DIC have pulled out (continued)

[kurtangle01]

The thing is Dhavlos, in fairness, there will never be a global ice hockey brand. It's a ****e sport only watched in Canada, parts of the US and a few European countries. As a sport it has zero appeal to the rest of the world.

Now's maybe not the right time to mention it but I used to play Ice Hockey until a few years ago.

****ing great sport IMHO. Fast as **** and you can hammer people, and fight!

[Fiddy]

mmm Liverpool FC a world known brand or an Ice Hockey team i'd never heard of before along with probably the majority of the rest if Europe.

Completely different sports with completely different profiles

Anything else negative you want to find tonight?

Exactly. No crappy hockey team has any kind of worlwide profile. In fact about the only US Sports team that does is the Yankees and that's only cos their stupid baseball caps are all over the place. Completely different saucepan of haddock

[Dhav]

The thing is Dhavlos, in fairness, there will never be a global ice hockey brand. It's a ****e sport only watched in Canada, parts of the US and a few European countries. As a sport it has zero appeal to the rest of the world.

I dont think the guy on YNWA is talking about making the ice hockey team a global brand. I think he is merely talking about raising the profile of the club domestically or in terms of the NFL. That's the way I read it.

I think he's saying if Gillett cant boost the Canadiens' profile in Canada, how can he boost Liverpool's brand globally.

[AFII]

EXCLUSIVE: FURIOUS SHEIKHS: KOP HAS NO HONOUR
By Neil McLeman

THE Dubai Royal family ordered their investment company to pull out of a deal to buy Liverpool as they believe the Anfield board had acted “dishonourably”.

Dubai International Capital ended takeover talks in fury after Liverpool decided to consider a rival bid from US sports tycoon George Gillett. And the move was made not by executives negotiating the £450million buy-out, but from within Sheikh Mohammed’s ruling Al Maktoum family.

The revelation, accompanied by widespread anger in the Gulf State, makes any chance of resurrecting the deal seem impossible.

A source in Dubai said last night: “The decision came from the top. There was a verbal agreement to buy the club and a handshake made with Mr (David) Moores (Liverpool chairman). They thought they had a deal. They consider Liverpool acted dishonourably and they did not want to be drawn into an auction. They felt Liverpool were taking the mickey. Led by chief executive Sameer Al Ansari, a self-confessed Liverpool fan, the DIC had completed due diligence of the Anfield books.

Chairman and majority stakeholder David Moores and his chief executive, Rick Parry, had granted the investment company, owned by Dubai’s ruling Al Maktoum family, the exclusive right to study the club’s books despite interest from Gillett.

The DIC was willing to fund a £200m 60,000-seat stadium and cover long-term debts of about £80m.

But with the American, a former owner of the Harlem Globetrotters, then making a higher offer, Tuesday’s Anfield board meeting decided to delay rubber-stamping the Dubai offer.

Gillett is being joined in his bid by Tom Hicks, owner of Texas Rangers baseball team. He has wide experience in the US construction industry.

CLICKY - The Mirror

[marcus50bucks]

Looks like it's a done deal.


Gillett set to complete Reds deal

Liverpool have agreed a deal with American tycoon George Gillett and his takeover of the club will be completed early next week, BBC Sport understands.
It is believed that another US ice hockey club owner Tom Hicks is also backing the deal.

Until earlier this week, Dubai International Capital had been expected to buy out the Anfield club for £450m.

But DIC pulled out of talks after Liverpool said they wanted to consider a rival bid from Gillett.

The Gillett offer is understood to be more lucrative for shareholders but chief executive Rick Parry has insisted that money was not the motive for considering an alternative to DIC.

It also includes a commitment to finance a new stadium, thus ruling out the possibility of a ground-share with Everton.

Gillett, who owns the National Hockey League side Montreal Canadiens, has impressed Liverpool with his proposals and the speed at which he completed due diligence - the process of investigation by potential investors - in three days.

The 68-year-old American has also stressed his experience in running successful sporting operations.

