Ongoing Liverpool takeovers/renewal/lol saga

Matt's right, y'know

a+ Scouse trolling from 'arry

http://www.imscouting.com/global-news-article/Harry-Redknapp-I-have-the-utmost-sympathy-for-Liverpools-Hicks-and-Gillett/11161/

In his column in The Sun, Redknapp said, "I have utmost sympathy for the Reds' owners, George Gillett and Tom Hicks.

"All they seem to have done is plough a fortune into the place and they stand to lose a fortune when they sell it.

"But, for all that, all they get is grief week-in, week-out.

"It's not their fault the expensive players who have been brought in are not performing as they should be."

Redknapp laid the blame on the players, rather than the board, commenting "The Liverpool team is full of world-class talent and some costly flops.

"Hicks and Gillett wrote cheques for star striker Fernando Torres and Dirk Kuyt , a member of Holland's World Cup final squad.

"Alberto Aquilani cost £20million and has been a disaster - but is that the owners' fault?"

The outspoken Redknapp summarized, "It's not often you'll hear a manager stick up for a chairman or chairmen but I'd love to know what the two Americans have done that is so wrong."

― san te cross (onimo), Thursday, October 7, 2010 9:14 AM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink
Though wasn't Kuyt there before the Americans?

― san te cross (onimo), Thursday, October 7, 2010 9:15 AM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink
Harry has pretty good reason to be pro-Hicks and Gillett given that Spurs have benefitted quite nicely from Liverpool's decline.

― Matt DC, Thursday, October 7, 2010 9:24 AM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink
Juventus are supposed to be willing to pay £10m for Aquilani - still no idea whether that's a fair price or not.

― Ismael Klata, Thursday, October 7, 2010 9:26 AM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink
Plus, y'know, it's all a bit of a slap at Rafa so A+ for that.

― i dont love everything, i love football (darraghmac), Thursday, October 7, 2010 9:28 AM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink
Hicks insisting that the reconsituted 'new board' of LFC does not accept this offer.

This is madness.

― i dont love everything, i love football (darraghmac), Thursday, October 7, 2010 9:57 AM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink
He doesn't have the power to change the board, does he? I though RBS put Broughton in there to arrange the sale, and only he can reconstitute the Liverpool board?

― Matt DC, Thursday, October 7, 2010 10:07 AM (51 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink
Harry has pretty good reason to be pro-Hicks and Gillett given that Spurs have benefitted quite nicely from Liverpool's decline.

And it's not like any Scousers will be reading...

― James Mitchell, Thursday, October 7, 2010 10:10 AM (48 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink
Broughton had it written explicitly into the articles of his contract, or possibly into the articles of the holding company itself, (not sure which) that only he had power to replace members of the board, and also that Hicks/Gilette would not stand in the way of any sale considered reasonable by the board.

This seems about as clear cut as legal issues get, tbh?

― i dont love everything, i love football (darraghmac), Thursday, October 7, 2010 10:14 AM (45 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink
At this point I just want them to get shafted as much as possible, so if they hang on until Liverpool go into administration and lose everything, and then the club gets sold to Henry anyway, it'll be kind of satisfying.

― Matt DC, Thursday, October 7, 2010 10:17 AM (41 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink
Broughton's certainly been putting it about that he had everything written up for this eventuality, though we haven't heard the other side of it so possibly best to be sceptical. The one thing that makes me think he's likely right, apart from putting himself on record in such categorical terms, is that he says it was all done at RBS's insistence - this seems inherently plausible to me.

The other avenue of challenge that occurs would be for H&G to accept that the documents might say that, but his exercise of that power is unreasonable - which would explain the line about 'not acting in the best interests of the club'. In view of the circusmtances, good luck with that argument.

― Ismael Klata, Thursday, October 7, 2010 10:21 AM (37 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink
The only way in which this would make sense was if the owners were also tarting the club about to other potential buyers.

― Matt DC, Thursday, October 7, 2010 10:23 AM (35 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink
Or if they still hoped to get other financing in place so they could pay off RBS before next Friday and keep control.

