live

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Sorry to hear that. Glad you're keeping positive.

I want to lick your mind

http://www.worldsoccerbars.com/los-angeles-soccer-bars/

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John Henry Gets `Steal' as $476 Million in Liverpool May Double http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-11-10/john-henry-gets-steal-as-476-million-in-liverpool-may-double.html John W. Henry’s New England Sports Ventures may double its investment in Liverpool Football Club in five years, according to bankers who work with English Premier League teams. Henry, 61, purchased England’s most successful soccer team for 300 million pounds ($476 million), 81 million pounds more than Tom Hicks and George Gillett paid for it in February 2007. Hicks and Gillett were forced to sell to repay 200 million pounds of the club’s 351 million pounds of debt. Henry, who owns Major League Baseball’s Boston Red Sox, isn’t buying a broken business, said bankers who requested anonymity because they didn’t want to lose other teams in the league as clients. Hicks, 64, and Gillett, 72, raised revenue and operating profit at the 118-year-old club before being felled by debt and a credit crisis that made banks less willing to lend. “This is a steal,” said Marc Ganis, a Chicago-based consultant who was a principle in a Chinese group negotiating to buy the club. “There is a reason John Henry was so eager to close this deal -- he got himself the bargain of the century.” Two bankers who requested anonymity say that, under ordinary circumstances, the team would have been worth an additional 100 million to 150 million pounds. In five years, it may be worth twice as much, they said. Ganis agreed. Forbes Magazine estimated Liverpool’s value at 533 million pounds in its April 21 edition. Never Walk Alone Liverpool, which has fan clubs in cities from New York to Bangkok, dominated European soccer for two decades, winning 11 of its 18 English championships and four of its five European Cups between 1972 and 1990, with players such as Kenny Dalglish, Ian Rush and John Barnes. The team logo bears the words “You’ll Never Walk Alone,” and fans sing the Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein song before every home match. Fans protested Hicks and Gillett’s ownership because of the debt loaded onto the team, holding marches and burning the U.S. flag. In the Kop, a section of the stadium that holds some of the team’s most fervent fans, supporters held banners that said “Thanks, but no Yanks.” During the hearing that cleared the sale to Henry at the High Court in London, scores of red-clad Liverpool supporters cheered and sang when Hicks and Gillett were ordered to sell. Henry’s purchase came at one of the darkest times in Liverpool’s history: The club was off to its worst start in 57 seasons, and it has been two decades since it won an English championship. Red Sox Success Liverpool fans may take solace in Henry’s record with the Red Sox: The club has won two championships since his purchase in 2002; its most recent title before then was in 1918. The sale slashed Liverpool’s annual debt payment to between 2 million and 3 million pounds from between 25 million and 30 million pounds, Henry’s investment group said in a news release last month. It didn’t say how it financed the agreement, and Henry didn’t return messages left at his office. Hicks and Gillett increased sales 46 percent to 195.5 million pounds in three years through July 31 and raised operating profit -- which doesn’t include interest on debt or player acquisition costs -- more than threefold to 32 million pounds. Liverpool may surpass 200 million pounds in revenue for the first time at the end of the current season, though audited financial reports for fiscal 2010 won’t be available until April. Hicks declined to be interviewed, while Gillett wouldn’t comment on the potential value of the team under Henry’s group. Hicks, in a press release, called that sale to Henry’s group an “epic swindle” and tried to stop the sale in court. ‘Made Them Winners’ British Airways Plc Chairman Martin Broughton, who became Liverpool chairman in April at the request of creditor Royal Bank of Scotland Group Plc, said the board favored Henry because of his success with the Red Sox. “They came in and made them winners,” he said in an interview last month. “That’s what we want to see.” Liverpool today announced it has hired recruitment company Spencer Stuart to find a replacement for a chief executive officer following Managing Director Christian Purslow’s exit last month. Henry’s business partner Tom Werner was named chairman last week. Broughton said the team’s problems were caused by a reliance on debt by Hicks and Gillett, not lack of operational acumen. “The commercial revenue was way higher than what it was before,” Broughton said. “They’ve done some pretty good things. Without the leverage they could have been successful.” Expansion Plans With revenue up and debt down, the new owners are in a position to invest in the club. Hicks and Gillett planned to spend 350 million pounds on a new 60,000-seat stadium, which would have added about 75 more hospitality suites and about 8,000 premium seats. Henry’s group hasn’t decided whether to adopt the plan or consider other possibilities, Liverpool spokesman Paul Tyrrell said. Anfield, the team’s 126-year-old home, has 45,000 seats and 25 hospitality suites that generated 42.5 million pounds in fiscal 2009. By comparison, game-day revenue at London team Arsenal more than doubled in a year to 93.9 million pounds after it moved to a new 60,000-seat stadium in July 2006, according to the team. Revenue Trails Liverpool’s match-day revenue ranks eighth in England and compares with 108.8 million pounds at Manchester United, 100.1 million pounds at Arsenal and 74.5 million pounds at Chelsea, Deloitte LLP said in its Football Money League report in March. However, Liverpool’s revenue from sponsorships and merchandise for fiscal 2009 was the second highest in the Premier League at 67.7 million pounds, trailing only Manchester United (70 million pounds), Deloitte said. As the business side stabilizes, the team is showing signs of recovery on the field. The Reds, who play at Wigan tonight, have lost once in five games since the takeover and they beat league leader and defending champion Chelsea 2-0 on Nov. 7. “We’ve won four games in a row,” said striker Fernando Torres, who scored both goals against Chelsea, his first two- goal game of the season. “This is what we have to be doing more regularly because this is what Liverpool is all about. We are now moving in the right direction.”

