DIC latest - the largely wild speculation thread

[Vermilion]

The eighties were great because we had the best team in that decade.

Ahhh yes, The 80's, A Wonderfully enjoyable decade.

[Mattshark]

Ahhh yes, The 80's, A Wonderfully enjoyable decade.

Only in terms of football, with regards to everything else, it was crap.

[Roboklopp]

Only in terms of football, with regards to everything else, it was crap.

Were some good bands about.









And that "Ashes to Ashes" show is cool.

[Rashid]

Rafa thinks Hicks is staying in some capacity and wants his job so is jostling for some boardroom unfluence.

[Vermilion]

Only in terms of football, with regards to everything else, it was crap.

Speak for yourself. Suppose it depends on what you were doing where you were etc. Lots of people with great memories of the 80's,

[pezzzer]

ah the 80's

Amiga good
eurasiabad

[wishiwasascouser]

Anyone else born late 80's feeling left out?!

[Steve101]

The last time this stuff came about Hicks/Roma - Sensi said he would NEVER SELL TO AMERICANS.

Hicks said he wont sell Liverpool, but you tell us thats happening. So whats the point of your post?

[fred_plasticine]

don't know if this has already been posted... apologies if it has ...
anyway - it's worth reading

An Old Codger’s View on - Any Tom, DIC or Parry
Written by Wooltonian, and posted here for a wider audience…

Whatever next ?

I’ve just been reading a thread regarding Hicks - Sandon II, an invite by a pub Director.

The following is my opinion having kept my gob shut all week, but having read liquorice allsorts since last weekend.

Holding any meeting in a pub is starting on the wrong foot. And as for a set agenda on any questions for current or future owners, isn’t that how we do things in a democracy?
Does anyone believe Prime Ministers question time agenda is not set in advance?

Any meeting with the club directors should be held inside Anfield, away from the prying eyes of the press, That way we will not get the media whores trying to get their name in the papers.
Representatives from all Independent bodies SOS SLFC and perhaps Independent website editors should make up the floor.

I have been reading all the threads lately but have decided holding my tongue was the wisest move. Having had time now to reflect on all I’ve read, I’m seriously wondering what fans want.

Do we want foreign ownership ? It doesn’t look like we do.
We’ve had fans as shareholders, but the decision was taken to sell out.
We’ve had a Scouser (Steve Morgan) try and take control and most websites cringed at the possibility of him taking us down the PLC route.
Wouldn’t SOS and SLFC do exactly the same ?
Who would fund the new stadium if we buy our club back ?
Who would finance Rafa’s next £25-50 million tantrum in the next transfer window ?

None of us like what we’re seeing under the current regime, but is there anyone who has all the answers ?
Do you honestly believe DIC will have the support of all the fans ?
Do you think we as fans, would be happy with another Abramovic who basically see his club as a “Boys Toy”?

I’m not clever enough business wise to make any judgements, and I remember my Grandfathers advice “keep quiet and let people think you are an idiot rather than open your mouth and prove it beyond doubt”.

My forte, if I have one, is writing about The History of Liverpool Football Club and avoiding day to day issues. Where history teaches us what we think on the spur of the moment is replaced by more “common Sense” decisions on later reflection. But as they say if there is one thing not common it’s common sense.

Jumping on the SOS or the SLFC bandwagon, when frankly you don’t fully understand their agenda is to me foolhardy.
I’ll start listening to parties when they announce their financial structure for the next five years including payment of the new stadium.
The next line I’m waiting to hear is, lets start a “Stay at Anfield” party ie avoiding the largest payment we have in our foreseeable future.
Buying back the shares might put the club back in the hands of the fans, but who is going to stump up the new stadium cost and the transfer kitty for the next 5 years ?

Before we jump out of the frying pan and into the fire I would hope fans who are business minded have a long hard look at a future purchasers financial manifesto. Thus being 100% sure the next move is the right move.
Otherwise what seems like Storm blowing through the Hallowed Halls may well turn into a force 9 tornado.
And the words of the song “At the end of the storm….. now, there will be a bigger one brewing”
Remember this, a tug of war always ends up with one side having their faces in the mud.

If you must choose a side make your selection wisely otherwise you will end up with a muddy face. If like me you are not business minded enough to understand my advise is to sit on the fence and just hope and pray for a successful out come.

It’s not embarrassing to abstain from making an ill judged decision.