― Ismael Klata, Thursday, October 7, 2010 10:26 AM (32 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink
Sorry, wasn't reading properly - it's actually challenge #3, which is that they legally changed the board on Monday night. So whatever Broughton and the other two voted on on Tuesday morning was invalid, as only one of them is on the board now, and therefore there is no decision to sell to the new guys. No idea what the ins & outs of that argument are.

― Ismael Klata, Thursday, October 7, 2010 10:34 AM (24 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink
Broughton's on record as saying that he has the hiring and firing of the board, and he claims that's that's watertight in legal documents.

― i dont love everything, i love football (darraghmac), Thursday, October 7, 2010 10:42 AM (16 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink
nice little detail from the telegraph:

After rejecting the attempted coup, which would have seen Hicks' son Mack and Lori McCuthcheon of Hicks Holdings replace Purslow and Ayre, Broughton continued with the conference call board meeting, even though Hicks had put the phone down.

broughton's been quite suave about this. hicks really is just a colossal prick, isn't he?

― joe, Thursday, October 7, 2010 10:46 AM (12 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink
Broughton's been kind of an A1 dude about all of this, hope he turns out kosher

― i dont love everything, i love football (darraghmac), Thursday, October 7, 2010 10:50 AM (8 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink
lol there is a terrific movie in all of this imo and knowing the british film industry, danny dyer will be playing stevie me.

― http://tinypic.com/r/s0wvar/7 (a hoy hoy), Thursday, October 7, 2010 10:51 AM (7 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink
big Bunnymen fan iirc

xp

― san te cross (onimo), Thursday, October 7, 2010 10:51 AM (7 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink
xp to Darragh: I'm not so sure. I had understood Broughton to say that H&G had given undertakings to RBS that they would let Broughton sell the club (and possibly also what you say, I can't remember). But H&G still own Kop-Holdings-or-whatever-it's-called, so aiui power to get people on & off the board of that still normally lies with them as shareholders.

If that's right, the dispute would lie in the relationship between two incompatible positions - basically does H&G's undertaking to RBS remove their powers to reconstitute the board, or are they free to reconstitute the board and leave themselves in breach of their undertaking to RBS?

I think I recall RBS speaking up on Broughton's side, but I don't know what weight if any that would have. It seems theoretically possible that the court could decide in H&G's favour, and then RBS would have to sue H&G for breach of the undertaking - which would leave the issue of what RBS's loss is - if another buyer popped up or if H&G could somehow repay the loan, there might not be any.

― Ismael Klata, Thursday, October 7, 2010 10:54 AM (4 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink
danny dyer is joey barton

stevie g- rory mcgrath

torres- kate hudson

hicks/gilette (dont know one from other tbh) bob balaban/john mccririck

rafa benitez- alfred molina

broughton- richard dawkins

― i dont love everything, i love football (darraghmac), Thursday, October 7, 2010 10:55 AM (3 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink
I'm glad Hicks is mining this for every last lol. Really got the English public in mind that fella, we should keep him and a start a new franchise with him and that mystery pompy owner putting Sven in charge.

― http://tinypic.com/r/s0wvar/7 (a hoy hoy), Thursday, October 7, 2010 10:56 AM (2 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink
rafa benitez- alfred molina

omg yes

― http://tinypic.com/r/s0wvar/7 (a hoy hoy), Thursday, October 7, 2010 10:57 AM (2 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink
Hicks and Gilette should be played by the two old curmudgeons in the Muppet Show

― Daniel Giraffe, Thursday, October 7, 2010 10:57 AM (1 minute ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink
They'd have to think up some ridiculous subplot involving Stevie G, he's a minor player here at best.

― Matt DC, Thursday, October 7, 2010 10:57 AM (1 minute ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink
This is the sort of derailment that's crying out for a thread on the all-new ILF by the way.

