Another Random Update

Guys, I'm back but not with a bang.

Well, it has been so depressing to read about Liverpool on the news nowadays because it never seemed to be for the right reasons. Seemed like our American owners have really screwed us over and now we can only wait and watch this tragedy-in-making unfold before our very eyes.

But this off field problem seemed to dissipate into the on-field matters as well because of how unprofessional and childish they acted. Yes, we know you had a high tea with Jurgen Klinsmann and had some cheese cakes but WHY do you need to put it up high on the official Liverpool website?

Is this some sort of trick to make Rafa jealous? If it is, then I think it wouldn't work on Rafa, ever. Seems to me like the American owners is like a guy who doesn't really like his current girlfriend and openly flirts with another in front of her.

Right. Quite apparent that we'll lose Benitez as well this summer IF the Americans are still on deck.

How much mess have we got into? Probably not all to blame the Hicks and Gillett as well. It was David Moores who agreed to sell Liverpool to the duo and what about Rick Parry? If everyone knew about what Hicks did to his baseball team, how on earth did the two key men NOT know that it was going to be a bad call.

Now we've been tossed and thrown in the waves of this turbulent wave of money, pride and greed. Is anybody even concerned about our club's heritage and history?

I guess in this age, nothing else but money matters anymore. For more money, everyone could do ANYTHING for it. We're a club probably made a scapegoat for these people and we don't even know.

Money, root of all evil? My arse, it's the very evil itself!

Question: If you could do something about this situation, what would you do? Remove the owners? Get DIC back in the frame? Sack Rick Parry for being totally anonymous? Tell me more about your views.

Drogballs' Plea To Reds Fans

If you're in favour of supporting Rafa Benitez our manager and have full confidence in his ability and his plans for the future, please sign the following petition.

http://www.petitiononline.com/mod_perl/signed.cgi?amg83ds&1


We have fell short for so many years and this man led us to finals after finals each passing years. Premiership might still elude us but we are really in the mood this season so my plea is that the storm will die down, owners will put their faith in Rafa and we might have a bigger chance if there isn't any off-field squabbles.

I'm not saying that it's not entirely wrong on Rafa's part for sounding like a petulant kid at times but it's not time to wreck the ship again when the ship finally looks steadied and ready to sail at full speed.

Thanks.

Wanna Join The "Anfield Choir" ?

LIVERPOOL have given the go-ahead to form an official ‘Kop choir’ for the start of next season – as the new owners’ vision for the most famous stand in the world becomes clearer.

The plans to restore the unique atmosphere come as it’s revealed the Kop in the new stadium – which won’t now open until the 2010/11 season – will be an awesome 18,000 seater, single tier stand.

From next August, the Reds have agreed to set aside 1800 Kop tickets for the most vocal, passionate supporters in order to preserve the Anfield atmosphere.

In an unprecedented move, club officials have acted to create a specific ‘singing section’ of the famous terrace in a bid to ensure every home fixture replicates the volume of more high profile games.

However, the ECHO can confirm the new arena on Stanley Park definitely won’t be open in time for the start of the 2009-10 season as originally stated.

Architect HKS see the new stadium taking the form of an orchestral theatre, with The Kop taking centre stage towering over the pitch and other stands.


Drogballs: Isn't it great news, lads. Not on the choir part but rather, the new owners being sensible and sensitive enough to understand the club culture and trying their best to do whatever that pleases the fans. That assured me we won't be turning into a soul-less club anytime soon.

And that New Anfield plan sounds really promising. It's going to look a little unorthodox, I reckon. The Kop tier being able to hold 18,000 and bigger than other stands is going to make it 'stand out' and break out from the mold of modern day football stadiums that all look like a prototype of each other.

About the Anfield choir, I'm in support of it. Although the Anfield crowd do have their own initiative to sing most of the time but I think it's great to have a group of appointed 'loud-hailers' out there to take the lead and wake some fans up.

