Guest Reg Reagan Posted September 17, 2010 Report Share Posted September 17, 2010 Tom Hicks in new talks in bid to keep control at Liverpool • American in London for last-ditch talks • Co-owner Hicks discusses refinancing options Andy Hunter guardian.co.uk, Thursday 16 September 2010 21.24 BST Tom Hicks has launched a last‑ditch attempt to retain control of Liverpool by looking to secure another refinancing deal against the club during talks with bankers in London. Hicks and fellow Liverpool co-owner, George Gillett, face losing the club to the Royal Bank of Scotland next month when the deadline for refinancing loans of at least £237.4m – according to club accounts to July 2009 – expire. But despite fierce opposition from the majority of the Anfield board to any further attempts at refinancing by the Americans, believed to owe approximately £280m under the terms of their arrangement with the bank in April, the Texan businessman has not given up hope of extending his controversial reign. Hicks has discussed refinancing options with, among others, the investment bank FBI Capital Markets. Liverpool would face further damaging interest repayments should Hicks succeed in preventing the RBS from taking control and selling the club on for much less than the Americans' original £800m valuation. However, Hicks would require majority approval from the Liverpool board to secure a deal and, so far, the chairman Martin Broughton, managing director Christian Purslow and commercial director Ian Ayre have opposed his attempts to remain at the helm. It is understood Hicks is operating alone on this latest refinancing package, with Gillett struggling to repay a previous loan taken out against Liverpool. Broughton has yet to find a buyer for the club five months after his appointment as chairman with that specific brief. http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/sep/16/tom-hicks-george-gillett-liverpool I hope its true... the longer he stays the better it is for them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ftaylor Posted September 18, 2010 Report Share Posted September 18, 2010 Good on ya Tom! Stand up for whats yours by right! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Reg Reagan Posted September 18, 2010 Report Share Posted September 18, 2010 The two things may be connected. the shites will go into administration and 9 points deducted will happen. MARK MY WORDS. Then again if this reduced price is enough for them to get their dosh back quickly they could well take this option. But wouldn't it be great seeing them lose 9 points when they are already at the arse end of the division. Relegation - semms to be the only thing they can achieve this season . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue 250 Posted September 18, 2010 Report Share Posted September 18, 2010 But wouldn't it be great seeing them lose 9 points when they are already at the arse end of the division. Relegation - semms to be the only thing they can achieve this season . The red shite getting relegated!.....yer that would be great, then we'd only need to find TWO more teams worse than us and we'd be safe! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Reg Reagan Posted September 24, 2010 Report Share Posted September 24, 2010 Blow for Tom Hicks as Blackstone refuses to refinance Liverpool's loans • Private equity firm ends talks with co-owner • Last-ditch attempt to pay off RBS debt founders Owen Gibson guardian.co.uk, Monday 20 September 2010 14.10 BST Tom Hicks Talks between Liverpool's co-owner Tom Hicks and Blackstone over a refinancing of the club's debt have broken down. Photograph: Mike Egerton/Empics Blackstone Group, the private equity firm said to be on the verge of backing Tom Hicks in his last ditch bid to retain control of Liverpool FC in the face of fierce fan opposition, is understood to have ended all talks with the Texan. Hicks had approached GSO Capital Partners, the debt restructuring arm of the private equity group, to secure the funds required to repay the £237m outstanding to the Royal Bank of Scotland in the middle of next month and remain in control of the club. It had been reported that a £280m, two-year package had been agreed in principle. But it is understood that, although talks took place between GSO and Hicks, they ended without a firm offer on the table. The Guardian has learned that GSO has now walked away and there is no chance of the Blackstone subsidiary lending Hicks the money. Liverpool fans' groups over the weekend made clear the depth of their hostility to the idea that Hicks could be bailed out by GSO, effectively buying him more time to find a new investor willing to pay a premium on the £218.9m the Americans paid for the club in 2007. Hicks met with the club's chairman, Martin Broughton, and the rest of the Liverpool board last week to outline his plan. RBS, which throughout has maintained that it wishes to find a solution that is in the best long term interests of the club, would nevertheless have no further say in the matter if its loan was repaid in full. Hicks and George Gillett put Liverpool up for sale in April, with RBS parachuting in Broughton to lead the sale process. But despite a series of high profile approaches, from Rhone Capital and Kenny Huang, no proper bid was ever lodged. Hicks had hoped that the funding would allow him to take full control, pay down the debt and provide funds for players. Now that Blackstone has walked away, it leaves him desperately searching for a replacement loan before the mid-October refinancing deadline. It would also see Gillett's 50% stake diluted, with the Colorado-native staying at Liverpool in an inactive role. A first attempt by Hicks to refinance the debt was rejected earlier this year by the Liverpool board to allow Barclays Capital to continue the ongoing search for a buyer. If Hicks approached the board with a new proposal, it is believed that they would also look to block it, although lawyers are split on whether they would be able to do so under company law. http://www.redcafe.net/f7/liverpool-declared-bloated-toxic-308294/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Reg Reagan Posted September 28, 2010 Report Share Posted September 28, 2010 Hicks close to refinancing Current Liverpool co-owner Tom Hicks is reportedly much closer to re-finance the club's current debt of £280 million says a source close to Tom Hicks. Despite Christian Purslow re-assuring Liverpool fans last week in an interview