My stance has been and always will be, I am a football fan who supports 11 players on the park. I don’t make management decisions and I do not make decisions at board level.
As Shankly once said, “the Directors are only here to sign the cheques, I’m here to prepare the team for the next game and the fans are here to support the team”
Right now it appears we want to select the directors, the manager want’s to take his ball home if he doesn’t get his own way and the directors want to drink in the bloody Sandon.
What a Cockeyed world we live in

If you consider abstaining from voting cowardly, be ready to accept the responsibility of the decision you make.

The truth at the moment is as fans we’re constantly being asked to choose sides.
Even when we put aside the differences between Owners and Manager.
Then another crack appears.
“Gerrard’s” now not a happy bunny (again)
And it appears after watching Rafa go 6 rounds with the owners, he wants to jump in the ring and take him to the distance.
The hacks this morning are talking about The fans siding with Steven Gerrard over Rafa Benitez.
Well I’m sorry both parties now look like their emphasis is improving their own CV’s rather than building something together.
I’ve always hated the side of Gerrard we see every now and again “I’m the Billy Big Bollocks” me me me.
And I’m not a big fan of Rafa when he does his “I’m taking my ball home if I cant get my own way”

As Big as Ron Yeats was and as hard as Tommy Smith was, could you see either of them trying a stunt like that with Shanks. Billy was the boss and no one ever questioned Shankly’s command.
I seem to remember Souness attempting the “I’m the Billy Big Bollocks” with Uncle Bob. And wasn’t it Paul Ince who last tried to be “Gaffer” if only in name.
Great players come and go, but if I’m ever asked to vote my allegiance between a player and a manager, I’m sorry the player is on the bus out of town. (or more likely in a bloody Ferrari that we’ve paid for)

Not content with watching our club tear itself into splinter groups, I’ve noticed recently than fan base doing exactly the same, SOS Shares LFC, AFC Liverpool. What’s next The Walton Breck Banker’s)?

The only way to get a say in matters concerning the club (and I’m not suggesting the club will listen) is to unite under a single banner, prepare an agenda for the possible meeting and stick to it. Don’t let anyone digress into trivial matters just so you can come out of the meeting claiming to have scored a few points.

I know this piece will not be popular but I cannot believe I am the only fan that is totally confused about what’s going on both on and off the park.
Remember the old Anny Road chant ”The Road End united will never be defeated”
If the club are having difficulty ‘Houlding’ it all together, lets show them for Gods sake, that we will not be split into small factions.

We all sing from the same song sheet in the spirit of the Old Kop.

“The Kopites united, will never be defeated,
the Kopites united, will never be defeated”

[Gaz]

Not sure if this has been posted or not but i recieved this e-mail from ShareLiverpoolFC not long ago, just an update on that situation.

http://www.shareliverpoolfc.com/latest_news.php

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

First, let me thank you for ticking the 'Count me in!' feedback box on the website for the ShareLiverpoolFC scheme. Thanks, too, for your patience; it has taken us some time to be able to get back to you directly, but we hope to be able to stay in touch with you now, both via email and through the new, 'Latest News' page at: www.shareliverpoolfc.com

As you will understand, it has taken us some time to recover from the huge initial response to our proposal (you can read about the numbers on the news page), and for us to get together formally as the 'Share LiverpoolFC Steering Group' (SLSG). We have also updated the news page to tell you who some of the members of the SLSG are and how we plan to proceed from here.

We have also established the Share LiverpoolFC Company Ltd so we have a legal base from which to operate.

This is the start of a very challenging but exciting adventure and you have taken the first step on the way. No group of fans has ever attempted a 'buy out' of a big English club with a view to installing a one-member; one-vote system of ownership ? not unlike the model used so commonly in Spain, most famously at Barcelona, and elsewhere on mainland Europe. But as anger and dissatisfaction grows amongst fans (not just at Liverpool FC) about the way in which Club ownership is being traded, the question of 'Who should own our football clubs?' will rise increasingly to the surface.

We are leading an 'ownership revolution' that will deliver LFC into the hands of its fans and also act as an inspiration to many others with similar concerns (Liverpool fans are used to leading the way!). We at Liverpool are lucky; we love and support a Club with a huge following, at home and abroad, which makes us 'fan rich'.

There is enough of us to make this work; we just need to get the message out; explain the concept in much more detail and rely on the strength and intensity of the relationship that Liverpool fans all round the world have with their Club to make it happen.

