fans in buy out sensation!!

[Steve101]

So this place will be in meltdown tommorow then!!!!!!!!!!

[Chris]

Great, so potentially people like Rashid for example (sorry fella) could have a say in running our club if they put up a bit of cash?

I'm not sure whats worse.

[-V-]

Stupid idea. Wont work. I dont know these people and i dont think i would trust those running it any more than the Yanks.

No way

[Joe King]

Stupid idea. Wont work. I dont know these people and i dont think i would trust those running it any more than the Yanks.

No way

They would support the club and wouldn't be half way across the world not knowing anything happening in one of their 'projects'

[kurtangle01]

This will never work and although they have the best intentions I honestly don't see how it could work.

G&H wont sell to them unless it's for a massive amount of money and they wont be able to come up with that money and pay for the stadium.

[redlancer]

you just have to look at the division in the kop, on here, the knee jerk reaction to see that the fans owning the club is a bad bad idea that will only end in tears

[Joe King]

Calm down, calm down (sorry about the cliche)

From the BBC

Fans make Liverpool takeover move
By Bill Wilson
Business reporter, BBC News

Liverpool supporters are to launch an ambitious plan to buy the football club from its current American owners.

US tycoons George Gillett and Tom Hicks recently finalised a £350m refinancing of the club which they bought in 2007.

But the Share Liverpool FC Group is to reveal plans for a buy-out of the club by 100,000 Reds fans around the world.

The model proposed will be a Barcelona style, "member-share" scheme, aimed at raising £500m to purchase the club from its US owners and build a new stadium.

As well as UK-based fans, a website will be launched to attract interest from Liverpool's supporter base around the world, particularly in East Asia.

Club refinancing

Those behind the move are football business lecturer and Liverpool fan Rogan Taylor, former director of communications at the Premier League Phil French, and lawyer Kevin Jacquiss - an expert in launching co-operatives.

"The time is right to offer a different solution to the rising concerns that football fans have about the patterns of ownership developing at our major football clubs," said Mr Taylor, who is director of the Football Industry Group at the University of Liverpool.

Full details of how the fans' group hopes to buy the club will be revealed later on Thursday, although the initial figures seem to suggest an investment per supporter of £5,000 each.

Many Liverpool supporters have been unhappy at the recent uncertainty surrounding the refinancing of the club.

After much delay, and reports that either one or both of the owners was willing to sell a stake to Dubai's DIC, a refinancing deal was signed last week with the Royal Bank of Scotland and US bank Wachovia.

Tom Hicks confirmed to the BBC last week that of the £350m refinancing package, £105m of that will be debt tied to the club.

Of that total, £45m will be used for future player transfers and to meet the club's working capital needs, and the remaining £60m is thought to be free for start-up money for a new Liverpool stadium.

However, some supporters are unhappy about debt being placed on to the club, and there is also a perception that the owners' support for manager Rafa Benitez has not been as strong as it might.

Debt burden

"Thousands of Liverpool fans have already demonstrated their dissatisfaction with the current state of affairs," said Mr Taylor.

"Large amounts of debt often devolves onto clubs newly purchased, but the fans know that in the end, it will be they themselves who will have to pay it off through increased ticket prices and other schemes.

George Gillett (left) and Tom Hicks after taking over at Anfield
All looked rosy when the US duo took over in early 2007

"In such a case, why not simply buy the club yourselves?"

He said that many fans were unaware that there were other ways of financing and taking ownership of big clubs.

Mr Taylor said that in Germany and Spain most top-level football clubs were not for sale as they were owned by many thousands of "member fans".

"The Champions League has been won on six occasions in the last 15 years by clubs owned and run in such a way," he said.

Barcelona, which won the Champions League in 2006, is owned by its 100,000 fan-members.

Stadium plan

Earlier this month a survey carried out by the Liverpool Supporters' network showed that 76% of 2,000 fans questioned said they would "seriously consider reducing their financial commitment to the club" if the current owners stayed in charge.

When asked to choose between the owners and the manager as to who had the best interest of the club at heart, 99% backed Benitez.

However, Tom Hicks and George Gillett have insisted that they are fully behind manager Rafael Benitez.

They also say the club plans to build the 71,000-seat venue close to Anfield in Stanley Park in time for the 2011-12 season.

[Slinky Skills]

C'mon the ****ing consortium!!!

[Sir Bob]

Whilst unlikely to happen, the scheme could very easily work, as it does for many clubs in Europe. The members would elect a borad of directors who would in effect run the club and would be up for re election every so many years.

I'm all in favour of the scheme but will believe it when I see it. however, there's no doubting the credentials of the 3 names so far.

[jonesie]

I've met Rogan Taylor, interviewed him for a story I was doing when I was in uni.

He's a massive Red, and knows everything about football. He was talking to me and my mate for about an hour about everything football.

He's a big mate of Pele. New manager?

[Shanks]

you just have to look at the division in the kop, on here, the knee jerk reaction to see that the fans owning the club is a bad bad idea that will only end in tears

Agree, good idea but won't work.

Too complicated, too much decision making and too much expectation.

Stick to picking an 11 for LFC.COM for the Unibond.

[Slinky Skills]

Agree, good idea but won't work.

Too complicated, too much decision making and too much expectation.

Stick to picking an 11 for LFC.COM for the Unibond.

Why won't it work??


These guys obviously feel they can do it. Let's give them some support and see what they come up with, at least give them a chance before getting all negative.

[Slinky Skills]

Check this out. Off the BBC website!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7217238.stm

[redlancer]

Why won't it work??


These guys obviously feel they can do it. Let's give them some support and see what they come up with, at least give them a chance before getting all negative.

but that's the problem they won't get the support in the long run - if results go bad there will as has been proved be a splits in the way forward.

look at the yanks sounding out another manager - how dare they?

then tonight look how many think Rafa should go? They were wrong, but maybe by tonights reactions by 2 months. If so were they visionaries?

Would we want elections every year where the winner is the one buying the most expensive player cos he looks good on fm2008?

[Slinky Skills]

but that's the problem they won't get the support in the long run - if results go bad there will as has been proved be a splits in the way forward.

look at the yanks sounding out another manager - how dare they?

then tonight look how many think Rafa should go? They were wrong, but maybe by tonights reactions by 2 months. If so were they visionaries?

Would we want elections every year where the winner is the one buying the most expensive player cos he looks good on fm2008?

I know where you're coming from fella in that the fans can change their minds quickly. But my point is that we need to get behind these guys and try'n get the yanks out.

You would rather these guys, who are genuine fans running the club rather than the Americans. Just because Barca and Real run Presidentcies (or however you spell it) every year doesn't mean we will.