bawan 0 Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 Liverpool supporters are to launch an ambitious plan to buy the football club from its current American owners. US tycoons George Gillett and Tom Hicks recently finalised a £350m refinancing of the club which they bought in 2007. But the Share Liverpool FC Group is to reveal plans for a buy-out of the club by 100,000 Reds fans around the world. The model proposed will be a Barcelona style, "member-share" scheme, aimed at raising £500m to purchase the club from its US owners and build a new stadium. As well as UK-based fans, a website will be launched to attract interest from Liverpool's supporter base around the world, particularly in East Asia. Club refinancing Those behind the move are football business lecturer and Liverpool fan Rogan Taylor, former director of communications at the Premier League Phil French, and lawyer Kevin Jacquiss - an expert in launching co-operatives. "The time is right to offer a different solution to the rising concerns that football fans have about the patterns of ownership developing at our major football clubs," said Mr Taylor, who is director of the Football Industry Group at the University of Liverpool. Full details of how the fans' group hopes to buy the club will be revealed later on Thursday, although the initial figures seem to suggest an investment per supporter of £5,000 each. Many Liverpool supporters have been unhappy at the recent uncertainty surrounding the refinancing of the club. After much delay, and reports that either one or both of the owners was willing to sell a stake to Dubai's DIC, a refinancing deal was signed last week with the Royal Bank of Scotland and US bank Wachovia. Tom Hicks confirmed to the BBC last week that of the £350m refinancing package, £105m of that will be debt tied to the club. Of that total, £45m will be used for future player transfers and to meet the club's working capital needs, and the remaining £60m is thought to be free for start-up money for a new Liverpool stadium. However, some supporters are unhappy about debt being placed on to the club, and there is also a perception that the owners' support for manager Rafa Benitez has not been as strong as it might. Debt burden "Thousands of Liverpool fans have already demonstrated their dissatisfaction with the current state of affairs," said Mr Taylor. "Large amounts of debt often devolves onto clubs newly purchased, but the fans know that in the end, it will be they themselves who will have to pay it off through increased ticket prices and other schemes. "In such a case, why not simply buy the club yourselves?" He said that many fans were unaware that there were other ways of financing and taking ownership of big clubs. Mr Taylor said that in Germany and Spain most top-level football clubs were not for sale as they were owned by many thousands of "member fans". "The Champions League has been won on six occasions in the last 15 years by clubs owned and run in such a way," he said. Barcelona, which won the Champions League in 2006, is owned by its 100,000 fan-members. Stadium plan Earlier this month a survey carried out by the Liverpool Supporters' network showed that 76% of 2,000 fans questioned said they would "seriously consider reducing their financial commitment to the club" if the current owners stayed in charge. When asked to choose between the owners and the manager as to who had the best interest of the club at heart, 99% backed Benitez. However, Tom Hicks and George Gillett have insisted that they are fully behind manager Rafael Benitez. They also say the club plans to build the 71,000-seat venue close to Anfield in Stanley Park in time for the 2011-12 season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheMoog 0 Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 Robbing houses and dipping bins must pay well... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spongebob toonpants 4183 Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 Yes, I think the chances of this plan being succesful must be around the 100% mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest alex Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 Heard this bloke on Radio 5 this morning. Nice idea in theory like... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NJS 4446 Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 Theres enough crime in the city when they just need to feed their smack habits - imagine how much there will be if they have to finance their club. Also I can't help but mention that one of the 4 clubs who according to the media no club can ever, ever aspire to get within a million miles of without being dismissed as deluded to the point of insanity are SEVENTH in the table. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest alex Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 Theres enough crime in the city when they just need to feed their smack habits - imagine how much there will be if they have to finance their club. Also I can't help but mention that one of the 4 clubs who according to the media no club can ever, ever aspire to get within a million miles of without being dismissed as deluded to the point of insanity are SEVENTH in the table. The stuff off the pitch has done Benitez a massive favour as it has helped take attention away from just how ordinary they've been. 17 points off the top spot now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bombadil 0 Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 Also I can't help but mention that one of the 4 clubs who according to the media no club can ever, ever aspire to get within a million miles of without being dismissed as deluded to the point of insanity are SEVENTH in the table. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Face 29 Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 Who's that daft scouser who's normally on here within seconds of anything going wrong at the toon? Conspicuous by his absence these days. What do they need, about 100,000 fans with £5k each they want to throw away? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest alex Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 Mad on the Cocks? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