However, the Independent has claimed that Gillett's business empire collapsed in 1992, leading to a £33.7m personal bankruptcy.

Hicks owns rival NHL franchise Dallas Stars as well as the Texas Rangers baseball team.

[hertsred]

Ice Hockey is having horrible prblems at the moment. they lost an entire season due to a players strike a couple of years ago, and that cost them the TV contract. Even in the States almost no-one watches it outside the north East. In Canada the sport is huge, but suffering from bad image problems dating from the strike. Marketing Liverpool to the world is much, much easier. Just having the online store actually stock stuff would be a start.

[friedk]

Well if this deal goes through next week, it won't be long before we see if the actions of the board were in the best interests of Liverpool FC or based on their own personal greed.

It's impossible to make a judgment at this stage.

DIC was presented as the greatest thing since King Keny signed for us, but their decision to pull out as suddenly as they did, was irrational. It also highlighted the fact that, while the group who run DIC are professional, have a good track record and may have acted in the best interests of Liverpool, the final decision rests with the ruling family, which is a dangerous and volatile position to be in.

[Mumsafan]

They seem to be a bit over sensitive don't they? A bit touchy? I would have thought that any one in LFCs position would have looked at all the options. I find it a bit worrying that the rulers then gave instruction to pull out rather than waiting. A bit OTT in my opiniion, and rather worrying in that - would they have done that a bit further down the line if something didn't suit them?

[Reece]

Exactly Mums.

[tomasjj]

Well if this deal goes through next week, it won't be long before we see if the actions of the board were in the best interests of Liverpool FC or based on their own personal greed.

It's impossible to make a judgment at this stage.

DIC was presented as the greatest thing since King Keny signed for us, but their decision to pull out as suddenly as they did, was irrational. It also highlighted the fact that, while the group who run DIC are professional, have a good track record and may have acted in the best interests of Liverpool, the final decision rests with the ruling family, which is a dangerous and volatile position to be in.

Moores might, for all I know, be under obligation to consider the other bid, in the interest of the board and the shareholders it represents. So to run away when a rival enters the fray is overly dramatic. They must have sensed they were getting the boot anyway for instance.'

[kurtangle01]

They seem to be a bit over sensitive don't they? A bit touchy? I would have thought that any one in LFCs position would have looked at all the options. I find it a bit worrying that the rulers then gave instruction to pull out rather than waiting. A bit OTT in my opiniion, and rather worrying in that - would they have done that a bit further down the line if something didn't suit them?

I must admit to being slighly miffed when I heard they had walked away but I think you've just hit the nail on the head there, Sara. Gillett went away and obviously came up with a better offer when he was initially rebuffed. That's the sort of thing that would obviously have impressed Moores. DIC have show their true colours. As much as I would have liked to see them complete the takeover, mainly due to Rick Parry bigging them up so much, but I now think that they can **** right off!

[tomasjj]

If there is any truth in the Liverpool the drama queens of footy, us and DIC would be the perfect match it seems.

I mean, the Sheik can do what he pleases and seal deals by the crack of this own whip.
Moores and the board, for what I can gather here and there, is under obligation by law to consider the other offer, to protect the interests of those they represent - the shareholders.

[bazza76]

Zico was DIC

DIC head?

[nobbylad]

Right, I've had enough of all this investment/takeover ****!

I'm gonna call my broker in Canary Wharf and instruct him to sell all of my Woolies shares and put in a bid for LFC myself!

I'm handy at DIY so I reckon with a bit of help from Lasty, Irish Paul and a few of his mates, we could knock up the stadium in no time.

Problem solved!

[disco]

Right, I've had enough of all this investment/takeover ****!

I'm gonna call my broker in Canary Wharf and instruct him to sell all of my Woolies shares and put in a bid for LFC myself!

I'm handy at DIY so I reckon with a bit of help from Lasty, Irish Paul and a few of his mates, we could knock up the stadium in no time.

Problem solved!

After 3 years and £200m, the new Nobby KOP is revealed