GWistooshort

The Guardian Thursday 17 September 2009 Liverpool's co-owner Tom Hicks launches search for minority investor Andy Hunter • Merrill Lynch scours Middle East for investor • Liverpool still carrying debt of around £310 Tom Hicks has instructed Merrill Lynch to entice a minority shareholder to Anfield with an asking price of £100m for a 25% stake. Hicks and his fellow co-owner, George Gillett, have been seeking new investment of varying forms for almost two years and the US financial management company was employed to carry out that task by Hicks last year. It is understood the firm is now targeting businesses or wealthy individuals in the Middle East who would be prepared to buy a minority stake, allowing the Americans Hicks and Gillett to retain majority control. The co-owners value the club at £500m, despite postponing the proposed new stadium indefinitely in the current economic climate, but a minority shareholding would come at a discount. Despite a controversial and often fraught tenure, Hicks and Gillett remain intent on bringing the stadium proposals to fruition and recently extended their refinancing package on the club to July 2010. Their reign continues to attract fierce protests from Liverpool supporters and the Spirit of Shankly group, which held an EGM on Saturday to discuss intensifying its campaign against the Americans, met the club's managing director, Christian Purslow, to reinforce its concerns before last night's Champions League game against Debrecen. Unusually Hicks, Gillett and Purslow have all gone public in the past week with messages on the improved health of Liverpool's finances. This follows the biggest commercial agreement in the club's history, a four-year shirt sponsorship deal with Standard Chartered bank, which is believed to be worth £20m a year. Hicks vowed to continue reducing Liverpool's debt, which is scheduled to decrease by £60m to £250m under the terms of the latest refinancing deal with the Royal Bank of Scotland and Wachovia, and revealed that an arrangement with Carlsberg will continue to bring around £6m a year into the club when the brewer's deal as main sponsor ends next summer. The Texan also claimed there is new-found stability at Anfield. "I think the management situation at the club has dramatically improved. There is a real sense of optimism," he said. Hicks also championed Liverpool's value as a global brand with a history of success, while dismissing the spending of the Abu Dhabi-backed Manchester City as "not sustainable". Gillett went on record at the weekend to state that: "The club is in outstanding shape. Economically, it's never been stronger. We just paid down our debt very substantially. We have less debt per dollar than any club in the league." Liverpool posted a record turnover of £159.1m for the year ending July 2008 but the club's parent company, Kop Football (Holdings) Limited, suffered a £42.6m loss for the same period. http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2009/se...-george-gillett

2nd part of the interview with Purslow in the Echo today http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-f...00252-24700442/

THE ROAD TO MADRID Sep 16 2009 by James Pearce, Liverpool Echo PEPE REINA was as surprised as anyone at Anfield when he saw the weekend headlines. The Reds goalkeeper stood accused of writing off Liverpool’s hopes of Premier League glory. After an interview given in his native tongue prior to the resounding win over Burnley, the Spaniard was quoted as saying the title “is not a realistic objective” this season. However, it appears that something was clearly lost in translation. Rather than being down in the dumps, Reina is bullish about what this Liverpool side is capable of achieving over the next eight months. But the 27-year-old insists it would be foolish to burden his team-mates with any bold predictions. “What I meant was that it’s unrealistic to be talking about winning trophies in September,” he said. “I’m certainly not pessimistic. It’s just too soon to speak about anything like that and I prefer to wait. “It’s impossible to win or lose anything at this time. You can only win things in May. “What I wanted to say is that we have to go little by little, step by step and think game after game. Let’s not put ourselves under stupid pressure.” http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-f...00252-24703288/

Some more comments from Rafa re the Standard Charter money & the Jan transfer window................. "Benítez admitted he expects to recruit more first-team players when the transfer window reopensin January, although he is not sure whether he can receive an advance on Liverpool's new £20m-a-year sponsorship deal with Standard Chartered, which will come into effect for the 2010-11 season. "We haven't spoken about when money will be available, it is too early," said Benítez. "But we will talk about January because clearly we need to do something. You have to be pleased [with the deal] because it shows the club is moving in the right direction. Bringing more money in maybe means we have more money in the transfer budget. It's also positive for the image of the club." http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2009/se...nitez-homegrown “We’ll have time to talk about if anyone is available in January but it’s clear we have to prepare for the future.” http://www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/liverp...534-24700594/2/

