Liverpool fans protest: what's it all about?

[quayside]

Liverpool fans hate the yanks for the reason's already detailed, but I find the whole thing amusing.  They should be furious at Benetiz, he's spent such vast amounts of money (more than Manchester United and Arsenal in the same period) and they've shown little significant improvement in his time there.  If you took away his absurdly lucky big cup win he's been rather inferior to his predecessor.   

 

Why do Liverpool fans hate their owners so much?  Cause it's better than accepting that their manager is never going to win them the league.

 

I carnt be bothered going into it, but off the top of my head

 

tevez - 30

rooney- 28

carrick - 17

berbatov - 32

nani - 17

 

etc etc etc

 

we have spent

 

21 on torres

17 on mascerarno

12 on keane

12 on babbel

10 on kuyt

6.5 on skertal, our most ever expensive defender.

 

i think if you google it over the last 5 years we have a massive diffrence between us and mancs on net spend. We have defintly spent more than Arsenal though, although they are in a simialr posistion to us.

 

The fact is though, the Union, isnt just about managers and owners, there will be loads in the Union that have lost patience with the manager (but not the majority).

 

Its about tickets, prices, travel, and things like that. It is what it says, a union that will look out for the interest of its members. And its been doing that very well.

 

Wasn't Robby Keane nearer £20 million?

[ChrisJbarnes]

tbh all those generalising against "all" pool fans should know better because they are probably the same ones who get pissed off when people think of ALL NUFC fans as "our manager is shite because he hasnt won us the league" blabla "we should be in the champions league every season" "we are the biggest club in the world because we have a big stadium" etc.etc. im sure many pool fans (my brother for one) are utter tits, but dont generalise

[1878]

Liverpool fans hate the yanks for the reason's already detailed, but I find the whole thing amusing.  They should be furious at Benetiz, he's spent such vast amounts of money (more than Manchester United and Arsenal in the same period) and they've shown little significant improvement in his time there.  If you took away his absurdly lucky big cup win he's been rather inferior to his predecessor.   

 

Why do Liverpool fans hate their owners so much?  Cause it's better than accepting that their manager is never going to win them the league.

 

I carnt be bothered going into it, but off the top of my head

 

tevez - 30

rooney- 28

carrick - 17

berbatov - 32

nani - 17

 

etc etc etc

 

we have spent

 

21 on torres

17 on mascerarno

12 on keane

12 on babbel

10 on kuyt

6.5 on skertal, our most ever expensive defender.

 

i think if you google it over the last 5 years we have a massive diffrence between us and mancs on net spend. We have defintly spent more than Arsenal though, although they are in a simialr posistion to us.

 

The fact is though, the Union, isnt just about managers and owners, there will be loads in the Union that have lost patience with the manager (but not the majority).

 

Its about tickets, prices, travel, and things like that. It is what it says, a union that will look out for the interest of its members. And its been doing that very well.

 

Wasn't Robby Keane nearer £20 million?

 

Shut up will you! He's busy trying to cry poverty.

 

It's been a favoured past time at LFC since at least the Houllier era when they spunked ungodly amounts of cash to stand still.

[Guest mandakin]

I dont want this to turn into a liverpool vs manU vs everton vs newcastle thread. I am a liverpool fan.

 

The two owners when they took over the club specifically made 3 promises: stadium work will begin fast ( i think the number 60days was mentioned), we wont burden the club with debt and we will give Rafa complete freedom to carry on his work and back him financially.

 

They have broken all three. They made a huge fuss about the modified stadium plans and now have announced that it is not financially viable.

 

They publicly said that they wont burden the club with debt and now have done it. So basically with the loans in clubs name, effectively one could say the fans are paying for them to own the club.

 

All the signings which have been made were from loans. Also we recouped a number of them through sales. Considering the fact that the champions league runs ( 3 times in the last 5 years, twice after the new owners have joined) have generated between 20 - 30 million pound of revenue each time we dont think the owners have put in a cent of their own money. Whatever money they have invested in transfers is again loans in clubs name.

 

In addition, they have publicly undermined Rafa. We believe Rafa is doing a great job. We believe he is the right man to lead our club to league success. You may think otherwise but this is what we believe. Sometimes I wonder at the nature of your loyalty to Keegan but I immediately dismiss it using the logic that you guys know more about your club than me and hence I will not question your sincerity and devotion. So cut me slack on why you think Rafa is the best man for the job logic. And we believe no manager should be undermined the way Rafa was. At that point when the klinsmann gate scandal broke out , even the most ardent Rafa haters came out in support of him. Simply because he did not deserve that.  And I am not going to respond to the Man U fan because it will quickly descend into a slagfest and the idea of a liverpool/ManU fight on a newcastle forum is plain bizzare. I am sure you guys dont want that.

 

Add to that there a number of issues concerning fans experience at Anfield like ticketing prices, ticketing policies, increased cost of travel to away matches, loyalty schemes which were affecting a large number of regular match going fans. The union was in the offing. The Rafa undermining incident simply provided a catalyst for people to get together and voice their grievances. They have done good work in trying to organize coaches at reduced prices to matchgoing away fans.

