Liverpool Fc @ Anfield - Reds Supporters Gatherings

[bochapsing]

Originally Posted by GeMiNiZzzzZzz

3 players + 40millions for Torres - Seems Roman die die also want FT.

Chelsea ready to make their move for Torres - Transfers - ESPN Soccernet

every other clubs r trying to take advantage of the uncertainty in our club.... and u can't blame them too, even our own manager or player dunno where r we heading next season....

and we should not sell ANY of our players, cos all the $$ generated from the sales will go into the 2 idoits' pocket....

[rahl]

Originally Posted by shyboy252001

in any case, if the article is true.. then Liverpool FC is NOT in really dire situation financially as put by the media!!! what the hell! LFC has debts to parent company just like Chelsea has debts to Abramovic, no big deal in that. and if what is written is true, the parent company can not force LFC to pay the debts. as a separate entity all together, LFC is pretty much okay (not healthy, but also not dieing)

I would be more cautious bro. 200m+ is still a helluva money. Even if most BPL teams are in debt, that should be bring consolation but worry. English football has been in dreamland living off the TV and CL money, but the bubble is beginning to burst. Look at West Ham, Pompey which are in serious trouble and yet clubs like Sunderland, Birmingham want to spend big to make a push into Europe.

We see a lot of fans hoping for the Russians or Arabs to come in and save the club. Well, we all know what sugar daddies want? Believe me, they will destroy what Liverpool is, and many fans will sadly not care if we win titles. Singapore fans are particularly like that - look at them cheering on the 'national' team even when the top players are obviously foreigners. I am Singaporean btw.

This post is not targeted at you But the club and fans are being side-tracked in this quest for immediate glory and instant gratification for titles, money and glory. We need money definitely, but we should not forget our history, our values, and the culture of working hard and planning for the long-term.

Use a proxy to access the site. I am using ultrasurf which auto finds proxies for you.

[rahl]

Originally Posted by bochapsing

every other clubs r trying to take advantage of the uncertainty in our club.... and u can't blame them too, even our own manager or player dunno where r we heading next season....

....

I notice that in recent months, ESPN has been printing a lot of claims and rumours about Pool with no credible source - source in the Torres piece is some 'insider' again.

Check out Teamtalk - you don't find the same rumour.

It's a load of rubbish to be honest - after you win the title, you don't put up some top players (some first team as claimed) for an exchange deal. It is the most insulting thing you can do to your squad.

Then again this is what the Russian can do to the club so I won't be surprised one bit.

[eeemen]

Here is another interesting article about the club's debts.


Liverpool fans BEWARE: "The State of LFC – An Idiot’s Guide" (posted on RAOTL) is FALSE. And here's the proof. | Liverpool-Kop



.

[H.Q.LEE]

Torres leaving liverpool?

[Xgenre]

Read this from soccernet. Even the 2 idiot owners of West Ham (who kept undermining Zola's team with sensational comments) can come up with a sensible plan. Why can't our 2 idiots think? I think the 2 idiots sold off their NHL and NFL franchises already right?

GOLD AND SULLIVAN'S TEN-POINT PLAN

As the Board of West Ham United our pledge to you is to do the following:

1. Appoint the right manager

Our efforts are focused on recruiting a high-calibre manager with the necessary experience to deliver good football and, most importantly, results. A shortlist of candidates has been identified and the appointment will be made with enough time to prepare for pre-season.

2. Sign new players

For too long, the focus has been on players leaving rather than arriving. We will strengthen in the right areas to ensure an exciting and balanced squad that is well placed to cope with the rigours of a Premier League season. Our main aim will be to bring in players hungry to do well who share our ambitions and aspirations.

3. More investment in the Academy

Tony Carr remains at the heart of the club and his work in developing future first-team players remains essential for the long-term success of this club. We will make sure homegrown talent nurtured in the 'West Ham way' will always be given the chance to complement established players brought in from elsewhere.

4. Continue to clear the debt

We have a responsibility to ensure this club is never again placed in a perilous position. Great strides have been taken to get us on a sound financial footing but there is still a way to go. Difficult decisions have had to be made - and that will continue to be the case - but our bottom line on the bottom line is to ensure the club survives.

5. Freeze season ticket prices for renewals

We are delighted we have been able to freeze season ticket prices, save for the VAT increase, but we will not stop there. We are looking at more ways of rewarding those fans who make such a long-term commitment and have excellent offers for younger supporters, who are the lifeblood of this club. Member benefits will also improve.

