Thursday, October 7, 2010

Carra Asks Ex-Owners To Leave

JAMIE CARRAGHER last night urged Tom Hicks and George Gillett to let go of Liverpool. The club's despised American owners are fighting a desperate legal battle to hang on to the Merseyside outfit in the face of a £300m takeover bid by John W Henry. Henry is supremo of New England Sports Ventures (NESV) – the group that has revitalised the Boston Red Sox baseball team. Hicks and Gillett have objected to the proposed sale, hoping for a bid of nearer £500m which would enable the pair to recoup their £144m investment. But born-and-bred Scouser Carragher has told the duo to sell for the sake of the club. The problems off the pitch have been mirrored on it, with Liverpool in the relegation zone after just one win in seven games. Defender Carragher said of the planned sale: "Everyone knows it'll be a good thing for the club. Hopefully, it will be sorted sooner rather than later and we can start looking forward on the pitch and start improving results. " Henry launched his bid through NESV late on Tuesday and the deal was due to be agreed by the Anfield board until Hicks and Gillett stepped in. They tried to sack managing director Christian Purslow and commercial director Ian Ayre. They aim to bring in Mack Hicks, son of Tom, and Lori McCutcheon, a vice-president of Hicks Holdings, who would then block the deal. Liverpool chairman Martin Broughton insisted that there is a written guarantee from the Americans stating that they could not undertake any such move. The matter will now go to High Court, possibly as early as tomorrow but more likely next week, for a decision. Broughton, who rejected another offer for the club in favour of NESV, is confident Liverpool can win and even suggested the new owners could be in place for the derby game with Everton on Sunday week. He said: "It's going to be very tight but I think it is possible." He also confirmed that Henry and his team could be present at the match, adding: "I would be very surprised if they weren't there." The Premier League also confirmed that there would be nothing to stop the deal being rubber-stamped as early as tomorrow. A statement said: " The board of the Premier League has been kept fully informed of developments regarding the potential sale of Liverpool FC by the chairman and senior executives of the club and has, accordingly, been made aware of a number of potential prospective owners in recent weeks. " We can confirm that Liverpool FC has formally notified the Premier League of an intended change of control and that the board has undertaken to complete all necessary processes by Friday, October 8 so that the sale of the club can proceed." NESV also issued a statement, saying: 'New England Sports Ventures (NESV) can confirm that their bid for Liverpool FC has been selected by the club's board of directors and agreement has been reached with the board to purchase the club. " NESV wants to create a long- term financially solid foundation for Liverpool FC and is dedicated to ensuring that the club has the resources to build for the future, including the removal of all acquisition debt. "Our objective is to stabilise the club and ultimately return Liverpool FC to its rightful place in English and European football, successfully competing for and winning trophies. " Our portfolio of companies, including the Boston Red Sox and Fenway Park, New England Sports Network, Fenway Sports Group and Roush Fenway Racing, are all committed to one common goal: winning. "NESV wants to help bring back the culture of winning to Liverpool FC. " We have a proven track record, shown clearly with the Boston Red Sox. The team has won two World Series championships over the past six years. We will bring the same kind of openness, passion, dedication and professionalism to Liverpool FC."

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