The smell and feel of Anfield might not be able to be brought over but I'm sure with the fans and owners working together, it won't be that far off and the combination of football plus music is certainly a sight to behold!

Dawning Of A New Era

6th February 2007 will go down into the history books of Liverpool as perhaps, one of the most important day in Liverpool's 115 years of history. From a family club which is ran by an Englishmen, we have moved on to be a franchise under new American owners, George Gillett and Tom Hicks as we sought out all possible ways to break the stranglehold that is held by Chelsea and Man United in recent times.

It's been 17 long years since we've won the English Championship (or the EPL in a more foreign term) and with the football world rapidly changing, it's time we move on from being a laid back family club to one that sought to dominate English football again with ruthlessness and aggressiveness.


Football have moved on. Money has taken front seat and like I've previously mentioned, changed from the cogs of the football machine to the very mechanism itself. Without money, nothing in football will run. Roman Abramovich came to England with his riches and dominated football with them. It does tell a story, that with money, you could buy instant successes.

Hicks and Gillett will surely not feel alone in the land just across the pond. Malcolm Glazer and Randy Lerner are the other two American chairmen. Have we seen a change in power in the English game? With more and more foreign tycoons and businessmen willing to spill their lucre in the land of hope and glory, it does certainly feel that football will never be the same again.

I, as a fan, can't tell the future and look through the crystal ball to tell you whether this two men will bring back the glory days of Liverpool or not. But I believe as a fan and supporter of the club, we should always stick with the team whatever their decision might be and this time, David Moores took a hard time to pass over this baton to the two Americans whom not many of us know but I believe he knows what he is doing.


It's never easy for us, fans, to quickly accept this two men with open arms as some of us actually sees them as devils' advocates and all they see in Liverpool are profits. But I guess the only thing that can actually convince all of us will be with time. We can only wait and see. From yesterday's press conference, they sounded like they are really passionate fans of sports and are not in this all just for the money and profits.

The club seemed to have stalled for a long time regarding the business side of the game and is in danger of lagging further behind with Manchester United the sure leaders and Chelsea not far away. Now with the two men on board, I'm sure they'll continue to build up the famous 'brand' of Liverpool. A club of our stature deserves much, much more.

The New Anfield stadium have been dragged on and on due to the fact that the club's board and shareholders are unable to fork out the massive amount of money to build the new stadium. The money needed to buy a new spiritual home for the Reds skyrocketed over the years and David Moores certainly felt he doesn't have the resources to take Liverpool into a new level.

But with stadium promised to be built by April, it's certainly a positive step for Liverpool, in the right direction at last. When it comes to moving away from Anfield, I can feel the pain of many Liverpudlians who have been there fore many years as have their forefathers. It's a ground where many laughed together, sang together and cried together. The sacred ground to many, will go into the history books and the legendary Kop End might not be able to be seen again.


To me, I'm positive of this move. The DIC's takeover sounded more promising due to their extensive PR work but I don't think it's right to threaten the club and it's board. Whatever the case, Mr. Moores have agreed to sell his family inheritance to the duo and all we can hope for is a bright red future for the club. It has been sleeping for far too long and only recently, through Rafa and his men, we could regain a bit of consciousness. Now it's time we open our eyes wide and compete with the big boys, head on.

Hopes:

The transfer kitty given to Rafa will be an important weapon. But I feel that the two men should NOT meddle with the transfer activities and let the manager himself to buy players he want. We've seen what happened to him during his days at Valencia and I certainly do not want it to happen again. Things and matters on the field, I hope the two Americans will give their full support to Rafa and his team.

As the new stadium is said to not have gotten a naming right, it means that the New Anfield could very well be a Coca Cola Astrodome or MacDonald's Stadium. To me, I prefer NOT to have these and stick to either Anfield or New Anfield. They have mentioned that if they could sign an extra world class player just because of the naming rights, I think we shouldn't go down that way but keep our club tradition where it is.

The Kop End must be within the stadium, no matter what. It's part of Liverpool that nobody can take away. It's a symbolism of football fanaticism, passion, love and support.


