LFC TAKEOVER: Fans give owners dismal one year one report

Feb 6 2008 by David Higgerson, Liverpool Daily Post

LIVERPOOL fans have delivered a devastating verdict on American owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett to mark their first year in charge.

A snapshot poll carried out online yesterday by the Liverpool Daily Post invited fans to rate the performance of Gillett and Hicks individually on a scale of one to 10.

The vast majority – 82% – scored Hicks, who has regularly spoken in public over the past few months, as one out of 10.

Fans were more generous to Gillett, whose silence in recent weeks has led to expectations that he will move to end his partnership with Hicks. 33% rated Gillett’s performance as one out of 10, although 56% rated his first year as worthy of two, three, four or five out of ten.

One participant, referring to why he had scored Gillett so low, said: “While I, like many others have no idea what has been going on behind the scenes I feel let down that he has not done more to end this situation and take Hicks with him.”

Another said: “He looks a bit more genuine than Hicks, but has totally been overshadowed by Hicks. Can’t fully criticise him yet, but looks like he lacks the backbone he would need as an owner, especially to square up to Hicks.”

Our survey also suggests fans are becoming increasingly concerned with Rafa Benitez’s peformance as manager. A quarter rated his season as worthy of a seven out of 10, but of all those surveyed, 66% said the score they’d chosen was lower than it would have been at the end of last season.

Some fans appear to have concerns about the ongoing protests against the Americans – a third said they feared it could be a cause of recent poor match performances.

And while 85% backed the idea of the fans buying the club, just 14% believed it would actually happen.