| News of Liverpool takeover can only be good for the club | Jimmy Case Supporters and players are desperate to be able to focus all their attention on events on the pitch, says the former Liverpool playerFollowing the defeat to Blackpool and the ever-increasing sense of negativity surrounding Liverpool, news of this takeover deal has come at an opportune time for the club. But there is still a long way to go and to a large extent it feels like we've heard this all before, most recently from Kenny Huang. The supporters were led to believe then that the club was on the verge of being sold to the Chinese government, but ultimately nothing happened.However, any movement in regards to a takeover is good news because the situation with Tom Hicks and George Gillett simply cannot go on. Their time at Liverpool has been an extremely unsettling and troubling one and has got even worse in the last 24 hours with them now trying to get rid of people on the board. It is reminiscent of the wranglings they had with Rafael BenÃtez which, it can be argued, was when the mess at Liverpool first started.There is some concern among the supporters that this takeover is also American-led, but as long as they meet the criteria for a successful sale and fulfil the promises they make upon arriving at Anfield then that is what really matters, not their nationality. That is what most fans want; for the club to be under stable ownership and for those owners to do what they say they will. Hicks and Gillett said they would build a new stadium but failed repeatedly to do so. That is simply unforgivable.John W Henry and the New England Sports Ventures group have not commented on what funds would be available to Roy Hodgson to invest in the playing squad when the transfer window reopens in January, or whether the 60,000-plus seat stadium they are committed to will be a new project or a renovation of Anfield. One investment is not more important than the other but both must be delivered.As each day goes by Liverpool fall further and further behind the likes of Chelsea and Manchester City, and to have any chance of catching them up we need to strengthen the team as soon as possible. That can be done only with more money; which comes through increased investment and more gate receipts from having a larger stadium. They go hand in hand.A takeover really should have been completed over the summer but in some ways the timing of this deal is perfect. The club is at a real low after what has been a terrible start to the season and desperately needs something to feel positive about. Hopefully negotiations will develop further in the next week and the team can then go into the Merseyside derby on a high and confident about the future.The poor performances of the players cannot solely be put down to what has been going on with the current owners but there is no doubt that they have been affected by it. When something like this is happening at a club it creates a general bad feeling which spreads to everyone involved. You just have to look at the demeanour of the team over the past year or so to recognise that; most of the time they do not even look like they want to be on the pitch, let alone fight for a victory.The players will have felt the effects of the off-field struggle every day. When they are out shopping, for instance, fans will walk up to them and ask if there is any news on a takeover, and after a while that can become a mental burden.What they and all Liverpool supporters want is for the focus of the club to return to what is happening for the pitch. That has taken a back seat under Hicks and Gillett – let us hope things are now about to change for the better.Jimmy Case was a Liverpool player from 1973 to 1981, winning four league titles and three European Cups with the clubLiverpoolguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Chelsea's Josh McEachran and Arsenal's Jack Wilshere hold 2018 hopes for England Chelsea's Josh McEachran and Arsenal's Jack Wilshere are giving hope for England's future. telegraph.co.uk |
Hagi appointed manager of Galatasaray • Former Romania international joins Turkish giants• Ex-Blackburn midfielder Tugay appointed Hagi's assistantGalatasaray today appointed Gheorghe Hagi today as their new coach for a second spell at the Super Lig club based in Istanbul.The former Romania international, who played for the Turkish club for five years and coached them club between 2004 and 2005, replaces Frank Rijkaard, who left the club yesterday. The former Blackburn midfielder Tugay Kerimoglu has been appointed as the Romanian's assistant.Hagi, 45, is yet to reach the heights as a coach he attained as a player. Since leaving Galatasaray, he has had short stints in charge of Timisoara and Steaua Bucharest.The former Uefa Cup winners are ninth in the Turkish championship after eight games, eight points adrift of the leaders Bursaspor.GalatasarayEuropean footballguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
The time to act is now . . . Wayne Rooney must be banished to Spain Oliver Brown writes a new speech for Chancellor George Osborne. telegraph.co.uk |
Columbus Defeats Joe Public 4-1 Emilio Renteria scored twice in the second half to lead Major League Soccer's Columbus Crew over Joe Public 4-1 Thursday night in the final first-round match of the CONCACAF Champions League. feeds.nytimes.com |