Liverpool FC - "You'll never walk alone...!!!

[smithfarmer]

das dürfte schon stimmen, weil jetzt haben sie gerade einen bericht in der mittag zib im orf gebracht

[ianrush]

Amnesty concern over Thai Reds bid

Dominic Fifield and John Aglionby, South-east Asia correspondent

Tuesday May 11, 2004

The Guardian

Rick Parry and Thaksin Shinawatra

Liverpool's chairman David Moores has come under pressure from human rights groups and supporters to reconsider a proposed £56.5m investment in the club by a consortium fronted by the Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

Thaksin yesterday said he had struck a deal to buy a significant proportion - believed to be just under 30% - of the club after meeting Liverpool's chief executive Rick Parry in Bangkok. Parry is returning to Merseyside today to put the Thais' proposals to the board and, with no opposition expected, the deal is likely to be concluded this week.

Yet Thailand's less than impressive human rights record under the present coalition government led by Thaksin's Thai Rak Thai party has prompted widespread unease, with Amnesty International claiming that, though advances have been made in the past decade, a climate of fear has built up under this government's leadership.

"Thailand's human rights record has been a particular concern recently following a government-led "drugs war" that has seen several thousand drugs suspects killed by law enforcement officers," said a spokesperson for Amnesty International. "In one three-month period alone last year, a staggering 2,245 people were killed according to official statistics. We have called on the Thai government to allow independent investigations into this worrying wave of killings."

A further 107 Muslims were killed last month in a brutal attempt to suppress an Islamic separatist insurgency in the Yala, Pattani and Songkhla provinces in southern Thailand. Furthermore, an Amnesty report published last November claimed critics of Thaksin have been intimidated, arrested and killed.

Rumours of the Thais' interest in Liverpool prompted an editorial in the latest issue of the fanzine Through the Wind and Rain to state: "We should have distanced ourselves from this guy from day one. If we had an ounce of humanity we should have said no immediately."

"He doesn't sound like a character you should be doing business with," said the fanzine's editor Steven Kelly. "It's dragging morality into something where the majority of people say: 'As long as the team is good, I don't care.'"

Parry and the club director Keith Clayton spent an hour with the prime minister at Government House in Bangkok yesterday discussing the proposal, which would see Moores issue new shares in the club, diluting his own 51% stake and leaving him a major shareholder with about 36%.

The move would effectively marginalise the club's third-largest shareholder Steve Morgan, who owns 5% but had seen his proposed £50m injection - in return for Moores, with whom he endures a fractious relationship, diluting his holding - rejected in March. "This is a very clever way to get money into the club and see off Mr Morgan," said a Liverpool shareholder.

"We've talked and that's it," said Thaksin, who will obtain the commercial rights to Liverpool merchandise in Thailand and possibly the whole of Asia, with the club to establish an academy in Bangkok. "Now it's just up to Liverpool and then we'll be able to make an announcement.

"I've been a fan of Liverpool for some time. They are the tops in Thailand so it makes sense for us to be associated with such a brand. Lots of our products need a brand and Liverpool is one that we can use on the world market."

· You've read the piece, now have your say. Email your comments to [email protected].

__________________________

Kop Thai

He's a former policeman turned telecoms billionaire who grinned with delight when Alex Ferguson presented him with a Man Utd shirt. So why does Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra want to plough millions into Liverpool FC? John Aglionby investigates

Tuesday May 11, 2004

The Guardian

Think Thailand and what comes to mind? Paid-for sex? Plentiful drugs? Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra would rather the mention of his country evoked images of world-class football. To help you get the right idea he announced yesterday that he had struck a deal to buy a significant stake in Liverpool Football Club.

The way the 55-year-old tycoon-turned-politician tells it, the acquisition of a global brand as powerful as Liverpool, albeit one that has been through a lean spell, represents the crowning glory of his country's unprecedented makeover. Out, or seriously suppressed, are the vices of illicit sex and readily available illegal drugs - which for years have been two of Thailand's biggest draw cards as far as the legions of foreign tourists are concerned.

Bangkok's nightclubs have had their closing time brought forward so it is now even earlier than strait-laced Singapore. Go-go bars and strip clubs are being closed in virtually all areas, lounges offering sex shows are all but consigned to history and minors can only frequent the few remaining "adult" areas accompanied by someone over 18.

Meanwhile, Thaksin's war on the ubiquitous methamphetamine - known as "yaa baa" or crazy pill - last year reportedly resulted in more than 82,000 villages becoming drug-free and the number of drug cases going to court falling by more than 50% in 12 months.

Replacing these two mainstays of Thailand's international reputation are tens of thousands of football pitches. And inspiring Thais, and foreign tourists, to forsake the dimly lit strip clubs or drug dens for the wholesome fresh air will be Messrs Michael Owen, Steven Gerrard, Danny Murphy and the rest of the Liverpool squad. "Lots of our products need a brand and Liverpool is one that we can use on the world market," Thaksin said yesterday. "It's an established club with a lot of popularity in Asia."

His chief negotiator in the Liverpool deal, deputy commerce minister Pongsak Ruktapongpisal, speaks almost lyrically as he imagines the impact the Liverpool brand will have on his country. "In Thailand there are a lot of Liverpool fans, close to one million probably," he says. "So when we join up with Liverpool it will make many people alert to exercise and sport. It will point them in a better direction and protect them from drugs, especially people living up country in remote areas who might have nothing to do. It's good for them to play sports and so we chose one of the most famous teams to be our brand."

