Jean-François Bégin : Gillett fait voir rouge à Liverpool | Soccer | Cyberpresse
This is by the fella who came over last week to cover the Sandon meeting and the Sunderland game.
Babelfish translation......
Already owner of the Canadian of Montreal, George Gillett acquired, one year ago, of a second mythical club: Liverpool Football Club. Gillett and its partner Tom Hicks were received with arms open in the city of the North-West of England.
But the honeymoon was short. Some discussed decisions were enough so that the capital of sympathy of the two Americans leaves in smoke, at the point where the partisans claim their immediate departure today.
Portrait of a city in anger. "In a club of football, there is a Holy Trinity: players, the manager and supporters. The owners do not form part of it. They are only there to sign the cheques." - Bill Shankly, manager of Liverpool FC (1959-1974) "We recognize the single inheritance fully and the rich person history of Liverpool and we intend to respect this inheritance." - George Gillett and Tom Hicks, February 6, 2007 The match has just finished at the stage of Anfield. Liverpool, as anaesthetized by the cold wave which paralyses the north of England in this 2 February, played without conviction.
But against the modest team of Sunderland, the troop of the manager Rafael Benitez did not need to make some more to carry it 3-0. In the stage, the relief is obvious: it is the first victory of Liverpool in six matches of league this year. The team goes up with the fifth rank of the classification, a point behind her large local rival, Everton, a point behind the last pass for the League of the champions. The steps are emptied quietly. It is the hour to celebrate between friends. The hour to thread a few pints of lager in the heat of the Albert, Park or Sandon, pubs of the surroundings where the partisans of Reds gather. But for some, the beer will wait.
All in top of Kop, the imposing platform where are gathered most savage supporters club, 2000 fans remained with their seats. In the now deserted stage, their imprécations resound even bruyamment than usually: "They are foutent of Rafa. They foutent fans. Liverpool FC is not between good hands ", stress. After 20 minutes, they from go away. The message passed. Remain to see whether it will be heard. When George Gillett and Tom Hicks bought Liverpool FC, in February 2007, they were posed as guards of the inheritance of the club, more titrated history of the English foot.
Gillett knew the music: six years as owner of the legendary Canadian of Montreal had taught the importance to him to show respect for the tradition. Gillett and its associate, a former backer of George W. Bush who is also owner of the Stars of Dallas and Rangers of Texas, were accomodated as savers.
They promised that the first ground shovelful of the supposed stage to replace Anfield would be carried out "in the 60 days". That Benitez would have the funds necessary to attract players high-speed motorboats. And, especially, that they would not imitate the Glazer family, which burdened Manchester United (the richest club of the world) with an amazing debt by buying the team, three years ago.
Twelve months later, the two American businessmen became bet: for the partisans, the year one of their reign is summarized with a litany of not respected engagements. The project of stage tramples: the plans had to be revised, the costs threatening to exceed the 800 million dollars. The budget Net of the transfers, even by including the 40 million paid to obtain the prolific one attacking Spanish Fernando Torres, was almost identical to that of last year.
And here is that a plan of refinancing of 700 million dollars buckled there is ten days will force the club to annually pay the trifle of 60 million dollars - just to refund the debt incurred by Hicks and Gillett to buy the club.
In the many forums of discussion and fanzines devoted to Reds, hunting for the Americans is open. Only 2% of the Net surfers having answered a consultation of Liverpool FC Supporters Network say to rely on Hicks and Gillett. "This club always had been a prudently managed family company, had said John Mackin, group of supporters Reclaim the Kop.
The American arrival was regarded an evil necessary in order to be competing with clubs equipped with greater stages (like Manchester United and Arsenal) or which have a dad cake, as Chelsea (property of the Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich). But the new owners disavowed their promises." The cut overflowed in mid-January. Tom Hicks acknowledged with a journalist of Liverpool Echo that Gillett and had met to him secretly, in November, the ex-trainer of the German national team, Jürgen Klinsmann. The owners wanted to have a "insurance" in the event of resignation or dismissal policy of Benitez, whose relations with the owners were then with most badly.
One did not have any more so that Hicks becomes the public enemy number one In Liverpool, the manager is sacro-saint. "the particular relation between the supporters and the manager is a phenomenon which goes up at the time of Bill Shankly. The fans have for him whole a devotion ", known as to defer it Tony Barrett, to who Hicks gave his fateful interview.
To manage of the team of 1959 to 1974, Shankly is a demigod in Liverpool. One set up a statue to him in front of Kop. ("It made people happy", known as the inscription on the pedestal.) It started again the club after the lean years of the post-war period. Other managers were more success. But nobody was identified as much in Liverpool than this Scot, nor better incarnated not the passion of the fans for their team. When 300 partisans met in Sandon (the pub where the club was founded in 1892) to provide the foundations of an association of supporters, last week, they did not spend time to get along on a name: the Sounds of Shankly (Wire of Shankly), a name whose initial ones, S.O.S, make echo with their current distress.
