An Epic Swindle by Brian Reade

[Lecter]

Why not? Can't remember much about it, but think I enjoyed reading it, although I was on holiday at the time and didn't pay any money for it.

This book, I'm not sure I could read. It's sure to make the blood boil and prove pretty upsetting.

But imagine how good it is going to make you feel about the present day Liverpool

[kev776]

It would be very interesting to interview either troll after the publication, to get their alternative version of events.

[Exiled_red]

So he says not winning the Prem or building a new stadium was worse, ok i can agree with that based on the likelyhood that had either of those happened we may not have ever needed h&g and so would never have gone down that road.

But for me, the gross mismanagement of selling lfc to them, and the fact it took us to the brink of adminstration, and for years saw us ridiculed for the owners we had was worse imo.

Ok not winnning the title brings it's own negativities obviously, but the whole h&g affair i would say is the worst misjudged and self inflicted damage anyone has ever done to this club.

If selling the club to H&G was only the 3rd biggest mistake they made it show how badly they let the club and the fans down in their time in control, those will probably go down as some of the worst mistakes in the clubs history.

[red g]

If selling the club to H&G was only the 3rd biggest mistake they made it show how badly they let the club and the fans down in their time in control, those will probably go down as some of the worst mistakes in the clubs history.

or how ****ing deluded they are and full of self righteous (Parry) winning the Premier league would have been fantastic and Parry could lord over himself being the ceo who brought it. But the fact of the matter is H & G set this club back years........we were genuinely I believed on the cusp of great things till those cunts took over. Having no new stadium or premiership title, I could cope with, as long as we were going in the right direction.

In fact thinking about it maybe he was right Parry and less so Moores ( more niave, than looking afer self imo) were the 1st and 2nd worse things to happen to this club, without them we would never have had them yanks.

[Vermilion]

****s sake, when i read that, i just think...Poor Rafa, the strain he must have been under having to work under two such owners.

****in crazy and annoying stuff.

No wonder so many transfer targets went by the way side if that's how the owners reacted to serious questions about the clubs future.

Nothing short of a disgrace they were\are.

[Roboklopp]

Rafa had to speak out to tell the world what was going on

He completely exposed them for what they were, whilst other media outlets were prepared to defend them at his expense

I said last year that we might have to sacrifice Rafa to get rid of them and although that probably wasnt accurate he has ended up being collateral damage in this saga

That said I'm happy where we are now and although I do respect and admire Rafa I'm not sure I'd change what we have now

Agreed - and although I'd love to see Rafa back here at some stage in the future, I very much doubt it's gonna happen.

[Roboklopp]

Neil, please merge the 2 threads on this. Ta.

[Shaggy]

Kenny's shelf-life is going to be limited to some degree. Let's say 10 years max. Rafa will be 61 - about the same age as Kenny is now, younger than Harry Redknapp etc.

What I'm saying is in an ideal world I'd love Rafa to succeed Kenny. Born to manage this club and deserves a crack at it working for proper owners.

[Roboklopp]

Kenny's shelf-life is going to be limited to some degree. Let's say 10 years max. Rafa will be 61 - about the same age as Kenny is now, younger than Harry Redknapp etc.

What I'm saying is in an ideal world I'd love Rafa to succeed Kenny. Born to manage this club and deserves a crack at it working for proper owners.

Aye mate, agreed. Like I say, cant see it happening though.

[red g]

Kenny's shelf-life is going to be limited to some degree. Let's say 10 years max. Rafa will be 61 - about the same age as Kenny is now, younger than Harry Redknapp etc.

What I'm saying is in an ideal world I'd love Rafa to succeed Kenny. Born to manage this club and deserves a crack at it working for proper owners.

[Roboklopp]

Neil, please can you merge the 2 threads on this? Ta.

[Lecter]

I'd agree it was calculated business strategy certainly, do I think that makes them good businessmen - no.

Look at the past couple of years and what has been stripped from them in terms of sporting assests, this should give a fair indication as to how good their business accumen is. Making money in bullish markets isn't perhaps easy but a darn sight easier than doing so in bear markets which when they bought us we were entering (there were many warning signs before the meltdown).

They took us on with one clear objective, to make more money from something they feel they got a very good deal for, things transpired against them in terms of how the markets went but the refusal to sell or budge was just pig headed and stupid which is why they lost the club with a rather large outlay rather than profit against it.

So yes they are idiots for not realising all they were doing whilst hanging onto the club was not only jepordising their investment but opening the door to lose it completely. (shame!)

I remember a quote from Warren Buffet shortly after the credit crunch started it was something like this

"For a leveraged buy-out merchant the last few years have been like being Cinderella at the ball, however the clock has just struck midnight"

Looking at our owners thats been bang on the money because virtually all of their leveraged sports business have been sold at less than the debt against them / taken away from them

[RichC]

I've merged the two threads

Rich

[Helios Creed]

it reads like Ben Elton's Stark or something

It also appears that half of what we slagged Rafa off for (paying too much foe Pennent etc) was nothing to do with him... I'd love for him have been around when some decent transfer funds were available again.

[Mostar]

http://www.clickliverpool.com/sport/liverpool-fc/1213113-liverpool-fc-value-drops-by-%EF%BF%BDm-despite-hicks-and-gillett-exit.html

Liverpool FC's value drops by £200M despite Hicks and Gillett exit

Liverpool's market value has dropped by £200million in the past 12 months despite the departure of former owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks.

Fenway Sports Group's £300million buyout last October not only eradicated the reviled duo from Anfield but also wiped the previous acquisition debt they had placed on the club.

But despite the takeover by John Henry's sports investment group spelling an end to an era of financial turmoil under Hicks and Gillett, Forbes magazine's annual table of the world's leading football clubs has seen Liverpool's valued at a mere £332million.

Their absence from this season's Champions League combined with the sale of players such as Javier Mascherano and Fernando Torres has seen them make a £200million shortfall on last year's valuation of £532million whilst their ranking in the magazine's table has dropped from sixth to ninth place.

However the reduced valuation may still bode well for Liverpool with Hicks and Gillett unrepentant in their plans to sue for damages over FSG's takeover, which the Texan branded an "epic swindle".

Debt-ridden Manchester United continue to enjoy the spoils at the top of the table with a value of £1.12 billion, trumping Real Madrid (£900million) and Arsenal (£700million) in second and third.