Thaksin's spokesman, Jakrapob Penkair, who has also been involved in the discussions with Liverpool, says his boss is skilfully manipulating the Thai psyche. "Thailand is a country where most people are attracted by good things," he said. "They like to be associated with them. And Liverpool is exactly that. It is much more than just a team or a name. It is a management system, a symbol of gentlemanship [sic]."

The ebullient Jakaprob says Thaksin believes such brand association is the way forward, particularly for developing countries seeking to build a more wide-ranging appeal. "I'm sure other countries will follow," he says. "It's just that Thailand is going for it faster than others."

It is unclear how Thaksin will finance the purchase of Liverpool shares (and specifically whether Thai public money will be involved) but, as the country's richest commoner, he could do it from his own pocket without hardly noticing. After 14 years in the police force, during which he obtained a PhD in criminal justice from a little-known university in Texas, he resigned in 1987, claiming to be burned out.

By then he had already engineered a deal to supply the police with computer software and soon after his retirement he established a software marketing company which he named after himself, the Shinawatra Company. Pager technology was the budding entrepreneur's next experiment and this led into cellular phones and communication satellites.

By 1990 Thaksin was reportedly almost bankrupt, although he always appeared well off for a former police officer. But then he succeeded in obtaining a 20-year concession from the Telephone Organisation of Thailand and his future was secure. Having made his fortune, Thaksin turned to politics in 1994. After becoming disillusioned with the traditional parties he formed his own, Thai Rak Thai, and in the 1999 general election propelled it to the first ever absolute majority.

Many of Thailand's ardent football fans are backing their prime minister's venture into the world of the English Premiership, even if they don't believe he is a true Liverpool supporter - memories are still strong of Thaksin's delight when Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson gave him a team shirt on his 52nd birthday.

"It can only bring advantages for Thailand," says 24-year-old photographer Peerayot Lakkanukul. "It will help Thai soccer develop and build up a team capable of playing at World Cup level."

Rasamee Laohatiensin, 40, a secretary in a private company, hopes the link will lead to cheap tickets. "Hopefully there will be some promotions to book very cheap tickets for fares and for Liverpool matches," she says. "And then we'll be able to buy Liverpool products at very cheap prices."

Rasamee also touches on what drives tens of thousands of Thais' interest in English football - betting hefty sums on results through illegal syndicates. "This [link up] could lead to football gambling being legalised and licensed," she says. "This would be a way to create jobs for Thais."

But excited Thai Liverpool fans may be blind to a less palatable explanation for their leader's newfound interest in Anfield. With an election less than a year away, the prime minister has in recent months been watching his once sky-high popularity take a significant dive as increasing numbers of Thais start to see through the populist, sugar-coated policies of cheap healthcare, soft loans to all villages and a debt moratorium for farmers.

Critics say he is in desperate need of some good, fun news to distract Thais who are starting to see the extremely thin-skinned prime minister for what he really is. Kavi Chongkittavorn, a senior editor at the Nation newspaper, sums up the prime minister as: "A combination of the corporate dominance of [italy's Silvio] Berlusconi, [Venezuela's Hugo] Chavez's populist approach and the thuggery of [Zimbabwe's Robert] Mugabe."

It is the latter characteristic that is drawing the most concern. In last year's much trumpeted war on drugs, more than 2,500 people were killed, of whom more than half were innocent civilians, believes Pradit Chareonthaitawee, a prominent member of the national human rights commission.

"Families blame the police [for the killings]," he says, describing one allegedly typical case when an old man's three sons were killed in broad daylight in the middle of a village. "They say the police just blocked the road and killed these three sons. One of the sons was stabbed in the mouth, the second electrically burned on the left side of the body and the third shot in the back."

Following this "war" in which no perpetrators were brought to justice, Thaksin turned his attention to the "dark influences" of corruption and vice. But again, those close to him seemed to remain untouched while other, seemingly innocent people were sentenced to lengthy prison terms."

As the Bangkok Post said in an editorial at the time: "A swift, efficient and non-corrupt justice system is the only way to build a civil society, but Thaksin has not shown any interest in reforming Thailand's weakened, graft-prone judiciary."

By the end of the year, criticism, and Thaksin's refusal to acknowledge it let alone mend his ways, had reached such an unprecedented level that the nation's deeply revered king, Bhumibol Adulyadej, made a rare foray into daily politics and told his prime minister to listen to his critics.Instead, Thaksin replaced the editor at the Bangkok Post and engineered for one of his cronies to take over a significant stake at the Nation.

Then bird flu struck. Millions of poultry were slaughtered but not one of Thaksin's ministers lost their jobs, despite admissions of a month-long cover-up that probably cost several people, including children, their lives.

Just as the nation was coming to terms with watching another news bulletin of sackloads of hens being buried alive, government officials started to be gunned down in the three Muslim-dominated southern provinces. Not wanting to scare away tourists, Thaksin blamed criminal gangs and smugglers from neighbouring Malaysia. But as the death toll rose to more than 60, talk of a resurgence of an Islamic separatist insurgency mixed with a police-versus-army turf war proved harder to stifle. Then, on April 28, the security forces gunned 108 young Islamists who were trying to attack 15 security posts to steal guns. Most were armed with little more than machetes, prompting accusations of unjustified brutality that have yet to be answered.

"So when you look closely at Thaksin you can see why he needs Liverpool as much as the club needs his millions," said a community leader in a Bangkok slum who asked not to be named. "Paying billions of baht [hundreds of millions of pounds] is nothing if it gets people to forget what's really going on and wins you the next election."

