Bogman

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2010/feb/04/fifa-child-trafficking-sepp-blatter Shrinking stakes Tom Hicks's and George Gillett's ambitious plan to sell off two separate 12.5% stakes in Liverpool for £50m apiece has no takers at that price. The Americans hope that investment will help meet the requirement this July to repay £100m to the Royal Bank of Scotland and Wachovia, on their loans to the club. Hicks and Gillett may have hoped the banks would put up a safety net with a debt-for-equity swap: by taking shares in return for writing off some of their loans. But the banks themselves have ruled this out. Other interested investors are in talks but Gillett and Hicks must first give ground on how big a stake they are prepared to hand over, which is by no means a given. The co-owners had better get used to it, though: with £300m needed to build a new stadium it is likely not to be the last time their holdings are watered down.

Well to cheer everyone up: WaltonRed Legend Posts: 1,583 We all Live in a Red and White Kop Re: SOS Meeting with Christian Purslow Minutes « Reply #954 on: Today at 09:25:01 AM »Quote Quote from: beardsley4ever on Today at 08:56:29 AM As much as I want to be optimistic about the current situation, I'm 65 times bitten 66th time shy, I'm afraid. Fingers crossed though. Best way to be. Nothing new this week. Been open news in the City for months that the Club is for sale and is desperate either for investment or full takeover. And equally open news that the headline price of £500M is nonsense. £250M buys the whole club and has done for months. At that price there has been no serious interest for ages. Club has done countless roadshows, investor briefings, pr packs but no one is interested because buying the club just means you then need to borrow / pay out substantially for a new stadium. All that has happened this week is that we have confirmation of what has not really been a secret; the club are desperate to sell but cannot find anyone willing to buy us for the value of our debt. We are in negative equity. Oh and for those who think that Champions league qualification failure is a good thing because it helps get rid of the owners, let me ask you this: if we are struggling to fund our debt with current cashflows why do you think we will be able to do so with drastically reduced income. For ages its been obvious that 2 (at a push 3) years of successive champions league qualification failure = administration. Nothing in that regard has changed. T THN: Dallas Stars Could Be Sold This Summer? by Brandon Worley on Feb 3, 2010 4:30 PM CST in News » According the The Hockey News and The Sporting News hockey blog, the Dallas Stars could be up for sale as early as this summer. Despite selling the Texas Rangers for more than $500 million recently, Stars owner Tom Hicks' financial troubles have not subsided and the CIT Group, to whom Hicks has defaulted on loans, is forcing Hicks to sell the NHL team. To that end, the Stars have hired an investment advisor to put the team on the market. The starting asking price is believed to be more than $300 million. It's believed the Stars lost just $5 million last season, but that was without the benefit of any home playoff dates. With reports out about the troubles surrounding the sale of the Texas Rangers, and how that sale would not satisfy all of the debt Hicks Sports Group has accrued, it's not surprising that the Stars would be next in line. One reason the Stars were not sold before the Rangers is because of the value of an NHL team versus a baseball team, and how it was hoped that the sale of the Rangers would satisfy all of the loans HSG has defaulted on. Yet with Hicks' financial troubles mounting, and the fact that the Stars still generate a very high amount of revenue, selling the hockey franchise might not be as hard as some thought. With the Tampa Bay Lightning sale in it's final stages, the NHL could set it's sights on Dallas and the ownership situation that is developing here. http://www.defendingbigd.com/2010/2/3/1291372/thn-dallas-stars-could-be-sold

Oh, I know that mate, doesn't fit their agenda.

Aye, been saying that for years (probably). Glad now that people can see what really is going on.

Top work there people. Completely blows the doors of everything, and is exactly what every fan wants to get to the bottom of everything. The s***storm just got alot bigger.

someone keeps moving those darn goalposts.