6. Build the status and image of the club

Our standing at home and abroad is rightly built on our proud history and our commitment to young talent. The values of the Academy of Football developed since the days of Bobby Moore define what we are all about. With the world's spotlight set to shine on this part of London, the time is right to spread the word further.

7. Make it enjoyable to come and watch

We want to bring the fun back. It is a serious business but we know you work hard all week and want to kick back at the weekend and enjoy yourselves. We want you to be excited on a matchday, and not just about the style of football. We are looking at ways to improve our pre-match and half-time entertainment and will welcome suggestions.

8. Get closer to the community

This club does excellent work in the local area already but we want to move even closer to schools and businesses on our doorstep. We can extend our commitment to multi-sports, education and healthy living and show there is more to this club than just first-team football. We take our social responsibility very seriously.

9. Go for the Olympic Stadium

Leaving the Boleyn Ground will be a wrench but the Olympic Stadium is an amazing once-in-a-lifetime opportunity in a financial and football sense. Our potential partnership with Newham Council promises to take this club to a new level, while protecting our history and traditions. To move forward, we have to move - but always with an eye on the past.

10. Listen to supporters

Arguably the most important of all is our commitment to listen to what you have to say. We know we are just the custodians of this club. You who follow us every week, whether near or far, are the true owners. Whether talking to you online or in print, or face to face at fan forums, we will be open, transparent and available.

This ten-point pledge is just the start. We are here for the long term and our goals will evolve as we progress. We are proud to be here and will never stop working for you.

All of us share the same hopes and dreams. It is not just about aiming for cup finals or derby victories but about feeling part of something together and all pulling in the same direction. As the name says, we are very much West Ham. United.

[eeemen]

Some more interesting reading >>

Weekly Transfer Roundup :: The Empire of The Kop – Liverpool F.C.

Liverpool - Liverpool: Lowlifes At It Again


And potentially some good news >>


Liverpool FC webchat: Why Torres and Mascherano won't leave for Barcelona > Liverpool FC > Sport | Click Liverpool

[The MilkMan]

Liverpool midfielder Yossi Benayoun has caused a combination of outrage and shock on Merseyside by an apparent public declaration that he wants to quit Anfield for Stamford Bridge.

Benayoun is quoted in the Daily Mail as saying: "Ancelotti wants me for next season and now everything depends on Liverpool. Chelsea will have to pay some £6 million but I believe that in the end I'll be moving there."

That has sparked a combustible reaction in the Red half of Merseyside, with Liverpool fans confused whether the comment is factual or not and totally surprised by it.

Soccernet last week broke the news that Chelsea were considering a move for the Israeli captain. That, too, provoked disbelief.

But a source close to the 30-year-old midfielder told Soccernet at the time: "Nobody has spoken to me about interest from Chelsea, but it wouldn't surprise me.

"As for whether Yossi would want to go, he is the type of player who wants to play every game. When he is left out of the team, he wants to go, when he is in the team, he wants to stay. He keeps changing his mind as he has been in and out of the team all season."

Much of the surprise from Liverpool fans is due to the fact Carlo Ancelotti has expressed the desire to lower the average age of his Chelsea side and bring through younger players.

Yet Benayoun is 30, which flies in the face of that declared policy and gives credence to the suspicion that it cannot be true.

But there is continued uncertainty about the future of Joe Cole who is out of contract and available on a free transfer, as his contract talks have stalled.

Javier Mascherano is also on Chelsea's radar as Michael Ballack is nearing the end of his Stamford Bridge career, and Ancelotti is in need of an experienced midfield anchor man.

The big catch at Anfield, though, is Fernando Torres, and it is now widely accepted that the Spanish striker is top of Roman Abramovich's wanted list, and an initial £50 million plus player exchange offer is not far away.

There could be some fascinating exchanges of players between Anfield and the Bridge this summer, and the middle men are working away feverishly to see if it can happen.

[tatata21]

Glen Johnson's goal against Mexico made me thought that was Gerrard at his best for a brief moment... The problem with the Reds management now is they are not addressing the concerns, or did not make known of any.

[Xgenre]

Good news? From Texas Rangers Bankruptcy: Team To Be Sold By Midsummer. Was reported in Straits Times sports page today too and on Bloomberg.

