DIC latest - the largely wild speculation thread

[Roboklopp]

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/sport/football/premiership/article3495678.ece

Tactics

[Rich]

Hicks would have to find a way to re-finance his half of the club, he could do that by taking out a loan

[IJM]

... and he the suddenly tells everybody, that for the best of the club (and his own purse) he had to sell (and thereby can save his face)....

Whatever deal they end up with I think it will be quite important for DIC to leave Hicks with an exit route. A way to get out gracefully, saving face and all that bollocks, be it now or longer term "down the line".

I just hope that with 49%, that they will still hold some power of veto against Hicks securing any future loans and refinancing against the club. That will provide them with the leverage to either eventually get Hicks out or enable them to acquire a larger share of equity if they were to put more capital into the club that Hicks is unable to match.

[red g]

if dic have agreed a 49% plan it can only be to placate hicks in the short term. it may have something to do with his planned flotation of hicks holdings or wahtever it was

[Jayesh87]

Tom Hicks may win battle over Liverpool

Mar 7 2008 by Tony Barrett, Liverpool Echo

TOM HICKS was today edging closer to taking majority control of Liverpool.

DIC has indicated it may now be willing to take a 49% stake by buying out all but 1% of George Gillett's shares.

The remaining 1% could then be bought by Hicks, leaving him as the majority shareholder - a scenario one Anfield figure has described as "a potential nightmare".

It is believed DIC has not dropped its desire to buy the club outright in the future but for the time being may be ready to enter into a deal which would see Hicks investment increase.

The situation is further complicated by the fact Liverpool's current co-owners are speaking to DIC separately and even though Hicks is now believed to have indicated he will not block DIC in their bid to take a minority stake, the Dubai consortium would still have to convince Gillett to accept its offer.

Gillett is still to agree to sell though and having fallen out so dramatically with Hicks it remains questionable whether he would be willing to do any deal with him.

The Hicks camp remain insistent that although they are aware DIC has indicated a change of stance, they have not yet received any formal notification from them regarding this.

But the two parties could meet in Dubai next week.

The current situation will further dismay and confuse Liverpool fans who are seeing a complex deal for the future of their club being played out via the media on an almost hourly basis.

Paul Lunt, a litigation partner at Liverpool law firm Brabners who specialises in shareholders rights, said: "The impasse highlights the unattractiveness of being a minority shareholder.

"Tom Hicks and DIC have been in talks about the future ownership and control of Liverpool , and it seems both are willing to consider the possibility of some future role for the other.

"The sticking point seems to be the fact that neither party is willing to accept a role as a minority shareholder; each of them will only consider a controlling stake.

"This is not surprising. The strict rights of a shareholder holding less than 50% of the shares in a private limited company are generally fairly limited.

Meanwhile, on the pitch, Javier Mascherano is a doubt for the game against Newcastle tomorrow having picked up a dead leg in the4-0 win over West Ham.

http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liver...0252-20574190/

poop

[Imy]

******* i hate the fat Texan arsewipe, trying to get the majority share on the cheap - fecking arsehole Don't he feckin realise he is not wanted here

[Pacman]

It doesn't make sense.

DIC must be very confident that they can force the fact cunt out once they have 49%

[JohnDoe]

DIC must be very confident that they can force the fact cunt out once they have 49%

That's the way I see it. Hicks is on borrowed time, he just wants the best deal for him and he doesn't think he can get it now.

[carlton]

I wish that other geriatric cun*t would hurry up and sell his half so DIC can turn their attention towards booting that texan lard arse out of the club.

[Tee]

Get out of here you fat ****!!! (no, not you Pacman)

[Pablo]

It doesn't make sense.

DIC must be very confident that they can force the fact cunt out once they have 49%

Yeah im struggling to see the logic in them taking a minority stake. Can anyone explain?

This thread is making my brain hurt.

[carlton]

I guess it gives them some directors on the Board and more than a foot in the door. Maybe they know that El Gordo is on his last legs financally and that the club will be theirs eventaully.

[Jayesh87]

I kinda get the feeling that DIC are willing to wait it out and watch Hicks struggle to find ways of funding the stadium, transfers and repaying the loan. And just swoop in when he ****s up. I got a bad feeling that things will get alot worse before they get better with Hicks in control.

[Pacman]

One thing is for sure DIC know exactly what they are doing that's for certain.

It doesn't make sense to me but if they do buy 49% of Liverpool then I think they have a cunning plan to get the other 51%.

[Sarb]

49% is better than nothing for Liverpool fans. The Sheikh isn't stupid and neither is Ansari. The must know that there is a way of getting that 51% eventually and it's just a matter of time. They would not do this if there wasn't a possibility of getting it all in the long run

There are bound to be stipulations tied to this 49% thing anyway. I'm not worrying. I just want DIC to buy in. Ideally 100%, if not then 50%...but i'll take the 49% because I know they'll be upto something anyway.