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MCPARLAND OUTLINES ACADEMY DIRECTION Newly appointed Academy director Frank McParland outlines some of the changes he is overseeing as a new and exciting era begins down in Kirkby: There has been much speculation recently on the future direction of the Academy. I was asked by Rafa Benitez to conduct a strategic review of the Academy earlier this year. The conclusions of that review have been fully accepted and agreed by Rafa and his technical team and will now be implemented under my direction. I will continue to report directly to Rafa. Clearly, there are going to be changes in both personnel and the way we do things at the Academy, but uppermost in our minds is need to provide the best possible environment for the future development of all our young footballers. It has been decided that separate branding for the Academy will no longer be used - including the sign on top of our building. The Academy is an integral part of the club and will now be badged accordingly. It has a hugely important part to play in the future success of Liverpool FC and the change reflects that fact. There will be much closer liaison between Melwood and the Academy, and Rafa himself has been hugely supportive of the direction in which we want to move forward. We will examine every part of the Academy's operation and will be looking to make improvements not just in the coaching set-up, but also in areas such as medical, physio and fitness work. One new initiative will see the appointment of a head of sports science, who will tailor specific programmes for individual age groups to help them progress more quickly. We will also assess the current facilities and where necessary invest in upgrading these. We have already committed to renewing both of the astro-turf pitches and work on this project will begin shortly. I spoke before of changes in the staffing structure and our first appointment has been Jose Segura, who took up his role as Academy technical manager on June 1. Jose brings huge experience to the role, having worked at Barcelona for both their youth system and Barca B team, where he helped develop world class players such as Andres Iniesta, Gerard Pique, Victor Valdes, Bojan Krkic, Mikel Arteta and Cesc Fabregas. He has also had great success in Greece, at both AEK Athens and later as manager at Olympiakos where he led the side to a Greek League and Cup double. Jose is a great appointment and the first of several key positions which we need to fill. Work continues to identify the best possible people to get the Academy working properly again and producing players that can progress through to the first team. I hope to be able to confirm other additions to our team within the next month. Jose will bring with him experience and ideas from working in other countries and it's important going forward that we combine the best influences from abroad with what I see as the English mentality. This to me embodies passion, aggression and desire. We want players who are hungry to play football and achieve success with Liverpool. We need to return to the philosophy of passing and moving quickly. We have to develop a winning mentality in every one of our players.

7 minutes into Sweden v Denmark and he elbows Daniel Agger in the face. The ref gives freekick, but not even a yellow. I use the word "ref" loosely as it is Mike Riley. Well, Sweden lost and it looks like the World Cup is going to have to do without a "world class" player nest year. I sat world class but I actually mean shit.