Hicks's baseball team went bankrupt. He defaulted on US$525 million of loans last year. Got 30 unsecured creditors somemore. I pity these unsecured creditors. Maybe he will sell Liverpool. Hopefully...

[rahl]

Goodbye Aurelio. Thanks for the moments and you would have been a better player and won over the fans more if you had stayed fit.

I will remember your freekicks.

TEAMtalk | Football | Premier League | Liverpool News - Aurelio to make Liverpool departure

[rahl]

Originally Posted by Xgenre

Hicks's baseball team went bankrupt. He defaulted on US$525 million of loans last year. Got 30 unsecured creditors somemore. I pity these unsecured creditors. Maybe he will sell Liverpool. Hopefully...

Not good news to me - he filed for bankruptcy hoping to 'clear' the debts and find an investor. I hope we can find an investor soon and won't have to go through an entire saga like that.

[Xgenre]

Originally Posted by rahl

Not good news to me - he filed for bankruptcy hoping to 'clear' the debts and find an investor.

Obviously, Hicks can try to do the same concept in Liverpool. But I was hoping that news of Hicks filing for bankruptcy in US might prompt the UK banks that refinance his loan to reconsider or to call in the loan early.

1. With the mess in Europe now, banks got to be more careful on who they lend the money to.
2. Hicks has shown he is willing to play the bankrupt game if he can't pay. That must surely sound an alarm to banks right?
3. He is highly unpopular in England. Perhaps some politician or even UEFA might exert some pressure on the banks for indiscriminate lending. If the bank collapses and needed public funds to bail the bank out, then surely politicians will use Hicks as an example of who the banks shouldn't be lending out to in the first place.

[sex4LiFe]

David Moores recently wrote a letter to The Times saying how sad he was to see his and our beloved club in such a sorry state. Bloody idiot got the cheek to do such a thing after pocketing $80million pounds from his stupid decision to sell to the useless yankee duo. What a hypocrite!

Below is his letter in full - [its rather long so am splitting it up into 3 parts]

Dear Tony,
Thanks for getting in touch again. I’m writing to you not out of any mission to clear my name - if I felt I had anything to apologise for I would have done so, without hesitation, a long, long time ago. I’m sending this to you, in good faith, because my family, particularly the younger members, are continually being wounded by the combination of hearsay, mistruth and malicious gossip regarding my decision to sell the club, and the process that led the sale.
I’m writing because it’s five years this week since the miracle of Istanbul - my greatest moment as a fan and as Chairman of Liverpool Football Club - but which now feels light years away from happening again. But above all I’m writing to you because I care deeply about the club, the team and the fans.

I hope against hope that Messrs Gillett and Hicks will see this letter, or some portion of it, and do the right thing. In holding on and holding out, they risk damaging a sporting institution of global renown and if they have any conscience or nobility they will stand aside and allow new owners to take over the club for its future benefit and that of its lifeblood - the club’s fans.
One of the principles that unites us as Liverpudlians, gives us pride and informs our sense of identity is the philosophy of doing things The Liverpool Way. On the pitch this evolved from Shankly’s fearless attacking football into a simple but wonderful game of pass and move, founded on hard work and a team spirit that relied upon everybody fighting for each other. Off the pitch things were not so different. We would put our faith in the manager and support him to the fullest extent we were able. Since the day I accepted the honour of becoming Chairman of Liverpool F.C to the day I stood aside, that has been my guiding principle; back the manager, invest in his vision and ensure that the heartbeat of the club - the methods and ethics that we hold so dear - are preserved and continue in The Liverpool Way.

When I asked Rick Parry to join the club as Chief Executive, I knew that he too cherished these ideals. While we were both very eager for success and both dearly longed to help guide the club back towards the good times, we equally knew that there was a correct way, a Liverpool way of doing things. And one thing we would never countenance was any notion of borrowing against the club to create a phony wealth for some “jam today” spending splurge. I can say with certainty that our housekeeping was immaculate. I have always acted with the very best interests of the club at heart, and if I’ve made mistakes - which I know I have, and not solely with regard to Gillett and Hicks - then they have been honest mistakes.

To give a proper context to the situation we find ourselves in now, it’s important to trace things back to their roots. I became the majority shareholder of LFC in 1991, and underwrote a new share issue in 1994. Pre Euro 96, football was incredibly unfashionable. There was nobody else on the scene in Liverpool who was even remotely interested in taking on the financial challenge of LFC. I became involved for one reason - for the love of the club. But in the wake of Euro 96 with the influx of more and more overseas superstars on superstar wages, I was aware the game was changing beyond all recognition and deeply worried, too, about my ability to continue underwriting the financial side.