on the club's official channel that himself, Broughton and Ayre will block any re-financing deals that either Hicks or Gillett are set to take out before the October 15 deadline. But this will not stop Tom Hicks after he was spotted by Liverpool fans in the United States last week. Claims by Liverpool fans that Hicks has visited Wall Street in New York in search for a bank to re-finance the club's debt. After getting rejected by Blackstone and GSO last week, there are re-newed claims that Hicks is now in the process of securing a re-finance deal with a top American finance company. If this does go through before the October 15 deadline, this could have a catastrophic impact on the club that is already performing very poorly on the field this season. After getting knocked out of the Champions League group stage last season, finishing in 7th position which has just qualified Liverpool into the Europa League this season and are currently languishing around the dreaded relegation zone in the Premier League, this has impacted Liverpool's finances dramatically. It has taken a lot of convincing for both Gerrard and Torres to stay at the club for another season but it seems likely that neither of them will be staying on past January if things continue on like this under the ownership of Hicks and Gillett. In May, both Hicks and Gillett have put the club up for sale at £600-800 million. There were however some interested parties but nothing have came out of it. It is believed that the asking price from Hicks and Gillett is far too high and unjustified. With the October deadline approaching, Hicks is willing to hold onto the club as long as he can gain profit from the club which was his main intention of doing when he and Gillett bought the club 2007. Liverpool fans say they would rather be in administration then have Hicks owning the club for another 6-12 months. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Posted September 28, 2010 Report Share Posted September 28, 2010 Reg, your obsession with Liverpool is disturbing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Reg Reagan Posted September 28, 2010 Report Share Posted September 28, 2010 Reg, your obsession with Liverpool is disturbing! I am enjoying their great demise and I am having too much fun kicking them while they are down Championship football is looming much much closer for the shites Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamiemaher85 Posted September 28, 2010 Report Share Posted September 28, 2010 I am enjoying their great demise and I am having too much fun kicking them while they are down Championship football is looming much much closer for the shites Considering we have no money and are currently bottom of the league I really don't think any Everton fan should be taking the piss at the moment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inertia8 Posted September 29, 2010 Report Share Posted September 29, 2010 That's right, same as them giving us shit for being bottom... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duncanmckenzieismagic Posted September 29, 2010 Report Share Posted September 29, 2010 Small point, and it is me being picky but its really bugging me, Liverpoo are known as The Shite not the shites Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Reg Reagan Posted September 29, 2010 Report Share Posted September 29, 2010 Considering we have no money and are currently bottom of the league I really don't think any Everton fan should be taking the piss at the moment. we will be fine. we will get ourselves out of this mess within the next month or so. as for the RS, the future for them is getting bleaker and bleaker everyday. i cant see them getting any better. they wont be in administration in october but by sometime around march or aPril they will be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inertia8 Posted September 30, 2010 Report Share Posted September 30, 2010 (edited) I can hear it now for the derby . "AND YOU'LL NEVER REPAY YOUR LOANS, YOU'LL NEVER PAY, YOUR LOANS" Edited September 30, 2010 by inertia8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
holystove Posted September 30, 2010 Report Share Posted September 30, 2010 http://deadspin.com/5652083/samuel-l-jackson-is-the-new-face-of-liverpool-fans-anti+-gilletthicks-campaign A pair of big-hitting movie industry Liverpool fans are rumoured to have roped in Samuel L. Jackson and Mike Myers to front a viral internet campaign of hate against Reds owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Reg Reagan Posted October 3, 2010 Report Share Posted October 3, 2010 fuckin hell! When will these RS fans stop? They are planning another protest today! I seriously do not get the point of this protest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Romey 1878 Posted October 3, 2010 Report Share Posted October 3, 2010 You know, I don't have the foggiest why there's this attitude towards Liverpool fans protesting against the owners. They can see that these owners are ruining the club they love so are trying to do something about it. What the hell is wrong with that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Reg Reagan Posted October 3, 2010 Report Share Posted October 3, 2010 how is hicks and gillett ruining the club? didnt these owners bring in the players they wanted? didnt the owners bring in the more money that the shites didnt have? arent they building them a stadium at stanley park? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Posted October 5, 2010 Report Share Posted October 5, 2010 http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/l/liverpool/9064239.stm potential buyouts, despite the predicament theyre in... