Every time there’s a break for internationals in the world of soccer it really does feel like the girlfriend you’ve always wanted, and has finally decided that you’re the best thing since her ex, decides that you need some time apart – the dreaded “break”. Thankfully during the international break we’ve had Liverpool Football Club, a whole host of Americans, and a court room the backdrop to it all as the battle for the self-confessed massive club stepped up a level.
George Gillett and Tom Hicks purchased the club back in 2007 for the princely sum of £218million and to finance it they of course, being American buyers of a British football club, used loans. This is fine, and everyone likes a good loan every once in a while, but unless you’re lucky enough to have attended University in the UK and don’t earn over a certain threshold, you actually have to start paying the loan back. This seems to be the point that Hicks and Gillett have missed, and after defaulting on the loan, RBS called the debt in. Now we find ourselves with quite the wrangle up on Merseyside.
RBS have their preferred buyer, the New England Sports Ventures Group, who own the Boston Red Sox, but the fact that the bank themselves are preferring an American investor illustrates one thing – they’re obviously all Manchester United and Everton fans. Having already identified the comedy value that could be sought from co-owner Hicks and his band of merry men and family members, another dip into the US market looks certain and it could well fall by the wayside.
Another point is that most Reds fans keep harping back to is the success NESV have had in Boston. The Sox won their first World Series title in almost 90 years within five years of the group arriving, and now Liverpool fans seems to believe it’s their destiny to also win a first league title in 20 years. Sorry to say it but it’s only been 20 years since you won it, and you actually need a shite load of money and some world class players coming through. Without Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres the team falls to pieces. The recent screening of “Four Days in October” by ESPN illustrated the togetherness in that team, something which you feel really isn’t present under Hodgson at Anfield.
That brings us to the game this weekend then – Everton v Liverpool at Goodison Park and there’s still an outside chance the visitors could be going into the game with a nine point deduction and with real hopes at a return to the Championship and even League One after that – the glory years were in the First Division after all. Neither side has enjoyed the best of seasons so far, but ‘pool should be boosted by the return of Fernando Torres but until he grows his hair and re-adopts the lady-boy look his poor form will likely continue.
One thing looks likely though – Liverpool will have new Americans in at some point in the near future, and they should buy car immobilizer kits in advance unless they fancy buying a new car stereo every week.
