Dubai International to make bid for Liverpool FC

[NICKZS]

What tune is that to?

We won it five times.

[kurtangle01]

What tune is that to?

5 times.

[Rafa Shankly]

The protests tonight were embarrassing. RTK makes me cringe in it's incredibly crass naïvety. The Mancs and Blue****es are absolutely pissing themselves at this club and us, the fans.

Rafa has played you all brilliantly using the uncertainty behind the scenes to hide his increasingly negative tactics and baffling team selections. Is it the Yanks who keep picking Kuyt instead of Crouch? Was it them that decided to put Crouch on with only ten minutes to go? Did Hicks and Gillett play Kewell ahead of Babel? And yet the Kop continue to chant Rafa's name...

...****ing unbelievable...

extremely naive post.

and so what if the mancs and everton are pissing themselves,who gives a ****,dont let it bother you.

[robbielad9]

The protests tonight were embarrassing. RTK makes me cringe in it's incredibly crass naïvety. The Mancs and Blue****es are absolutely pissing themselves at this club and us, the fans.

Rafa has played you all brilliantly using the uncertainty behind the scenes to hide his increasingly negative tactics and baffling team selections. Is it the Yanks who keep picking Kuyt instead of Crouch? Was it them that decided to put Crouch on with only ten minutes to go? Did Hicks and Gillett play Kewell ahead of Babel? And yet the Kop continue to chant Rafa's name...

...****ing unbelievable...

The protests tonight were nothing to do with team selection, or even the recent run of results. The kop were unanimous in their stance that we have been lied to by the Americans, and it may have been the last chance we had to voice our opinions, before they saddle our club with a 350million pound millstone. So you shouldn't be "embarrassed", in fact a bit of appreciation may even be called for on this occasion. Maybe you should have stood at the front of the kop tonight and told them all to shut up and stop being silly because it was embarrassing you?

[rushscored4]

Chill mate. The whole thing is about sorting 1 problem ata time, G&H need to go before anything. On the match point though I would have liked yossi to have stayed on a bit longer and someone else [cough]Kuyt[/cough] come off.

Enjoy the match?

No...but it is the owners who are about to put almost £350m worth of debt against the clubs books when they said they wouldn't.

Now, I'm not going to claim to have all the facts because I don't but what they're currently propsing could potentially end up doing worse damage to the club than a dodgy team selection.

None of us know the facts, only the speculation from the media. I'm not burying my head in the sand but I'm also not jumping to any conclusions just because of hearsay I've read in the newspapers. Christ, we all rightly condemned the S*n for the **** it wrote 19 years ago yet we'll believe anything that is said about the Yanks because it's "in the papers" so it must be true. "No smoke without fire", eh?

And NICKZS, the result tonight has got nothing to do with my opinion. I've always backed Rafa, almost blindly at times, but how can we blame the Yanks for the problems on the field? Rafa bought most of the players, he sets the tactics, he picks the team and it's his job to get the most out of them.

Is it Gillett & Hicks' fault we're 14 points behind the Mancs and out of the title race in January (again)? Is it their fault we've drawn 4 league games in a row and we're not even in a Champions League place? I've always believed Rafa is a genius and he still is - a genius at subterfuge...

[kurtangle01]

None of us know the facts, only the speculation from the media. I'm not burying my head in the sand but I'm also not jumping to any conclusions just because of hearsay I've read in the newspapers. Christ, we all rightly condemned the S*n for the **** it wrote 19 years ago yet we'll believe anything that is said about the Yanks because it's "in the papers" so it must be true. "No smoke without fire", eh?

And NICKZS, the result tonight has got nothing to do with my opinion. I've always backed Rafa, almost blindly at times, but how can we blame the Yanks for the problems on the field? Rafa bought most of the players, he sets the tactics, he picks the team and it's his job to get the most out of them.

Is it Gillett & Hicks' fault we're 14 points behind the Mancs and out of the title race in January (again)? Is it their fault we've drawn 4 league games in a row and we're not even in a Champions League place? I've always believed Rafa is a genius and he still is - a genius at subterfuge...

Nobodys saying that it's Hicks & Gillett fault that we're getting poor results. I do take your point about not believing everything you read, and it's a good point, but I do think it's fair to say that everything's not rosey at the moment.

Whether all the specualtion is having an effect on the performances on the pitch...I'm not sure but I think fans are right to say what they feel about the apparent level of debt about to be put on the club.