'They write nice letters': a Thai Liverpool fan writes

I bet nearly half of Thai football fans support Liverpool and to many the fact that Liverpool hasn't won much lately does not really matter as long as Liverpool is their Liverpool.

It is not just Thai guys who support Liverpool. A good proportion of Thai football fans are girls and not all of them know much about the game. For these girls, what appeals most is what footballers look like. So footballers' response to their fluffy letters is the key to keeping this kind of fan - and Liverpool players seem to be very good at that.

I was first introduced to Liverpool 10 years ago by a group of Liverpool girl fans-or rather nuts. I had listened to them talking about the letters they got back from Liverpool players and became curious about what was so interesting about football and Liverpool.

I did not know much about football then, and still don't but my father, who is crazy about the sport, helped educate me on this subject. As that "educational process" went on, I drew my own conclusion about why this team is so well-loved. I figured then that it was because Liverpool is a big "pool" of talented players. I enjoy watching them play and whether they win or lose does not really matter to me.

In fact, their pattern of starting off brilliantly early in the season and slipping towards the end makes it fun to guess and stick to the end to see what will happen. I would have given up on them years ago when it seemed that they would never be able to break this pattern. But I stick with them because the club is full of talented players, and so it seems to me that there is always a chance that they will reclaim their position as "the champion". Steve McManaman used to be my hope because of how good he is at keeping the ball at his feet and passing it to the right person to score. Now it's Michael Owen, whom I hope would help rescue the team.

The other thing I like about this club is how it sets its image - quite down-to-earth. I have never seen any of its players boast in the public. If any of its players happens to catch the media's attention, it would be about the player's essence, his ability - not his new hairstyle. Plus, according to my friends, Liverpool players' letters to their fans are not just some cut-and-pasted sort of sentences. So, the Liverpool, to me, is not just a football club full of famous players, but a sort of "public figure" that is reachable, tangible and real. Which is why I'm still its fan after 10 years and so few cups.

Kruakae Pothong

· You've read the piece, now have your say. Email your comments to [email protected].

__________________________

[Kante]

Noch ist's nicht fix!

Rivals set for Liverpool fight

Millionaire Liverpool fan Steve Morgan wants to plough £73m into the club - in a bid to prevent Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra buying a 30% stake.

Morgan, who had another bid for the club turned down earlier this year, says Thaksin is not a "supporter".

"This proposal will keep ownership of the club with its supporters, where it rightfully belongs," said Morgan.

Morgan plans a rights issue with the aim of raising £61m and a share issue which would generate £12m more.

"This proposal will also inject £73m of new capital to strengthen the playing squad and help finance the proposed new stadium," Morgan added.

Thaksin's bid was on Tuesday said to be nearing completion, but there is uncertainty about whether the £60m he will spend is coming from his own pocket or Thailand's public funds.

"Let's wait until Thailand buys the team before going into details whether we spend Thais' money or the private sector's," Thaksin said.

Government spokesman Jakrapob Penkair revealed that a deal had been done after a Thai cabinet meeting on Tuesday.

"We will buy in the name of Thailand," he said.

"It's almost 100%. Both sides are confident we will make the announcement. As far as we are concerned, we have finished the process.

www.bbc.co.uk

[ianrush]

Fight for Liverpool gets serious

Morgan's £73m offer will test Liverpool's commitment to far east deal

Dominic Fifield

Wednesday May 12, 2004

The Guardian

The power struggle within Anfield intensified last night as Steve Morgan, Liverpool's third largest shareholder, launched a counter-offensive in an attempt to deflect a potential investment in the club by the controversial prime minister of Thailand Thaksin Shinawatra.

Morgan's proposal would see him inject up to £73m into the Premiership club, leaving the chairman David Moores, with whom he has endured a fractious relationship, facing a stark choice this morning which will shape Liverpool's future. Moores can either accept Thaksin's £56.5m offer, ignoring Thailand's dubious human rights record, or welcome his long-time adversary on to the board.

The club's chief executive Rick Parry was returning last night from constructive talks in Thailand, though supporters back on Merseyside are swaying towards Morgan, largely because the 51-year-old is seen as one of them. The Jersey-based founder of Redrow Homes, who boasts an estimated fortune of £312m and a 5% stake in the club, hand-delivered his proposal to Anfield yesterday.

He is offering to underwrite a rights issue worth £61m via his company Bridgemere Investments Ltd. This would be backed by a new shares issue, to be directed at fans, aimed at raising a further £12m. The rights issue would be open to all shareholders including the chairman, crucially offering Moores the chance to add to his current 51% stake and ensure he remains the major - if not necessarily the majority - shareholder at the club. In return, Morgan would expect the place on the board long denied him at Anfield.

"In my view, the future of Liverpool Football Club is best served by the people who love the club the most, its supporters, of whom I am proud to be one," said Morgan, who will detail more of his plans at a press conference this morning.

"This proposal will not only keep ownership of the club with its supporters, where it rightfully belongs, it will also inject £73m of new capital to strengthen the playing squad and help finance the proposed new stadium."

"In addition, the club's commercial rights to Asia and indeed any other part of the world would remain where they belong - in the owner ship of the club. This would enable LFC alone to benefit from the use of these rights, which is essential to generate future income."

Parry, accompanied by the director Keith Clayton and Ben Mingay of the financial advisers Hawkpoint Partners Ltd, is due to arrive back from Bangkok today, with Thaksin still convinced that his own £56.5m proposal for a stake of just under 30% in the club is on the verge of being agreed after exhaustive talks.