Latest from Rafa on Agger............ Benitez has revealed Daniel Agger is close to a return after undergoing an operation on a niggling back problem. “Agger is training very hard,” said the Liverpool manager. “But because he’s gone a long time without strength work, we are trying to protect him a little bit. He is fit, but we have enough people in the squad to use. We need to improve his match fitness, but first we have to increase his strength.” http://www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/liverp...534-24700594/2/

Part 4 Gerrard is world's greatest player Published 23:59 15/09/09 By James Fletcher Fernando Torres hailed Steven Gerrard the ‘greatest player in the world’ and insists: Liverpool would be lost without him. He believes their inspirational skipper is ‘irreplaceable’ and has vowed to help land him a long overdue first ever Premiership winners medal - and the World Player of the Year Award. Torres insists Gerrard is the heartbeat of the club and the key factor behind their European and domestic ambitions. He said: “He is without doubt the greatest player I have ever played with. He has everything. “At Liverpool, he is irreplaceable. Every big club has a standard bearer, a home-grown talent, someone with a lifelong commitment to the cause. “People come and go but he’s always there. It’s him and ten others. He’s everything to the side. That’s Steven Gerrard at Liverpool. I can’t even begin to imagine the place without him. “He’s got it all as a footballer too: personality, consistency, stature, control, power, strength, aggression, intensity, he never goes missing... he can play everywhere and he can play in every way. Wherever you put him, he performs. He scores goals, works hard, he’s quick, he’s tireless. He’s a born leader and the most consistent player in the world. “The only thing missing from CV is the Premier League title and an international award like the Ballon d’Or or the FIFA World Player and I’m sure he’ll win one of those soon. There’s no doubt he deserves to. Any coach would want him in their side. “ Torres is the new Kop idol but he believes Gerrard will eventually be recognised as Liverpool’s greatest ever player – and he claims he models himself on the captain. He revealed his admiration for Gerrard in his autobiography, ‘Torres: El Nino’ serialised this week by The Mirror. Torres adds: “One day he’ll be recognised as one of the greatest players in the club’s history. And don’t forget, he’s Liverpool through and through too: a local lad who came up through the ranks. That fact makes his achievements all the more impressive to me. For any Scouser to get into the Liverpool first team is extremely difficult. “Youth teamers learn from the first team players whom they look up to; they get immersed in the values of the clubs and the footballers who represent it over the years. Maybe that’s why Steve and Carra haven’t had to tell me what Liverpool stands for; I can see it in their game. “Steve doesn’t need to scream and shout on the pitch to be a leader. He leads by example, by the way he plays – the way he’s had bred into him for years. “Our captains are symbols of the club; they supported the team as kids, they sweated for the cause for years in the Academy, fighting to make it, they’ve put up with the pressure of playing for their future with the Reserves, they’ve made it to the first team and worn the armband at Anfield. “I have tried to absorb everything I can from the club and the city, to understand exactly where I am and that’s because of them. If there is one thing that inspires me about (Jamie) Carragher and Gerrard, one thing that stands out as the key to the way they play, it is their commitment to the cause.” Gerrard and Jamie Carragher went out of their way to greet Torres, sending him text messages within hours of him joining and helping him to settle in at Anfield – they remain on his phone to this day. He added: “I really noticed that in training: Gerrard and Carragher for example, are always the first to do each exercise and their attitude provides a model to follow. Their enthusiasm is contagious; their approach brings the intensity and dedication necessary to everything we do. If they give everything then you have no choice but to give everything too. “I admire Steven Gerrard because I know how much pressure he has to live with every day. Everyone’s talking about him all the time – in the dressing room, in the bars, in the stadium. From my own experience, I know how difficult it is to keep everyone happy, but the pressure he’s under is on a different level to anything I ever had to live with because Liverpool is such a huge club. “When you’re captain, you know everyone is talking about you. You can feel it, especially when things go badly. Everything that Gerrard has to face every single day, and the expectations that surround him, make the way he handles the pressure even more impressive. He is always under the microscope and people always expect him to be a leader, to lift the team all on his own. “He is an example to everyone who ever finds themselves in that situation. It’s incredible what he has to put up with and how much there is going on around him every single day. “I would love to be a captain somewhere some day because I think I’ve had the best possible role model in Steven Gerrard." http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/news/Torre...icle158713.html

From Dave Maddock in tomorrow's Mirror............ Hicks and Gillett set to sell quarter share of Liverpool By David Maddock Liverpool's American owners are ready to put up to 25 per cent of the club up for sale to raise £100m that can be used to build a new stadium. Investment experts Merrill Lynch have been appointed to explore ways in which the Anfield club can raise funds to help cut the debt and get the stadium project off the ground. They have been told to go to potential investors in the Middle East to offer a quarter stake in the club, or even raise a new share issue to bring funds in Liverpool. Owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett want to retain overall control at Anfield, but after announcing a new £80million shirt sponsorship deal with Standard Chartered Bank, they now want to move swiftly on the stadium project which has been mothballed for the past two years. http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/news/Hicks...icle160633.html