minutes coming out tonite @ 7pm, according to Graham Smith on RAWK

seasame

Balague's latest blog. I think this is stuff we all know tbh but a couple of interesting titbits: a] he refers to directors instilled [sic] by RBS and b] (not relevant to this topic but of interest anyway, several unhappy players.) Liverpool: Investment pivotal to 5 year plan We have been enjoying a healthy discussion on the site over the past few days following my recent article on the possibility of future investment at Liverpool. Several fans have been asking for details of those plans following the meeting I had with senior figures at Anfield referred to here.... Without breaching confidentiality, I can tell you that during those conversations with the Liverpool hierarchy, the details of a 5 year plan were outlined to me: with an emphasis upon stability. Confirmation of a £100 million pound investment is pivotal to the first step of that plan, and assurances have been made that this money will arrive before the end of the season. Clearly, whether or not this money materialises will have a significant impact upon the next step in any plan. If that investment arrives, then Gillett and Hicks` share of ownership of the club will be reduced – and if not, then the level at which club profits will be required to service the debt will remain the same: as will all the limitations that this entails. Without that investment, then those financial limitations mean, and this is my view, the club (and fans) cannot expect a top four finish as a minimum expectation. It was explained to me – and it is a widely held belief amongst financial experts in the football industry –that there is a direct correlation between the amount of wages paid by a club and the level at which that club can expect to be competitive. With Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal all operating on a higher wage structure than the one in place at Anfield – and with Spurs and Manchester City all matching Liverpool at the moment – then, it is fair to assume the top for cannot be taken for granted, don`t you think? This is an argument that has been articulated, not by the American owners, but by the directors instilled by RBS to oversee the financial strategy at the club. Naturally, they are trying to convince everyone of their own ideas and vision – but, personally speaking, I have been persuaded that, if the investment required arrives, then the club is in the right hands. The source of that £100 million investment will also have to be in a position to help finance the building of a new stadium (at a cost of £350 million) while also having enough leverage to help attract the necessary loans and further investment from the banks. I anticipate the next question from the fans will be regarding how much of any £100 million investment will be made available to strengthen the squad.The answer is, in the short term, that supporters are unlikely to notice any significant increase in spending power at Anfield. However, in the longer term, the club will be in a much healthier financial position and, over time, the clubs budget will grow. For example, the plan is for the additional revenue generated by a new stadium to double the club`s £45 million profits – which in turn will lead to an increase in the budget available for transfer spending etc. Will that be enough to convince Rafa Benitez of a long term future at the club? Yes, provided that his plans for the squad in the short and medium are adhered to. That will involve the ability to secure the two or three players he has identified on free contracts at the end of the season. The manager will also need to offload several unhappy players for a decent fee and be able to re-invest any money generated by player sales back into the squad, and the directors say it is the case. Liverpool fans may be alarmed at the mention of free transfers playing a significant role in summer spending plans, but it illustrates that Benitez is acting prudently and making allowances for the fact that additional investment may not materialise or that his budget may not increase significantly. It also emphasises the fact that, despite the interest from Juventus, Benitez is planning ahead for a future at Liverpool and that his head – and his heart – are tied to Anfield whatever happens regarding external investment. If the additional £100 million does reach the club – and the new stadium is built - then Benitez will at least be able to build a squad with the depth to rival United or Chelsea. And if it doesn`t, then the target will have to be to maintain an extremely competitive first IX, while trying to assemble a second string of players that is as good as possible under the circumstances.

someone somewhere is eating a toffee crisp.

If he was, I appologise. I wish people would ( ) or ( ) when they're being sarcastic. I'm old.

Great post mate. Then we get dross like this: Coyler Posted Today, 02:06 PM CarraLegend, on 29 January 2010 - 02:03 PM, said: He usually flat out denies stuff if it isnt true and I cant see this being a political game, theres no point, we're skint and he's not negotiating a new contract. Must be seriously considering it. Not surprising seeing as he's been found out in England. He should be glad of the work.

Agreed, nothing good would come of it. Again, all "ifs" and "buts" at the mo.

Need to take in more supplies

This has really got to be the worst season for just about everything to do with our club since we were formed. We're a mess, a complete shambles from the top down. Everyday we're whored through every conceivable media outlet. Think I may go to sleep till the start of next season.

Aye, outstanding work.

