DIC latest - the largely wild speculation thread

[sonsofthedesert]

so if we loose both legs and get knocked out h and g would be under more pressure to sell?

Not really as they will wait till the end of the season to see if we qualify. Stupid article that.

[AFII]

From cowntownred(RAWK)....

I will post as soon as I have any news.

I will ask the mods to unlock the thread I started.

There is no real progress at the minute to tell anyone.

There have been no face-to face talks since last weekend before the Chelsea game... when the DIC SENIOR reps met with American reps (not G/H in person)... but the high brass of DIC Wink, as well as MOORES and my source were together for a long talking session.

Oliver's article above is old news, but there is one new point he makes, which is correct. Gillet is NOT the benign influence everyone appears to have concluded.

Will there be a deal?

I don't know, but the man who feeds me still believes yes. I said a while back that the Inter fixtures would be tellingly important, and I still think that is so. So mid March (beware) is likely more important than mid February.

The only other thing I can say is that the Spirit/Sons of Shankly movement has been very well received by the Dubai people. (alas, there's not the same respect for the 'buy out' movement) So, good work there as far as I can see, Andy and co.

[carlton]

From cowntownred(RAWK)....

I will post as soon as I have any news.

I will ask the mods to unlock the thread I started.

There is no real progress at the minute to tell anyone.

There have been no face-to face talks since last weekend before the Chelsea game... when the DIC SENIOR reps met with American reps (not G/H in person)... but the high brass of DIC Wink, as well as MOORES and my source were together for a long talking session.

Oliver's article above is old news, but there is one new point he makes, which is correct. Gillet is NOT the benign influence everyone appears to have concluded.

Will there be a deal?

I don't know, but the man who feeds me still believes yes. I said a while back that the Inter fixtures would be tellingly important, and I still think that is so. So mid March (beware) is likely more important than mid February.

The only other thing I can say is that the Spirit/Sons of Shankly movement has been very well received by the Dubai people. (alas, there's not the same respect for the 'buy out' movement) So, good work there as far as I can see, Andy and co.

What was said about Gilette in the article referred to in the post??

[AFII]

What was said about Gilette in the article referred to in the post??

From The TimesFebruary 19, 2008

Rafael Benitez vows titles are on way despite Cup humiliation
Rafael Benitez

Oliver Kay
An improbable, newfound alliance with Tom Hicks has raised Rafael Benítez’s hopes of staying on as Liverpool manager beyond the summer, but, despite mounting another impassioned defence of his record before tonight’s Champions League showdown with Inter Milan at Anfield, the Spaniard knows that his troubled regime will stand or fall by results as much as by political manoeuvring behind the scenes.

Three days after a humiliating FA Cup fifth-round defeat at home to Barnsley, Liverpool need a performance and a result against Inter, who are unbeaten in Serie A, in the first leg of their first knockout round tie.

It is debatable what even that would do for Benítez’s long-term prospects at Anfield, which have not recovered from a rift with the board earlier in the season, but evidently he hopes that an unlikely kinship with Hicks, the co-owner with whom he has been in frequent e-mail contact in recent weeks, will strengthen his position. Benítez mentioned yesterday that “Mr Hicks was really supporting me in the last month”.

The problem for Benítez is that Hicks’s future at Anfield is similarly uncertain, with Dubai International Capital (DIC) confident that it will persuade the Texan and George Gillett Jr, his fellow owner, to sell Liverpool before the end of the season.

Benítez appears to be clinging to the belief that Hicks, the butt of the Liverpool supporters’ derision and anger, will resist the temptation to sell and perhaps even increase his influence by buying out Gillett, on whose shares he has first option. But DIC is confident of buying the club outright and, if it does so, will undertake a far-reaching review of all areas of the club at the end of the season, including the manager’s position.

Benítez would have opportunities elsewhere, with Atlético Madrid understood to be interested in him, but he firmly hopes to stay. “I have a lot of confidence that I will stay here for a long time because my commitment is 100 per cent with the club and because I am sure that we can improve and win games,” he said. “I think the club are 100 per cent committed to me, also. You cannot change what has already happened, but since the meeting \ everything has been clarified and Mr Hicks is supporting me all the time.”