More than a bit misleading This is from the Premier League website....... "From next season, clubs must include eight home-grown players out of a squad of 25. A home-grown player will be defined as one who, irrespective of his nationality or age, has been registered with any club affiliated to the Football Association or the Football Association of Wales for a period, continuous or not, of three entire seasons or 36 months prior to his 21st birthday (or the end of the Season during which he turns 21). Clubs will be able to supplement their squads with unlimited additional players under the age of 21 on 1st January in the year in which the season commences. Changes to the squad list of 25 may be made during the period of a transfer window." http://www.premierleague.com/page/Headline...1797582,00.html

The BBC has made the mistake of (i) equating nationality with qualifying as home grown & (ii) basing their assessment on whether our players qualify now rather than at the beginning of next season when the rule comes in Based on our current squad we will have 22 players who qualify as home grown at the beginning of next season, out of which we only need to choose 8, plus another 10 players under 21 who are currently not home grown but who will qualify as home grown in subsequent seasons (the majority the following season) Our problem is not whether we have enough home grown players, it's (i) whether we have 8 that are good enough & (ii) that we have too many non-home grown players, some of who could be hard to shift because of their wages eg Itandje The BBC is also wrong about our Champions League squad - it is only the A List for which the locally trained (home grown) requirement applies & we have only named 6 locally trained players in our A List

Yes they will, as will Nemeth We also have Kelly, Spearing, Darby, Martin plus another 15 or so to choose from & another 8 or so under 21s who will qualify as home grown in subsequent seasons List at http://www.ynwa.tv/forum/index.php?s=&...t&p=2451810

They've suffered quite badly with sales of the flats at Highbury as a result of the downturn in the property market, although they claim that this is totally separate to the club's transfer budget & the worst case scenario is breaking even on the flats http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard-spo...ment/article.do

According to the Daily Telegraph around 10% of the £80m from Standard Chartered is dependent on us "hitting certain targets", but it doesn't say what they are http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/breakin...ikely-pair.html

There's also this quote from Purslow in another article by Maddock that could be worth keeping in case we need it in the future........ "It [the money from the new shirt deal] stays in the club, it doesn't go out of the club, it's job is to support our football team and so I can assure you, as we drive forward our turnover, we will invest a sensible element of that in our wage bill and we will invest a sensible level of our profits in our transfers and none of those monies go anywhere other than into the development of the club." http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/news/Liver...icle155331.html

This is from Maddock's article on the new sponsorship deal........... "It is my understanding that he [Purslow] has been given a more powerful role within the club that even David Gill enjoys at Manchester United. He is basically running the show, makes all day to day decisions and has little or no interference from America. Hicks and Gillett are described as becoming "passive" investors by those who know the structure within Anfield now. Purslow runs the business side, and Rafa Benitez the football side. They no longer have to trot to the States for approval - Benitez now talks only to Purslow, and his contact with Hicks and Gillett is minimal, perhaps only on a monthly basis. Liverpool will be run on independent, self-sufficient lines, just as Old Trafford is structured." http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/opinion/co...icle156531.html There's a lot in the rest of the article that shows how much work we've got to do to get our message across.

Click HERE to watch Rafa's pre-match interview for the match tomorrow

Rafa's thoughts............. "Benitez was also quizzed on plans by the Premier League to introduce a quota on homegrown players next season. Clubs will be allowed 25-man squads with a minimum of eight under-21s who have played for an English or Welsh team for three years. The gaffer said: "Hopefully it will be good but you never know. Maybe it's too soon. Sometimes in the Champions League they give you two or three years to increase the number of homegrown players. "The problem in England is that between the Academy and first team there is a big gap, and the reserve league is not managing this gap. It is difficult to bring through quality but we will try our best." http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/drilldown/N...090915-1433.htm Watch his comments HERE

Rafa's thoughts............. "Benitez was asked how the club's new shirt sponsorship deal with Standard Chartered, which begins next season, would impact upon his quest for silverware. He said: "It's very good news for the club, for everyone here and hopefully it will be much better in the future because the club can have more money and maybe we can spend more. "The situation is very positive and shows we are going in the right direction. In terms of the commercial situation were are working very hard and everyone at the club is trying to improve. "We've shown with this deal how important the club is around the world - hopefully it will be the same in the future and hopefully we can help on the pitch." http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/drilldown/N...090915-1433.htm