Just a few thoughts here regarding the ridiculous situation we find ourselves in re the Summer Transfer Window, the Club's inactivity and most of all the two monstrous leeches that we have the misfortune to have currently owning us. Firstly, the current threatened damage to our transfer activities along with the ridiculous 'sell to buy' policy forced on Rafa' (and that IS well known), infighting amongst the fans/apathy about what to do against them next is NOT embarrasing the Americans, Au Contraire - It is exactly what they want. Why? I hear you ask - Well, think about it - what would you rather have if you were in their shoes? A:) Lots of vague threats and half based ideas from fans and fans groups who fight each other more than they do you and lots of rumours about who to buy but no concrete evidence thereby with BOTH things preserving a regular and lucrative profit stream that you've established from LIverpool? Or would you rather B:) Proper militant campaigns against you, MP's, Banks and EVERY one of your interests/sponsors in the UK AND US bombarded and put under intolerable pressure summer in, summer out until they (and you) find their resolve collapsing? Do as they're demanded to and get the fcuk out. I know which they'd prefer and which they're getting at the moment is precisely that. Yes we have scenario A:) people. Our fans WANT to take action to ruin Gillette and Hicks, they WANT to force them out ASAP but they're AFRAID that if we do - it will bring the clubs whole financial disaster crashing down around our ears - but will it? I think not. I think that what the 2 carpet baggers and their ally in this Royal Bank of Scotland (and never think otherwise, they ARE most certainly allies - RBS are the ones being paid the interest that's ruining our club) are COUNTING on us being confused like this - they want us paralysed by inaction - while they levy ever more debts and extend the Refinance option ad infinitum to sucker us into the fact that the clubs alright while actually by the end of it the combined debt could make Leeds United's look like a picnic party. Why are the two liars still here? Because actually the arrogant, smarmy prats now have the gall to believe that they might JUST ride out the Credit Crunch (the worst financial crisis in history) and that they might JUST have enough luck to be able to stay through the crunch and fend off the inevitable via extensive/over use of the refinance facility they currently have in place long enough to start and finish the new stadium and then to start selling our matches individually to different TV networks. THAT is why they're trying to stay people, THAT is why they're staying like unwanted leeches/limpets and THAT (for such a plan will NEVER work if we're to stay competitive at the very top) is why they must go and go NOW. Trouble is they won't just 'go' will they? Nope clinging to their position almost as much as the unelected Scot prat in Downing Street clings to Number 10 and will need removing a piece at a time, they try all manner of underhand and despicable tactics to divide the argument against them and render it powerless, they charm the press (remember THAT interview with the Texan last year by the fireside in April? Or the fact that recently major UK newspaper said that them making up was GOOD for Liverpool? The endless positive press briefings from them), they send out disguised posters onto forums to talk up their merits and ridicule their opponents (and don't tell me they don't because they're easy to spot if you know what or who to look for) and now? Oh, now they've really gone overboard, :no now they've decided to recruit RBS to their side - How? Well, all of those stories about us being put into administration should the refinance be refused, the press stories of forced fire sales of players etc have come out this week just over a month before said refinancing is due - Coincidence? I think not. No, what they're doing is bluffing us - Do you REALLY think that if the loan is called in, RBS put them on Red Alert to sell on pain of Club repossession/administration at a knockdown price that we WON'T be snowed under with offers? Put another way if Man City and Chelsea with their respective standings in the game when they were sold are bargains then what on earth would Liverpool be at a cheap price? Thought so, a superb bargain. So what do we do next? Because out the Americans must and WILL go - but as you've already guessed if you've read this far, it's US the fans that will have to do the pushing - because RBS and H & G Certainly won't give up their interest laden cash cow without a fight will they? What to do next then?.................... Well, the answer to that is easy and is one provided by the only previous example of the Texan Tumour's foray into the football world. DIRECT ACTION and ECONOMIC WARFAREaimed at both him and the smiling Serpent Gillette NOT just the RBS, the Government or any other is the answer. The previous example of which I speak was when Hicks tried to buy and run Corinthians in Brazil with just such a leveraged buyout (and what he did to us IS such a buyout - why do you think he was reportedly enraged when the liar Parry and the traitor Moores stopped him loading ALL the debt onto the club from the start - the only decent thing those two tw*ts did and something which in effect doomed his ownership from the start as he was relying on us carrying ALL the debt not part.) Well when things started to go very wrong for Corinthians what happened? Their fans didn't argue about what to do, no - they were enraged, targeted Hicks and made sure they got him - they went after him, his offices, his sponsors, everything to do with him and they whipped up such a storm in the media and with Brazilian ministers that in the end he HAD to go ;D. So what do I suggest WE do? Well, what I think we should do is this - As I said, a mixture of Direct Action AND Ecnomic Guerilla warfare is the answer; We should make the situation ABSOLUTELY ungovernable economically for those two b*stards and pound away and pound away until the fcukers, get the message, drop their price, sell up and GO!!! How to do this? Well firstly, we should continue going after RBS with