Liverpool In-fighting Rumbles On

Despite the boardroom soap opera hogging the headlines again, Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez is adamant about staying on at Anfield, saying: “At this moment I have two years on my contract. I am really happy here and want to stay.”

The petty bickering between Tom Hicks and George Gillett, both owning 50-50 share in Liverpool as a result of their 219 million pounds take over in February 2007, was meant to be a time bomb. Both are businessmen, united by the desire for profits, but their styles are as different as chalk and cheese.

Tom Hicks favors an abrasive approach and has no qualms about ruffling feathers while George Gillett prefers to work behind the scene. I cannot say who is the angel here because the way I look at it, there are none. Given half a chance, they will strip anything which can be termed as an asset in no time at all.

The troubles seem to have abated for a while after Hicks rejected the 400 million pound takeover by Dubai International Capital (DIC) last month. However, old wounds were opened out of the blue when Hicks rehashed the Jurgen Klinsman meeting and called for Liverpool’s chief executive Rick Parry to be sacked.

Hicks insisted he was not behind the approach to Klinsmann that unsettled Benitez. On that infamous meeting, he said: “George became good friends with Klinsmann a year ago. He and Rick set up the meeting in New York. I did go to the meeting along with my son Tom. Rick had already met with Jurgen alone for a couple of hours when we arrived.”

I believe all the parties who have no financial interests in the deal have become pawns for the Americans to get more money out of any possible takeover deals and each wants to gobble up the other’s share to maximize profit.

Look at the other maneuvers from Hicks. He wants to buy out Gillett and extend Rafa’s contract (to align him as an ally). He is aiming for a debt-free club and will seek more money from investors to buy players and build a new stadium. He also claims that DIC is destabilizing the club through the media and Parry is a “disaster.”

The charges leveled against Parry are as follows: a communication breakdown with Benitez, slow dealings in the transfer market, mediocrity at attracting sponsorship, investment and merchandising deals. According to Hicks, Liverpool cannot compete commercially with the Premier League rivals in Asia where they have a large fan base and the new stadium should have been built three years ago.

Hicks also took a fresh swipe at Gillett, warning that the stalemate over the club’s future will continue until he agrees to sell his stake. The former admitted their relationship has now completely broken down. He disliked the “difficult” 50-50 business proposition because nothing can be done without the other’s approval.

In return, Gillett responded by backing Parry and added to the mudslinging by launching an attack on Hicks. He said: “Tom needs to understand that I will not sell my shares to him and we need to find a way forward that is truly in the best interests of Liverpool Football Club. I am saddened at this latest outburst from Tom Hicks.”

“If Tom wanted a serious discussion on the issues to help the club move forward, he should bring his views to the board and not to Sky Sports. Here we are, a few days away from a vital Champions League semi-final match and Tom has once again created turmoil. Tom should stop. He knows that Rick Parry has my support.”

It is clear that both owners will not walk away from this mess empty-handed. Destroying Liverpool in the process is of no concern to them. In fact, I have to salute them for closing a great business deal – a 40-50 million dollar profit in each of their pockets for doing nothing except laying on more debts for the club and squabbling.

Of the duo who have no passion in soccer, I will prefer to see Gillet remaining as the lesser of two evils. He manages his NFL club in much the same way as what he is doing now, staying in the background and not fueling the media’s obsession on critical club issues. Hicks, on the other hand, washes dirty linen in public and loves to work the media; for good or bad, the club can do without such attention.

Currently, the board consists of 6 members, it is impossible for Hicks to veto a sale of Gillett’s stake to DIC. Though Hicks does not have enough money to buy out Gillett, it is immaterial since the latter doesn’t want to sell to his partner. If Parry and David Moores are forced out, the situation will turn in favor of Hicks (though the power is still finely balanced) as DIC’s attempt to barge in is held at bay.

I believe there is little love lost between Parry and Liverpool fans and nobody will shed tears if Parry is removed tomorrow. Not because it pleases Hicks but Parry deserves the treatment since he invited the Americans to bid for Liverpool, convincing all and sundry that this is good for the club. So far, the “attractive investment” has only given the club a bad reputation and excessive liabilities.

It is unfortunate that the latest war of words has to come when Liverpool is preparing to face Chelsea in the Champions League semi-final. But at least, it may deflect some attention away from Benitez’s team selection for Saturday’s Premier League game at Fulham. A win for Liverpool would kill off Everton’s hopes of qualifying for Champions League but Benitez may consider resting key players with Tuesday’s Champions League game in mind. Steven Gerrard is not likely to play.

A year ago, Benitez sent out second-stringers a for the penultimate game of the season as he rested most of his first XI ahead of the Champions League final against AC Milan. They were beaten 1-0 by a Fulham side that stayed afloat from this victory but Sheffield United were relegated eight days later.

Nevertheless, I believe Benitez is keen to gun for a victory to secure fourth spot as soon as possible. They will be eight points ahead of Everton and one more point will close the issue of Champions League qualification. Benitez said: “I want to win against Fulham, I know everyone is talking about other things, but I am a professional and I want to concentrate on football.

Though Benitez has downplayed the distractions, mentally, there is bound to have some effect on the players. In this instance, I have to credit Benitez for turning adversity into strength. His players are playing with confidence and professionalism; despite occasional humps, they are showing an amazing resilience.

Coming out unbeaten in the triple header against Arsenal is not an easy task and being the bogey man for Chelsea, reaching the finals of the Champions League should not be a problem. Character-wise, Liverpool still weave their magic with regularity whenever the odds are stacked against them. No matter how we belittle Benitez’s role in Liverpool’s success, we cannot ignore the fact that Liverpool had not been as ruthless in Europe for a long time, that is, not until the Spaniard came in.

Liverpool need to sign a few more quality players and they have made Gareth Barry their no. 1 target. Barry is likely to choose Liverpool over Chelsea, unless of course, the salary offered by Roman Abramovich is enough to compensate the undesirable thought of playing for Avram Grant.

There is a strong bond between Gerrard and Barry, having known each other for over a decade. They complement each other well, Gerrard is freed from his defensive duties and he is free to run at defenders and get into scoring positions, besides supplying killer passes to Torres. Barry is strong and composed as a holding midfielder and his versatility allows him to double up as a left back. Though his forte is not in scoring goals, he reads the game well and his distribution, as well as pinpoint deliveries of set-pieces, are an asset to any team.

They have forged a stable partnership in the England set-up and it is likely to continue for future campaigns. Playing for the same club would further reinforce their mutual understanding. Though Liverpool and Chelsea can offer Barry the chance to compete for multiple titles, a move to Stamford Bridge smacks of money while there is a more positive feeling of self development when joining Benitez.

I am also in favor of Benitez bolstering the squad with more wingers like Ribery and Bentley and signing another striker to support Torres. This is to prevent an over-dependence on the Torres-Gerrard partnership which can derail their challenge when either player is incapacitated for several months.

If Benitez gets his way and sign the players he desires (more of Torres and Mascherano’s calibre), there is no reason why the Premier League title cannot come back to Anfield. But let’s not be too optimistic as the promise of transfer funds is most likely a smoke-screen. The signing of Mascherano was dragged for a long time, not surprising, considering there is little money in the coffers.

We also cannot be sure who will be at the helm next season. Because of the loans arrangement, Benitez may even have to sell off Torres and Babel if the banks forced such a move next season when the payments are due and not forthcoming. I wouldn’t count on the situation improving for next season until Liverpool gets their house in order.