Their initial meeting took place at Liverpool's FA Cup third-round victory over Newcastle in January with Thaksin introduced to Liverpool by the sports marketing company Kentaro, an agency co-founded by the former head of IMG's global football division Philipp Grothe. Yet, four months on, it still remains unclear whether the money required would be generated through public funds in Thailand or via a private consortium fronted by the prime minister.

Regardless, a groundswell of opinion is building behind Morgan - who had a £50m proposal rejected in March with Moores unwilling to dilute his shareholding to about 37% - not least because of pressure from human-rights groups scrutinising Thailand's less than impressive record under the present coalition government led by Thaksin's Thai Rak Thai party.

A spokesperson for Amnesty International stressed yesterday: "Besides looking at who invests in the club, Liverpool as a business have a responsibility to ensure that any relationships with clubs or suppliers which it develops in Thailand do not contribute to human-rights violations."

There is also suspicion of Thaksin's intentions in buy ing into the club. "There are a lot of fans asking: 'Who is this guy? What's his interest in Liverpool Football Club?'" said Steve Davies of the Independent Liverpool Supporters' Association.

"We have seen him photographed holding up a Manchester United shirt next to Sir Alex Ferguson and now he says he's always been a Liverpool fan. We are wary of the unknown, though most people trust Moores and Parry to do right by the club."

That trust will be put to the test now, with Liverpool's chairman of 13 years forced to contemplate welcoming a vociferous critic of his reign -not least at January's annual general meeting - on to the board.

"I think there is going to be a long-term fight over this," said Professor Tom Cannon of Kingston Business School. "It might get dirty."

· You've read the piece, now have your say. Email your comments to [email protected].

___________________________

What they said about ...

... Thaksin and Liverpool FC

Jenny Kleeman

Wednesday May 12, 2004

The Guardian

Thaksin Shinawatra, the Thai prime minister, has put in a controversial bid for a stake in Liverpool football club. The deal, thought to be worth £60m, received a mixed response from the papers yesterday.

Andrew Drummond in the Times was not surprised by the bid as "the Premiership has become so ingrained in Thai culture that it is the de facto domestic league". If Mr Thaksin succeeds, then he will have pulled off a coup seven months before his country's general election, he noted, and might no longer be remembered as "the man who lied to the world by denying the presence of bird flu in Thailand".

The deal was "a win-win situation for all parties involved", opined Singapore's Straits Times: Liverpool gets a much needed injection of cash, while Thailand gets to use the Liverpool brand to promote Thai products. But the paper felt that "having this deal splashed on the front pages of the main newspapers" was probably Mr Thaksin's main incentive.

In Thailand, the Bangkok Post said that the club's profile would "help draw youngsters away from drugs and other vice" and would boost Thailand's footballing skills. While Mr Thaksin had a right to make such a personal investment, conceded the Nation, he should not "'put a spin' on the scheme" by claiming it would have wider benefits for the country.

In Britain the Liverpool Echo thought Mr Thaksin's "gung-ho charisma" would be good for the club, but it was wary of his human rights' record, citing a recent Amnesty International report that condemned the "climate of fear" prevalent in Thailand under his leadership.

"Money isn't everything," noted the Financial Times, "but it certainly helps." It considered the bid to exemplify the "startling English export success" of the Premiership and hoped that the passion of overseas fans could turn the top English clubs into "world-beaters".

But for the Independent's Nick Harris, the deal marked "another seismic shift away from what club ownership used to be about". The message now seems to read: "Foreign plutocrats, PMs and presidential candidates, queue here, because English football gives you global recognition and maybe even credibility."

· You've read the piece, now have your say. Email your comments to [email protected].

bearbeitet 11. Mai 2004 von ianrush

[Cyrille Makanaky]

Solange der gute Mann nichts zu sagen hat, ist jeder Euro vom Thai gerne gesehen!

Es wäre halt nur zu wünschen, dass man das viele Geld diesmal in vernünftige Spieler investiert und nicht wie in den letzten Jahren nur „Mitläufer“ um teures Geld verpflichtet! Ausgenommen der Verpflichtungen von Baros und Kewell war doch die Transferpolitik des F.C. Liverpool ein reines Fiasko! O.K. die beiden jungen Franzosen Le Tallec und Sinama-Pongolle sind gute Investitionen in die Zukunft und dass das große Tormanntalent Christopher Kirkland so ein sagenhaftes Verletzungspech hat, konnte man nicht wissen.

Der erste Schritt muss einmal sein, einen neuen Trainer zu holen. Jetzt wo der Mohr seine Schuldigkeit mit den Verpflichtungen von Philipe Mexes und Cjibril Cisse getan hat, wäre die Zeit reif dafür. Nichts gegen Houllier, aber seit den Europacuperfolg in Dortmund stagniert der Verein und ist nicht wie nach dem damaligen Erfolg versprochen Richtung Meisterschaft, sondern vielmehr Richtung Mittelmaß unterwegs. Deshalb würde ich mir nichts sehnlicher wünschen, als dass man so rasch wie nur möglich einen neuen Trainer verpflichtet, damit dieser die thailändischen Millionen gezielt in Verstärkungen investieren kann. Ein Trainervorschlag meinerseits wäre z.B. Raynald Denoueix, der Franzose, der immerhin mit dem F.C. Nantes und mir Real Sociedad, obwohl diese nicht gerade als große Favoriten gestartet waren, Meister bzw. Vizemeister geworden ist.

