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Haste and Caution, an Unlikely Recipe

It was a mere 3 short years ago that Liverpool supporters danced through the streets of Athens, despite defeat in the 2006/7 Champions League Final to AC Milan.

Firstly, Scousers love a party! In addition, The Reds had reached their second European Cup Final in 3 years and had finished an encouraging 3rd in the Premier League, and most importantly, the club now had rich ‘sugar daddies’ of their own to match Roman Abramovich, in George Gillett and Tom Hicks who had taken control of the club in February 2007.

There was, no doubt, an element of philosophical thought that we had our moment in Istanbul, some 2 years earlier, and that the Milanese deserved their moment in the sun.

Despite the result in Athens that night, there was universal optimism. Or was there? Even in that honeymoon period, there were murmurs of discontent which eventually surfaced in the press as an irate Rafael Benitez went public over the the lack of transfer funds available to him.

There are many writers, with greater eminence than myself, who can chronicle the 3 years of carnage that have since transpired, with Gillett and Hicks amongst the most despised figures in English football … for most outside Stretford anyway!

It also makes a mockery of a statement made by Rick Parry in an open letter to shareholders soon after the takeover in February 2007:-

“From the perspective of ownership, I believe the future of the club is in very safe hands. The Gillett and Hicks families possess a tremendous regard and admiration for the standing that Liverpool is privileged to hold in football – not just here in England, but throughout the world. To them, our virtues, heritage and culture are precious assets that will help to inspire everyone connected with us to continue to strive for further success – both on and off the field.”

Whilst hindsight is a wonderful thing, it is inconceivable that any key figure within the establishment could have got anything quite so horribly wrong. Parry is of course no longer with the club, replaced by Christian Purslow, who alongside Martin Broughton has become equally as unpopular as the clubs’ American owners.

I will confess to the thought that the Liverpool players and supporters might consider similar industrial action to that being taken by Broughton’s subjects at British Airways!

Flippancy aside, what now for Liverpool Football Club? They have owners that are tied into a £237 million debt to the Royal Bank of Scotland, but have based their £800 million asking price on a new Stadium still awaiting some bricks and mortar.

Each rumour of potential interest in the club is greeted with glee by the club’s supporters, but surely there must be an air of caution as a new wind blows in. Any potential new owner must indubitably undergo the most thorough screening process after the experiences of the last 42 months.

The issue herein is that no Liverpool supporter can trust the likes of Purslow and Broughton to perform that due diligence, and the question will remain as to how high Liverpool Football Club stands on the list of priorities at RBS. Either way, there are more questions than answers, and more than a hint of smokescreen.

The uncertainty has inevitably transmitted itself to the playing staff, and the rumours continue to abound over the future of star striker Fernando Torres.

Putting objectivity to one side, and speaking as a passionate supporter of the club for over 30 years, I genuinely believe that there is enough talent at the club for Liverpool to challenge for a return to the Top 4 and the Champions League.

However, that alone is shrouded in ifs and maybes, whether Torres stays, whether they can stay injury free, how new manager Roy Hodgson can stamp his mark on the club. Again, there are more questions than answers.

I have no doubt that the many Liverpool supporters who backed Benitez to the end, will reserve the same impassioned support for Hodgson. He will need it, as will every single man in his Liverpool squad.

So whilst there is eternal hope and optimism, there is concern and anxiety about a beloved club at a dark crossroad. The signs are clear, but nobody seems to know who is navigating.

This great bastion of invincibility is either driven by a new regime that will empower Roy Hodgson with the tools to advance the club, or becomes a rudderless ship.

RBS and Martin Broughton, the supporters of Liverpool Club beseech you to treat each bid with fairness and diligence, but to do with haste.