It's exciting times ahead of Liverpool. It'll be an unpredictable one, just like how DIC's deal fell through and the duo got it in the end. It might just be a blessing in disguise and we'll never know, until perhaps a few years down the road when we'll certainly talk about it again.

And finally, the deal is done and there will not be any more distractions for the players. This few months have been pretty distraction ones for the players as the club is involved in all these takeover talks. Now it is settled, the players can now go out to play without worries.

Significantly, I believe the takeover will inspire some players to up their ante. With money coming in, I think the players will fear for their future at the club and will have to be at their best or be replaced in the summer. That'll certainly spark the players to go from strength to strength.

As football and Liverpool have moved on, it's time for the fans to move on as well. We might bemoan the sale as selling the soul to the devil. But I believe this two men will bring Liverpool into the next level where Moores couldn't. Hang in there, tight!

Reds Agree Takeover Terms

From BBC:

American duo George Gillett and Tom Hicks have reached an agreement to buy Liverpool, the club have announced.

The club have called a news conference at 1400 GMT to announce the details of the takeover.

Liverpool chairman David Moores, who will become an honorary life president, said: "This is a great step forward for its shareholders and its fans."

Hicks and Gillett, who beat off Dubai International Capital for the Reds, are owners of NHL ice hockey teams.

The offer is worth £5,000 per share, valuing the club at £174.1m, and along with the club's £44.8m debt their offer is worth £218.9m.

But the pair are also thought to have guaranteed over £200m towards the cost of building a new stadium.

A club statement said: "Liverpool FC today announced that the board have agreed the terms of an offer for the club from Mr George Gillett and Mr Tom Hicks.

"The board are unanimously recommending that the club's shareholders accept this offer."

Moores added: "This club is my passion and forms a huge part of my life. After much careful consideration, I have agreed to sell my shares to assist in securing the investment needed for the new stadium and for the playing squad.

"I am also delighted to accept the offer from the Hicks and Gillett families to continue my involvement in the club by becoming honorary life president."

Liverpool chief executive Rick Parry added: "This is great for Liverpool, our supporters and the shareholders - it is the beginning of a new era for the club.

"They are bringing to the table tremendous and relevant experience, a passion for sport, real resources and a strong commitment to the traditions of Liverpool.

"They have made clear their intention to move as quickly as practicable on the financing and construction of our proposed new stadium at Stanley Park and also to support investment in the playing squad.

"This has been an important time for the club. We now have the right partners for the future. I am absolutely certain we have now ended up in the right place, with owners who will help the club succeed and prosper.

Hicks, who also owns the Texas Rangers baseball team, joined forces with Gillett to gazump rival bidders DIC last week.

Arrangements over the future of Liverpool's new stadium appear to have clinched the deal.

Hicks has built up a reputation for developing state-of-the-art stadia for his teams.

But his presence apparently ensured that Liverpool will not have to share their new Stanley Park ground with neighbours, Everton.

Gillett has impressed Liverpool with his proposals and the speed at which he completed due diligence - the process of investigation by potential investors - in three days.

The 68-year-old American has also stressed his experience in running successful sporting operations.

It is thought to be the first time that two owners of rival sports clubs in one league have combined to purchase a club in another.

"We fully acknowledge and appreciate the unique heritage and rich history of Liverpool and intend to respect this heritage in the future.

"The Hicks family and the Gillett family are extremely excited about continuing the club's legacy and tradition.

"We are particularly pleased that David Moores and Rick Parry will have a continuing involvement in the club. For us continuity and stability are keys to the future."


Breakdown:

Total Share Capital: £174.1m
Clearing of debts: £44.8m
New Stadium Cost: £200m

Enterprise value: £218.9million

Drogballs: Point of note. There is reliable source that states the new stadium will start NEXT MONTH and we should be aware that Tom Hicks is an experienced sports franchise owner who builds state of the art stadia for his teams so I don't think we need to worry about the New Anfield.