Falls das, wie man gemäß letzten Meldungen hört (4. Platz reicht), mit einem neuen Trainer nichts wird, kann ich nur hoffen, dass Houllier diesmal bessere Einkäufe tätigt. Mit Mexes und Cisse bin ich vollkommen einverstanden, nur werden wohl diese Zwei nicht reichen, um den großen Abstand zu den 3 Topteams wettmachen zu können. Mir ist schon klar, dass Houllier wahrscheinlich nur weitere Verpflichtungen tätigen darf, falls er den Einen oder Anderen „Mitläufer“ verkaufen kann. Um es auf den Punkt zu bringen, über die Abgänge der Herren Biscan, Diouf, Diao und Cheyrou würde ich mich sehr freuen und den Herren Dudek, Henchoz, Vignal, Smicer und Hamann würde ich auch keine Träne nachweinen. Sicherlich ist Hamann kein Mitläufer, jedoch hat mir der Deutsche noch nie gefallen und in den letzten zwei Saisonen war er auch öfter verletzt als wie er gespielt hat. Natürlich müsste Hamann zumindest gleichwertig ersetzt werden, denn wenn ich mich jetzt nicht total irre, war die Erfolgsstatistik des F.C. Liverpool mit ihm um vieles besser als ohne ihn. Doch an einem Vieira und an einem Keane vor dessen Verletzung kommt er niemals heran. Dazu macht er mir Offensiv viel zu wenig, insbesondere deswegen, weil die Offensivqualitäten meiner Meinung nach vorhanden wären. Also würde ich mir wünschen, man holt für den Deutschen einen Ersatz. David Albelda oder Ruben Baraja (beide F.C. Valencia) wären für mich die absoluten Wunschspieler auf dieser Position. Thomas Gravesen (Everton) und Mark van Bommel(PSV Eindhoven) könnten ihn ebenfalls sehr bald vergessen machen. Leider spielt Gravesen bei den „Toffies“, womit leider eine Verpflichtung so unwahrscheinlich wie der Gewinn des Meistertitels im nächsten Jahr zu sein scheint. Bin ich da falsch informiert oder stimmt es, dass Valencia gröbere finanzielle Probleme hat?

Im Angriff sollte Emile Heskey auf jedem Fall gehalten werden, denn er ist meiner Meinung nach der einzige kopfballstarke Stürmer im Kader. Cjibril Cisse ist zwar sehr groß, doch das Kopfballspiel zählt nicht zu seinen Stärken. Wenn Heskey schon gehen muss/will, dann wäre Alan Smith eine Überlegung Wert. Wie ich hier lesen konnte, will Chelsea Joe Cole abgeben. Also den würde ich mit Handkuss nehmen, denn so schlecht kann der gar nicht spielen, als dass er die Leistung von Diouf auf der rechten Seite im Mittelfeld nicht übertreffen würde. Weitere interessante Leute wären Maxwell und Wesley Sneijder von Ajax. Für die schwache Abwehr käme mir Christian Chivu vom hochverschuldeten AS Roma gerade Recht. Doch am liebsten wäre mir natürlich, wenn sich endlich wieder ein Mann von der eigenen Jugend in die Stammformation kämpft. Wäre schon wieder höchste Zeit, denn der letzte der das geschafft hat, war Steven Gerrard und dieses ist auch schon wieder 3 Jahre her.

Also meine Wunschelf für kommendes Jahr würde so aussehen: (Träumen ist ja noch erlaubt, oder?)

Kirkland (Dudek)

Carragher (Finnan) - Hyppiä (?) - Mexes (Traore) - Chivu (Riise)

Cole Joe (?) - Albelda (Sneijder) - Gerrard (Murphy) - Kewell (Maxell)

Owen (Cisse) - Heskey (Baros)

Jedenfalls, wer auch immer nächste Saison das Sagen hat, wer auch immer Trainer ist und welche Mannschaft er auch auflaufen lässt, die „Reds“ aus Liverpool werden immer meine Mannschaft sein.

[ianrush]

Solange der gute Mann nichts zu sagen hat, ist jeder Euro vom Thai gerne gesehen!

Endlich ein weiterer Liverpool Fan an Bord und dann auch noch mit dem Namen eines Kameruner Helden von 1990 !

Leider wird Shinawara wohl schon etwas zu sagen haben, wenn ihm 30% gehören...

Kirkland (Dudek)

Carragher (Finnan) - Hyppiä (?) - Mexes (Traore) - Chivu (Riise)

Cole Joe (?) - Albelda (Sneijder) - Gerrard (Murphy) - Kewell (Maxell)

Owen (Cisse) - Heskey (Baros)

Könnte ich mit auch sehr gut vorstellen, nur wären mir da leider eindeutig zu wenige Engländer an Bord...

Vor allem Joe Cole könnte ich mit sehr gut bei uns vorstellen, denn er hat bei Chelsea zu wenige Möglichkeiten sein wahres Talent zu zeigen. Im defensiven Mittelfeld würde ich ja viel lieber Baraja als Albelda sehen, und er soll auch angeblich von Valencia abgegeben werden.

Chivu zu bekommen wird wohl sehr schwer, denn er ist einer der wenigen die bei einem möglichen Roma Ausverkauf bisher noch nie als Abgabg gemeldet wurde. Ausserdem ist er erst eine Saison dort und ich glaube auch nicht, dass sie ihn schon wieder hergeben. Wenn doch, sofort zuschlagen .

