Lifted!
'New English soccer team Liverpool FC owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks revealed more of their strategy tonight to Fox News Sports (Part One.)'
In a sensational move earlier this month, the expected buy-out of Liverpool by Dubai International Capital LLC (DIC) was thrown out the door when an offer was made by George Gillett and Tom Hicks, the founder of leveraged-buyout firm HM Capital Partners LLC, two guys better known for their NHL/MLB/NFL dealings. Hicks paid $250 million for Major League Baseball's Texas Rangers in 1998 and also owns the National Hockey League's Dallas Stars.
Gillett owns ice hockey's Montreal Canadiens and used to run Miami Dolphins of the National Football League and basketball's Harlem Globetrotters. He's also chairman of Booth Creek Ski Holdings Inc., which operates six U.S. ski resorts.
The two men follow Malcolm Glazer, owner of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Randy Lerner of the Cleveland Browns into Premiership soccer. Glazer in 2005 bought Manchester United and Lerner last year took over at Aston Villa. West Ham, Portsmouth, Chelsea and Fulham are also foreign-owned.
Gillett and Hicks, using a vehicle called Kop Football Ltd., said they've received undertakings to sell 62.2 percent of shares. Liverpool Chairman David Moores, who was accused of greed by some fans after stalling on the Dubai bid, owns 51.6 percent. His family has owned the club for more than 50 years. Broadcaster ITV Plc has agreed to sell its 10 percent.
Unlike Glazer, who saddled United with borrowings of $1.1 billion, Liverpool's new owners said their offer would leave the club debt-free.
`No Debt'
"We have purchased the club with no debt on the club, so I think in that regard it is different," Gillett said at the press conference. "We believe in the future of the club, the future of the league, the new TV contracts are outstanding and we are proud to be a part of it."
In a statement, Moores said the deal was a ``great step forward'' for Liverpool. ``After much careful consideration, I have agreed to sell my shares to assist in securing the investment needed for the new stadium and for the playing squad,'' he said.
Tonight on Fox News Sports, Tom Hicks revealed more plans he and his partner have for English Football.
"We intend to make a similar - but lesser - offer for Liverpool's second team, Everton. It will probably happen before the end of this year. We are talking to the right people at this moment and although we both expect slow progress, it will happen as our offer is one that can't be refused."
"We believe we bring some experience which the management can draw on to make things even better," said Gillett, who along with Hicks met home-grown Liverpool players Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher a few days ago in Liverpool. "If you were to put a list of our objectives, money would be nowhere near the top."
Gillett's initial approach stalled last year as Liverpool fans grew angry at reports that he favored sharing a stadium with city rival Everton. Gillett today denied he ever talked to Everton about a ground share and said such a plan didn't make sense.
Says Hicks, "Liverpool is one of the greatest soccer cities in the world. We would never think of getting these two franchises sharing the same stadium. What we do intend to do, though, is get these two fanatical factions together as one team, funnel the passion of Liverpool into one bowl instead of splitting it down the middle. The marketing opportunities are amazing, the money we could fold into this unified team would be huge, and I fully expect us to own the world of soccer. Liverpool FC and Everton FC as one unified power, imagine it! They could never do that in Manchester or London!"
Both Gillett and Hicks agree they expect some opposition to their plan, but believe common sense will prevail.
Said Gillett, "We will name the franchise The Merseyside Magic, and their uniforms will either be a half-and-half of blue and red, or a mix of the two colors, a purple shade that the EPL has never seen before."
Neither man would comment on managerial or player issues should their takeover of Everton occur.
'New English soccer team Liverpool FC owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks revealed more of their strategy tonight to Fox News Sports (Part One.)'
In a sensational move earlier this month, the expected buy-out of Liverpool by Dubai International Capital LLC (DIC) was thrown out the door when an offer was made by George Gillett and Tom Hicks, the founder of leveraged-buyout firm HM Capital Partners LLC, two guys better known for their NHL/MLB/NFL dealings. Hicks paid $250 million for Major League Baseball's Texas Rangers in 1998 and also owns the National Hockey League's Dallas Stars.
Gillett owns ice hockey's Montreal Canadiens and used to run Miami Dolphins of the National Football League and basketball's Harlem Globetrotters. He's also chairman of Booth Creek Ski Holdings Inc., which operates six U.S. ski resorts.
The two men follow Malcolm Glazer, owner of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Randy Lerner of the Cleveland Browns into Premiership soccer. Glazer in 2005 bought Manchester United and Lerner last year took over at Aston Villa. West Ham, Portsmouth, Chelsea and Fulham are also foreign-owned.
Gillett and Hicks, using a vehicle called Kop Football Ltd., said they've received undertakings to sell 62.2 percent of shares. Liverpool Chairman David Moores, who was accused of greed by some fans after stalling on the Dubai bid, owns 51.6 percent. His family has owned the club for more than 50 years. Broadcaster ITV Plc has agreed to sell its 10 percent.
Unlike Glazer, who saddled United with borrowings of $1.1 billion, Liverpool's new owners said their offer would leave the club debt-free.
`No Debt'
"We have purchased the club with no debt on the club, so I think in that regard it is different," Gillett said at the press conference. "We believe in the future of the club, the future of the league, the new TV contracts are outstanding and we are proud to be a part of it."
In a statement, Moores said the deal was a ``great step forward'' for Liverpool. ``After much careful consideration, I have agreed to sell my shares to assist in securing the investment needed for the new stadium and for the playing squad,'' he said.
Tonight on Fox News Sports, Tom Hicks revealed more plans he and his partner have for English Football.
"We intend to make a similar - but lesser - offer for Liverpool's second team, Everton. It will probably happen before the end of this year. We are talking to the right people at this moment and although we both expect slow progress, it will happen as our offer is one that can't be refused."
"We believe we bring some experience which the management can draw on to make things even better," said Gillett, who along with Hicks met home-grown Liverpool players Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher a few days ago in Liverpool. "If you were to put a list of our objectives, money would be nowhere near the top."
Gillett's initial approach stalled last year as Liverpool fans grew angry at reports that he favored sharing a stadium with city rival Everton. Gillett today denied he ever talked to Everton about a ground share and said such a plan didn't make sense.
Says Hicks, "Liverpool is one of the greatest soccer cities in the world. We would never think of getting these two franchises sharing the same stadium. What we do intend to do, though, is get these two fanatical factions together as one team, funnel the passion of Liverpool into one bowl instead of splitting it down the middle. The marketing opportunities are amazing, the money we could fold into this unified team would be huge, and I fully expect us to own the world of soccer. Liverpool FC and Everton FC as one unified power, imagine it! They could never do that in Manchester or London!"
Both Gillett and Hicks agree they expect some opposition to their plan, but believe common sense will prevail.
Said Gillett, "We will name the franchise The Merseyside Magic, and their uniforms will either be a half-and-half of blue and red, or a mix of the two colors, a purple shade that the EPL has never seen before."
Neither man would comment on managerial or player issues should their takeover of Everton occur.
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