[rushscored4]

The protests tonight were nothing to do with team selection, or even the recent run of results. The kop were unanimous in their stance that we have been lied to by the Americans, and it may have been the last chance we had to voice our opinions, before they saddle our club with a 350million pound millstone. So you shouldn't be "embarrassed", in fact a bit of appreciation may even be called for on this occasion. Maybe you should have stood at the front of the kop tonight and told them all to shut up and stop being silly because it was embarrassing you?

Thanks for confirming that we do have some of the most gullible ****ing fans in the world...

[AFII]

Hicks and Gillett are running out of time
By David Bond
Last Updated: 12:50am GMT 22/01/2008

Liverpool's under-fire American owners say they are still on course to secure a £350 million refinancing deal despite yet another delay.

With the future ownership of the club in the balance, the conclusion of the deal with Royal Bank of Scotland and America's fourth-largest bank, Wachovia, will determine whether Dubai International Capital are able to launch an immediate £350m takeover bid.

Although DIC want to make a move now, they will not launch a formal offer until they have held talks with RBS, who loaned Tom Hicks and George Gillett the money to complete their £220m acquisition last February. So far Hicks has refused to allow DIC to talk to the bank until after the refinancing is complete.

In an interview with the American business network CNBC at the start of last week, Hicks said: "It [the refinancing] has taken a little bit longer than it should. But it will close by the end of the week." Despite that promise, the latest in a series of deadlines missed by Hicks and the banks, City sources told The Daily Telegraph yesterday that no deal was likely to be announced until the "latter end of the week".

The latest delay to a refinancing package promised since the end of last summer will lead to fresh concern that the Americans' plans to reorganise their debts have suffered a last-minute hitch.

Time is running out. Contrary to reports that they had until the end of February to sign the deal, it is now understood that their initial one-year loan with RBS expires on Feb 4. RBS executives are also likely to be made nervous by threats from fans to build on their protests at Anfield last night by calling for a boycott of the bank.

A spokesman for Hicks yesterday said the Dallas billionaire was confident the refinancing was on track. He reiterated a statement issued on Sunday which denied reports of a deal with DIC and insisted he and Gillett have no interest in selling the club. But it is thought that Hicks feels he will be in a stronger position to demand more money for Liverpool from DIC once refinancing is complete.

DIC, however, are prepared to call his bluff and drop their interest unless Hicks lowers his expectations.

Talks between Hicks and DIC over the possible sale of a 15 per cent stake in the club collapsed in November after the American valued the club at £1 billion, a price DIC believed unrealistic.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/mai.../sfnliv122.xml

[paulcooper4]

Maybe you should have stood at the front of the kop tonight and told them all to shut up and stop being silly because it was embarrassing you?

He`s a big lad and he speaks his mind. I have no doubt he would, and I have no doubts that not many would say **** all to him either

[kurtangle01]

Hicks and Gillett are running out of time
By David Bond
Last Updated: 12:50am GMT 22/01/2008

Liverpool's under-fire American owners say they are still on course to secure a £350 million refinancing deal despite yet another delay.

With the future ownership of the club in the balance, the conclusion of the deal with Royal Bank of Scotland and America's fourth-largest bank, Wachovia, will determine whether Dubai International Capital are able to launch an immediate £350m takeover bid.

Although DIC want to make a move now, they will not launch a formal offer until they have held talks with RBS, who loaned Tom Hicks and George Gillett the money to complete their £220m acquisition last February. So far Hicks has refused to allow DIC to talk to the bank until after the refinancing is complete.

In an interview with the American business network CNBC at the start of last week, Hicks said: "It [the refinancing] has taken a little bit longer than it should. But it will close by the end of the week." Despite that promise, the latest in a series of deadlines missed by Hicks and the banks, City sources told The Daily Telegraph yesterday that no deal was likely to be announced until the "latter end of the week".

The latest delay to a refinancing package promised since the end of last summer will lead to fresh concern that the Americans' plans to reorganise their debts have suffered a last-minute hitch.

Time is running out. Contrary to reports that they had until the end of February to sign the deal, it is now understood that their initial one-year loan with RBS expires on Feb 4. RBS executives are also likely to be made nervous by threats from fans to build on their protests at Anfield last night by calling for a boycott of the bank.