Asked whether he felt he deserved to stay on beyond the summer, Benítez said: “How many managers have won the Champions League one time? Tell me. How many have got to the final twice in three years?

“Think about the top managers in the Premier League and their record. When I arrived here the club was 21 years without winning the Champions League and 15 years without winning the Premier League. Now we know we are improving with seven finals in three years, but still we need to improve. I would not say if it is wrong or not \, but I would say I have confidence that we can win titles in the future. We will need to change things, but I have the confidence to do it.”

Benítez is said to be “very confident” about his team’s prospects tonight and, with José Manuel Reina, Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres ready to return to the starting line-up, he is entitled to expect an improvement on Saturday. As for how his team will take shape, he may be tempted to deploy Gerrard in a more advanced role behind Torres and perhaps even to move Jamie Carragher to right back, leaving Martin Skrtel and Sami Hyypia to combat the aerial threat of Julio Cruz and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

[carlton]

From The TimesFebruary 19, 2008

Rafael Benitez vows titles are on way despite Cup humiliation
Rafael Benitez

Oliver Kay
An improbable, newfound alliance with Tom Hicks has raised Rafael Benítez’s hopes of staying on as Liverpool manager beyond the summer, but, despite mounting another impassioned defence of his record before tonight’s Champions League showdown with Inter Milan at Anfield, the Spaniard knows that his troubled regime will stand or fall by results as much as by political manoeuvring behind the scenes.

Three days after a humiliating FA Cup fifth-round defeat at home to Barnsley, Liverpool need a performance and a result against Inter, who are unbeaten in Serie A, in the first leg of their first knockout round tie.

It is debatable what even that would do for Benítez’s long-term prospects at Anfield, which have not recovered from a rift with the board earlier in the season, but evidently he hopes that an unlikely kinship with Hicks, the co-owner with whom he has been in frequent e-mail contact in recent weeks, will strengthen his position. Benítez mentioned yesterday that “Mr Hicks was really supporting me in the last month”.

The problem for Benítez is that Hicks’s future at Anfield is similarly uncertain, with Dubai International Capital (DIC) confident that it will persuade the Texan and George Gillett Jr, his fellow owner, to sell Liverpool before the end of the season.

Benítez appears to be clinging to the belief that Hicks, the butt of the Liverpool supporters’ derision and anger, will resist the temptation to sell and perhaps even increase his influence by buying out Gillett, on whose shares he has first option. But DIC is confident of buying the club outright and, if it does so, will undertake a far-reaching review of all areas of the club at the end of the season, including the manager’s position.

Benítez would have opportunities elsewhere, with Atlético Madrid understood to be interested in him, but he firmly hopes to stay. “I have a lot of confidence that I will stay here for a long time because my commitment is 100 per cent with the club and because I am sure that we can improve and win games,” he said. “I think the club are 100 per cent committed to me, also. You cannot change what has already happened, but since the meeting \ everything has been clarified and Mr Hicks is supporting me all the time.”

Asked whether he felt he deserved to stay on beyond the summer, Benítez said: “How many managers have won the Champions League one time? Tell me. How many have got to the final twice in three years?

“Think about the top managers in the Premier League and their record. When I arrived here the club was 21 years without winning the Champions League and 15 years without winning the Premier League. Now we know we are improving with seven finals in three years, but still we need to improve. I would not say if it is wrong or not \, but I would say I have confidence that we can win titles in the future. We will need to change things, but I have the confidence to do it.”

Benítez is said to be “very confident” about his team’s prospects tonight and, with José Manuel Reina, Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres ready to return to the starting line-up, he is entitled to expect an improvement on Saturday. As for how his team will take shape, he may be tempted to deploy Gerrard in a more advanced role behind Torres and perhaps even to move Jamie Carragher to right back, leaving Martin Skrtel and Sami Hyypia to combat the aerial threat of Julio Cruz and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Cheers AF. I still cant work out why he concluded that Gilette is not the benign influence....?