letters, threats of mass account withdrawals and loss of business yes, but we should do MORE than that now as it's gone waaaaaay beyond the odd threat forcing them to give up on the 30 odd millions of interest we pay them through the two twerps - We should threaten in said letters that by ignoring us and our needs they will lose not only ALL of the custom from EVERY one of our fans but also that of ALL their relatives and those relatives friends as well - All added up if enough people threaten them, this should amount to a good quarter or so of their business in their managers eyes (and don't think they're NOT frightened - rumour has it that they only extended the loan this time because of a fear of waking up the genie in the lamp that is the LFC fanbase). Moreover in the letters to them we need to STRESS that the club MUST be sold the minute the loan is refused NOT put into administration !!! That can't be stressed enough - We also need to specify that we want it sold to responsible individuals who can fund any promises they may make and can prove they have the funds to do this. We should additionally target RBS associates/business partners for similar treatment until they listen IF they refuse to listen to our requests. Oh and one final threat for RBS - tell them in any e-mails and letters that you may write them that they'll be answerable to US the electorate via our MP's, IF they don't listen to us - and then make good on that threat by bombarding local MP's with letters, meetings, requests to deal with this matter etc UNTIL they listen to us. That's the pressure on this side of the pond dealt with. As to the Two Tw*ts? Well now that's where it gets interesting, because you see there is ALREADY a template on that side of the pond for how to attack H & G on their own ground (and that WILL spook them as they think they're immune to public outrage over there - with the odd visit here surrounded by bodyguards, nothing could be further from the truth). That template involves the treatment meted out by a combination of an ex-LFC player (Steve Nicol), USA LFC fan clubs/supporters groups AND emails from far and wide in support of said campaign to that odious excuse for a piece of humanity - Steve Cohen re the outrage at his sad, pathetic and far from correct views on Hillsborough. It's had an effect now, a BIG one ;) - it's affected him so much that his show EPL Talk I believe is on the brink of disaster because he WON'T give in, has lost sponsors right, left and centre and is even reduced to asking for donations on air to support them!!! If we can do that to him IN the USA then why not attack Hicks and Gillette over there the same way? We could picket and bombard their businesses/associates/sponsors with emails threatening loss of business, our custom, blackening their name to others etc UNTIL they disassociate themselves from George and Tom (we'd have to explain just WHAT our club means around the world of course and just HOW many people they'd upset if they DO side with the Twin Terrors wouldn't we?); Moreover we could arrange all this through our US Supporters Branches and contacts so it's not like we don't have a base on that side of the Pond as we do. In addition to all this, we could try and arrange for our US brethren to maybe get some kind of statement again from Mr Nicol condemning what those two are doing to his old Club and possibly even arrange for people to directly picket their businesses, disrupt trade etc with leaflets to passersby UNTIL all of this has an effect. Also I think someone should get onto that Bluenose idiot Mr Bradley and the Liverpool council to ask just WHY H & G have yet to even so much as recieve a single letter threatening legal retribution for their clear and obvious waste of public money via the NWDA regarding the new stadium and I think in doing this, maybe a very public case against Mr Bradley could be made via those lovely words 'CONFLICT OF INTEREST' in order to shame him into doing something as it's obvious that what he'd rather have is us forced into the gutter by those two, asset stripped and then FORCED to share with Everton - And if we don't act against him soon, he might just get what all his ridiculous pronouncements in the newspapers have been angling for. A shared stadium with LFC and EFC seen as equal clubs and that?.....That's just wrong and CANNOT happen. :no I know a few of the above ideas sound outlandish but we HAVE to try something different as just sitting here brooding in the UK, arguing amongst ourselves with the odd tame letter to banks or MPS while they slowly wreck LFC is not going to work - we need to attack them on home-turf in the USA as well as in the UK and we need to take a leaf from their book and fight dirty. They won't bargain for that, they'll think they're safe and that we can't follow them over there. They think at present they've got the easy life and that if they ignore us for long enough then A:) We'll go away and B:) We'll accept them. Well, I don't think it needs saying that neither of those things will EVER happen - To get rid of them though? We need to show them it and show them it NOW. We have time now to do this - If we don't, we WON'T get another reprieve via refinance so we must act NOW................................................... Well, there you go. I know it's a bit long and in parts may appear rather alarmist - but above is my view on what's happened to us recently and what we need to do to remove those two cancerous lumps in charge (and I use the word loosely) of our club. Hope it offers ideas to anyone who wants to act against them (I've already sent a long, detailed and angry e-mail to RBS but we need more - those two are fine AS LONG as we don't make a difference - once we start doing that, they'll be gone like shots). And remember, we MUST get them out and get them out now!!!!! See what you think of this post people. NB: I also agree with what another poster put elsewhere on these pages - We SHOULD make life intolerable for them on their next visit - at present they damn well act like they're visiting royalty.:telloff: Well, next time they come they need to be hounded from when they land to when their flight departs and told NEVER to come back.