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Romey 1878 Posted October 5, 2010 Report Share Posted October 5, 2010 http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/l/liverpool/9064239.stm potential buyouts, despite the predicament theyre in... Are you surprised? There's no way they'd be left in the shit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ftaylor Posted October 6, 2010 Report Share Posted October 6, 2010 The red sox owners know what they are doing- they are turned the red sox into a revenue machine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Reg Reagan Posted October 6, 2010 Report Share Posted October 6, 2010 I'm going to say a prayer tonight that Hicks and Gillette get the money they need to keep the club in their cancerous clutches. I Couldn't give two fucks about the plight of the RS. Sure, feel bad for the 'great club' but the arrogant, bitter and deluded supporters with the sense of self-entitlement make it very hard to bring us to sympathise with their current state of affairs. You better believe the moment they are bought out and promised some funds they'll suddenly make you remember once again why you hated their attitude all along. Fuck em... Hope they get what they deserve. these twats are just what two faced horrible twats they really are.. Hope that their club goes completely tits up and goes bust taking the filth ridden scum that support them out of the game too. COYB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeO Posted October 6, 2010 Report Share Posted October 6, 2010 Being sold on to the owners of the Boston Red Sox according to the beeb... http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/l/liverpool/9064599.stm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xavier Posted October 6, 2010 Report Share Posted October 6, 2010 I'm going to say a prayer tonight that Hicks and Gillette get the money they need to keep the club in their cancerous clutches. I Couldn't give two fucks about the plight of the RS. Sure, feel bad for the 'great club' but the arrogant, bitter and deluded supporters with the sense of self-entitlement make it very hard to bring us to sympathise with their current state of affairs. You better believe the moment they are bought out and promised some funds they'll suddenly make you remember once again why you hated their attitude all along. Fuck em... Hope they get what they deserve. these twats are just what two faced horrible twats they really are.. Hope that their club goes completely tits up and goes bust taking the filth ridden scum that support them out of the game too. COYB Aww, I love you too. You and your self appointed 'People's Club' Club. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeO Posted October 6, 2010 Report Share Posted October 6, 2010 Aww, I love you too. You and your self appointed 'People's Club' Club. It's Reg Xav, don't bite, you'll just encourage him . Still sounding iffy to me, they're talking about Liverpool being added to their, "....stable of sporting assets." I wouldn't want Everton to be described as an "asset." The prospect of being forced into administration is being talked about seriously as well . I'd be worried. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Posted October 6, 2010 Report Share Posted October 6, 2010 I wouldn't want Everton to be described as an "asset." The prospect of being forced into administration is being talked about seriously as well . I'd be worried. That would be the Ideal scenario for prospective buyers, they would be be able to pick it up for a knockdown price. If i was in their position i'd let it happen before i moved in for the kill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Romey 1878 Posted October 6, 2010 Report Share Posted October 6, 2010 That would be the Ideal scenario for prospective buyers, they would be be able to pick it up for a knockdown price. If i was in their position i'd let it happen before i moved in for the kill. But no buyer is going to want to buy a club that will have even more of a chance of being relegated due to the points deduction. Buyers want Liverpool because of the prestige, they won't want to lose that by owning a Championship club! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rubecula Posted October 6, 2010 Report Share Posted October 6, 2010 I am not so sure Romey. There will always be someone who wants to buy a club. There are probably a lot of folk interested in buying us too, just not the right ones. Personally I couldn't give a monkey's about who own Liverpool, just like I don't care who owns any other club. Our concern is and should always be for Everton and what we can do, not some other lot no matter how close they may be to us. I have as much interest in who owns South Liverpool, Marine or Tranmere as I do in who owns the RS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeO Posted October 6, 2010 Report Share Posted October 6, 2010 They've announced on their official site that it's a done deal... "....conditional on Premier League approval, resolution of the dispute concerning Board membership and other matters." That seems a fairly big list of "ifs" to me before they can become the Liverpool Red Sox . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xavier Posted October 6, 2010 Report Share Posted October 6, 2010 It's Reg Xav, don't bite, you'll just encourage him . Still sounding iffy to me, they're talking about Liverpool being added to their, "....stable of sporting assets." I wouldn't want Everton to be described as an "asset." The prospect of being forced into administration is being talked about seriously as well . I'd be worried. Tariq Panja on twitter is an excellent person to follow if anyone's interested in whats happening, even for the wrong reasons like reg. Dont fault him too much on his last post, actually. I'm sure there are many people who'd agree with him. Its natural. Nothings done as of yet. G&H will try every trick in their book to keep hold of us (tried to put up Melwood, Anfield, guaranteed tv money and the players as collateral to get in investment which was blocked by RBS' men on the board and then they even tried to sack Ayre and Purslow yesterday night). Its not over till its over. Many Liverpool fans are talking about getting back to the top and winning trophies under new ownership but for me its about getting the pride back. Banter and cat calls from opposition fans doesnt affect as much as seeing the club dying from the inside. Dont think its possible to win the league without having anything like the money Abramovich or the Al Nahyan family has. The mancs are on the next train to trouble, behind us though and will need to sort it out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marcopaulo Posted October 6, 2010 Report Share Posted October 6, 2010 But no buyer is going to want to buy a club that will have even more of a chance of being relegated due to the points deduction. Buyers want Liverpool because of the prestige, they won't want to lose that by owning a Championship club! even with -9 points i couldn't see liverpool ever being relegated because i can see them getting 50+ points in a season Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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