― Matt DC, Thursday, October 7, 2010 10:58 AM (1 minute ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink
If that's right, the dispute would lie in the relationship between two incompatible positions - basically does H&G's undertaking to RBS remove their powers to reconstitute the board, or are they free to reconstitute the board and leave themselves in breach of their undertaking to RBS?

well yeah, I guess so. Broughton seems confident in it being more than an undertaking, though. I'm sure it'll all come to light by them time the club's in division 3 or w/e. (hope not, but cynical about the yank's ability to drag this on)

― i dont love everything, i love football (darraghmac), Thursday, October 7, 2010 10:58 AM (41 seconds ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink
/john mccririck - glazer cameo surely?

― http://tinypic.com/r/s0wvar/7 (a hoy hoy), Thursday, October 7, 2010 10:58 AM (22 seconds ago)

I meant the hypothetical movie, rather than the real life drama.

Ow, nightmare formatting. Strangely fitting I'll grant you.

no harm in having a liverpool thread, they're a big club with plenty of ilx followers interest.

how do you do that d4n perry changing a word to something else thing? i think we need one for 'takeover'.

and anyway specific thread for the whole current takeover shebang no harm imo

Broughton - http://blastr.com/pics/Warehouse_13_roger_rees_mug.jpg

Rafa - http://img.listal.com/image/6488/600full-alfred-molina.jpg

Woy Hodgson - http://animal.discovery.com/guides/wild-birds/gallery/great_horned_owl.jpg

Hicks (I think) - http://vegasblog.latimes.com/vegas/images/2007/04/26/teller_jh29tpnc.jpg

Gillette - http://assets.gearlive.com/tvenvy/blogimages/penn_jillette.jpg with a makeover and haircut this could work

Stevie G - http://img.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2008/04_02/DyerWENNLL_228x358.jpg

Nando - http://cdn.sheknows.com/realitytvmagazine/2010/01/ellen-degeneres-american-idol.jpg

Benny Noon - http://www.ajlmagazine.com/images/simonhelberg0907.jpg

Sotirios Kyrgiakos - http://i.thisislondon.co.uk/i/pix/2007/08/PhilKayPP_243x366.jpg

There's something about Fernando Torres that reminds me of Nicola Stephenson that used to play Margaret-that-lezzed-up-with-Anna-Friel, so I reckon that's who should play him.

Kevin McKidd for Dirk Kuyt, if we're casting the whole team.

#1 - THE KOP
#2 - Controversial Superinjunction Edit
#3 - Nando
#4 - Dirk
#5 - Stevie

http://cache2.allpostersimages.com/LRG/20/2065/EG52D00Z.jpg

(Where THE KOP = some kind of Greek tragedy chorus figure, obv.)

still can't think of a great carragher

(Where THE KOP = some kind of Greek tragedy chorus figure, obv.)

― Tim, Thursday, 7 October 2010 12:46 (1 minute ago) [IP: 78.86.230.18] Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

tb in reality.

1 = joey barton, ffs come on ppl

a great carragher

hmmmm

sam worthington

flattering, but i mean it;s hard to caricature a dude as ridiculous looking as beefcake-in-drag carragher tbh

The correct casting is obv. Tinhead from Brookie as Stevie G and that stupid sidekick of his (Steve?) as Carra. Barry Grant as Rafa.

I feel disadvantaged here from never watching Brookside.

don't

I reckon Matt Damon could do a turn as Carra, if the budget's there for it:

http://cdn.fourfourtwo.com/contentimages/interviews/Carragher2.jpg http://sayswholive.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/matt_damon.jpg

And people moan about Rafa when Ary comes out with shite like that?!

Chris - People can tell the difference between lol cockney trolling and lol spanish earnestness

ah, that's trolling. gotcha.

Wait what does Joey Barton have to do with this film again?

I dunno - I think it prob'ly is but I can't disassociate it from Jamie's sincere-but-bollocks outrage about any-old-shite, and I'd never call that A+ trolling.

that's sheer windup from arry, but it's not being used as an excuse for him not doing his job, like rafa's laughable outbursts of nonsense tended to be.

but it is laughable from arry, we all agree on that tbf.

There was no point yesterday at which they weren't talking about this on Radio 5. It is quite literally the perfect Radio 5 news issue.

Matt, Joey Barton's only in the film to get Bobby Carlyle as Begbie into it, afaik. Though surely he should be playing Souness.

