DIC latest - the largely wild speculation thread

[pezzzer]

Ah it comes back down to money again.

Rubbish.

The reason the club is behind is because it's been mis-managed on the pitch and off it for the last 15 years.

The investment has been there, the people with the courage and capabilities to put effect winning strategies to hasn't.

By the way, are the Americans not competing on the financial front? I suppose Mascherano and Torres were both moderately priced and that Rafa's not good enough to work within a (insert fatuously irrelevant net spend budget here) because that's "unrealistic".

And does it matter if the stadium is funded on loans, and player signings and wages. Either way we the fans pay for it. No matter who owns the club.

Here are our options: we could let the Americans have a continued bash at it, see where that goes or we the fans could take over club and appoint someone to run the club, then we'd have nobody else to blame if it goes tits up.

Or we could just hand over the club to bunch of rich Arabs, and hope they throw money at us and or that they know how to run a successful football club.

And people are happy with this?

of course it comes down to money, its the nature of the beast these days.

benitez is doing exactly what fergie did with the mancs in as such he has totally revamped the youth structure and bought it back to winning ways whilst allowing it to produce some amazing prospects which soon we should start seeing breaking in to the first team.

fergie did this and benefited greatley for the likes of scholes,becham,giggs,butt,gary cunt neville all fruits of a well organised youth policy (i still hate fergie)

the difference is slur alex won nowt for 5 years although he had crazy money to throw around where as benitez has had to do it on a much stricter budget and produced results whilst turning the club on its head and giving it a well needed shake.

DIC are liverpool fans. even maktoum supported us as a youth so i cant think of a better owner.

[CharlieMansonsSquint]

Any inside info from the 'Insiders' --- ****ing waiting is killing me

So what have you been doing these last 3 months?

[MattB]

'It's worth a lot more, and I have no intention of selling'
commenting on my own post

Realistically though, are we worth more than 400million as it stands right now ?

More importantly, which is it Mr Hicks? Is it worth more or are you not selling?

[pezzzer]

You might well be right

Having said that, there are suggestions today that they would clear the debts - meaning no £30m per year interest payments. Could be a lie, but I'd like the chance to find out. I can't imagine they would be worse, so what's to be lost?

they own there own banks i think so that shouldnt be a problem

[pezzzer]

Any inside info from the 'Insiders' --- ****ing waiting is killing me

weve got plenty of Had A Spell Insiders

[Leyton388]

Just wish that fat Texan prick would take the money and go but i have a feling that he will be here for a long time to come.

Thank you MR Moores i am sure you Father would be proud of you if he were alive knowing you have destroyed what he helped build into the worlds biggest football club.

I'm ****ing livid!!! If DIC dont buy us i can see them buying another team then it will be even harder to compete then. Its do or die for Liverpool now and i am think PrHicks will cripple the club then sell its assets off

[Meols Kopite]

This just on the Telegraph website updated at 6PM : Liverpool takeover: Gillett in crunch talks

Lawyers for Liverpool co-owner George Gillett Jr are this afternoon locked in talks with representatives of Dubai International Capital (DIC) about a £200million deal to sell his 50 per cent stake in the club.


Despite reports that Gillett and his American partner Tom Hicks had rejected a take it or leave it offer worth a total of £400m to buy them both out, the Daily Telegraph has learned that negotiations are still ongoing in London this afternoon.


Although the Texan businessman has again made it clear he has no interest in selling up, Gillett is thought to be more prepared to walk away from the club. If he agrees he stands to receive £25m for his shares.

Full story

Key player: Amanda Staveley, a senior partner at PCP Capital, represented DIC in £400m offer

[El Jefecito]

Hicks is going to be around for the forseeable future IMO

[BobTheCharmer]

Just wish that fat Texan prick would take the money and go but i have a feling that he will be here for a long time to come.

Thank you MR Moores i am sure you Father would be proud of you if he were alive knowing you have destroyed what he helped build into the worlds biggest football club.

I'm ****ing livid!!! If DIC dont buy us i can see them buying another team then it will be even harder to compete then. Its do or die for Liverpool now and i am think PrHicks will cripple the club then sell its assets off

FLMAO.

All yanks must die. What a joke.

Do you get this passionate about gun crime, rapists, binge drinking, identity theft?? Honestly there are more important things happening in the world right now than a couple of americans owning our club.

[Slinky Skills]

Ah it comes back down to money again.

Rubbish.

The reason the club is behind is because it's been mis-managed on the pitch and off it for the last 15 years.

The investment has been there, the people with the courage and capabilities to put effect winning strategies to hasn't.

By the way, are the Americans not competing on the financial front? I suppose Mascherano and Torres were both moderately priced and that Rafa's not good enough to work within a (insert fatuously irrelevant net spend budget here) because that's "unrealistic".

And does it matter if the stadium is funded on loans, and player signings and wages. Either way we the fans pay for it. No matter who owns the club.

Here are our options: we could let the Americans have a continued bash at it, see where that goes or we the fans could take over club and appoint someone to run the club, then we'd have nobody else to blame if it goes tits up.

Or we could just hand over the club to bunch of rich Arabs, and hope they throw money at us and or that they know how to run a successful football club.

And people are happy with this?

It's a good post that actually.

[kopdan]

Well at least Rafa and the players will have their excuses in early should we lose a match and or drop points.

