Week by week it’s becoming clearer that Hicks and Gillett are holding the club back and hurting its support. We’ve got a manager who (according to yesterday’s Liverpool Echo) is unable to go for a terrific young prospect in Aaron Ramsey because he’s got to concentrate on the first team on what is, relatively speaking, a shoestring. There can be no signing for the future. Liverpool FC is likely to be outspent this summer by more than Manchester Utd and Chelsea (the benchmark in at home and in Europe and the target to catch) but also by Manchester City, West Ham and Tottenham Hotspur. There’s no Daniel Alves, there’s Philip Degen. Degen may be a good player or he may not, but he does not have a strong shout to be the world’s leading right back. He is available for free, however.
Let’s remember why David Moores wanted to sell in the first place – to keep the playing side strong while a new stadium could be built for Liverpool FC.
We can only presume he didn’t sell it to watch Liverpool supporters get fleeced in this eternal chase for elusive cash. This week we discovered that fancards are getting replaced. You know fancards, the things described in the club’s own charter as “the only card that you will need with Liverpool Football Club”. A one off payment of £3.50. They are getting replaced by a card which will have to be paid for on an annual basis. Liverpool FC being Liverpool FC, they haven’t released all the information yet but we rang today and got some answers. This isn’t set in stone but we were told it will be an annual charge of £29 for adults and £20 for children. Fan cards will run concurrently with this scheme, that will include a ticket exchange, for one season and then it’s the annual fee or nothing. The scheme will be confirmed before July 1st. Do we expect any greater efficiency or is it simply a matter of wringing every last penny out of supporters? Let’s phrase it this way, for an adult and two children to even be in with a chance to buy a ticket for a league game prior to the new stadium hopefully opening in 2012 (we understand anyone raising their eyebrows), it’s £207. £207. That’s before you’ve seen a ball kicked. Looking at that, and given that Hicks and Gillett need every penny, we suspect it’s the latter.
Is George Gillett still looking for every last penny? Well, why is he still here? Gillett is happy enough to give the impression he wants to sell. Well, SOS has been told he can sell whenever he wants. The opportunity is there to get out of our club. Why hasn’t he? Remember, George Gillett also said it was “about the fans and the winning tradition”; he said he “wasn’t someone who goes and hides” and he said “our job is to be custodians of this franchise, not owners of this franchise.” Well the fans want him out and he can’t supply the funds required to carry on that winning tradition. He has actively looked to hide away from the glare of the fans – that stops today. The pressure on George Gillett starts now. George: Either start explaining why you aren’t selling or sell.
This, these vagaries over the “custodianship” with one indicating he wants out but malingering, the other constantly looking to place the club into further debt, the shortage of a transfer budget, the desire to bleed fans dry to make up for the financial shortcomings, this is Liverpool FC today. This is your club in the summer of 2008. What are we all going to do about it?
We’re repossessing the club. Sunday. You’ve seen the other statement. If you haven’t, it’s easy - Anfield, Sunday. It’s time we said enough is enough. It’s time we repossess before someone else gets the chance. It’s our club after all. We feel every part of it. The manager’s limited budget is our limited budget. The plans for the new ground are the plans for our new ground. And the massive debts are definitely debts we’ll be repaying if Hicks and Gillett have their way.
Sunday. Anfield. Email or PM for a time and place. Spread the word and see you there.
Spirit Of Shankly.
