton look out

[RoosterMarty]

What are the odds for first manager clipped this season? If they lose to Everton look out

They would have to pay out his contract then and he signed for 3 years...

[mighty hounds]

What are the odds for first manager clipped this season? If they lose to Everton look out

They would have to pay out his contract then and he signed for 3 years...

he alo has a 3 million release clause if new owners come in. watch out for that one!

[smithy]

Jamie Carragher's testimonial committee had three basic wishes when, more than two years ago, they started preparing for his big day. Everton would provide the opposition; local charities would receive the proceeds; and the game would be the first at Liverpool's grand new stadium on Stanley Park. On 4 September this year they fulfilled two out of three. At Anfield.

Like many before them, they were long ago resigned to the fact that option three was an illusion.

The frustrations of Carragher's committee were trivial and brief in comparison to those suffered by Liverpool supporters, and by residents of one of the most deprived local authority wards in Britain, for whom a new stadium was presented as key to regeneration and 1,000 new jobs in the late 1990s.

This week, given the right result in the high court, New England Sports Ventures will be tasked with delivering an arena that is essential both to the revival of Liverpool FC and a community. The contentment of Fernando Torres and promised transfer sprees deliver headlines that win immediate support for prospective new owners, but it is how quickly they construct a solution to a 40-year-old problem will determine Liverpool's long-term fortunes.

John W Henry and his 16 fellow investors in NESV do not yet have control of Liverpool but there is already scepticism over their prospects. The club's astute former chief executive, Peter Robinson, identified the constraints at Anfield when calling for a joint stadium with Everton in the late 1960s. It was an inability to fund a new stadium that prompted David Moores to sell to Tom Hicks and George Gillett, and the main reason the Americans lost their business model and trust at Liverpool.

"If they had not been leveraged then they would have started the stadium, and we wouldn't be saying what terrible guys these are," said Martin Broughton, the Liverpool chairman attempting to sell the club against the wishes of the American co-owners.

As regards the income-generating potential of a big, modern stadium, Liverpool have been left trailing by a growing number of rivals for more than a decade. A commitment to build, and to inject £100m in cash into the project, was a condition of the sale process conducted by Broughton and the chief executive Christian Purslow, and it was the track record of NESV in redeveloping the Fenway Park home of the Boston Red Sox that swayed a majority on the Liverpool board. The club had received an identical £300m offer, of which £240m is cash, from a rival suitor in Asia.

NESV will not arrive blind to the situation should they be installed as owners this week. The group have already held discussions with the Royal Bank of Scotland over financing a new stadium through, as Broughton put it, "a sensible, normal level of debt and equity". Joe Anderson, the leader of Liverpool city council, is also primed to meet owners he has welcomed but whose intention to consider redeveloping Anfield he opposes.

Liverpool and the Anfield area have deteriorated in tandem while the club have remained at their iconic, atmospheric but financially constrained 45,362-capacity home. Given the respective revenue streams of England's leading clubs it is no surprise that Rafael Benítez, and Gérard Houllier before him, frequently complained about the expectation to deliver a first league title since 1990 on such an uneven playing field.

In the financial year 2008-09, Liverpool earned £42m from gate and match-day income. Manchester United generated £109m and Arsenal £100m in the same period. United's good fortune in having access to acres of land to redevelop Old Trafford, and Arsenal's exhaustive fight to construct the Emirates, means they earn more from home matches per season than from TV and broadcasting. Liverpool are among those clubs for whom TV and broadcasting revenue outweighs match-day earnings.

Liverpool's commercial income has tripled in recent years under director Ian Ayre, however, helping the club achieve a record income of £185m in the year ending 30 July 2009. That, and Liverpool's mass global appeal, ensures that in two of the three main revenue streams for Premier League clubs – commercial activities, broadcasting rights and match-day – Liverpool fare impressively. Once the interest payments on debts built up by Hicks and Gillett are no more – last year they stood at almost £40m – their spending power increases further. But they will continue to languish behind their competitors without a new stadium that can seat 60,000-plus, and now is not the time to be found wanting.

Manchester City embody the race to cement a place in the Champions League and close the drawbridge on the rest before Uefa's financial fair-play rules come into effect in 2012-13. The rules "encourage clubs to operate more responsibly by not spending more than they earn", according to Uefa, and will prevent clubs that are bankrolled by billionaires competing in Europe unless they break even over a rolling three-year period. Debt taken on to build a new stadium does not enter the Uefa equation, so Tottenham, with planning permission for a new 56,000-seat stadium near White Hart Lane and an application in to lease the Olympic Stadium after 2012, have also stolen a march on Liverpool.