During three hours, the fans present drew with red balls on malicious "the Yanks" which usurped the control of their beloved club. A boycotting of the products derived from the club and a demonstration after the match against Sunderland were issued. The bitterness was palpable; the message, limpid: "Foutez the camp. Leave our quiet club."
Neil Atkinson and Andy Heaton form part of the leaders of the Sounds of Shankly. Sat at table in a bar à.la.mode of Albert Dock, on the edge of the Mersey, the two men in the semi-score explain, with the impenetrable accent of Scousers truths, from where their love comes to them from Liverpool FC. They grew in the Eighties, at one time when, to employ the expression of Andy, Margaret Thatcher baited itself "to decimate" industries of the city, which had the defect to be directed by a town council of extreme left. "poverty was enormous, says it. There was no money, not employment. The only thing that we had, it was our club of football, which gained in Europe and England."
Since, gives it was reversed. The city reestablished, but the club was outdistanced by Manchester United, Arsenal and, more recently, Chelsea. The love of the partisans, him, intact - is even reinforced by the magic evening of May 2005 when Liverpool, against any logic, filled a retreat of 3-0 against Milan to gain the final of the League of the champions.
To remain arms crossed in front of the current rout? Impossible. "It is a lack of respect, known as Neil. A mutually advantageous arrangement had been promised to us, but we find ourselves in a situation where we pay the owners so that they have the club, while seeing this one regressing. They is disastrous." The means of pressure do nothing but start, ensure. A boycotting of Carlsberg, the principal sleeping partner of the club, is possible. "They do not realize at which point we can be obstinate", known as Andy.
The threat is not free, like know it too well the editors of Sun, the daily newspaper more sold in England. In April 1989, four days after 96 fans of Liverpool had perished, crushed by crowd in a latticed section of the stage of Hillsborough, the tabloïd had affirmed wrongfully that drunk supporters had attacked the police officers and the first-aid workers and that they had urinated on corpses. A boycotting of the newspaper was immediately started in Liverpool. It persists to date and undoubtedly cost tens of million to its owner, Rupert Murdoch.
Good news for the fans, the rumour wants that Hicks and/or Gillett are with their last miles in Liverpool. The relations between the two men worsened at the point where they do not wish any more to work together. But if they had to be put at it at two to buy the club, one sees badly how Hicks or Gillett could only make now riding.
A more realistic scenario would see the shares of Gillett or Hicks to be repurchased by Dubai International Capital. The vehicle of investment of the Arab emirate had failed in its attempt to acquire the club, one year ago, but the English newspapers bruissent of rumours according to which it remains interested. While discussing with the partisans, constant returns.
The fans of Liverpool would prefer of much that it is the owner of the Canadian, and not Hicks, which remains in the portrait. Its public rows with Rafa Benitez were worth in Hicks a reputation of fort in mouth and control freak, contrary to famous "Liverpool Way", this philosophy of management which to preach the payment of the conflicts far from the microphones and the cameras - and which rather gives the last word to the manager than with the owner. "Hicks was regarded as the quiet partner, but it was all except that, note Andy Heaton. It in is almost comic. It would be said that it wonders which is the worst thing than it could say - and it says it." Gillett, it, practically disappeared from the media radar (it refused a request for interview for this article). Intrigant fact, its name did not even appear in the recent official statement announcing the refinancing of the debt of the club. "Gillett does not have anything fact which pushes us to say" it is unacceptable ", contrary to Hicks", Neil Atkinson recognizes.
With concentrating too much on the individuals, one ends up forgetting that the problem in is one of structure of property, however estimates the director of Football Industry Group of the University of Liverpool, Rogan Taylor. "people dream of a sugar daddy. But separately an aberration like Abramovich Novel, the sugar daddies do not exist, known as professor Taylor. Nobody will unload to give us money - besides those which like the club: its supporters." Taylor precisely launched last week a project which aims at convincing 100 000 supporters to pour each one 5000 pounds sterling (10 000$). The nest egg (a milliardde dollars!) would allow to repurchase the club and to make a collective ownership of it like Real Madrid or the FC Barcelona, whose members elect the leaders every four years. It would also make it possible to have a starting capital to build the new stage necessary to ensure the competitiveness of the club.
The idea collected the support of deputies and the local newspapers. The initial interest was such as Internet site of the project (
Share Liverpool FC) recorded up to 1000 visits a second and flanché seven minutes hardly after being put on line (it was started again since).
But the ordinary fans are skeptics. "If that raises, I will arrange myself to find the 5000 pounds, known as Andy Heaton. But I doubt that one can find 100 000 people. Moreover, the fans who would have the means of treating to a share would not be people of Liverpool. However, the club cannot have the same importance for Norwegians as for the inhabitants of the city. If 50% of the club belong to foreigners, one will have sold our identity." Some will say that it is already done.
Prize list of Liverpool FC Competition Numbers titles English championship 18 * Cut Europe Leagues champions 5 Cross from England 7 Cut UEFA 3 * English record