Ob Houllier jetzt geht oder nicht wird auch wahrscheinlich daran liegen ob Morgan oder Shinawatra Anteile kaufen. Morgan ist wohl der grösste Gegner von Houllier im Board und sollte er seine Anteile aufstocken ,wird es wohl keine Zukunft mehr für Gerard bei uns geben. Ich würde wohl mit einem weinenden und einem lachenden Auge an ihn zurückdenken.

Ich als bekenneder Heskey Gegner könnte auch sehr gut mit einem Wechsel seinerseits nach Birmingham leben, denn die in ihn gesetzten Hoffnungen konnte er nie erfüllen und auch die knapp 16 Millionen Euro die man in ihn investiert hat.

Also Houllier Nachfolger wären mir ja noch immer O'Neill und Ranieri am liebsten.

[Kante]

Baraja und Cole wären echt geile Neuzugänge! Wobei mir Mexes am wichtigsten wäre, Cisse ist ja schon fix.

Wie ian schon schrieb, Heskey kann gehen. Er ist zwar ein Kämpfer und gibt alles für die Reds, aber gegen einen Cisse wird er keine Chance haben. Mein Traumteam wär ja:

--------------------Kirkland-------------------

Finnan-----Hyppiä----------Mexes------Riise

Cole-------Baraja---------Gerrard-----Kewell

-------------Owen-----------Cisse-------------

Als Trainer wär mir O'Neill lieber als Ranieri, allerdings glaub ich nicht, dass Celtic ihn hergibt. Sollte Ranieri wirklich gehen müssen, würde ich sofort zuschlagen!

Zu den Anteilen: Hoffe immer noch auf Morgan. Allerdings werden von seinen 73 Millionen Pfund sicher die meisten ins neue Stadion fließen! Ich denke es werden ca. 20 Mios für Transfers übrigbleiben, bei eventuellen Verkäufen könnt diese Summe aber noch größer werden (Heskey, Henchoz).

Auf jeden Fall sollten wir uns auch in den unteren Ligen umsehen. Dawson und Earnshaw wären sicher in der Lage, sich langfristig durchzusetzen!

bearbeitet 13. Mai 2004 von LukasK

[ianrush]

Morgan the brickie with a beef

Self-made Scouser dreams of a return to days when Liverpool dominated Europe

Dominic Fifield

Thursday May 13, 2004

The Guardian

The Scouse brickie turned businessman slipped easily from cagey into cavalier sales pitch. "Hitchhiking up and down the country, bunking into grounds, back then I didn't have two pennies to rub together," said Steve Morgan. "This has always been my life's passion. I now have the capital and I feel I can offer an awful lot to Liverpool." The Garston-born construction magnate may have to build bridges with the chairman David Moores before his dream becomes a reality. Yet, as Morgan's offer to inject up to £73m into Anfield's coffers is discussed at a board meeting today, public opinion is swinging inexorably away from the Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra's alternative proposal. Liverpool supporters are falling in behind one of their own.

Even as he sat in the plush boardroom of the Warrington hotel in which he has a sizeable stake, it was easy to see why. Morgan, like Moores, lives and breathes Liverpool. His complaints at the current regime are issued from the heart, his frustration painfully clear at the sight of a club he four times saw dominate Europe languishing an inexcusable 28 points from the pinnacle. Thaksin may struggle to identify five Liverpool players; Morgan could rattle off the youth team in his sleep.

"The priority is clearly improvement on the playing side," he said, tapping a copy of the summary of the rights and share issues he hopes will revive the club after a largely demoralising campaign. The scheme could leave him with anything from a 5% to 35% stake in Liverpool, depending upon whether either issue is fully taken up. "Performances this season have been unacceptable and we can't have that again. We have to be fighting for the Premiership title next year."

The Kop would echo those sentiments. Liverpool were untouchable when Morgan was taking his first steps towards amassing a fortune, some of which he hopes to pour into Anfield, though his love for the club developed during a nomadic childhood spent following his father's work. The RAF fitter turned mechanic took the Morgan family from Liverpool to north Wales, with young Steve attending nine schools.

"When you are new kid at school, particularly in Liverpool, everybody wants to see how tough you are," he once admitted. "I used to dread the first week because you would have three or four fights just to get in the right pecking order." That hardened him up and may have attributed to the workaholic attitude which saw him take up two paper rounds as a 14-year-old, as well as a small plant hire business.

There were seven O-levels, though he changed schools to do his A-levels, fell out with the teachers and left during the first term. That took him to building site, via a two-year diploma course at what was Liverpool Polytechnic. Then, at 21, he borrowed £5,000 from his father, drew up plans on the kitchen table in his Rhyl bungalow and started up as a civil engineering sub-contractor working on roads and sewage plants.

His first wife, Pam, typed up all the tenders for the newly formed Redrow Homes while Morgan worked 18 hours a day, seven days a week before, after eight years, turning his attentions to the higher margins available in housebuilding. He dug the foundations of the company's first property in 1982; 18 years later he stepped down as chairman of the Deeside-based firm and sold the bulk of his shares for almost £240m.

Now with an estimated fortune of £312m, he retains a £40m stake in Redrow along with a £43m share in the leisure group De Vere, part of a £50m leisure complex in Mallorca and the estate where he lives in Jersey. He is currently building a house near Chester with the intention to relocate. He returns up to 25 times a season to watch the current Liverpool team from the directors' box.

