A crucial time for Liverpool Football Club
Decisions made in the next few weeks will determine the future of this football club.
When Gillett and Hicks arrived it seemed that all the right moves would be made to position the club to compete at the top level for years to come. The new stadium was seen as key to that future. With a new modern stadium in place Liverpool could possibly even double the current match day revenues when the extra corporate facilities were factored in.
As was made only too clear yesterday with the resignation of Martin O'Neill from Villa, we understand over a row with Villa's owner over finances, money is the name of the game if a club wants to be able to compete.
No stadium was forthcoming under Hicks and Gillett. Players have been bought and sold but in the last few years more money has come in on player sales than has gone out.
Hopefully we are now nearing the end game as far as Hicks and Gillett are concerned. The latest news we now have is that Kenny Huang - or Red Ken as some fans are now calling him - has asked to meet Spirit of Shankly - Share LFC representatives for discussions. Sky TV also claims that the club will actually be sold before we kick a ball against Arsenal next Sunday, sold to the consortium led by the Syrian businessman Yahya Kirdi.
True or just Sky speculation?
At present we know very little about the true make up of either bid - however certain respected supporter websites seem to know more about the Huang bid as bits and pieces are leaking out. Chinese sovereign wealth anyone?
What does seem certain is that the bid from Kenny Huang is valuing the club at a lot less than Gillett and Hicks would like and that our American owners would therefore be much keener to deal with Mr.Kirdi's consortium - who it seems by some observers values the club at least ã200M higher than Kenny Huang?
So we have Red Ken in one corner, eager to talk to the fans, presenting a deal that may mean our unpopular owners leave with next to nothing and with the whisper of the huge wealth resources of a global superpower at his disposal. In the other corner we have Mr.Kirdi, allegedly an associate of George Gillett's son Foster, who seems willing to stump up an extra ã200M which would mean Gillett and Hicks make a profit on their "stewardship" of Liverpool Football Club.
A reasonable question would be, why would the backers of Mr.Kirdi's bid be comfortable paying such a high price for the club when someone else values it at so much less?
The bids seem diametrically opposed but as usual the fans are stuck in the middle. The only thing you can say is that at least Mr.Huang wants to talk to representatives of the supporters. (Does SOS-SL represent the views of the majority of the support? Maybe, time will tell)
What is very clear is that the club cannot afford to get this decision wrong. By the club I mean Martin Broughton and Barclays Capital who have been brought in to oversee the sale and the RBS, who in effect really own us as Hicks and Gillett have us in hock to them for hundreds of millions of pounds.
The club needs to be debt free. It needs a new revenue-generating stadium to compete on a European and global scale. A world-class facility, owned by LFC for the benefit of LFC, the regeneration of the Anfield area of Liverpool should not be laid at the door of the club.
This potential sale also presents an opportunity to lay the foundations of not only new firm financial footings and the bricks and mortar of a new stadium.
It also presents an opportunity to lay the foundations of a new era for the supporters.
In an ideal world we as supporters would love to own the club. In this current era it seems that we would never be able to raise the huge sums required.
What might be achievable however would be to purchase a stake in the club. You could argue that as most supporters have already given their hearts and souls to the club what more could anyone ask?
Sadly it seems Money would be needed. The newly merged SOS-SL may well be able to start the ball rolling on generating enough cash to obtain a significant percentage of the club and obtain supporter representation on the board. That obviously would have to be with the co-operation of any new owners, willing to give up a proportion of their acquisition.
A future where the club has a new world-class stadium to operate from, debt-free and with true partnership with the fans would be a dream come true, especially after the nightmare of Hicks and Gillett.
So, are we about to see an end to our nightmare or begin a whole new one?
Crucial time. Crucial decisions.
Older/Newer
« Latest LFC news from the Liverpool ECHO - Agger: Poulsen fits bill, fans groups' cautious welcome for Chinese bid | Latest LFC news from the Liverpool ECHO - 'New man' Aurelio wants start, u21 debut goal for Kelly, fans letters on takeover »
Latest Premier League video