Assuming the leaflet's the same as the one for the Stoke match it's available at http://www.spiritofshankly.com/documents/g...out_leaflet.pdf if anyone hasn't seen it or wants an electronic version

It's actually only 22, not 23

So here's how our current squad (http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/team/squad/) would fare under the new rules when they come in at the start of next season........... Foreign players Diego Cavalieri Alberto Aquilani Daniel Agger Fernando Torres Andriy Voronin Albert Riera Fabio Aurelio Yossi Benayoun Sotirios Kyrgiakos Dirk Kuyt Ryan Babel Javier Mascherano Lucas Leiva Pepe Reina Philipp Degen Damien Plessis Charles Itandje Nabil El Zhar Martin Skrtel Andrea Dossena Jordy Brouwer Francisco Duran - 23 in total, only 17 permitted in squad Home grown players (* also qualifies as under 21) Glen Johnson Steven Gerrard Jamie Carragher Jay Spearing Emiliano Insua* Krisztian Nemeth* Stephen Darby Martin Kelly* Steven Irwin* Nathan Eccleston* Daniel Sanchez Ayala* Martin Hansen* Dean Bouzanis* Mikel San Jose Dominguez (on loan to Atletico Bilbao who have option to make dela permanent) David Martin Andras Simon* Robbie Threlfall Daniel Pacheco* David Amoo* Christopher Oldfield* Alex Kacaniklic* Gerardo Alfredo Bruna Blanco* - only 8 permitted in squad Under 21 players (^ will qualify as home grown in the future) David Ngog Peter Gulacsi^ Emmanuel Mendy^ Victor Palsson^ Lauri Dalla Valle^ Vincent Lucas Weijl^ Vitor Coutinho Flora^ Chris Mavinga^ Christopher Buchtmann^ Zsolt Poloskei^ (on loan from MTK Hungaria) Nikola Saric^ - unlimited number can be named

From the Guardian......... "Liverpool will be among the worst-hit clubs. According to their website, they have 56 registered professionals with 23 battling for 17 spots for non-home-grown players within the squad under the new rules." http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2009/se...cudamore-squads

Part 3 Fernando was a boy of four kicking a ball in his back yard as the Hillsborough tragedy unfolded. The impact of that day and the 96 lives lost was fully brought home to him at the memorial service for the 20th anniversary on April 15 this year. He said: "I could hardly believe what I was seeing. The stadium was almost full. The Kop was packed. "The reception we got at Anfield gave me goose bumps. All of our fans stood and gave us an ovation that seemed to go on for ages. The memorial for those who lost their lives sent a shiver through me. It was a tragedy provoked by negligence and one for which there still hasn't been an explanation. "The families of the dead are still demanding justice. For many the tears are still tears of anger. "The unity between players and fans comes in part from having that terrible experience together. "Whenever there is a minute's silence in England's football stadiums it is impeccably observed. It is a minute that goes straight to the heart. A tear puncturing the silence. Can you imagine the Atletico Madrid anthem being listened to in Real Madrid's stadium? "There were Everton fans at Anfield on that anniversary day who listened in respectful silence. It could only happen in England. "If there is one thing that has really stood out for me since I've been in England, it's the huge human tide of Liverpool fans. "Every player dreams of fans like that. Here at Anfield we've got them." http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/news/Exclu...icle156541.html

"we’re actually lucky enough to have full planning permission granted for two different stadia"

It was worse than that Purslow said we have actually spent about £20m net this transfer window & argued that signing existing players on new deals should be counted in the transfer budget This is from Tony Barratt's piece on it in The Times............ Christian Purslow, the managing director of Liverpool, has defended the club’s spending in this summer’s transfer market. Purslow denied that Rafael Benítez, the Liverpool manager, has been starved of funds and insisted that net outlay is in keeping with previous years. Liverpool have made two significant signings since June with Alberto Aquilani, the Italy midfield player, and Glen Johnson, the England full back, moving to Anfield for a combined sum of about £36 million. In the past week, Sortis Kyrgiakos has also been signed for a fee of £1.5 million from AEK Athens, a bargain basement capture necessitated by continuing injury problems to key defenders. With Xabi Alonso and Álvaro Arbeloa having joined Real Madrid for fees of £30 million and £3.5 million respectively, Sebastian Leto signing for Panathinaikos for £3 million and several other fringe players departing Anfield, it appears that Benítez has balanced the books at the very least. Purslow, though, is adamant that this is not the case, contending that the Liverpool manager has in fact spent a net £20 million on reshaping his squad. “We’ve spent pretty much the same as we’ve spent every year over the past four or five years,” said Purslow, who took up his new post at Anfield in June. “We’ve spent about £20 million more than we’ve generated, which is what we expected. We’ve bought players the manager wanted to buy and sold players the manager wanted to sell and it has cost us almost to the penny what we expected it to cost. “In fact, some of our competitors haven’t spent any money and we have. Spending isn’t the panacea everyone thinks it is, but we’ve spent £20 million and that’s real money. There are lots of costs associated with buying players and extending players that all go into transfer funds.” http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/foo...icle6814314.ece