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Wish they would show us the "Aurelio Family Wing" at the medical facility.

Milner played for Villa. He's still on for City.

israeliteee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

YYYYYYYYYYYYYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

i love you

any links? please

Nervous, but up for it now. C'MON YOUR REDS!!!!!!

Liverpool going under the knife http://soccernet.espn.go.com/feature?id=778576&sec=england&cc=5901 For the visit of West Ham last week, ESPN's cameras caught Australian doctor Peter Brukner in the Anfield terraces at the side of new Liverpool chairman Martin Broughton. The image encapsulated Liverpool's future, which Reds fans are anticipating - if not expecting - to be significantly brighter than the past two decades and in particular a forgettable 2009-10 campaign. The club's financial plight is dire while this season's results have been disappointing to say the least, with injuries having played no small part. Ironically it was another Australian in Harry Kewell - who has now reinvented himself at Galatasaray - who suffered the cruellest of injury curses at Liverpool, which meant he never fulfilled his enormous potential. Kewell's personal manager Bernie Mandic went on record and slammed Liverpool's medical department, claiming that star striker Fernando Torres was headed down the same path as Kewell, who "lost three and a half years of his career at Liverpool''. Coincidence or not, two major developments have taken place since: the appointment of Dr Brukner, one of the pioneers of sports medicine in Australia, and a knee injury to Torres, who underwent surgery last week. "They (Liverpool) realised that Premier League clubs are a bit behind in medical care and the way they look after players so it's a chance to come in an improve things,'' said Dr Brukner, who will become Liverpool's head of sports medicine and sports science. ''It's interesting, I guess it's not a big part of the British football culture and maybe a bit of a lack of understanding in terms of how sports medicine has progressed in the last decade or two. "There's a lack of awareness around the place but some of the clubs are starting to realise there's a better way to do things.'' Though not due to officially start until next season, Dr Brukner is spending the last month of this campaign with the Reds to allow him "to hit the ground running'' in 2010-11, with Australia's 2010 World Cup campaign sandwiched between. "It's an honour to be approached and I think it's a feather in the cap of Australian sports medicine that they come looking in Australia and shows we've got a pretty good reputation,'' he said. "Initially I was a little reluctant from a family point of view and other commitments back home but in the end I thought it's a fantastic opportunity to work for one of the top sporting clubs in world. "I've come over for the last month of the season to get a feel for the place and see how the department works and how it works on match days so when I come back I can hit the ground running and implement changes I want to make right from the start as opposed to wasting a year. It's been very valuable and I've already learnt a lot.'' He's already had to get his hands dirty, with Torres going under the knife just days after his arrival, but Dr Brukner has allayed the fears of expectant Spanish fans. "Torres should be right for the World Cup if everything goes to plan, he's already had the operation and we hope to get him back soon for rehab,'' he said. Notwithstanding the criticism of Liverpool's injury record, Dr Brukner said the Torres injury was unavoidable, although he admits Liverpool's general record needs to improve. "I doubt the Torres knee problems could've been prevented, it's one of those unlucky things,'' he said. "It's very hard to comment on individuals, but preventing injuries is a terribly important thing - the good players have got to be out there, if they're injured they're no use to anyone. "I'm not one to look into the past, but obviously Liverpool have been concerned about their injuries and it's one of reasons that prompted them to upgrade their services.'' Dr Brukner will be in charge of hundreds of millions of pounds worth of talent at Anfield, so does he get nervous treating Torres, Kewell, Steven Gerrard and Javier Mascherano? "I haven't really thought about it like that. To me they're just players who need to be looked after, whether earning £100 or £100,000-a-week. It's the same issues, same processes and challenges,'' he said. ''So I don't get intimated by thinking it's Gerrard or Torres' knee, you try and do the best job for everyone you see. "I've had a lot of experience I guess in dealing with high level athletes and Olympians. You lie awake at night worrying whether treatments are right, but you do that whether you're looking at professional footballers or your son's hockey team.'' As of May 10, when the Premier League season is wound up, Dr Brukner's sole focus will be the Socceroos' South African mission and it's with a heavy heart that he steps down from his national team role with Australia, describing the staff as a "special group of people'', while paying special tribute to his medical colleagues Phil Coles (physio) and Darren Burgess (strength and conditioning coach). "The staff have been terrific, with Phil (Coles) and Darren Burgess, as well as the coaching staff from Pim (Verbeek) down, it's just a very special group of people,'' he said. "And the players have been amazing. Before joining I had a bit of trepidation and thought, are they highly paid prima donnas? On the flipside they're very friendly and great to work with and it's been one of the greatest professional experiences of my life. "I know people used to critical of the setup in the old days but it's a very professional setup now. One of the unfortunate things in getting the Liverpool job was having to give up the Socceroos job after the World Cup, but hopefully we'll finish on a high.''