A spokesman for Hicks yesterday said the Dallas billionaire was confident the refinancing was on track. He reiterated a statement issued on Sunday which denied reports of a deal with DIC and insisted he and Gillett have no interest in selling the club. But it is thought that Hicks feels he will be in a stronger position to demand more money for Liverpool from DIC once refinancing is complete.

DIC, however, are prepared to call his bluff and drop their interest unless Hicks lowers his expectations.

Talks between Hicks and DIC over the possible sale of a 15 per cent stake in the club collapsed in November after the American valued the club at £1 billion, a price DIC believed unrealistic.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/mai.../sfnliv122.xml

Bit of a nothing article really.

[rushscored4]

Nobodys saying that it's Hicks & Gillett fault that we're getting poor results. I do take your point about not believing everything you read, and it's a good point, but I do think it's fair to say that everything's not rosey at the moment.

Whether all the specualtion is having an effect...I'm not sure but I think fans are right to say what they feel about the apparent level of debt about to be put on the club.

Scott, or anybody else, answer me these questions truthfully:

Would there have been protests about the Yanks tonight if we were top of the league?

Who would have got the praise if we were top?

So whose fault is it we're not top of the league?

Who's getting the blame?

****ing genius...

[bazza76]

None of us know the facts, only the speculation from the media. I'm not burying my head in the sand but I'm also not jumping to any conclusions just because of hearsay I've read in the newspapers. Christ, we all rightly condemned the S*n for the **** it wrote 19 years ago yet we'll believe anything that is said about the Yanks because it's "in the papers" so it must be true. "No smoke without fire", eh?

And NICKZS, the result tonight has got nothing to do with my opinion. I've always backed Rafa, almost blindly at times, but how can we blame the Yanks for the problems on the field? Rafa bought most of the players, he sets the tactics, he picks the team and it's his job to get the most out of them.

Is it Gillett & Hicks' fault we're 14 points behind the Mancs and out of the title race in January (again)? Is it their fault we've drawn 4 league games in a row and we're not even in a Champions League place? I've always believed Rafa is a genius and he still is - a genius at subterfuge...

I honestly think problems off the pitch will manifest themselves on the pitch given time, and that is exactly what is happening. All is obviously not well at Anfield and all the talk in the buildup to the match was of takeover, Rafa's future, etc, it is gettng ridiculous and will effect concentration levels.

Much like ourselves, you can bet all this speculation is to the forefront of the players minds every day, concentration can't be good. Alot of the players that are at the club for example, are only here because of Rafa, if he leaves, they leave. Players like Stevie and Cara, are fans just like everyone on here, they will be deeply concerned about the way things are going off the pitch.

The sooner we get this fiasco sorted the better, then we can get on with concentrating about football. I enuinely felt sorry for Rafa tonight, even DJS did the man is under intennnnse pressure and he shouldn't be.
I know everyone was screaming for Crouch to come on, I was included in the gang of people calling for him to be brought on, but it does not mean that Rafa is a bad manager, it does mean however that Rafa has diferent ideas to most of us. I like to think I understand Rafa to a degree, and why he leaves Crouch out. But thats a long story and not for now.

I personally wil not hold Rafa or the team responsible for games like this tonight when there is so much turmoil and uncertanty at the club. The only way this will be resolved is for Hicks & Gillett to sell up, I genuinely see no other way. Lets hope it happens soon, so we can see the real Liverpool and not the circus tha is playing on the minds of everyone that has a passion for LFC, fans, players and coaching staff alike.

[Dhav]

RS4, what is it you don't believe, especially as relates to the owners & Rafa? Accept it or not, but they do have it in for him and they are trying to undermine him.

[paulcooper4]

Scott, or anybody else, answer me these questions truthfully:

Would there have been protests about the Yanks tonight if we top of the league? Yes IMO

Who would have got the praise if we were top? Manager and players.

So whose fault is it we're not top of the league? Manager and players.

Who's getting the blame? Dirkl Kuyt

****ing genius...

[Bari]

Scott, or anybody else, answer me these questions truthfully:

Would there have been protests about the Yanks tonight if we were top of the league?
Yes
Who would have got the praise if we were top?
Rafa the protests about the Yanks would have happened because they wanted to replace Rafa
So whose fault is it we're not top of the league?
Rafa and Salif Diao
Who's getting the blame?
Yanks
****ing genius...