[dom9]

DIC eyeing possible Newcastle United bid

By Rob Stewart
Last Updated: 1:39am GMT 18/02/2008

The future direction of Newcastle United was the subject of heightened speculation last night after fresh rumours surfaced suggesting owner Mike Ashley is willing to sell the club less than a year after his £134 million takeover.

The Dubai International Capital (DIC) consortium are said to have been contacted by Ashley's representatives about a £300 million sale.

The link with a Middle East consortium frequently mooted as Liverpool's suitors emerged after it was reported that a Tyneside-based group of businessmen were putting together a £250 million takeover bid and they want former club captain Alan Shearer on board.

"Alan has been contacted by a group who want to try to buy Newcastle," a source close to the talks said yesterday.

"They're from the North East. What they want from Alan is not his money but his support, his blessing."

Newcastle have regularly been at the centre of speculation suggesting Ashley is ready to sell up.

The club have undergone major upheaval since he took over last summer. As well as sacking Sam Allardyce and replacing him with Kevin Keegan, the sports retail tycoon appointed Dennis Wise as the club's director of football.

Over the weekend Ashley and club chairman Chris Mort were the subject of a thinly veiled attack from Allardyce.

"Huge businessmen, multimillionaires in their own right, very clever men, but never been shouted at," Allardyce said.

"They can't stand the pressure, their knees buckle, they don't stand strong and they use the easy option to take the pressure off themselves. They have to be the strongest ones and often they're the weakest ones."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml?view=DETAILS&grid=A1YourView&xml=/sport/2008/02/18/sfnnew118.xml

Looks like Ashley, went cap in hand to D.I.C. Hope they told him to **** off.

That article goes on to completely contradict its headline.

[wishiwasascouser]

Yanks So Much - Liverpool To Be Arab Owned

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

LIVERPOOL will be Arab-owned within a month, as the prospect of losing out on Champions League football next season forces the hands of current owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett.

Even a dramatic Champions League victory in Moscow in May and a Premier League recovery will only delay the deal, with the American pair so far down the road of selling up that a US firm has been hired to conduct negotiations with the Dubai International Capital.

The Daily Express can reveal that New York investment bankers and advisers Inner Circle Sports, who were heavily involved in Hicks’ and Gillett’s purchase of Liverpool early last year, have been appointed to look after the talks leading up to a sale.

Sheikh Maktoum and DIC head Sameer Al Ansari have been approached by intermediaries offering several Premier League clubs, but they have told them all they are BUYING LIVERPOOL.

The Express has seen confidential financial analysis of Liverpool’s predicament, commissioned by DIC, which indicates the Merseyside giants, one of football’s most famous names, will default on their interest payments on £350million-worth of loans because the club cannot make enough money if they miss out on next season’s Champions League. They lie fifth in the Premier League, three points behind arch rivals Everton.

Rafael Benitez may have suffered the embarrassment of Saturday’s FA Cup exit, but the real issue is the money-spinning Champions League. So it is easy to see why the manager rested key players ahead of tonight’s tie against Inter Milan.

The business plan of Gillett and Hicks hinges on the revenue streams from this cash-rich tournament. They cannot survive without it – even with it, it looks like it is too late to avoid the big sell.

Interest repayments run at £30m a year and without Champions League income they would be at least £15m short of repaying their loans to the Royal Bank of Scotland and American bank Wachovia.

Negotiations between the DIC and the American pair are so well advanced that the only issue is over the precise value of Liverpool.

DIC might be willing to splash out close to £450m to acquire the club, which would represent a staggering £100m profit for one year’s ‘work’ in owning the club by Hicks and Gillett.

An influential City insider told the Daily Express yesterday: “In reality the two banks own Liverpool. If the interest repayments cannot be met the banks would repossess the club.

“Clearly the banks are concerned at the credit rating of the two Americans, who have put up personal guarantees of £225m.