That's precisely what we will be doing over the next few weeks. You will probably have heard that we have been joined by two 'Liverpool Legends' ? Phil Thompson & John Aldridge have 'signed' for the ShareLiverpoolFC scheme (if you haven't heard, go to our webpage). We will address the local and global following as directly as we can by running publicity campaigns in UK, Asia, USA and Scandinavia (some major 'hot-spots' of LFC fans), also visiting some of these regions to raise the profile of the campaign.

We'll give it our best shot ? but without your support there is little we can do. We urge you to tell every Reds fan you know about the share Liverpool scheme; direct them to the website and encourage them to reply via the tick boxes.

BUT PLEASE DON'T ENCOURAGE REPEAT TICKS OF THE BOXES ? IT JUST CONFUSES OUR DATA!

In the meantime, we will try to stay in touch with you via email and the 'latest news' page on the website. At the moment, it is difficult to reply to individual emails, so please bear with us.

So, Welcome aboard! And many thanks for your support. LFC needs us as much now as at any time in the past.

Rogan Taylor,

[sinbad]

McMoneyman Changes Stance On Protests & Yanks

New owners can cure Liverpool

By Steve McManaman
Last Updated: 12:50am GMT 01/03/2008

When Steven Gerrard attacked Liverpool for their under-achievement in the Premier League it was seen as a slight against his manager, Rafael Benitez, but if he had said anything different, he would have lost the respect of the club's fans.


The fact remains that Liverpool invested more than £40 million in their squad during the summer and are in a worse position than they were this time last year. Talk to Jamie Carragher, another local lad, and you would hear the same criticisms that came from Gerrard - this season's form is nowhere near good enough.

The problems start at the top. While Gerrard attracts unconditional affection from the Anfield fans, Liverpool's American owners have frittered away what respect they had. The day Tom Hicks and George Gillett Jnr bought into the club, I was delighted. They seemed shrewd businessmen, highly professional in their sports interests and committed to sustaining the club's traditions. One of those traditions is that Liverpool had always conducted its in-house affairs in a very open fashion, but that has been eroded of late - by the speculation over the manager's future and the rumours of a sale to investors from Dubai.

So, I can understand it when pockets of Liverpool fans stay behind, as they did after the defeat to Barnsley in the FA Cup, to chant messages like "Yanks out". It seems to me that the only way the club can move forward is through a change of ownership. Hicks and Gillett have already made a major mistake in raising the name of an alternative manager, in Jurgen Klinsmann, destabilising Benitez when what the club needed were firm and frank guarantees.

The situation is not unprecedented. You only have to look at Manchester United, who finished 21 points ahead of Liverpool last season; there, the Glazers are still not accepted.

But the fact that, despite a handover in ownership and a huge injection of money, Liverpool are now worse off reveals a breakdown of trust.

Gerrard is only speaking the obvious when he expresses his disappointment that the squad, managed by a man who has already won the Spanish title, cannot appear to challenge for the Premier League. Benitez would, no doubt, agree that a league campaign in which Liverpool are struggling to stay in touch with fourth place falls a long way short.

There is a real danger that the club could fail to qualify for the Champions League next season, scuppering another opportunity for revival. Achievements at European level represent one of the major reasons players of the quality of Fernando Torres were brought in.


The concept of a crisis at Liverpool can be exaggerated, though. Benitez should be given more time. You only have to see the outcry against Avram Grant after losing the Carling Cup - just one game, when a fortnight earlier he was preparing to set a record of successive wins at Chelsea - to know that pressure can pass.

Next week's game against Inter Milan has assumed huge importance for Liverpool, but it is best to keep perspective. The win in the first leg gave all the supporters an unexpected lift, and Gerrard's comments can only strengthen Liverpool's resolve not to go quietly.
# Steve McManaman is an analyst for Setanta Sports' Premier League coverage

[sinbad]

AP NewsBreak: Co-owner Tom Hicks looks for outside backing to take control of Liverpool

COMPLETE SOCCER COVERAGE
By ROB HARRIS
Associated Press Sports
updated 8:48 p.m. ET Feb. 29, 2008

LIVERPOOL, England (AP) -Liverpool co-owner Tom Hicks is exploring how to take control of the club by acquiring all or part of George Gillett Jr.'s 50 percent stake.

The preferred option is to raise private equity, possibly for his entire sports group, a person familiar with Hicks' plans told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation.

