“Socialism, in which I believe, is as follows: everyone works for each other, and everyone has a right to a share of the fruits of labor,” once said the legendary Liverpool coach Bill Shankley. “This is how I see football, this is how I see life” .
On Tuesday, Liverpool, whose club anthem, You´ll Never Walk Alone, matches exactly this vision of socialism, passed into the hands of two billionaires from the United States. By the way, one of its new owners is a close friend of George W. Bush.
The revolution was "velvet." That's when another American, Malcolm Glaser, left Old Trafford after his first visit to the stadium of the Manchester United club he bought, he was taken away in a police car in order to protect the outraged fans of Manchester United from the crowd. And on Tuesday, only a few onlookers stood at the gates of the Liverpool Stadium.
Of course, there were those who called on the radio and shouted into the receiver: “Liverpool betrayed their city!” Yes, and former club president David Murs could not force himself to come to the Anfield stadium. “It was the saddest day in David’s life.” "Rick Perry, Club Executive Director, said. In the eyes of many people, the 88 million pounds that Murs will receive for his 51% stake will be sufficient compensation. But everyone understands what Parry had in mind: an era ended last Tuesday.
At the same time, the arrival of George Gillette and Tom Hicks at Liverpool seems to be almost the only acceptable option for the development of events.
Their arrival was much better organized than the appearance of Glazer in Manchester. They have long and eloquently talked about their readiness to continue the great traditions of the club. “Of course, I heard a lot about Liverpool,” Hicks said. “But when I read about 118 of his history, the 18 championships he won, the sad 1930s and 1940s, about his revival in the 1960s and the tragedies of the 1980s, the achievements of this team hit me. "
When Gillette was asked to compare the future of Liverpool with the plans of Chelsea or Manchester United, he replied: "New York Yankees are funded better than all the other baseball teams, but they have not won a single championship since 1999 - the very moment they started spend big. And they won when the team consisted of strong young players and several very expensive superstars. Rafael Benitez has the same policy. The most important thing is to create a base of young players. "
Gillette and Hicks complement each other. Hicks is a stout, tall, real Texas aristocrat. Gillette is more talkative and with a subtle sense of humor. He easily makes contact: "Please call me - the number is in any telephone directory - but call on the case."
Gillette knows how to convince. After Perry called him in November and said that Liverpool was going to accept the offer of the financial company Dubai International Capital, Gillette “got” his calls to such an extent that sometimes he simply did not pick up the phone.
According to Hicks, the main value of the deal, from his point of view, relates to television. Yes, and for the “Liverpool” Hicks is attractive in that it controls the Spanish-language broadcasting network of Fox Sports in the Americas.
Gillette explains: “Imagine what opportunities will open before us, especially given the Spanish origin of Raphael! Latin America is a storehouse of talents, they will learn about us thanks to the TV channel Tom, and this will be a good help for Raphael. It's not about the money, but about the desire to victory and love of football. "
Hicks, who signed a record deal with television to broadcast matches for the Texas Rangers baseball team, said he was not investing in football for profit: “We're not going to milk the team.” And Perry even expressed regret: they say there were times when Liverpool was excessively addicted to profit.
Hicks called the club he had just acquired “Liverpool Reds.” The club's red color prompted him to compare Liverpool with the Boston Red Sox baseball team. Recall: “red socks” from Boston distinguished themselves by selling their main star, baseball player Beib Ruth, to the New York Yankees team and after that they could not win the championship for 86 years.
Hopefully, no parallels in this regard with respect to Liverpool will not have to draw.
© The Daily Telegraph, UK, 2007
Tim Rich, Liverpool