http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/foo...ague-exit.html 'Disgrace' in Lyon sparks £100m Reds rescue plan with Liverpool nearing Champions League exit By John Edwards Last updated at 10:46 PM on 05th November 2009 Liverpool's hierarchy are piecing together a £100million rescue package to try to turn round a season that has been branded 'a disgrace' by one of their own players. Anfield bosses hope to have the cash injection in place by January and will be eager to avoid any delays after keeper Pepe Reina turned on his own team-mates and berated their Champions League failings. A 1-1 draw in Lyon has left Liverpool staring at a costly group stage elimination and Reina fumed: 'Disgracefully, it is not in our hands any more - we need Lyon to get something at Fiorentina.' Mascherano As Liverpool braced themselves for a shortfall of up to £18m on their latest Champions League takings, it emerged they have been working feverishly behind the scenes to ensure there is no repeat next season. Co-owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett have been courting potential investors in recent weeks and are now ready to press ahead with a rights issue of shares that would dilute their holding but, crucially, generate extra income of around £100m. After being vilified by fans over alleged broken promises, the Americans view surrendering some of their power as a price worth paying for being able to kick-start their much-delayed stadium project and provide transfer funds for the January window. It is understood managing director Christian Purslow has already had negotiations with interested parties and that Hicks and Gillett, while retaining a majority stake, are prepared to reduce their holding to around 35 per cent each to secure the necessary investment. The rights issue has echoes of David Moores' appointment as chairman 18 years ago, when he bought over 50 per cent of the club for £12m, and heaps even more pressure on manager Rafa Benitez. While building a new ground a stone's throw away at Stanley Park remains the priority for Hicks and Gillett, they are acutely aware of their squad's shortcomings and keen to release transfer funds in the New Year. Fernando Torres Summer exodus: Torres could quit Anfield if Liverpool fail to qualify for the Champions League next season Whether Benitez will be trusted with them evidently depends on what happens between now and then. The promise of new investment could give Hicks and Gillett the financial muscle needed to dispense with their under-fire manager, even at a cost of £20m in compensation. It is bound to be given serious consideration if Liverpool continue to falter and risk missing out on the Champions League altogether next season. They will forfeit up to £18m if they fail to overhaul Fiorentina in the next few weeks and face being out of pocket by almost twice as much if they finish outside the Barclays Premier League's top four next May. As an added concern, such a nightmare scenario would also cast doubt over the futures of key players such as Fernando Torres, Reina, Javier Mascherano and even Steven Gerrard. Torres, Reina and Mascherano all see the Champions League as an essential showcase for their talents, while Gerrard would be just as dismayed, even if he is unlikely to turn his back on his home club, at this late stage, after twice pulling out of moves to Chelsea. A return of one win from eight games has surely put paid to Liverpool's title hopes, but Reina was just as perturbed by the way they have been left lagging five points behind Fiorentina in Group E, with just two games to go. But he argued: 'We can handle the pressure. We can trust in ourselves, and we will turn this situation around - I am sure of that.' Ronnie Whelan blamed Benitez's transfer dealings for Liverpool's plight. 'I don't doubt Benitez's passion for Liverpool or his hunger to win for the fans, but his judgement in the transfer market has been awful and that's why the Kop will be watching Europa Cup games before too long,' said the former Liverpool midfielder. Ex-Liverpool skipper Graeme Souness said: 'If Rafa had been at any other big club - Arsenal, Chelsea or Manchester United - he would not still be manager, because their supporters are not like Liverpool's. Liverpool fans are a bit more patient.' Graeme Souness might do well to remember that if Rafa was with Arsenal, Chelsea or Manchester United (and you can add Man City to that list now) he would have the proper funds available to him persue his FIRST choice players and not have to make do with the bargian basement and free signings, I'd love to see how the managers of these clubs would fair if they had the misfortune to have the two plonkers of owners that Rafa to put up with, as for Ronnie Whelan's comments Well he should know better, and even if we have to play in the Europa Cup in the new year we will be right behind our team and manager and we'll go on and win the thing
souness would also do well to remember the donkeys he bought,and that when he took over we where pretty much the top team in england................f**ckin clown
daily mail in recent times has more shit in it than the rag. One shit paper. lazy basta8ds.everything is thrown together in bits to make a story from other articles and quotes.