To be fair, Torres does get injured ALOT and what's up with his hair?

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KRAKEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ngog bounce!!!

west ham employing zonal marking during our free kicks and corners

Texas Rangers Said to Face Bankruptcy Unless Sale Terms Change http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601079&sid=aCVlstfSeWio The proposed sale of the Texas Rangers baseball team to Hall of Fame pitcher Nolan Ryan and an attorney may not be acceptable to the club’s creditors. The team now owned by billionaire Thomas Hicks may be forced into bankruptcy unless terms of the planned sale are improved or another buyer is found, two people familiar with the matter said yesterday. Creditors led by Monarch Alternative Capital may block Hicks Sports Group LLC, which defaulted on $525 million of debt last year, from selling the Rangers and try to put the team into bankruptcy, said the people, who declined to be identified because the debt talks are private. The creditor group, which includes CIT Group Inc. and Galatioto Sports Partners LLC, is seeking at least $30 million more from the team’s sale, one of the people said. “Hicks Sports Group has worked diligently with Major League Baseball and HSG’s lenders over the past six months and brought to the table outstanding potential buyers for the Texas Rangers,” Hicks Sports Group spokeswoman Lisa LeMaster said in an e-mailed statement. Hicks, who was chairman of private equity firm Hicks, Muse, Tate & Furst Inc. from 1989 through 2004, is being forced to sell the franchise at which he signed Alex Rodriguez to a then- record $252 million, 10-year deal in 2000. The 64-year-old Hicks also is exploring the sale of 18-time English soccer champion Liverpool, which he co-owns with George Gillett, a person familiar with the matter said April 12. Dallas-based Hicks Sports said in a statement in February that it’s also exploring a possible sale of the Dallas Stars of the National Hockey League. Negotiations Ongoing Negotiations with creditors are ongoing and a resolution could be reached with the Rangers’ current owners, the people said. If creditors were to file an involuntary bankruptcy, it could be contested in court. CIT spokesman Curt Ritter, Sal Galatioto of Galatioto Sports and a representative of Monarch all declined to comment on the Rangers’ sale. Hicks in January agreed to sell the Rangers to Ryan and Pittsburgh attorney Chuck Greenberg. “HSG is committed to the transaction,” LeMaster’s statement said. “It is entirely in the hands of Major League Baseball, the lenders and the selected ownership group to resolve their differences and allow for an orderly transition.” Hicks Would Remain Hicks cut the deal alongside a separate sale of 153 acres of land around the team’s Arlington, Texas, ballpark to Ryan and Greenberg in exchange for cash, notes and a stake in the team, the people said. “The discussions are between the Hicks Sports Group and the creditors,” said Kevin Sullivan, a spokesman for Greenberg. “Chuck says good things are worth waiting for.” If creditors block a sale and pursue a bankruptcy filing, the club could become the second major league team to enter bankruptcy in less than a year. In October, the Chicago Cubs joined owner Tribune Co. in Chapter 11 as part of that team’s sale. Hicks, who would remain chairman emeritus of the club, can’t proceed with the sale without creditors’ approval after defaulting on debt related to the Rangers and Stars and is negotiating revised debt terms with creditors, according to the people. Exploring Other Bidders Creditors may also push Hicks to explore other bidders, including Jim Crane, the founder of Houston-based freight forwarder EGL Inc., the people said. Crane’s proposal for the team was rejected by Hicks. George Postolos, a spokesman for Crane, declined to comment in a telephone interview. John Blake, an executive vice president of the Rangers, which ended the 2009 season with an 87-75 record, declined to comment. Any sale of the club must be approved by major league team owners. Hicks bought the Rangers for $250 million in 1998 from a group that included then-Texas Governor George W. Bush. The value of the team fell to $405 million last year from $412 million in 2008, Forbes magazine reported this month. The franchise, which began play in 1961 as the expansion Washington Senators, moved to Texas for the 1972 season. The team has made the playoffs three times, never going past the first round. Courting A-Rod Hicks courted Rodriguez in an effort to make the Rangers pennant contenders to build the value of the franchise and the real estate around the ballpark. Texas finished last in the American League West all three years of Rodriguez’s stay. When he was traded to the New York Yankees in 2004, the Rangers were still obliged to pay $67 million of the $179 million remaining on his contract. The team wound up paying less when Rodriguez voided the deal to sign a new, more lucrative one with the Yankees in 2007. “It was a big mistake,” Hicks said of signing Rodriguez in a January 2010 interview with mlb.com. The Rangers currently have the fourth-lowest payroll of the 30 major league clubs, according to an Associated Press analysis of opening day rosters. Hicks had more competitive success with the Dallas Stars, who won the NHL’s Stanley Cup in 1999 and made the playoffs each ensuing year until the 2008-2009 season.

Forgot the club won this three times - tied for most, along with Inter and Juventus. Would be great to win it this year and have the record to ourselves................and maybe add the fifth title next year