I was from the ever-decreasing pool of old-school club owners, the locally-based, locally wealthy supporter like Jack Walker who stuck his money in out of his passion for the club. If we’d have done it as an ‘investment’ we’d have come unstuck pretty quickly. Back then, football was a mug’s game when it came to the finances. You did it because you loved you club - although, unlike the Chairmen of other clubs, I would never entertain the idea of a stand or a stadium being named after myself. That wouldn’t be Liverpool, and it wouldn’t be me.

If loyalty is a weakness then I’m loyal to a fault. I stuck to my guns in terms of backing the people I trusted, and it began to work. Under Gerard Houllier we began seeing the results of a long-term strategy. The Academy, the new training facilities at Melwood, investment in the squad all required serious money - much more money than the club could ever generate in those pre-Champions League, pre silly-money years. It’s easy to overlook the fact that we only qualified for the Champions League for the first time in 2001, and only really started making money in Europe thereafter. But 2001 was a year we’ll all remember with great affection - the year we finally began our concerted fight back. Rick and myself felt satisfied that the time, the patience and the investment was finally amounting to the targets we aspired to: winning the League again, and re-establishing Liverpool F.C as a force in Europe.
I’d pinpoint 2002-2003 as pivotal in what led to my ultimate decision to stand aside if the club was ever going to truly progress - and if we could find the right calibre of investment, and curator. At the end of a terrific 2001-2002 where we made a bold and realistic scrap of the Premier League title chase and came agonisingly close in the Champions League, I backed Gerard in a significant summer of signings. The £20 million we spent was a huge outlay in those pre-Abramovich times, and it was done in the knowledge that we couldn’t repeat the spend again without significant progress - a proper go at the Champions’ League and, chief among our goals, the return of the League Title to Anfield. Very regrettably, 2002-03 failed to deliver our aspirations, and the players we invested in were unable to make a difference.

Rick was always vocal about planning for success, and after much soul-searching from everybody close to the club we bowed to the inevitable. We began to accept that the only way we could continue to compete was by building a new stadium. Anybody who cares to dredge the archive will find myself on record as finding the decision difficult to come to terms with; but looking back now, the thing I was finding most difficult, was the transformation of the game I loved. Football clubs were beginning to be seen as a source of profit rather than a source of pride; they were as much financial institutions as they were sporting legacies. The Abramovich era was upon us, and I knew that I could never compete.

(end of Part 1)

[sex4LiFe]

[Part 2]

The search for suitable custodians began in earnest. I don’t really care whether the supporters like me or approve of me - but it’s important that they believe me. I would never lie, never - and I have nothing to hide. We looked long and hard for the right person or institution, we followed up every lead. We WANTED that fantasy investor to come forward - the infinitely wealthy, Liverpool-loving individual or family with the wherewithal to transform our dreams into reality. And so sincere was our commitment to finding that person or company, that we invested huge sums and massive amounts of time investigating potential investors, only to conclude that they were not the right people for Liverpool. It would have been easier, I assure you, just to take the money, cross our fingers tight and hope things worked out - but we dug deep into every file and asked all the tough questions, knowing the answers might scupper any deal.

To give just one example, we responded to overtures from Thailand - the figures discussed were so enormous we were obliged to take a closer look. We had just persuaded Rafa to join the club as manager and were eager to back him in the transfer market. No matter how dizzying their wealth though, we would never simply rush into a relationship with an unsuitable partner, and so it transpired with Thailand. After looking closely at the deal we withdraw from the proposition, and did so for all the honourable reasons you’d expect from our club. So it was ironic that Manchester City was subsequently sold to the same entity, without so much as a murmur of disapproval from their fan base. When it suits them, football fans can turn a blind eye to the things they’d rather not have to acknowledge. We did acknowledge it though - we confronted the reality that the Thai offer was unethical, made our decision to withdraw and carried on the search. Rick’s remark about selling the family silver has been used repeatedly against ourselves and the board - but it was said in all seriousness, with all sincerity. Several years down the line, I do sometimes wonder if we took the process too seriously. Do the majority of fans just want owners, whoever they are, who’ll buy all the best players, come what may? Speaking for myself, I could never square that outlook and that legacy with our own unique football club.