The duo bought the Premier League club for $431 million as 50-50 partners last March, but Gillett is seeking to sell his share and Hicks is trying to raise money to become the majority owner.
Story continues below ↓advertisement

Hicks alluded this week that Gillett was exploring a sale of his stake to Dubai Capital International. And in an interview with the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Hicks publicly affirmed his power to block Gillett from selling his shares.

Gillett's ongoing discussions to sell to DIC again were confirmed Friday to The Associated Press by a financial industry executive familiar with negotiations. The executive spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of talks.

If Hicks could secure sufficient funding to become the controlling owner at Anfield, it would send a defiant message to fans that he will be a long-term fixture at English soccer's most-decorated club.

DIC was in talks to acquire the club a year ago but withdrew. DIC - the private-equity investment arm of the Dubai government - is only interested in acquiring a controlling stake, the executive told the AP.

Roy Winnick, a New York-based spokesman for Hicks, wouldn't comment on his client's options.

Hicks could attempt to buy out Gillett's shares and personal guarantees, which were central to last month's refinancing of the loan used to purchase Liverpool. The price of a buyout by Hicks of Gillett would be about $300 million, the financial industry executive said.

A person familiar with Hicks' plans ruled out a public offering of shares in Hicks Sports Group, which includes baseball's Texas Rangers and the NHL's Dallas Stars as well as the 50 percent stake in Liverpool through Kop Holdings. The person cited volatility in the global financial markets.

The window of opportunity for that option may reopen before the end of the year, but isn't currently viable, the person added.

But the executive, who has been in contact with JP Morgan Chase & Co., said Hicks has been looking into the feasibility of a private placement to raise money.

Last month, Hicks revealed he had spoken to DIC about a "10 to 15 percent participation'' but that his valuation was viewed by DIC too high.

Since then, Hicks has told the AP that he wants to take a "more active role'' at Anfield, while affirming his commitment to the club "regardless'' of Gillett's actions earlier this week.

But DIC and Gillett are in constant negotiations, according to financial executive said. The Dubai consortium is only interested in gaining control of the Reds, the executive said. That would require Hicks to sell shares, something that isn't being considered.

"He's not in the market to sell, but he's in the market to buy more shares,'' another person close to Hicks said, also speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the deal.

Hicks said this week he is preparing to "fix the situation.''

"Not only am I not going to sell, my partner cannot sell without my approval,'' Hicks said in Thursday's Fort Worth Star-Telegram. "So, I kind of have the ability to determine the outcome of what is going to happen, and I am right in the middle of that.''

Since attending a December match against Manchester United, Gillett and son Foster Gillett have been less visible at Liverpool and Hicks has become the ownership spokesman.

Many fans have turned against the American owners, who publicly feuded last autumn with popular manager Rafa Benitez over player transfers. Hicks has acknowledged he sought out former Germany coach Juergen Klinsmann in November as a possible replacement for Benitez, which enflamed tensions.

But last week Benitez spoke warmly about encouraging and motivational e-mails sent by Hicks, while stating that Gillett hadn't entered into similar electronic correspondence.

A group of Liverpool fans is also hoping to buy the club from the Americans. Share Liverpool FC is trying to raise $990 million by asking fans to pledge $9,900 each.

http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/23416137/

[Rashid]

Sickening, if this is allowed to happen. Hicks would be the most hated man in sport...

[AFII]

Sickening, if this is allowed to happen. Hicks would be the most hated man in sport...

Gillett will rather keep his shares than sell to Hicks from what I have heard. Just more bull**** from Hicks camp so DIC will offer more for his shares.

[el matador]

Gillett will rather keep his shares than sell to Hicks from what I have heard. Just more bull**** from Hicks camp so DIC will offer more for his shares.

and so it goes on and on....

I cant see Hicks raising the finance. He has to buy Gillett's share of the business which will be valued at around £149m and then has to put up further guarantees and letters of credit that Gillett had to put down as security to raise half of the £350 from the banks.

I dont think hicks has this kind of money or equity and other investors in America facing a global recession and severe financial conditions are going to think twice about investing in a business that requires constant investment and that has no maximum ceiling for spending each season. Whilst considering reduced revenue streams from matchday tickets, sponsorship, merchandising and other media deals that may be coming up for renewal because of a worldwide recession.

Certainly i dont think any banks will lend any more money to him.

Even if DIC dont buy us now - they could just wait until august 2009 when the re-finance deal with RBS and wachovia comes up for re-financing again.

And this will go on and on until August 2009... Time to get a comfortable chair lads this is going to take a while