Regarding sponsorship for next season, it will almost definitely not be Carlsberg and the source states that they have found a huge company to be our sponsor.

Hopefully, a bright and red future ahead of us. I shall reserve my comment to later and not jump to conclusion. But it is exciting times indeed.

Getting To Know Our New Owner

Extracted from RAWK.com:

What do you hope to achieve with Liverpool Football Club?

George Gillett: We had the privilege of spending some time last night with Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher and they delivered us the message. They are all about winning and all about the passion from the fans. They asked us three specific questions:

They wanted continuity of management with David and Rick. They have enormous regard for them. They also spoke extremely warmly about Rafa and made us aware that they feel this man is truly one of the great geniuses in the recent history of the sport. They wanted to communicate to us the feeling from the dressing room was of great respect for the management team.

Secondly, they wanted to talk about players and to encourage us to support Rick and Rafa's efforts in building the team.

They were also clear with their views on the stadium. They made us aware the sound, the energy and the passion that Anfield provides needs to be incorporated into the design of the new stadium.

They were the three messages they wanted us to hear and we heard them loud and clear.


Did you understand what Jamie Carragher was saying?

George Gillett: We did! He's definitely a scouser, that's for sure. The first thing the two players did was give us their shirts with a nice message so that was a special moment for us.

I'm sure he don't understand Carra, I'm sure.... And the monumental moment in Liverpool Football Club's long history is about to unfold. Sit tight and hang on!

You Must Wait To Get The Best

That line above sums up everything about Liverpool, isn't it? Once again, we're made to wait for not one, but two decisions, right at the eleventh hour. Both Javier Mascherano and Dubai Int. Corporation (DIC) are the losers of this round as one was made to wait along with Liverpool while the other one threw tantrum and left when they faced challenge from US billionaire, George Gillett.

Wait For Javier

Liverpool's protracted bid to sign West Ham midfielder Javier Mascherano has been drawn out further by the Premier League's decision to look more closely at the details of the transfer.

The Argentina midfielder was given special dispensation by world governing body FIFA to complete the transfer despite already played for two clubs competitively this season - the Hammers and Brazilian club Corinthians.

Liverpool submitted the player's registration documents to the Premier League ahead of the midnight transfer deadline but they cannot, as yet, call the player their own.

"The Premier League can confirm that, in accordance with its rules, Javier Mascherano's registration documents were received from Liverpool FC prior to the transfer window closing," said a statement from the Premier League.

"While Liverpool have met the required deadline the Premier League Board, consistent with its powers in this matter, has decided to take time to satisfy itself with the proposed arrangements before the registration can be effected and the player permitted to play for Liverpool FC.

"The board will consider the terms of the registration as quickly as possible and notify the parties involved of its decision accordingly.

Something which I cannot agree with and baffled. Right, so after a month of 'discussion', FIFA decides to let us go ahead with the signing of Mascherano from West Ham on loan. It's controversial as it's an exploit of the loophole in the 'rules' of the game as a player is not supposed to play for more than 2 clubs in a year. We had a point to argue and we made ourselves clear. Fair enough.

So it took FIFA around 30 days before they gave us an answer and by then, we had to submit the case to FAPL and now again, another 'investigation'. If the world football governing body has already dispensate the case, why do they need another round? Trying to show who's big daddy here?

Miles and miles of red tapes. Time wasted. A player's career I'm talking about here. Javier haven't played since December 8 and why? I don't know. Perhaps the shady company that owned him has the answer.

What to do? Wait, la.


Wait For Takeover

Boy A likes Girl A and his love reciprocated. But in comes Girl B and Boy A seemed impress by her. Seen talking to the new Girl B, Girl A got jealous and let with a note saying "Hope you have great fun with your new girl." and then a "hmmpf!" at the end of it.

Sounds familiar? Read the DIC statement on their decision to pull out of the deal.

"As businessmen, we move on. As fans, we hope that the new owners would share the same vision as we had for LFC."