Maybe there should be a scene where they run into Duncan Ferguson in a Liverpool bar and shit gets heated.

Harrison Ford would make an awesome Dalglish btw.

dolph lungdren as big dunc, or maybe that guy from MI2

harrison ford not so much dalglish as nick faldo.

dalglish, dalglish-

nigel havers is too posh i guess

tom wilkinson a little heavy in the face...

Bah, just got distracted by work while someone else stole my idea of Dougray Scott as Duncan Ferguson.

yeah that's the guy

miyye arrrightttt jacket poccckkkettt

going for scottish gollum in that one iirc, but still quite like him tbh, was he in one of those muscly comic book 300 flicks or something since?

He seems to just make really mediocre films and TV dramas, tbh. But somehow he is married to Clare Forlani.

I think Gerard Butler stole his career.

he is fucking what to who????

WHAT

g butler totally stole his career, he's got better teeth i think

He seems to just make really mediocre films and TV dramas, tbh. But somehow he is married to Clare Forlani.

he must rub this in her face all the time

She was in his last mediocre ITV drama with him (some terrible sub-24 spy thingie). I thought she had a halfway decent career. She's way better looking than him at any rate.

Anyway, I vote Gerard Butler as Kenny Dalglish. THIS! IS! ANFIELD! *bosh*

what you on about butler dalglish that's crazy talk

Reckon John Simm could do a passable Stevie G, though they'd need some camera trickery to hide his short-arsedness

John Simm is too charismatic and likeable to be Stevie.

dude on right for stevie g

http://content6.flixster.com/question/56/92/63/5692632_std.jpg

^was thinking of him for Carra

the damned red sox: a carragher study

don't know why but i'm going to (predictably) defend rafa here... the "not caring less" thing is nonsense. forced to gamble on bringing in kids because the club's scouting policy was archaic and scouts were working for beer money.

he was there what, seven years?

Archaic and based on beverage or otherwise, upon my hole did the club not produce a player or two in that time. Rafa not a nurturer.

Man Utd have always been the model I suppose - basically a homebred team elevated by choice superstars (was tempted to say Real Madrid there, but really...)
-----
not really any more tho. Maybe not really under ferguson, one absolute phenomenal youth team aside they've really only had one or two first team players and a handful of squaddies since 1995 lolkids

It's definitely tailed off since the Class of 92 superteam. I mean, even allowing for the fact that you're never going to replicate that level of talent in just one youth team, there have been still been fewer real first teamers breaking through (I can only think of three since that era: O'Shea, Brown and arguably Evans). It's not that the rest are rubbish, they're just not quite good enough - a lot of them end up as first team players at Sunderland/Wolves/Birmingham-type clubs.

I don't think you can say "not really under Ferguson", though. You can't just ignore the "one absolute phenomenal youth team" - that was the product of a deliberate revamping of the youth set up. And before that there were the original Fergie's Fledglings that broke through in 88/89 (Beardsmore, Martin, etc.)

1st part- absolutely- sunderland alone do well out of utd not-quite players (keane/bruce prob help here).

2nd part, maybe. the 1990-95 fledglings, yep, a phenomenon. maybe, to be fair, I should be taking into account that in order to become utd 1st team since 1995 you had to be a european-cup level player, a league winner. everton, villa, west ham can produce good premier-league level players at a rate of one a year and get more credit for their youth system.

RAWK poster likens the hodgocaust to the hillsborough disaster o_O
http://www.redandwhitekop.com/forum/index.php?topic=268845.0

(anyone have a link to that ace pic of hodgson in the 90s that looks like it's from the 50s?)

http://www.whoateallthepies.tv/wp-content/gallery/prem-managers-young/pa-photos_t_premier-league-managers-young-gallery-pies-1412g.jpg

some kid

pretty stylish. proof tho that nobody who reads milan kundera can succeed at the top level.

I do like that it's called RAWK

http://i.imgur.com/kn6Ra.jpg

mind boggled at "ALL RED Adult Membership" for a second there

Has it ever been explained why John Toshack never became Liverpool manager?

Dalglish is currently talking about Liverpool players in manner of a charity worker discussing a group of disabled children - "put a wee smile back on their faces". It's not a patch on the dark night of the soul shit coming from Big Sam right now.