Fair dinkum mate. Cross polunated from TLW atk √ €500 = No Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Sunny Crosby Posts: 6,434 vCash: 500 iTrader: (0) Re: Dougie, ATK and Moores 17/01/10 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- As you all know myself and Mick recently had a unplanned talk to David Moores at the gates of his home. As a result of this a further meeting took place yesterday at the Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral Cafe. (Paddy's Wigwam) Present at the meeting were Myself, Mick, Kev Sampson, David Moores and Rick Parry. Although both Mick and I were completely upfront about our views of both DM's and RP's role in the sale, the tone of the meeting was positive and we left feeling cautiously optimistic. We started by underlining our anger and frustrations at the situation the club is now in, and how we come to be in such a state. We let it be known to DM that he'd made terrible error of judgement in selling to G+H and David Moores agreed with us. In the meeting at his house, as well as today he said he felt personally let down, but more importantly the fans had been let down as a result of Gillett and Hicks' takeover. We asked DM why he'd not been more vocal in his condemnation of how the club is now being run and why as of yet, he's not made public the reasons that he ultimately decided to sell the club. DM said he will definitely make a full and frank statment but two things are currently holding him back. One is an ongoing legal issue with Liverpool F.C. The other is that he's been led to believe that investment is very close and he doesn't want to jeopardise any potential sale or be blamed for driving investors away. We reminded DM that G+H have been looking for investment since the day they arrived so why should us fans believe that any new investment is forthcoming. We suggested that given the track record of G+H, and the false promises they have made, particularly involving the new stadium that this reported new investment may just be another red herring. DM said that he was as frustrated as us fans. He felt let down at the way the situation at the club had developed but now would not be the right time to speak out. He went on to say that since resigning his position at the club he has not been to Anfield. We brought up several areas where we felt that both DM and RP could be proactive in aiding the removal of Hicks and Gillett, but due to the sensitive nature of what was being requested we can't go into detail about these. It's common knowledge that this is an open forum, and it would be shooting ourselves in the foot to say too much more at this point. Overall, we appreciated them coming out to meet us. We felt they could have, and still can do more. But we have certainly come away thinking it was a worthwhile conversation that may well have a positive outcome further down the line. __________________ Rogan Taylor is a c***

Didn't say i was particularly waiting for them, just interested to see what he says/or doesn't say.

And they're trying to off load Babel/Bennynoon* * delete where applicable.

Totally agree with all of that, and it'll be interesting when we get to read the minutes from SoS, and what, if anything comes of Purslow's 3/6 months worth of new investment promise. I think in the past we've been sloppy and have not kept up the pressure on them. The Fiorentina game, for starters, was an opportunity lost, to me. I just don't want to ease up on the need to turn the screw on them, and let them believe that they've once again quelled the rebellion.

I'd like to think it's the fact that enough is enough. It's probably something to do with the alleged Benny transfer, where it "seemed", the owners were once again undermining the club. Personally, nothings changed for me, you can debate from now until the end of eternity about the pro's and con's about Rafa, but getting rid of Rafa will not change a jot of difference to the club itself, and until we get proper owners in, we will deteriorate in ever decreasing circles. That, is my biggest bug-bear, and has been for a few years now. I don't post much, but when I do, I always bang on about the fact that we have bigger problems at our club than a sulking out of form captain (to use other peoples words, not mine) and Rafael Benitez and that our fan base has cocked a deaf un' at it. THAT annoys me.

I can't close my eyes and make it go away. As someone sang, once.

Aye, and they'll be sooooooooooooooo next year and the year after and the year after. The club is rotten from the top down, and it's probably gonna take something major to happen to the club for people to wake up. SOS do their bit, but the numbers they get to rallies, etc, in the grand scheme of things on a match day, is paltry, and that really narks me. I've tried not to go on the other threads about last nights game, because it's pointless, it really is pointless talking about getting rid of Rafa when in reality nothing will change if he went. I'm disheartened with our supporters. They've become brain washed by Sky, and they want everything now, and if they don't get it, they throw their toys out. We, you me are Liverpool supporters. It doesn't matter if you were'nt born in the city, the club is ours, and it's embarrarssing that the vast majority of our fans have turned a blind eye to whats happening to our once great club. Embarrasssing, that you'll argue about Rafa when he's been battling them from day one, but the moment things get a little tough, you leave him out to dry. Embarrassing that you don't want to believe that the heart is being riped out from within. Embarrassed that you won't do anything about it. But most important, I'm embarrassed that you don't seem to care. Good post Flight.

They've got previous

It's a real shame, that it takes a "potential" sale of one of our better players for our fans to wake up, stop hand-bagging over whether Rafa should go or not, and remember that we've bigger problems with our club than drawing a football game with Wolves. Whether Rafa stays or goes, our owners will still be there. A new manager will still be working with both hands tied behind his back under the same constraints and having to sell our better players just to balance the books. Time we woke upto the real problem people, and that isn't Rafael Benitez.