FAN SCENE: Owners change ‘Liverpool Way’

Jan 18 2008 by Our Correspondent, Liverpool Daily Post

THE trouble with writing a column for a Friday is that if anything happens on a Monday that makes me angry, I’ve usually calmed down a bit when I come time to write.

Not this week, though.

The constant undermining of the manager by the owners has made the blood boil of every Liverpool supporter, and any shred of good feeling towards Mr Hicks in particular is close to leaving town for good.

We welcomed the investment in the club; we welcomed the desire to learn about the game and, more importantly, the traditions and history of Liverpool FC.

We even forgave them the slips in terminology when describing players and systems.

But it’s gone too far now. The owners either haven’t bothered listening or have ignored what was said to them. American sport is run differently, but we expected (and were promised) a more traditional English way of doing things. We didn’t want them to embrace tea, scones and all things English (although a plate of Scouse would do them some good!), but we did imagine that their desire to learn about the club was because they didn’t want to change the ‘Liverpool Way’.

How naïve of us! The past fortnight has seen the running of Liverpool FC become a farce worthy of Sir Brian Rix himself. Firstly the spat with Rafa, then the pointed Press releases on the official website (which many fans thought were disgraceful), then the refinancing and stadium problems with Klinsmann-gate being the culmination of a few months of nonsense.

For a start, it is highly unprofessional to treat your club manager the way Rafa has been treated. To say that Jurgen Klinsmann was approached first and foremost for his knowledge of the English and European games is disingenuous; what’s wrong with talking to Rafa? Who has a better knowledge than Benitez?

Rafa’s character is obviously strong, and though the team haven’t been performing to their potential, all fans are right behind the manager. If anything, the games played by the owners have increased Rafa’s popularity!

It’s been a poor show all round from the administrators, Rick Parry included.

So where do we go from here? If the rumours are to be believed, DIC are just waiting for the opportunity to relieve Tom Hicks of his share, and though I preferred the American proposals to the Dubai offer, I wouldn’t shed a tear if the Texan moved on.

If all we are to him is franchise that has to realise a profit on his investment by any means necessary, then he shouldn’t be at Liverpool FC.

Perhaps Mr Hicks has had enough and wants to cash in (a profit of £75 million for each of the owners has been mooted), but what of George Gillett?

His silence has been deafening, and though he was present at the Klinsmann meeting, he’s always struck me as the more likely to be the sort of Chairman this club should have.

For all the problems David Moores had with trying to finance us to compete, he was the perfect custodian of the club.

He stayed away from the headlines, conducted private business in a quiet and dignified way and backed his manager to the hilt.

If the owners do stay, they will have to go a long way to appease the supporters after all the hassles and shenanigans of the last couple of months.

They could start by publicly supporting the manager (not through a Press release from 4,000 miles away) and taking a few lessons from Mr Moores on how to run a football club.