Oh if only it were true, But I think the Mancs Chavs and Arse will spend more than £20 million on just one player, never mind it being their budget. Does anyone know if the figures quoted for the rest are true?

So the current flavor of the day in the press seems to be tearing into Gillet and Hicks. For example in The Guardian: Tom Hicks Kops the blame for problems at Liverpool | Sport | The Observer Liverpool's American dream looks like a dead end | David Conn | Football | The Guardian On the one hand, it means negative press on Liverpool has reached an unusually feverish intensity. On the other hand, its probably putting the owners under an unusually high amount of pressure. So- good or bad?

just thought id bring a ray of light to the twats situation! Ursula Errington from Sky NewsBusiness believes that the current plight surrounding Liverpool isn't as bad as it may appear. Liverpool fans are fearing the worst following the announcement that despite a record turnover, the Anfield club's net debt has nearly doubled to £86million. Auditors have warned George Gillett and Tom Hicks that failure to refinance a £350million loan - due on July 24 - "may cast significant doubt upon the group's ability to continue as a going concern". However, speaking to Sky Sports News Errington pointed out that both Gillett and Hicks money tied up in a number of other companies in the US, and this could help refinance the loan repayment. "I think we also need to be aware that Gillett and Hicks have other assets in the US that they could liquidate if necessary and use the money to appease the bankers in the UK and extend that debt financing," she explained. "When you've got an awful lot of debt in this current economic climate, many of us recognise this is not the best of times to try and negotiate with the banks. But at the same time there is room for manoeuvre there and these guys are very able and adept. They have teams that will help them renegotiate with the banks and sort out these refinancing situations." Sky Sports News also caught up with Professor Tom Cannon, who believes Liverpool owners Hicks and Gillett must sell off some of their other assets if they are to ease the club's financial woes. Professor Cannon said: "Accountants like KPMG don't use the kind of language they've used here lightly. They've talked about material concerns, they've warned about their ability to continue under the present basis. I don't think I've ever heard accountants talk about a top football club in this way before. "Fans should be very concerned. In some senses the fans have delivered what they've been expected to do. Turnover and trading profit have both gone up, but I'm afraid the cost of debt and management fees have produced a deficit which is frankly very worrying given the turnover. You're talking about a loss of almost £40million on a turnover of £200million. That is very worrying." The Reds currently have a deficit which is roughly a third of the company in terms of trading, which is a massive difference from Premier League rivals Manchester United, whose figures are in the range of £300million and have a trading deficit of around £20million. Professor Cannon, who is professor of strategic development at Liverpool University's school of management, cites the interest charges as the most worrying element of Liverpool's plight. Interest rates "They've got big debts but they're paying about £35million in interest," he explained. "We all know how interest rates have declined in the past year but Liverpool seem to be paying a rate that is over 10 per cent. This is at a rate where people are borrowing money at rates of around two and three per cent. It just goes to show how hard it has been to renegotiate the extension of their funding. In July they will be under pressure to renegotiate a much better deal. "I think the pressure on Hicks and Gillett to bring in another investor is too hard to resist. Whether another investor will come in under the type of conditions Hicks and Gillett seem to be asking I don't know. It's more likely Hicks will sell some of his interest in the Texas Rangers or the Montreal Canadians. They desperately need new finance, not least to take the burden of this debt and the related interest. They can't seriously think in terms of another six-month extension this July; they need long term secure financing." Liverpool are already counting the cost of their off-the-field troubles. This week they missed out on Gareth Barry, a player who last season publicly stated he wished to move to Anfield but has now instead gone to moneybags Manchester City. They have been heavily linked with a move for Portsmouth's £2million-rated defender Silvin Distin but Professor Cannon believes that unless finances improve, they will miss out on big-name players this summer. Conditions He said: "We now understand why they didn't compete even more vigorously for Gareth Barry. They were talking of paying £18million for him last summer; the difference now is something that has been clearly shaped by these figures. I think Rafa Benitez is in a very powerful position; he has a lot to offer players who might want to come in, but he will clearly be operating under very strict trading conditions in terms of anybody he wants to sign. "This is certainly going to hit Benitez's budget significantly. Most people around Merseyside thought he would sign Barry, which would have produced a phenomenal midfield with Gerrard and Mascherano. Unless they can sell Alonso or do more in the buying and selling then they're clearly going to be operating under straightened conditions." untill we sign some top quality players, i dont know what to believe!