“The banks would be more comfortable with DIC, that’s for sure, and there is no doubt the Americans are sellers, despite what they might say publicly, because they are continuing to talk about it privately.

“It would not surprise me if there was a deal within a month, and it is clear the Americans will want to offload the club immediately if Liverpool fail to participate in next season’s Champions League.

“If they go out of the Champions League that would leave the Americans sweating on fourth place and for once there is some serious competition for that.

“The only conclusion is the Americans would be more inclined to sell up while the offer is on the table from DIC if there is continual doubts that they would be able to meet the interest charges.”

This column first exposed the American takeover as little more than a hugely-leveraged deal akin to the Glazers acquisition of Manchester United, who are in an identical situation with £600m of loans repaid through the club’s profits. But United are far better placed to keep the Champions League rolling.

The refinancing package at Anfield on February 1 has far from stabilised the Americans’ ownership. 

It has ploughed the interest payments directly on to Liverpool assets, meaning it can only be repaid if the club earn sufficient revenue or Hicks and Gillett personally cough up hard cash.

The sensible option is to take DIC’s cash and run – with a hefty £50m profit taken by both men.

http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/35432/Yanks-so-much-Liverpool-to-be-Arab-owned

[Tomovich]

At last some indications that there will be sunshine after this thunderbolt.

[Morten_nogamst_Pedersen]

Dare to belive?

[jrd7]

Why the ****ing **** do people have to post in whole journo pieces, only to add some ****ing thanks or a couple of word comment. Can't you just ****ing type another couple of ****ing words and refer to the piece you're commenting on?

It's ****ing pointless and it must piss others off, too?

Fair enough if you're disecting an argument or it's relevant, but **** me, half the text on every page is just ****ing copy and paste articles.

Bit of self restraint possible, lads?

[Assassin]

Why the ****ing **** do people have to post in whole journo pieces, only to add some ****ing thanks or a couple of word comment. Can't you just ****ing type another couple of ****ing words and refer to the piece you're commenting on?

It's ****ing pointless and it must piss others off, too?

Fair enough if you're disecting an argument or it's relevant, but **** me, half the text on every page is just ****ing copy and paste articles.

Bit of self restraint possible, lads?

fencesitter

[Fowler_God]

Why the ****ing **** do people have to post in whole journo pieces, only to add some ****ing thanks or a couple of word comment. Can't you just ****ing type another couple of ****ing words and refer to the piece you're commenting on?

It's ****ing pointless and it must piss others off, too?

Fair enough if you're disecting an argument or it's relevant, but **** me, half the text on every page is just ****ing copy and paste articles.

Bit of self restraint possible, lads?

thanks

[jrd7]

fencesitter

Infinitely better than being a bedwetter though

Unfortunately......................I've been hoisted by my own petard there. I'm both

[wishiwasascouser]

Can't see the problem here - is it people posting the actual news articles with a link, or people quoting them and adding a line?

[jrd7]

Can't see the problem here - is it people posting the actual news articles with a link, or people quoting them and adding a line?

Tis the peoples that paste in whole journo pieces and then add a line of their own text in response to the person posting the whole original journo piece. Thus contributing only a line of their own original ****ing text to a ****ing post that although, may be well intentioned, is indeed a waste of a ****ing long post if you ask me.

That in itself annoys me as you may well have guessed by now, but when the next poster comes along and does exactly the same, then another one a couple of posts down, ad infinitum untill pretty soon we've got a forum of monkeys typing the works of Shakespeare for eternity..........Or something similar , then half of every page becomes scrolling and to be honest, it's twistin my melon, man. So ****ing stop

What I'm not against are posters that, although seeing that a ****ing whole original journo piece has already been pasted in, decides to highlight particular areas for further debate, discussion, counter argument etc. In this instance I feel you have to paste the ****ing whole ****ing journo piece to highlight your points.

That's the distinction I'm trying to make, and I'd be amazed if I'm the only who is that ****ing petty on these boards!!