Change of tact needed towards Liverpool FC owners
BRILLIANT, isn't it? Just last week I used this column to make a plea that the obvious constraints placed on Rafa Benitez during the transfer window should not be used as the stimulus for another session of chest-beating about our absentee owners and their financial mismanagement of the club.
Not because they are not guilty of such a charge; just that it would provide another excuse for our under-performing manager and players to duck the blame for this season's debacle and provide further ammunition to the media to paint us as a crisis club, paving the way for the apparently inevitable exit of Gerrard, Torres and anybody else a bit miffed we may not be playing Champions league football next season.
So what do we get? Another blundering intervention by a member of our favourite American family: this time Bart stealing the initiative from dad Homer, sending a foul-mouthed email to a customer that would have got him the sack in almost any company you can think of.
And before you could say 'Doh!', sure enough the inevitable happened and a swift apology was accompanied by a resignation from the board.
Next thing we're back on the BBC Six O'Clock News, complete with 'vox pops' with disaffected fans and archive footage of anti-American banners on the Kop. Just what we needed, another PR disaster.
Predictably, the media made a beeline for a Spirit of Shankly representative, only too willing to provide them with the strong rhetoric. Job done.
Now I confess to being conflicted about the Spirit of Shankly.
On the one hand I don't doubt their intentions are well-meaning, on the other I'm nervous of groups who unilaterally assume the cloak and implied approval of our great icon and profess to speak for all fans.
Some of their tactics also concern me. But my chief objection is to the uncompromising, single message of 'YANKS OUT', which to me seems naive and potentially damaging to our longer-term interest.
Naive because it carries with it an implicit assumption that there's a billionaire out there who's been to every match for the last 20 years just itching to pile their hard-earned cash into the club for no financial reward; Moores and Parry spent nearly three years trying to find such a beast and failed.
Potentially damaging because, if they are forced out, then they're likely to sell to the highest bidder and who's to say their successors will be any better?
Like it or not, we've sold our soul to the devil and there's no going back. Is there a case for settling for the devil we know and trying to influence (and educate) them through less confrontational methods?
The owners have not covered themselves in glory - but has the antagonism shown towards them discouraged this also?
Perhaps it's time for a change of tack, and to start to build some mutual trust.
Many of you will think Hicks' noises about big summer signings and progress on the stadium about as trustworthy as a BBC phone-in competition, but there's a basis here for discussions about moving forward.
Avoiding foot-in-mouth moments would help too.
ANDY PROUDFOOT
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I agree with a lot of what you have said Andy and also cringe every time I see us providing our 'mates' in the media with the chance to start an auction on Torres and/or Gerrard but I`m not quite as fatalistic as you when it comes to the future of the club.
call me naive but I see only two options ahead; one see`s the Americans bring other major investors which they must then match in terms of investment for a new stadium and of course players - the other see`s them unable to find the resources to do this meaning they attemot to pay of the debt by asset stripping (relying on us to keep buying tickets and merchandise which I doubt would happen as taking them down with the club would be our only and ultimate revenge) or more likely, being forced to sell at a realistic price to a new investor who, surely, would come in understanding the requiement to build the new ground to fully maximise the untapped fan-base and also the need to compete in the transfer market to remain competetive and sustain our place amongst the elite.
Although the claim has been made that SOS are sometimes too militant, the fact remains it was their part in this which got Hicks Jr to resign. This is positive news and could have the snowball effect of either getting rid of H+K or at least diluting their ownership. I don't buy the line that there should be some trust between fans and the American owners. Very simply they have lied so many times its tragic. You agree that Hicks' statement about spending in the summer is not believable, yet you want mutual trust. If they can behave in such a manner early in their ownership what will happen in years to come. Sometimes to achieve something worthwile you have to go through a bit of pain. Also I can't see any new owners being any worse so I would rather risk that. SOS would not have existed without such diabolical owners. I hope they carry on their campaign till the changes are made to this proud club.