It's really how you interpret their statement. Some thinks they're nice enough to say good luck. But then again, read between the lines, you could sense a little anger and annoyance. I could understand. To me, their CEO, Samir Al-Ansari seemed like a nice person with a passion for the Reds. Sadly, due to unforeseen circumstances, the board decided to reject the bid from them and out they went.

I'm disappointed, as you can see from my previous post. But then again I have to make myself clear that the post yesterday was more of a knee-jerk reaction (we all do, don't we?). Sometimes we just jump to conclusion to quickly and never really take a look at the bigger picture.

I cannot say I've seen the bigger picture, actually not much have been made available for fans, but I still believe Parry and Moores KNOWS what they're doing. And what can we do as fans? Trust in our board I guess. Nothing much we could do. Only the insiders know what's going on and the people on the outside like us, could only speculate all day lay blames and pointing fingers.

CEO RickParry has appealed to the fans to trust the board and I still think they know what they're doing. Not much have been known about this new American billionaire since he seemed to be in and out of the picture all the time and his didn't gain as much publicity as the DIC.

Even the FA Premier League Chief, Brian Barwick came forward and said about how clubs now have befallen into the hands of foreigners and has reinstated that clubs are not a passive thing but something that many have their lives attached to. He spoke as a passionate Liverpool fan and said "don't mess with the club I love".

And again, all we can do is, WAIT. Hopefully, not for long.

DIC Pull Out Of Liverpool Deal

The Dubai International Capital investment group have pulled out of a proposed takeover of Liverpool.

The group, owned by the Dubai government, had been examining the club's books with a view to a £156million buy-out.

And their decision to withdraw follows the failure of the Liverpool board to accept the offer last night, following a rival bid by American billionaire George Gillett.

A statement read: "Dubai International Capital LLC today announces that it has decided to end negotiations with Liverpool FC & Athletic Grounds plc about a possible investment in the club.

"Having completed due diligence, DIC submitted a comprehensive offer to the Liverpool board.

"The offer had been accepted in principle by majority shareholder David Moores. It appears that the Liverpool board and the majority shareholder David Moores were unable to approve these terms in order to allow DIC to make a formal offer to all shareholders."

The news prolongs Liverpool's long search for the outside investment they believe they need to compete at the top end of the Premiership and in Europe.

DIC had been their most likely suitor and entered into discussions with the club late last year.

The deal would have valued the club at £450million but the Dubai group have decided to withdraw following the board's decision to allow more time to consider the Gillett bid.

Gillett, owner of the Montreal Canadiens ice hockey team, has proposed a deal which is thought to offer shareholders more for their holdings.

Sameer Al Ansari, executive chairman and chief executive officer of DIC, said: "We are very disappointed to be making this announcement. DIC are a serious investor with considerable resources at our disposal.

"At the same time, we are supporters of the game and of the club. Liverpool's investment requirements have been well publicised and, after a huge amount of work, we proposed a deal that would provide the club with the funds it needs, both on and off the pitch.

"We were also prepared to offer shareholders a significant premium on the market price of the shares. However, we will not overpay for assets."

Drogballs: I seriously don't know what to say. After months of anticipating and waiting for that 'imminent' move, the board dillied and dallied, waited and waited and finally DIC says take this or f**k off.

And then the American Gillett decides to enter the picture from out of nowhere and offer another deal. With more money involved, the board seemed to sway towards him and that's it, two months of waiting, back to square one.

Sometimes I wonder whether our board are really a bunch of arrogant people who thinks that because they own Liverpool, a prestigious club, they have the f**king right to stop the world from spinning.

Reading Steven Gerrard's book on how the board dealt with his contract row makes me sick. Now this. Can we afford to wait again?

I don't know much about business takeovers and corporate stuff but I sincerely hope Parry, Moores and his lackeys know what they're doing. If they don't have a back up plan than go ahead, laugh at us.

Anyway New Anfield to be build in 2049 I assume. Gutted.