 

From what I have observed ( I am not from Liverpool ) from far, they have done a remarkable job of expanding their agenda from a save rafa to  try to reduce the cost and increase the comfortability and match experience of average fans. I am sure Newcastle Fans will also agree upon many of the issues they want to address. And I think such organizations are the only way fans voices will be heard in an increasingly capitalistic environment in this beautiful sport.

 

Hope your ownership saga is settled soon and you guys get back to concentrating on the pitch. The premiership will be a far more entertaining place with a settled Newcastle. Thanks for your patience

 

 

[Tooj]

Very good post.

[midds]

Very good post.

 

Yep.

[Mowen]

I think that there are supporters of other clubs looking at us and asking, why are they so angry at Mike Ashley?

 

For Liverpool, it's all about expectations based on past achievements. Not winning the Premiership is failure for them.

 

It's all quite strange. There were quite a few Arsenal supporters a few weeks ago, moaning at Arsene Wenger and demanding that the club spend more money.

 

Is it? Because last time I checked we'd got a damn sight closer to winning the premier league than they had.

[Thespence]

Mandakin, if you & your fellow Reds want to get rid of the Americans make a banner saying "Yankee Mafia Out" get some boys to jog around the ground holding it & George & Tom will have the club up sale in about week. If Rafa could take a paddy as well that would help, of course he would return once the new owners took over.

 

I know the above may say sound a bit far fetched & unrealistic but it is worth trying if your serious about getting rid of these chaps.

[ChezGiven]

Nice.

[ChezGiven]

"Yankee Mafia Out"

 

There it is. 

 

 

[Mowen]

<snip>

21 on torres

17 on mascerarno

12 on keane

12 on babbel

10 on kuyt

6.5 on skertal, our most ever expensive defender.

 

i think if you google it over the last 5 years we have a massive diffrence between us and mancs on net spend. We have defintly spent more than Arsenal though, although they are in a simialr posistion to us.

 

The fact is though, the Union, isnt just about managers and owners, there will be loads in the Union that have lost patience with the manager (but not the majority).

 

Its about tickets, prices, travel, and things like that. It is what it says, a union that will look out for the interest of its members. And its been doing that very well.

 

Wasn't he £19m with further clauses?

[madras]

Mandakin, if you & your fellow Reds want to get rid of the Americans make a banner saying "Yankee Mafia Out" get some boys to jog around the ground holding it & George & Tom will have the club up sale in about week. If Rafa could take a paddy as well that would help, of course he would return once the new owners took over.

 

I know the above may say sound a bit far fetched & unrealistic but it is worth trying if your serious about getting rid of these chaps.

did you forget to get someone to threaten someone who looks similar to the owner/s ?

[Mowen]

By the way, mandakin

[Thespence]

Mandakin, if you & your fellow Reds want to get rid of the Americans make a banner saying "Yankee Mafia Out" get some boys to jog around the ground holding it & George & Tom will have the club up sale in about week. If Rafa could take a paddy as well that would help, of course he would return once the new owners took over.

 

I know the above may say sound a bit far fetched & unrealistic but it is worth trying if your serious about getting rid of these chaps.

did you forget to get someone to threaten someone who looks similar to the owner/s ?

 

Good spot Madras

 

Mandakin find a Tom or George a doppelganger & then chin the b******

[Guest mandakin]

Mandakin, if you & your fellow Reds want to get rid of the Americans make a banner saying "Yankee Mafia Out" get some boys to jog around the ground holding it & George & Tom will have the club up sale in about week. If Rafa could take a paddy as well that would help, of course he would return once the new owners took over.

 

I know the above may say sound a bit far fetched & unrealistic but it is worth trying if your serious about getting rid of these chaps.

did you forget to get someone to threaten someone who looks similar to the owner/s ?

 

Again I do not claim to be a representative of the regular season ticket holder as I am not. But I do know that some of the people who have organized some of the protest have been watching your protest with interest, (far more than most of you guys think ) in terms of how to effectively get media coverage and maximize the impact.

 

We did have a number of banners with Yanks out last year. About Rafa taking a paddy I am not sure if that will help our cause. We may have not done well in the league but he has given us a number of wonderful nights in the Champs League. And the weird part is that we believe our owners would love it if Rafa left. Rafa stood upto them and hurt their pride . Whether it was the right or wrong thing I don't know. But our owners image took a public beating due to Rafa. And they have a history of micro-managing and putting their ego and self interest before the interest of the club ( Corinthians, Texan Rangers).

 

Thanks for the complements on my post guys.

[Guest quklaani]

Putting aside my earlier rant, Liverpool fans are of course right to hate their owners for the same reason we tend to despise ours, debt.  More specifically this disgusting method of buying a club with money you dont have and in doing so threatening the club's long term future.  I'm genuinely terrified about the post Ferguson era at Old Trafford, especially as it will coincide with the continuing economic downturn.  What makes me laugh/cringe however is that the scousers welcomed their yanks with open arms initially, only to get slapped in the face.  I don't tend to buy into fan stereotypes, as the end of the day we're all alike...but theres a certain pride to be had in the (admittedly and inevitably unsuccessful) opposition to the Glazers United fans showed.