Not that money has gone to his head. This is still a man who readily admits to arguing over the price of a can of Coke if he feels he is being ripped off, and who still travels economy when visiting France. That hardly suggests an Abramovich-style open-chequebook approach. "Simply spending money does not guarantee success," he said yesterday. "I would like to think we can return to the old culture of the club.

"If we do that, I believe our top players will want to stay and new top players will want to come and help take this club back to where I -and all our fans - consider to be our rightful spot. Back to No1.

"I am doing this because I care. As a kid I'd cry over bad results. Now I feel the time's right to give more time to my life's passion."

The contender

Steve Morgan

Born in Garston, Liverpool. Aged 51. Lives in Jersey. Made his fortune building up Redrow Homes, as well as owning two hotels and a golf complex. Has a 5% stake in Liverpool. Quit Redrow in 2000 and cashed in shares worth £240m but still owns a £40m stake. Also owns a £43m holding in De Vere hotels. Had to pay £100m to his former wife Pamela.

The defender

David Moores

Aged 57. Member of the Moores clan who have benefited from the wealth created by the Littlewoods empire, sold to the Barclay brothers for £705m in 2002. His share of that sale is believed to have been £35m. Took over as chairman from Noel White in 1991. Initially seen as a 'fan on the board' he drives a car with the Kop 1 number plate.

· You've read the piece, now have your say. Email your comments to [email protected].

__________________________

Laut Morgan sollen auch etwa 50 Millionen der 73 Millionen Pfund in den Spielerkader wandern...

bearbeitet 13. Mai 2004 von ianrush

[goleador2000]

[quote name=Cyrille Makanaky' date='13 May 2004 - 08:46

Endlich ein weiterer Liverpool Fan an Bord und dann auch noch mit dem Namen eines Kameruner Helden von 1990 ![/quote]

Ja die Werbung für den FC Liverpool durch seinen älteren Bruder in diesem Forum konnte ja nicht ewig an ihm spurlos vorübergehen, da er auch mit Leib und Seele ein Reds-Anhänger ist wie ich...

@CM: Herzlich willkommen in diesem Channel

bearbeitet 13. Mai 2004 von goleador2000

[goleador2000]

Liverpool schafft Champions League Quali-Platz 4 !!!

Durch das gestrige Auswärtsuntentschieden bei den Saints sind Newcastle Uniteds Träume den 4. PL-Platz zu erreichen ausgeträumt. ja nicht mal im UEFA-Cup ist Newcastle derzeit vertreten ... Der FC Liverpool empfängt die Magpies zwar in der letzten Runde an der Anfield Road, doch nur ein Sieg und eine damit verbunde Niederlage Aston Villas gegen ManU könnte die Magpies noch auf den 5. Tabellenplatz, den derzeit Aston Villa inne hat, hieven. Bei einem Sieg und einer Niederlage der Reds könnten die Villains zwar auch noch auf 59 Punkte kommen, doch ein 12-Tore-Unterschied beim Torverhältnis ist nicht mehr aufzuholen...

Für den FC Liverpool endet damit eine großteils verkorkste von großem Verletzungspech geprägte Saison mit Platz 4 doch noch zufriedenstellend. Das Minimal-Saisonziel ist damit erreicht. Gratulation an die Mannschaft zu tollen Leistungen im Meisterschaftsfinish und an Coach Gerard Houllier für seine "Nibelungentreue" und sein "Vertrauen", das er dem gesamen Team, insbesondere einigen außer Form oder verletzt gewesenen Spielern immer wieder entgegengebracht hat - er hat nie den Kopf verloren, immer an die Stärken seiner Jungs geglaubt und immer wieder prophezeit, daß wenn alle Spieler gesund an Bord sind, der FC Liverpool sein Ziel erreichen wird und wir einen FC Liverpool zu Gesicht bekommen, der sich jederzeit mit den anderen Spitzenteams messen kann...der kluge Franzose hat schließlich Recht behalten und es seinen Kritikern gezeigt. Merci, Monsieur. Houllier, thank you FC Liverpool !!!

bearbeitet 13. Mai 2004 von goleador2000

[ans]

Bad news: Das Angebot von Morgan wurde als "unattraktiv" eingestuft.

[Cyrille Makanaky]

Was findet ihr eigentlich von folgender Variante?

Harry Kewell vom linken Mittelfeld zentral hinter die Angreifer. Zwei läuferisch starke Spieler für die Außenpositionen kaufen und das System auf 3-5-2 umstellen.

Für links: a la Gareth Barry und für rechts: a la Kieron Dyer:

Aufstellung:

-----------------------------------Kirkland-----------------------------------

-----------------------------------(Dudek)-----------------------------------

------------Carragher------------Hyppiä-------------Traore---------------

------------(Henchoz)-----------(Matteo?)----------(Mexès?)--------------

Finnan----------------Gerrard---------------Hamann-----------------Riise

(Dyer?)-------------(Johnson?)------------(Baraja?)--------------(Barry?)

------------------------------------Kewell------------------------------------

----------------------------------(Murphy)-----------------------------------

------------------------Owen-------------------Cissè------------------------

----------------------(Heskey)----------------(Baros)-----------------------

Mexès - soll mit dem erreichen des 4. Platzes fix sein. (Quelle: Bruder sprich "goleador2000")

Dyer - da bleibt wohl der Wunsch der Vater des Gedankens! (Vertrag bis 2007 laut Spielerinfo hier; in Newcastle absoluter Publikumsliebling)

Baraja - wenn Valencia in wirklich verkaufen sollte, kann ich mir nicht vorstellen, dass er nach England geht!