@yourservice 67 Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 Mad on the Cocks? won it twelvty fifteen? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snakehips 0 Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 This is the same Rogan Taylor who had summat to do with NUFC at some point, yeah? Fans Liaison Committee (or was that Steve whatshisname - the baldy lad)? One can never be sure, but I reckon this will fail spectacularly or end up being a back door entry for DIC (oo-er missus) or some other financial institutions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest alex Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 This is the same Rogan Taylor who had summat to do with NUFC at some point, yeah? Fans Liaison Committee (or was that Steve whatshisname - the baldy lad)? One can never be sure, but I reckon this will fail spectacularly or end up being a back door entry for DIC (oo-er missus) or some other financial institutions. You're thinking of Steve Wraith aren't you? Or the other lad (forgotten his name). Rogan Taylor may have had some input into the Fans' Liaison whatsit but he's some professor in football studies or something isn't he? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NJS 4446 Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 Rogan Taylor became a rent-a-quote after Hillsborough and landed some nonsense post like "reader in football at Lennon University" or something - nice to see something positive from 96 deaths. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snakehips 0 Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 Alex/NJS - I'm fairly sure Rogan Taylor was rent a gob before his involvement with NUFC (I just can't be sure what his actually did with NUFC) And yes, it was Steve Wraith I was thinking about. I hope my description of him being a 'baldy lad' didn't upset you, Al ??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest alex Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 Alex/NJS - I'm fairly sure Rogan Taylor was rent a gob before his involvement with NUFC (I just can't be sure what his actually did with NUFC) And yes, it was Steve Wraith I was thinking about. I hope my description of him being a 'baldy lad' didn't upset you, Al ??? I'd be worried about upsetting him if I was you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NJS 4446 Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 Taylor has definitely been a scouse mouthpiece for ages - I think he was brought in by us to advise on fan liasion as that was his big thing (fair enough). Wraith is also notable for his fascination with that jailed gangster - Charles something? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snakehips 0 Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 Taylor has definitely been a scouse mouthpiece for ages - I think he was brought in by us to advise on fan liasion as that was his big thing (fair enough). Wraith is also notable for his fascination with that jailed gangster - Charles something? Steve Wraith was 'mates' with one (if not both) of the Krays. He exchanged letters with him/them on a regular basis iirc and I think even went to one of the funerals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ewerk 31593 Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 One can never be sure, but I reckon this will fail spectacularly or end up being a back door entry for DIC (oo-er missus) or some other financial institutions. I disagree, it'll never actually get off the ground, in order to get 100,000 people to pay 5 grand each they'd need at least 150,000 to register their interest to make up for the ones who won't follow through with it. It simply won't happen, Liverpool don't have enough fans with the money to make it happen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ewerk 31593 Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/sport/sport-...er-20080131692/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Park Life 71 Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 Something we should look into oneday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RlCO 0 Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 I was gobsmacked last night when Lawro said on match of the day that liverpool had been ordinary for long enough so as to forget their last good preformance, or somthing like that. He pulled it back straight away though with shite about Keegan and Wise. All the cunt ever does is read the papers and regurgitate. Analysis my arse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest alex Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 About time MOTD shook things up and got a few different faces in now and again imo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Face 29 Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 About time MOTD shook things up and got a few different faces in now and again imo. I'd love to see RICO on there. Actually, scratch that. Remember the fans' forum on ITV? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest alex Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 About time MOTD shook things up and got a few different faces in now and again imo. I'd love to see RICO on there. Actually, scratch that. Remember the fans' forum on ITV? Aye Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Isegrim 10017 Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 Something we should look into oneday. Whenever the German system is mentioned it gets totally romanticised. The legal structures have changed in the last decade very much and are much more similar to the English system now. Most clubs here are in fact public or private limited companies where "members" have little to say, but decisions are made on by governing bodies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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