Hope it`s Procter and gamble.They`ll help us clean up in all competitions.
-
-
Taxi!Originally posted by Quinncy View PostWell, here we are in a room with two manky hookers and a racist dwarf. I think I'm heading home.Comment
-
It seems like only yesterday (+4 years) that all this started.
Comment
-
Originally posted by Rigadon View Post"When the takeover goes through it will mean Liverpool, Manchester United and Aston Villa are all in American hands."
We'll have the UK NFL (National Football League) in the no time
only 17 more premiership clubs to go. Then the premiership will become the soccerbowl just like the budweiser advert in the UK predicted a year ago
Comment
-
-
Oliver Kay
Rafael Benítez, the Liverpool manager, has given a cautious welcome to the club’s prospective new owners, George Gillett Jr and Tom Hicks. The American duo were in Merseyside last night for a board meeting to ratify the first stage of their £175 million takeover and are expected to outline their plans today.
Reports at the weekend suggested that Benítez could be given as much as £120 million to spend on players once the takeover is finalised, but the manager was sceptical about those claims before meeting Gillett and Hicks in person.
“I have not been told this,” Benítez said. “Maybe I will be meeting the new people this week, but my idea is the same. If we have money, it will be better. If not, we will continue working as we have been. It’s not all about money when you are running a successful club.”
The Americans’ plans for Liverpool should become clearer today, with the possibility that they and the club will issue a joint statement to confirm that David Moores, the chairman, has accepted an offer in the region of £88 million for his 51.6 per cent shareholding. This is about £10 million more than Moores was offered for his stake by Dubai International Capital (DIC), the private-equity investment arm of the Dubai Government, which withdrew its offer in acrimonious circumstances last Wednesday. Gillett and Hicks, the respective owners of the Montreal Canadiens and Dallas Stars National Hockey League franchises, were widely regarded as second choice for Liverpool behind DIC, but they and their bankers, Rothschilds, have impressed Moores and Rick Parry, the chief executive, with their energy and enthusiasm, as well as their plans for the club, which are understood to be similar in most regards to those of DIC.
In addition to planning a £175 million takeover, with the £5,000-a-share offer extended to all shareholders, the Americans are expected to pay off at least £50 million of the club’s estimated £80 million debt, and to commit up to £215 million for the proposed 60,000capacity stadium in Stanley Park, on which work could begin within weeks.
Gillett’s previous proposals, before he was joined by Hicks, included the suggestion of sharing the new stadium with Everton, but they have since given Moores and Parry a written guarantee that such an option will not be pursued.
The Americans’ plans for the transfer market remain unclear, although sources close to the pair say that they recognise the importance of success on the pitch and of the need to invest in the squad.
Yesterday’s board meeting at Anfield was believed to be productive, with progress made towards a possible announcement to the Stock Exchange today or tomorrow. Once that announcement has been made, Gillett and Hicks are expected to attend a press conference at Anfield to detail their plans to the media and to the club’s supporters.
If Benítez did not realise what he was letting himself in for when he called Everton a “small club”, he does now. Yesterday, Lee Carsley, the Everton midfield player, joined Benítez’s growing band of critics and expressed his surprise at the “stupid” remark by the Spaniard.
Carsley was affronted by the off-the-cuff sleight from Benítez after Liverpool’s goalless draw with Everton at Anfield on Saturday.
“I thought it was a really stupid thing to say,” Carsley said. “There was no excuse that he does not speak the language or that he did not understand what he was saying. Also, Benítez can’t have been watching our first match at Goodison Park [Everton won 3-0] because we annihilated them.”
Liverpool blessing for US tycoons' £470m takeover
By Andy Hunter and Jason Burt
Published: 06 February 2007
The American sports tycoons Tom Hicks and George Gillet Jnr are on the verge of announcing their takeover of Liverpool after lodging a formal offer for the Anfield club worth £470m.
Hicks, 60, who owns the NHL's Dallas Stars and the Texas Rangers baseball franchise, and the 68-year-old Gillet Jnr, owner of the Montreal Canadiens ice hockey team, officially presented their proposals to a Liverpool board meeting at Anfield yesterday where, it is believed, they were given the green light to proceed with the third American takeover of a major Premiership club.
The multimillionaires intend to take a 50-50 ownership of Liverpool, thereby restricting the amount of debt on the club's books, and will initially pay £88m for the 51.6 per cent majority shareholding of the chairman, David Moores. Their offer of £5,000 a share will then extend to all remaining shareholders, increasing their outlay on the shareholding to a total of £175m, and their plans will also involve inheriting £80m worth of debt and committing £215m to the construction of a new 60,000-seat stadium just a stone's throw from Anfield on Stanley Park.