Barry - wird wohl auch nichts werden!

Dominic Matteo und Seth Johnson - wenn man die will, bekommt man sie vermute ich. Aber?

Keine rosigen Aussichten also!

Doch spielt nicht Celtic in 3-5-2?

Also wer würde sich da zumindest als Trainer anbieten! Martin O´Neill vielleicht?

[ans]

Ja die Werbung für den FC Liverpool durch seinen älteren Bruder in diesem Forum konnte ja nicht ewig an ihm spurlos vorübergehen, da er auch mit Leib und Seele ein Reds-Anhänger ist wie ich...

@CM: Herzlich willkommen in diesem Channel

Wie schafft man das? Ich musste mich bei meinem jüngeren Bruder den Einfluss des Vaters (Arsenal) leider geschlagen geben.

@Aufstellung: Das größte Problem Liverpools liegt ja meiner Meinung am Fehlen eines Spielmachers, aber ob Kewell das machen könnte?

[ianrush]

@Aufstellung: Das größte Problem Liverpools liegt ja meiner Meinung am Fehlen eines Spielmachers, aber ob Kewell das machen könnte?

Das Potential hätte er definitiv und mittlerweile auch die Erfahrung. Ich wollte ihn sowieso immer schon gern einmal zentral vor Steve sehen.

                  Kirkland

         Carragher - Hyppia - Mexes

      Dyer - Gerrard - Baraja - J. Cole

                   Kewell

               Owen  -   Cisse

, wäre sofort gekauft , überhaupt wenn O'Neill oder Ranieri auf der Trainerbank sitzen würden...

Aber wahrscheinlich nur alles Traumspielerei, denn wir werden ein herzloser Markenname für Thaibier werden....

[Cyrille Makanaky]

Wie schafft man das? Ich musste mich bei meinem jüngeren Bruder den Einfluss des Vaters (Arsenal) leider geschlagen geben.

@Aufstellung: Das größte Problem Liverpools liegt ja meiner Meinung am Fehlen eines Spielmachers, aber ob Kewell das machen könnte?

Wie hat er das geschafft?

Ganz einfach, da er mir sowohl psychisch wie auch physisch um Welten voraus ist, konnte er mich beim Erwachsen werden dahingehend manipulieren.

Dies geschah unter anderem so und wurde mir erst viel später bewusst:

1) Andere jüngere Brüder bekommen beim Schlafen gehen friedliche Schlaflieder vorgesungen. Ich wurde mit „You´ll never walk alone” beglückt.

2) Andere jüngere Brüder erben von ihren älteren Brüdern nicht Puppen die Ian Rush heißen.

3) Anderen jüngeren Brüdern wird nicht erzählt, dass Kenny Daglish der Sohn von Superman ist.

4) Andere jüngere Brüder werden nicht erst dann auf ein Eis eingeladen, wenn sie die Aufstellung vom FC Liverpool wissen.

5) Und anderen jüngeren Brüdern wird auch nicht eingeimpft, dass der liebe Gott Robbie Fowler heißt.

Harry Kewell:

Nein, Spielmacher ist er für mich keiner. Aber ich würde ihn deshalb gerne zentral sehen, da er ein Spielertyp ist der gerne Eins gegen Eins Situationen sucht und daher sehr torgefährlich ist. Außerdem könnte die gegnerische Innenverteidigung bei einem zentralen offensiven Mittelfeldspieler nicht so tief stehen, was wiederum unseren schnellen Angreifern, ob jetzt Owen, Cissé oder Baros, sicherlich zu Gute kommen würde.

Spielmacher des F.C. Liverpool ist und bleibt unsere # 17. Das der zweite Mann hinter Kewell auch spielerische Qualitäten aufweist, wäre wünschenswert. Leider wird halt der Name Baraja ein Hirngespinst bleiben, aber ein hoffentlich endlich verletzungsfreier Hamann ist ja nicht die schlechteste Lösung. Denn nur weil ihn „Cyrille Makanaky“ nicht leiden kann, werden ihn die Verantwortlichen sicher nicht ersetzen. Vor allem schon deshalb, weil man keinen gleichwertigen Ersatz bekommen wird.

Viel wichtiger bei einer Umstellung auf 3-5-2 wäre meiner Meinung nach sowieso die Verpflichtung von den 2 Außenspielern. Diese müssten wirkliche Kracher sein, da sie die Seiten sowohl defensiv als auch offensiv bereichern müssten können. Dass Kieron Dyer und vor allem Joe Cole die defensiven Fähigkeiten mitbringen, um so Namen wie Pires, Ronaldo, Giggs, usw. zumindest neutralisieren zu können, muss ich bezweifeln. Defensiv stärkere Spieler sind für mich z.B.: Oddo, Agathe, Barry, um wieder Mal Namen zu nennen, mit denen es wahrscheinlich nichts wird.

Ergo bin ich der festen Überzeugung, dass wir den F.C. Liverpool auch nächste Saison in

4-4-2 auflaufen sehen. Mit einem für mich verschenkten Harry Kewell im linken Mittelfeld und einem Neuzugang im Rechten. Denn dass Diouf kein rechter Mittelfeldspieler nicht ist, davon bin ich überzeugt. Vielleicht bekommt dieser im Angriff noch seine Chance und kann uns beweisen, dass er ein „Serienkiller“ ist. Die wenigen Chancen die er im Angriff hatte, waren gleich nach der WM 2002, wo er für mich den Eindruck vermittelte „ausgebrannt“ zu sein.