"The financial fair-play rules come into effect pretty damn soon so taking a rational, commercial approach to success is absolutely the right way forward," insists Broughton. "I couldn't help notice that Manchester City's wage bill for last year was exceeding its revenue. That is going to be very difficult under financial fair play. They might be able to sort it out before then but we were not looking for someone who was going to put us in that position. We were looking for somebody who was going to see this as a commercial business that can be commercially successful."

Simply breaking the ground would be ground-breaking for Liverpool.

[smithy]

High Court ruling on the future ownership of Liverpool Football Club is set to be announced by Mr Justice Floyd at 1000 BST on Wednesday.

The judge will make his decision having heard arguments from both sides at a packed court 16 on Tuesday.

Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), the club's major creditor, is trying to force a sale that owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett are objecting to.

The American duo bought the club in 2007 but owe RBS £240m.

Hicks and Gillett are blocking the £300m sale to New England Sports Ventures (NESV), saying it undervalues the club.

Philip Snowden QC for RBS said at the hearing Hicks and Gillett were in "breach of contract" and guilty of "breathtaking arrogance".

We learn that John W Henry has already passed the Premier League's requirements for new owners... and yet we know very little detail of his plans


It was also argued in court by the legal team of Hicks and Gillett that the deadline for refinancing or repaying the £240m debt is not Friday, 15 October but Monday, 1 November.

There were fears that, if the deadline was this Friday, RBS - which is 70% owned by the British public - could take control of Liverpool and place the club's holding company into administration.

That would almost certainly result in a nine-point penalty and might prompt NESV to walk away from the deal - leaving the club and RBS with no potential buyers.

As Tuesday's hearing got under way on a day of drama, BBC News revealed rival bidder, Singapore business tycoon Peter Lim, had increased his offer to £320m in cash for the club and its liabilities, plus pledging £40m for players.
And during the court deliberations, Hicks and Gillett's QC said there was a third bid to buy the club from hedge fund group Mill Financial, which would pay off the Reds' debt and commit £100m to a new stadium.

The key issue for the hearing to resolve is whether chairman Martin Broughton has the authority to sell Liverpool to NESV against the wishes of the current American owners.

Broughton claims when the owners decided to put the club up for sale in April, RBS requested undertakings from them that only he - as independent chairman - could make changes to the club's board.

It's never happy or nice when you hear the things that are going on but all that we look for is a good, quick, safe and healthy ending

That was to prevent the two Americans blocking any sale as the format of the board meant Broughton, managing director Christian Purslow and commercial director Ian Ayre could outvote Hicks and Gillett three to two.

However, minutes before a meeting last week to discuss the bid by NESV, which will clear all debt but leave the owners with losses of £144m, Hicks tried to sack Purslow and Ayre and install his son, Mack, and Lori McCutcheon, who works for Hicks Holdings.

Broughton rejected the proposal and continued with the meeting, with the England-based board members coming down in favour of the NESV bid.

Hicks, however, has denied there are such undertakings in place, and insisted Broughton's actions were illegal and therefore the sale to NESV - which is partly owned by Boston Red Sox proprietor John W Henry - is invalid.

In court, Snowden told Mr Justice Floyd that Hicks and Gillett were committing "a calculated breach of contract" by seeking to change the constitution of the board without the consent of the bank.

He said they were doing this in order "to frustrate the sale necessary to repay the bank £200m by this Friday".

Hicks and Gillett's legal team admitted they had broken corporate rules in their attempt to keep control of the club.

But they argued the Americans had been forced to do this after the board failed to consult them properly and to consider other, potentially more lucrative, offers for the club.

Ahead of Tuesday's hearing, RBS secured an injunction to prevent them sacking Broughton or any other board members.

Snowden said that reconstituting the board "would derail the carefully planned process designed to achieve a sale of the club in a timely manner."

That process, he added, would avert the prospect of Liverpool going into administration and losing nine points.

Mr Justice Floyd was also asked to impose injunctions on Hicks and Gillett requiring them to restore the original constitutions of the companies and managing directors, therefore removing the final stumbling block to a takeover.

But the new Lim bid could become a further complication.
"What may excite Liverpool's fans is that Mr Lim is also saying he'll provide £40m in cash to Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson to purchase players during the January transfer window," stated BBC business editor Robert Peston.

"Liverpool's board will find it difficult to ignore Mr Lim's new offer, raising yet more uncertainty about the ultimate fate of the football club."

BBC sports news correspondent Dan Roan added: "What this does is introduce a whole new element into this debate. It may mean certain people at Liverpool, for example Hicks and Gillett, have a little bit more support for their argument that NESV isn't necessarily the best route for the club to take."



John W Henry on Twitter
Meanwhile, Henry has started his dialogue with Liverpool fans by expressing his hope that the ownership issue is "sorted out soon".