[Mowen]

FC United are doing alright are they not?

[Guest quklaani]

Still hoping to pass Leeds on their way down, yes.  I cant bring myself to be interested though, despite the attempts of an FC fan I met at Uni.  It'd just feel weird.  A lot more affordable though...

[Guest]

Mandakin, if you & your fellow Reds want to get rid of the Americans make a banner saying "Yankee Mafia Out" get some boys to jog around the ground holding it & George & Tom will have the club up sale in about week. If Rafa could take a paddy as well that would help, of course he would return once the new owners took over.

 

I know the above may say sound a bit far fetched & unrealistic but it is worth trying if your serious about getting rid of these chaps.

 

Class.

[Guest king harry]

This is a report from our last meeting with Rick Parry, and gives you an idea of our day to day concerns and issues, as you can see, the ownership fiasco, is no where top of the agenda.

 

http://www.spiritofshankly.com/news/Follow-up-meeting-with-Rick-Parry.html

[Wallace]

Always wondered if Liverpool fans were aware of a previous venture by Tom Hicks in the North East.

 

 

http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/north-east-news/todays-evening-chronicle/2008/03/18/sacked-workers-to-pocket-just-3-of-payouts-72703-20639565/

 

Sacked workers to pocket just 3% of payouts

Mar 18 2008 by Alastair Craig, Evening Chronicle

 

 

HUNDREDS of sacked workers were facing fresh heartache today, seven years after they were dumped on the dole.

 

They appeared to be winning their battle to win cash owed by circuit-board maker Viasystems, once bossed by Liverpool FC tycoon Tom Hicks.

 

In the first of an expected 685 Newcastle employment tribunals against the doomed firm, three former employees were yesterday awarded more than £75,000 in compensation.

 

But ex-workers at the company’s axed Longbenton and South Shields plants will barely see a penny.

 

The Chronicle has discovered the compensation victory is not worth the paper it’s written on. In a cruel twist for workers, the firm’s liquidators have revealed they’ll pocket just 3% of their payouts.

 

Ian Brown, a partner in London-based Deloitte Touche, said: “They’ll get 2p or 3p in every pound. Their awards will be ranked as unsecured creditors.”

 

In March last year we revealed that dismissed Viasystems workers were still owed £2.5m severance pay.

 

Around 850 staff of the firm, of which Hicks was chairman, lost their jobs in September 2001.

 

Under a Viasystems redundancy scheme they should have received money for every year they served with the company, but workers have only ever received a statutory Government payout worth 2p for every £1 owed.

 

So they were incensed when Mr Hicks secured the £450m takeover of Liverpool FC last year.

 

Among the first to win their unfair dismissal claims yesterday was manager Terry Cooke, of Hebburn, South Tyneside, who was granted £12,870. But the best he can hope for is £386.

 

Next was John Kerton, of Sunderland, who had worked at the South Shields plant for 13 years. He was awarded just under £26,500, but said he’d be surprised to get a penny.

 

Mum-of-two Maria Patterson, 43, of Tunstall, Sunderland, should have been overjoyed at her £35,000. Instead, the former Longbenton-based manager is resigned to pocketing next to nothing.

 

“In reality I did it for the principle and to get closure,” she said.

 

“The plant closure came as a shock, but this award counts for little.”

 

GMB regional secretary Tom Brennan, whose union represents hundreds of Viasystems workers, today branded the awards a hollow victory.

 

He added: “The situation remains disgusting. It’s time for Tom Hicks to cough up. It’s far too easy for companies to call in the administrators and not have to face up to their responsibilities to staff.”

 

Tycoon Hicks completed the £450m takeover of Liverpool FC with fellow American George Gillet.

 

Viasystems Tyneside Ltd went into administration in September 2001, forcing the closure of its Longbenton factory and making hundreds redundant at its South Shields plant.

 

Workers have still not been paid their company redundancy payments, worth an average £27,000 each, with some owed £50,000.

 

In 2004 the GMB sent three former Viasystems workers to Texas to call for a meeting, but they were unable to meet with Hicks, one of the richest men in America and a close pal of President Bush.

 

Hicks co-founded and became chairman of investment firm Hicks, Muse, Tate & Furst in 1989, which founded Viasystems in 1996.

 

In 2001 the investment firm, of which Hicks was chairman, took control of Viasystems and in February 2002 Hicks became chairman.

 

 

[Mr Logic]

Stories like that Viasystems/Hicks one above boil my blood more than just about anything else. Often forced to wonder if the majority of the scum of the earth are actually in the wealthy elite.

[Raconteur]

Stories like that Viasystems/Hicks one above boil my blood more than just about anything else. Often forced to wonder if the majority of the scum of the earth are actually in the wealthy elite.

 

There's a book by some guys called Karl and Fred you should read