Can't remember it being posted, and if it was, then it's worth another laugh: Shitty red X, i'll post it when I get home.

That headline should get Rash's blood pressure up.

Been reading over the past couple of days about the apparent agreement on an extension of the loan provided by RBS to Liverpool Football Club in a few of the Sunday Papers. From what I understand, the stories are more or less correct in regards to structure, and I'm not in any way implying that I know more than Chris Bascombe or am in any way correcting him, as he was spot on. But there is a side issue which hasn't been reported and the person who told me this has given me the nod to get it out, so I'm not in anyway screwing anyone, and I think it's important that we all know. In the last week or so, one of the senior staff from The Times business section was at dinner with a friend who is one of the higher upper's from RBS. It wasn't a press briefing, just a meal between friends and the subject of LFC came up. When asked what the situation was in regards to the renewal, the following reply was offered, obviously I wasn't there so this isn't verbatim. The gyst of the reply was that RBS are inclined to offer the current owners of the club an extension, principally because they don't want to be the bank who might have to put LFC into administration, and just as important, they had 25-26 branches in Liverpool and didn't want any action taken against their property or employees. So this bank actually think that they would be avoiding trouble by granting an extension to the loan? This was a major factor in the decision making process? They think that not granting the extension would bring direct action from Liverpool supporters? Isn't that the wrong way round? Someone I know well has been trying to get in touch with RBS to tell them how wrong they are, trying to find out how could they possibly get the wrong end of the stick on such a grand scale, but unfortunately hasn't been able to make a difference on his own. Hence the reason why I've been told to get this out. The account above is absolutely true. Want to make a difference? Then this may be your chance. I can't name the people concerned for obvious reasons, but for the bank to use this reason, above business justification, says to me that with the right pressure, expressed in the right way, a change of thinking may be possible. They are obviously very worried about the reaction of the city of Liverpool. I honestly believe a nationwide campaign of opposition towards the extension may bear fruit - especially considering that the bank is now owned by the taxpayer, and our policitians are very, very twitchy at the moment. You have to believe that you can make a change. Help bring a close to this whole sorry episode, whether it's a phone call, a letter, a withdrawal of your business. We know now that they are worried - misguided - but worried and sensitive to what we feel about the club we all love. Don't let this chance to make a difference pass you by.

BENITEZ EYEING TITLE BID Rafael Benitez believes Liverpool can win the Barclays Premier League next season and admits that ending an 18-year wait for the title would be 'the biggest achievement of his career.' The Reds boss is confident his side can push Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea all the way in the race to be crowned champions of England in 2009 and insists that such an achievment would surpass any of the previous honours he has won in both England and Spain. "Winning the title would be the biggest achievement of my career," said Benitez. "It's more difficult than in Spain because teams here spend big money. "But we will do our best. The key for me is not to talk about winning the title but to talk about doing a good job so we can be close, so we can be contenders. "If we are close I think that we can win the title." Since the end of the 2007-08 campaign Benitez has been busy planning for the forthcoming season. The Spaniard has been working closely with his staff, identifying players to add to his squad and analysing any areas of his side that he feels need improvement. "You must do your job with your players after the season has ended and in the summertime you need to do your job with your staff," he said. "The key, though, is to sign the right players with the right mentality – a winning mentality – competitive players, players who are desperate to come here to win something. "That is the key for me. We have been analysing a lot of things this summer. For example, we were conceding a lot of goals last season from set pieces. "We need to know why because the previous season we only conceded six, but this year it has been 16. We need to know why so we can improve in these areas, but keep the team scoring goals in open play. "We have been really good in defence for three or four years but we need to improve a little bit if we want to be in contention."