And honestly, do people really want the arabs to take over, can we really trust a bloke who dies his beard, or even has one to begin with?

These are the important questions.

My take on it...simple form

The owners have pissed us off with "lies" about debt.
I'm not overly concerned about the debt. They know we need to be successful to make money so I think they'll support the managers plans to buy players as shown already during their reign. They will have done their homework, thats for sure.

Gillett wants out. Who will buy? Dont know.

I think some of the abuse thrown at the owners is purely anger at how Rafa was treated.

DIC seem to have a good mixture. Plenty of money and a reds fan at the helm. I am in favour of them coming in as I see no real way people will warm to Hicks. I believe they'll have money to spend but I think they'll change the club and its staff...so tatty bye Rick.

I'm honest enough to admit, I just want the money at the club. Whoever takes over full time, I hope they back the gaffer and build a ****ing stadium. I can cope with anything else I think

[Morten_nogamst_Pedersen]

My take on it...simple form

The owners have pissed us off with "lies" about debt.
I'm not overly concerned about the debt. They know we need to be successful to make money so I think they'll support the managers plans to buy players as shown already during their reign. They will have done their homework, thats for sure.

Gillett wants out. Who will buy? Dont know.

I think some of the abuse thrown at the owners is purely anger at how Rafa was treated.

DIC seem to have a good mixture. Plenty of money and a reds fan at the helm. I am in favour of them coming in as I see no real way people will warm to Hicks. I believe they'll have money to spend but I think they'll change the club and its staff...so tatty bye Rick.

I'm honest enough to admit, I just want the money at the club. Whoever takes over full time, I hope they back the gaffer and build a ****ing stadium. I can cope with anything else I think

This is a very good post, indeed

[MrMichael]

Crikey. A little bit more calm, this isn't lika a transfer or something, this is real serious business to these guys, all of them, and news about it doesn't break on ssn, or by the minute.

[Leyton388]

FLMAO.

All yanks must die. What a joke.

Do you get this passionate about gun crime, rapists, binge drinking, identity theft?? Honestly there are more important things happening in the world right now than a couple of americans owning our club.

Excuse me for a second i thought this was a Liverpool FC board where we talk about football not gun crime, rapists and binge drinking.

If you want to talk about them then **** off onto another board!

[Jayesh87]

Hicks plots total control of Reds

Liverpool co-owner Tom Hicks is unwilling to sell his share in the club to Dubai International Capital and aims to buy out partner George Gillett.

DIC has tabled a formal £400m bid to take control from the American duo.

BBC sports editor Mihir Bose told BBC 5 Live: "Hicks has been willing to have DIC as a minority stakeholder. He's not willing to sell a controlling interest.

"Tom Hicks is working on a plan where he would buy out his partner George Gillett, who is minded to sell to DIC."

Hicks has not formally rejected the offer from DIC, the Government-run Dubai investment fund, but is still unwilling to sell out.

DIC has insisted there is no deadline on its bid to buy out the Americans, who took control of the club in a deal worth £218.9m in February 2007.

Bose explained: "Gillett and Hicks have an informal understanding that one won't sell without the other and DIC has never been interested in being a minority stakeholder, and would not be interested in getting into bed with Hicks with a 50-50 partnership."

He added: "There is a bit more to go but some conclusion will be reached - either Hicks will raise the money to buy out Gillett and take total control, or there will be a sale of the club. I suspect it will be another couple of months at least before it is resolved."

DIC confirmed on Tuesday it had been in talks with American duo Hicks and Gillett about purchasing a stake in the Anfield club.

"It's no secret that we have been in discussions with the current owners," said DIC chief executive Sameer al-Ansari.

"It's not easy because (they) are in dreamland about valuations."

Al-Ansari later clarified that one of the club's owners "had come out of dreamland", without giving further details.

Bose said: "The fact that DIC has gone so public on this means they know that the offer is not being accepted and they are trying to use fan pressure, like the Americans did last year."

Texan billionaire Hicks said in February he was not planning to sell a stake in Liverpool, denying media speculation he was in talks with DIC over a sale.

He also revealed that Gillett could not sell his stake in the Premier League club without his approval.

However, both Hicks and Gillett have become increasingly unpopular among Reds fans, drawing criticism for their treatment of manager Rafael Benitez and their financial management of the club.

That has given fresh hope to DIC, which was considering buying Liverpool before the Americans joined forces to complete their own takeover in February 2007.

Hicks said in January he had talked to DIC "once" about a 10-15% stake, but DIC said the valuation was too high.

DIC is thought to want a controlling stake at Anfield, meaning it would need to convince Hicks to relinquish part of his 50% of the club as well as buying out Gillett.

Another obstacle is the refinancing package announced on 25 January that has loaded £105m of debt on to the club.

Of that, £60m is earmarked to kick-start the new stadium development at Stanley Park plus £45m for future player transfers and to meet the club's working capital needs.

DIC, which manages about £6.5bn of assets, is owned by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai.

Al-Ansari was the man behind the takeover bid a year ago and looked to have succeeded until then Liverpool owner David Moores suddenly opted to sell to the Americans.

"It took me two weeks to get over that," said al-Ansari, who is a Liverpool fan. "But it didn't dent my passion - I still go to every match when I'm here."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/foot...ol/7276383.stm