Part 2 "You can only ever be a legend in someone’s mind. So long as you never become a legend in your own, there’s no problem. People want to pigeon-hole you, Fernando: they want to label you, rank you, judge you and compare you to others. But all that really matters is that you are yourself." Those were the words uttered to Fernando Torres just a few days after he had become Liverpool’s record signing. His new mentor? The King of the Kop; Kenny Dalglish. The very fact that Torres, a new arrival from Spain was privileged to spend time with arguably the club’s greatest player of all time was not lost on the youngster. And the advice, the inspiration, the invaluable experience gained from those moments with Dalglish will never be forgotten by the striker bidding to carve his place in British footballing history. He said: “Dalglish told me that we’re the ones who make people’s dreams come true. The fans can’t play, so they live their dreams through us. “There’s nothing better than listening to the man who fans consider to be the greatest Liverpool player of all time: Kenny Dalglish. Kenny and I are not the same: he is the greatest player of all, I was just a new arrival but he immediately put me at ease." Dalglish has taken a special interest in Torres. The symmetry between the two is there for all to see and while Torres is right, after two seasons it is ridiculous to mention him in the same breath as King Kenny, the start he has made at Anfield suggests it will only be a matter of time. There is more to Torres than his performances on the pitch. Dalglish has been impressed with the way he has immersed himself in the history and tradition, the values that are so important to Liverpool Football Club and its fans. Dalglish and Torres met privately and spent time together inside a deserted Anfield. Their attention turned towards the Kop and, one of Dalglish biggest regrets. Torres added: “Kenny revealed something that surprises me: ‘I always wanted to go on the Kop, but I never could,’ he said. ‘The only time I have ever been on the Kop is when the stadium has been empty. It’s funny, my son has been there but I haven’t. A friend of mine took him and looked after him, he spent the game with him on the Kop. He lived a dream that I couldn’t.’ “Like Kenny, I’ve only been on the Kop when it was empty. I would love to think that when I retire it will be impossible for me to watch a game from the Kop too. That would mean I had achieved something great. “Dalglish told me that the key to Liverpool’s success was the harmony within the team. ‘No team has ever been successful without a good atmosphere in the dressing room’ he said. ‘They don’t have to go out for drinks together or be best friends but having a good group is very important. We had a great dressing room, we were really united. Even now there are six or seven of us that are still close.' “During that meeting we talked about football. I talked about the fact that there are games when things don’t go for you but that I will never hide. I always want the ball, even if I’m having a bad day. Liverpool’s legendary number 7 said he was the same. ‘Of course you want the ball. You have to keep going. As a striker, you miss more chances than you score. The goals aren’t what matter most; what matters most are the chances you miss. The more you miss, the closer you are to the next one you’re going to score. You have to think like that: if you don’t have the courage to develop that kind of attitude you won’t make it at this level.' “I learned so much from my time with Kenny. I really like him. He’s a normal person who’s very accessible. He says he doesn’t feel like a legend but that’s exactly what he is. The fact that he has stayed so normal really struck me. “I can’t be compared to him but I feel proud to have been able to speak to him for so long. It was a real honour for him to have given up his time to talk to me. Meeting Kenny has made me even more hungry for success, even more determined to work hard and maybe, just maybe, see if one day I can compare myself with him. “I’ll never forget the last piece of advice he gave me, as we were leaving the restaurant. Just as he went out of the door, the greatest player in the history of Liverpool turned to me and said: ‘Fernando, Liverpool is a special club with special fans. They love those players who love wearing their shirt. But they’re not stupid: they know when players mean it and when they don’t; they know when it’s just for show – when a player kisses the badge and all that. They love to identify themselves with the players out on the pitch and I think they’re going to identify with you very, very easily.’ "What an honour.” http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/news/Exclu...icle155597.html