Angry Hicks Blames Rafa For Destroying Liverpool

Tom Hicks took aim at former Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez after seeing the club sold yesterday. New England Sports Ventures have completed the £300million takeover of the club following a frenetic week that had seen the matter go before the High Court in London. Benitez came under fire as Hicks defended himself and fellow owner George Gillett against claims that they had not provided the necessary financial support. "We spent £300million on players, £150million net - I think it's the second or third highest in the English Premier League," he said. "You never read about that in the media. "I read a very interesting article in which Alex Ferguson said 'Rafa had more money to spend than the rest of us, he just bought bad players'. "Rafa lost the club. We didn't finish at the top - that's not the fault of the owners, we spent good money. Rafa has to take accountability for his own results. "When we finished second the year before, people weren't nearly as angry. Liverpool fans are just unbelievably strong supporters and they want to win. "I'm not a novice, I've been in sport for almost 15 years. Whether it's hockey or baseball in the US or soccer fans in Liverpool, people want to win."