I'm not a fruit or anything, but Franck from 'Father of the Bride' is just fabulous. What a riot that man is. about 6 hours ago via Twitter for iPhone

@kennethdalglish is painfully unfunny.

You have all got dog on your penis.

David Stubbs is painfully unfunny.

Didn't even realise that's who wrote it.

was it stubbs who did a similar (and much better iirc) one of those a few years ago? can't find it but remember some line about stevie tenderly giving back to the community by hoofing 50 yard balls into the stands.

rafa's future is at "good club" in the premier league
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/9370442.stm

please be Blackburn

ok so is it me or is dalglish actually doing a terrific job so far?

Yeah, he's certainly making me feel stupid sticking up for Roy for so long.

I'm going tomorrow, really pretty excited about it.

i think the rubbish performances have been glossed over somewhat, but things are looking up.

He's done well. And a new team is emerging, Meireles really is the thing to be happy about IMO, he is loving it now, you can see that in every game. Actually reckon finding a tough DMC would mean Gerrard not first choice on current form. Or put him on the wing..

It'll be interesting to see how he handles Carragher over the summer and going into next season.

gerrard on wing or as right wing back with johnson on left. Could accommodate carragher a little easier that way too.

Gerrard was surprisingly disciplined yesterday playing alongside Lucas. Phase Carragher out and try Kelly at CB alongside Agger/Skrtel. Kelly's done well at RB but he lacks subtlety going forward, although I suppose he does have a decent cross in him once he finds his range. Johnson's improved the defensive side of his game immensely, playing LB has maybe forced him to concentrate more? He was one of the few positives from the West Ham game, so classy on the ball.

johnson at lb has been a revelation alright.

he is loving it now, you can see that in every game

I love it when this happens. He looks good and he looks like he's having fun and he's making a discernable impact.

http://on.wsj.com/fi85bq

whats a lebron jamed

james*

Still hope The Heat crash and burn in the playoffs despite my LFC allegiance.

Just noticed your Katy B inspired username!

:) Although if things continue as they are his next mission will be to play right back.

that's where he always belonged

well played!

srsly tho! whenever rafa played fast, fairly skilful and positionally dodgy glen johnson at rb and lumbering carthorse kuyt at rw, i always used to think something was amiss

The attacking prowess of full backs is always over rated because they are judged on a more forgiving basis. Case in point Dani Alves/Sergio Ramos lauded as great attacking full backs(true) poor-to-terrible defensively. But all in all a definite big plus to their teams. Move them forward and judge them as wide midfielders and they'd be classed as inadequate imo. Of course I used to say the same thing about Bale so shows what I know.

liverpool signs two young americans this weekend, pelosi and bijev. bijev's already been loaned to genk for the season. there's also a third young american on trial right now.

another smart move. these kids are 17-18 so it'll take some time but i'm sure Henry & co see the dollar signs, supposing one of them moves up. some team in the next 10 years is going to sell a lot of jerseys when an american finally breaks through into that superstar category.

ok but they actually have to be superstars. /dong fangzhuo

they do though don't they though

He seems to just make really mediocre films and TV dramas, tbh. But somehow he is married to Clare Forlani.

he must rub this in her face all the time

― sock lobster (blueski)

lolled all over again

i trust henry and co 10,000 billion plus 110 per cent. it's really a positive vibe, perhaps boosted by post previous american cunt/cunt ownership duo but overall it's been so solid.

yeah, tbh if overpaying for good players is as bad as it gets, you'll have to learn to live with it

exactly, at least they're buying stuff and it's all v focussed on the pitch these days, media messages totally coherent. long way back but henry seems a gent imo.

shit's gonna be so fucking boring

no wait, arsenal are gone to fuck, happy days

rip anfield, heaven needed a kop

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story/_/id/1131178/liverpool-owner-john-w-henry-may-sell-anfield-naming-rights?cc=5739

(yes i understand that the quote means nothing. also lol at a guy who spends 100m on carroll, downing etc complaining that teams arent playing fair when it comes to the money they spend)

Thanks for the update.