Work is due to commence on the new stadium next month and the Anfield hierarchy are keen for the takeover to proceed without delay following the dramatic withdrawal of Dubai International Capital's interest last week, with Moores understood to have accepted the American deal in principle last Thursday. Moores was urged to accept the more attractive share price from Hicks and Gillet Jnr by fellow shareholders prior to the collapse of the DIC deal and, providing no unexpected problems materialise, the businessmen will announce the acquisition of their latest sporting institution within days.
Rafael Benitez's jibe, born of frustration, that Everton were a "small club" continued to provoke a response yesterday with the Irish midfielder Lee Carsley rounding on the Liverpool manager and labelling his remark as "stupid".
The comment followed the weekend draw at the 205th Merseyside derby but Carsley was still bridling at the inference that he was performing for a far less significant club than the one that Benitez manages.
"I thought it was a stupid thing to say," the 32-year-old said. "I understand that straight after a game when the television cameras are pointed at you that you are probably a bit frustrated. But when he [Benitez] got home I'm sure that when he saw some of the chances we created, for instance Andy Johnson's chance near the end, he will realise he made a mistake. He can't have been watching the first game at Goodison Park because we absolutely annihilated them [3-0]."Comment
-
a bit too rush with gillette's deal dont u think?"In fact I’m going to make a promise which will be welcomed by many. If there’s no finance secured by the opening day of the season, I’m going to hang up my keyboard and close KOPTALK down." - Duncan Oldham, Expert Conman. March 29th 2006Comment
-
wot like a txt mssg u mean?Originally posted by FowlerLeftFoot View Post
There is a light that never goes out. RIP Alan "Mally" Johnston and the 96. YNWA.Comment
-
lol....no....i mean the board have only started looking seriously at them a few weeks ago, have they thoroughly studied the new owners background, future plan, motives and etc?
Originally posted by rushscored4 View Postwot like a txt mssg u mean?"In fact I’m going to make a promise which will be welcomed by many. If there’s no finance secured by the opening day of the season, I’m going to hang up my keyboard and close KOPTALK down." - Duncan Oldham, Expert Conman. March 29th 2006Comment
-
Liverpool board ready to give Gillett deal the rubber-stamp
Stuart James
Tuesday February 6, 2007
The Guardian
Liverpool are expected to make a formal announcement to the stock exchange within the next 24 hours confirming that the club have accepted a £470m takeover offer from the Americans George Gillett Jr and Tom Hicks. The pair arrived in England for talks with the Liverpool board yesterday and it is believed that the deal is now regarded as a formality, paving the way for a takeover that will see Liverpool become the third Premiership club to fall into American hands after Manchester United and Aston Villa.
The Liverpool board convened yesterday to discuss the offer which the chairman and leading shareholder, David Moores, is poised to accept. It is also understood that Gillett and Hicks both held discussions with the Liverpool board last night, with the deal set to be rubber-stamped, possibly today. Both Moores and Rick Parry, Liverpool's chief executive, are expected to retain positions on the board once the takeover goes through.
It is understood that Hicks and Gillett will split the cost of taking over the club down the middle, with around £175m securing the club's shares and £215m going towards the new stadium. The latter appears to have been central to the success of the proposal, with Gillett and Hicks, who both have extensive experience in American sport, providing assurances that Liverpool's new home at Stanley Park would not be shared by any other team.
That promise represents a change from Gillett's original proposal. Having approached the Liverpool board with his plans for a solo takeover, Gillett sought a ground-share agreement that would limit costs and maximise income revenue. However, he has been able to revise that strategy through Hick's involvement, with the 60-year-old not only providing considerable financial support but also bringing a reputation for developing state-of-the-art stadiums, which has met with Liverpool's approval.
Moores is understood to be ready to agree to sell his 51.6% stake, which will lead to a recommendation to shareholders being issued when the stock exchange has been informed. Gillett and Hicks hope then to be in a position to proceed, with the Americans needing to acquire 90% of the shares before they can purchase the remainder compulsorily. Hicks, owner of the Texas Rangers baseball team and ice hockey's Dallas Stars, joined forces with Gillett, who owns Montreal Canadiens and formerly the American football club the Miami Dolphins, last week.
Their alliance presented Liverpool with an alternative to the interest from Dubai International Capital. The group, backed by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, had accused the Liverpool board of acting "dishonourably" when the deal collapsed last week after they had appeared close to reaching an agreement.
News that this deal is near completion will come as considerable relief to Rafael Benítez. The Liverpool manager has been concerned that the speculation about the club's future has provided a distraction from events on the pitch. "If it is sorted out this week, then that will be better because we can start talking about the game and the players rather than other things," said Benítez.
(but no mention of the debt repayment, if the broadsheets can't agree on what is happening, there's no chance we of even less information can agree!)Comment
-
Finally after all this time it's coming to an end and a beginning, can't wait to get this new chapter underway. New stadium, stronger funding, stronger marketing.
I see good times ahead.Comment
-
Whtas the odds of another U turn tomorrow ?Originally posted by blacky View Post
"I have no idols. I admire work, dedication and competence."Comment
-
Comment