LIVERPOOL COURT CASE:THERE WAS a good reason television crews were unable to find crowds of delirious Liverpool supporters celebrating outside Anfield on Wednesday evening. It was the spectre of Tom Hicks. He is the zombie who keeps coming back.
Until John W Henry, Mr Justice Floyd, Martin Broughton, Christian Purslow or whoever achieves Anfield’s eternal gratitude by delivering the coup de grace, news of the Texan’s impending demise must be treated with extreme caution.
Euphoria outside the high court, when Justice Floyd had paved the way for New England Sports Ventures to take control of Liverpool for €342 million, or so we thought, was understandable.
istory should have warned us against writing Hicks’ obituary as Liverpool co-owner, however, and that still applies despite a second high court judgment appearing to hasten the end of his and George Gillett’s reign at Anfield.
The title of a thread on one of the many Liverpool forums caught the mood perfectly yesterday. It simply said: “Have you lost the plot yet?”
The Liverpool Echoproduced what it called a souvenir edition to mark the tumultuous events in London, pages two to nine adorned with a graphic heralding the "Reds' New Era", only for developments inside the 160th district court in Dallas to check that optimism. The Echo'sfront page did capture the prevailing torment among Liverpool supporters, however, with a picture of Hicks alongside the headline "Red Devil".
Spirit of Shankly, the supporters’ group that has carried the fight against the club’s reviled US owners, decided against issuing a statement on the courtroom drama and the prospect of Hicks and Gillett losing control of the club on Wednesday night. How wise that move looked when the proposed sale was placed under a temporary restraining order.
James McKenna, the secretary of Spirit of Shankly, said: “The track record of Tom Hicks, and George Gillett to an extent, shows they will not give in without a fight and after three years, we wouldn’t expect them to just walk away. I don’t think supporters will start to celebrate until (Hicks and Gillett) are dragged away from the club, kicking and screaming. There is still that thought in the back of your head: ‘What will they do next?’
“We certainly won’t be getting carried away . . . Until there are new owners sat in the boardroom and Hicks and Gillett have been kicked out for good, we won’t be counting any chickens.”
In preparation for its proposed succession, NESV has made it clear its agreement with Broughton, the Liverpool chairman, legally prevents any acquisition debt being loaded on to the club.
NESV also intends to address the problematic stadium issue. It has tried to draw a distinction between good and bad American owners before closing its deal.
Guardian Service