If there's one man who is in no position to judge others on the Liverpool manager's job it's Souness. The most disastrous manager in the clubs history. Should write a book called 'how to dismantle a championship winning side', and no doubt he'd serialise it in the s*n too, the pleb
Yawn. More made up media bullshit. they really are obsessed with our club. as for Souness Where do you begin. twat of the highest order.
http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/new...-Liverpool-owner-Tom-Hicks-article214907.html I take most of these articles with a pinch of salt as I think there Not going anywhere soon it seems. The annoying thing is Hicks and Gillete knows the value of our club/brand whatever you wana call it hence the fact we have now got a world record shirt sponsership deal(Spurs got more under Moores and Parry), and now he knows that we could get a stadium naming deal that will pay for 2/3rds of the current stadium cost which is around £280m , if those fcukin retards that ran us into the ground had any brain cells in 2000, the stadium would have been built and paid for with no debt on it, that cnut Moores was at the manc game aswell, cnut does'nt learn.
Who in their right mind would want to invest in a club saddled with the debt that Liverpool is. Will the investors be coming in to pay this debt? If so where will the money come from to finance the new stadium and new players?
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/liverpool/article6907973.ece LIVERPOOL will brush off the controversy over England’s top clubs selling naming rights to their stadiums and chase the most expensive naming rights deal in the history of sport. Despite the recession, the Merseyside club’s hierarchy are convinced they can raise a mammoth £250m by persuading a leading global firm to buy the rights to name Liverpool’s proposed ground. Liverpool’s owners, Tom Hicks and George Gillett, have been buoyed by their record £20m-per-season shirt sponsorship agreement signed recently with Standard Chartered, taking it as proof of the world-wide appeal of the club and the Premier League. These factors have persuaded Hicks and Gillett to revisit stadium-building plans, shelved due to Liverpool’s debts. The two Americans now believe they can underwrite more than 50% of the cost of building a new ground on a site earmarked on Stanley Park through a world-record naming rights sale. The benchmark they have set Liverpool’s commercial team is the deal signed between the New York Mets baseball franchise and Citigroup. The American financial services giant paid $20m (£12m) a year over 20 years to have a new stadium, Citi Field, opened by the Mets early in 2009. Liverpool believe they can outstrip that. “Naming rights are a global market,” said Hicks. “We likely will partner with someone wanting global branding, unlike the US stadiums, which only worry about TV appeal in the States, similar to why Standard Chartered chose to partner with us on our shirts.” Despite debts approaching £300m and Liverpool’s onfield worries, Hicks remains bullish about the outlook for his club. He said Rafael Benitez would not be forced to sell star players even if Liverpool fail to qualify for the knockout stages of the Champions League. Hicks and Gillett are seeking new investors, in the hope of raising money to reduce the club’s debt by diluting their shareholding, and spoke of “significant interest”. They are undeterred by protests by Newcastle fans in response to their club’s stadium being renamed sportsdirect.com@St James’ Park Stadium and criticism of Chelsea, who last week announced they were looking to sell off naming rights to Stamford Bridge in the hope of raising £150m. Related Links Torres 'told to rest for three weeks' Alonso saddened by struggling Liverpool Anfield prepares to count the cost of failure Liverpool believe their situation is different, because they are building a new stadium rather than renaming an existing one. They regard as a precedent Arsenal, who signed a £100m 15-year deal with Emirates, which also included shirt sponsorship, when they moved from Highbury in 2006. Manchester United are the only Big Four club for whom a naming rights sale does not appear an option. A club source said a rights sale involving Old Trafford is “not on our agenda”. Sir Alex Ferguson said Chelsea’s plans were driven by money. “It is the only reason I can think of. But it does not really concern me. I wouldn’t have thought [it would happen at United].” between an equity investment and the selling of the stadium naming rights the stadium could be paid for with minimal borrowing and people wonder why the yanks wont sell its because they are sitting on a gold mine!!!
any leading global firm who even considers doing any kind of deal like that with them pair of cnuts wants their fcukin heads examined... that stadium mentioned in that article cost $850 million to build,citigroup committed $400 million of that and there's fcukin murder ging on in the states over it with calls for citigroup to find any way possible out of the deal. even i g+t did find somene stupid enough to agree to a deal where the fcuk are they going to get the rest of the money?
Advance Season ticket sales would make up another £40m, if they can get 20,000 new season ticket holders to pay 2 years tickets in advance, then you've advance sales of coporate boxs etc, it can be done and the idiots that had us before should have known this.
the CHEEK of souness ! he´s the main bloody reason the scum got ahead of us !! he instigated our downfall in the 90´s...from which we´ve barely recovered ! the fcuker should be ashamed to ever be an analyst for Liverpool games ! & as for HIS record in the transfer market ! - nuff said!
a great player for us though im not happy with whelan either the policy of the club was always dont wash your dirty laundry in the open these ex players should keep it shut and show some respect to the club that no doubt made them and take a leaf out of aldo and thommos book.