On Tuesday morning the 61-year-old futures and foreign exchange trading adviser wrote on his Twitter page: "Hello LFC supporters. Everyone is hoping for the best. There have been enough twists and turns. Hopefully all gets sorted out soon; LFC moves forward.

"It would be inappropriate and presumptuous at this time to respond to questions. In the interim, we're all rooting for the same thing."

[smithy]

SOLD !
The yanks can take their grubby little leveraging and pi$$ off never to return.
Something positive for a change.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/l/liverpool/9080946.stm

[Bully]

a bunch of yanks fighting over an ENGLISH football club....

[johntheclaret]

SOLD !
The yanks can take their grubby little leveraging and pi$$ off never to return.
Something positive for a change.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/l/liverpool/9080946.stm

It ain't over yet smithy.

long interview with Hicks on the telly this morning. Very bitter, very determined to make Liverpool suffer. Pretty sure he will be back in court suing the club.

Still RBS got thier £237m back so they will be happy.
Liverpool got rid of G & H so the fans will be happy.
Hodgson will get money to spend on players in the Jan window so he will be happy.

Happy all round ????

[fish]

A win against Everton this weekend they'll be even happier!

[smithy]

SOLD !
The yanks can take their grubby little leveraging and pi$$ off never to return.
Something positive for a change.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/l/liverpool/9080946.stm

It ain't over yet smithy.

long interview with Hicks on the telly this morning. Very bitter, very determined to make Liverpool suffer. Pretty sure he will be back in court suing the club.

Still RBS got thier £237m back so they will be happy.
Liverpool got rid of G & H so the fans will be happy.
Hodgson will get money to spend on players in the Jan window so he will be happy.

Happy all round ????

The reports suggest they are looking to sue for 1 billion to 1.6 billion in compensation.
I got no doubt that the club is worth more than what it sold for, but the yanks behaviour in this was disgraceful, and the court was told this.
Moores just didn't research these chaps history well enough when he sold it to them, as they have a history of loading debt onto their purchases.
I'd say the new owners would be too scared to act like the previous ones for fear of death.
I doubt very much Hicks and Gillette will ever fly to the uk for a spot of sight seeing.

[LMA]

The Reds to bounce back this weekend in the local and put the all off field hoo-ha aside with Torres to strike some form

[smithy]

The Reds to bounce back this weekend in the local and put the all off field hoo-ha aside with Torres to strike some form

Hopefully, but as I type Cahill scores for 1-0.
With a bit of finance, people with Brazilian passports and names starting with MAXI can be sold to teams like Leyton Orient where they belong.

[JK]

The Reds to bounce back this weekend in the local and put the all off field hoo-ha aside with Torres to strike some form

Hopefully, but as I type Cahill scores for 1-0.
With a bit of finance, people with Brazilian passports and names starting with MAXI can be sold to teams like Leyton Orient where they belong.

Lucas makes Maxi look like Pele .. Toff's good for their lead could easily have 2 or 3 on the board.

[smithy]

from having the best defensive midfield pairing in the world with ALonso and mascherano to relying on Lucas, it's no wonder LFC is where it is.
Torres needs support up front..
Some managers are good at managing clubs with a low budget and avoiding relegation.
Some managers are always title contenders.

Hodgson is a low budget, relegation avoider.
there is no way this bloke, as nice as he is, is a better manager than RAFA.

Rafa made some really bad transfer decisions, they all do.
Another lasting gillette and hicks legacy,,,,,,,,

[JK]

Hard to argue with any of that mate, just watching the old classics on Fox at the moment, and what I'd give to see the likes of McManaman and Berger clones running around, players with pace and creativity.

Poulsen, Skrtel, Conchesky, Lucas, Maxi, Aurelio, Johnson can all be moved on .. Many would argue N'Gog, Babel, Mireles could join the same category.

[Pidge]

It's about time Liverpool made some tough decisions.
Torres needs to be rested until he's actually 100% fit.
Maxi is terrible.
Joe Cole hasn't had much of an impact soo far.
Carragher is too slow.

Bring in some youth.

[LMA]

The Reds to bounce back this weekend in the local and put the all off field hoo-ha aside with Torres to strike some form

Hopefully, but as I type Cahill scores for 1-0.
With a bit of finance, people with Brazilian passports and names starting with MAXI can be sold to teams like Leyton Orient where they belong.

Yeah Lucas is the Kane Cornes of the Premier League, every time he gets it usually a turnover or bad pass ensues.
Torres just needs to attack the ball as hard as he can and not worry about the presence around him or playing for frees, It's the best way to get yourself out of a rut, does need some support up there though.
Liverpool dominated possession in the 2nd but never really looked like scoring

[johntheclaret]

Question is will Torres be there after January
Feeling over here is he won't