Around that time, by the way, I experienced my first real backlash from the fans. It started with a few letters in The Echo and quickly grew into a campaign aimed at forcing me to sell. There’s an irony there somewhere that, in holding on and giving prospective new owners the third degree I was somehow seen as deliberately holding the club back! It was loud minority giving me stick, but this growing ill-feeling was certainly a factor I took into account. Our search for funding took us to the U.S where we spent time with the hugely impressive Robert Kraft.

Both Rick and myself were disappointed that the Kraft family decided not to take their interest any further - Robert is a good man, and would have been a fitting custodian for LFC. Around the same time we met George Gillett for the first time, liked him very much as a man and were struck by his sheer passion for the club he owned, the Montreal Canadiens. There was a cultural similarity between the Canadiens and LFC, in that Montreal is perhaps the most un-Canadian of Canada’s major cities; the fans see themselves as separate (and perhaps superior) to the rest of the country. They are devoted to their team, which gives them a sense of pride and identity. Importantly, too, all the fans we spoke to on the street and around the stadium had nothing but affection and praise for their owner, George Gillett. Sadly George was unable to follow up his very real interest with the necessary funding to take our club forward.

We have been accused of failing to capitalise on the Istanbul Effect - in fact our talks with Dubai International Capital stemmed directly from winning the Champions League in 2005, with Sameer Al Ansari from DIC introducing himself to Rick Parry in Istanbul and making it known that he was an ardent Liverpool supporter. Rick wasted no time in following up this lead, and having laid out our needs (significant investment for players; a new stadium we spent the next year working out a deal with DIC. On 1st December 2006 we informed DIC that they were our preferred option - and that the deal would have to be completed by 31st December 2006, for 2 reasons.

Firstly, so that Rafa could take advantage of the January transfer window, and secondly the timeline of non-negotiable targets we had to hit if we were to start the new stadium on time. Several things happened (or didn’t happen) that gave cause for concern. Our being made aware that DIC had devised a 7-year exit strategy was one such issue, along with a suggestion they intended to raise £300 million in working capital (i.e debt), secured against the club. But by far biggest reality check came when we got down to the practicalities of planning a schedule of works on the new stadium. Under strict terms we had negotiated with the various agencies, local and European, with whom we had to deal over grants, planning permissions etc, we were on course to complete the stadium in time for the 2009/10 season, but we had to keep resolutely to the timetable. Therefore (also in December 2006), the club put it to DIC that it was essential we placed an immediate order for the steel required for the new ground’s infrastructure. The steel was going cost in the region of £12 million. Deadlines passed before and after Christmas. New Year 2007 came and still no steel, and quite frankly (and, I think, justifiably) we began to have misgivings.

At this juncture - January 2007 - George Gillett returned with a new proposal. We asked to hear more, and George introduced his partnership with the Hicks family. On 30th January 2007 (the day we played West Ham away) we put the Gillett/Hicks proposal to the board, and they voted in favour. . I was conscious of the fact I’d agreed a deal with DIC, and telephoned Sameer Al Ansari to tell him that the board preferred Gillett and Hicks’s offer, and I wanted 48 hours to think things through. DIC representatives confronted me prior to the game and put it to me that I had to sign off on their offer immediately or the deal would be withdrawn. I told them I wouldn’t be held to ransom - and they withdrew the offer. With hindsight, we may have had a lucky escape there as Dubai is not the buoyant market it was in 2007.

We moved ahead with Gillett and Hicks with all due speed (even now I can not accept that we were hasty) - and here is an element of the process I accept we could have handled better. We had looked into George Gillett’s affairs in detail, and he came up to scratch. To a great extent, we took Tom Hicks on trust, on George’s say-so. There was still the very real business of obtaining approval of the shareholders, however. I was the 51% majority stakeholder, but I was obliged to -and I wanted to - obtain a mandate from Liverpool’s shareholders great and small. Gillett and Hicks produced a very substantial offer document containing all the key assurances re debt, the stadium, investment in the squad and respect for Liverpool F.C’s unique culture, traditions and legacy. It was impressive stuff - and it did the trick. For the motion to be carried we needed around 90% in favour. Over 1700 shareholders voted and the result was 100% in favour of accepting Gillett & Hicks’s offer.
So many times I have had people ask me, and write to me, and quiz the people who are close to me:
“Wouldn’t a simple Google search have told you all you needed to know about Tom Hicks?”