Bloody hell, they were lying *****.
http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/drilldown/N154905070206-1258.htmFirst of all, why Liverpool Football Club?
George Gillett: Firstly, we're not going to sit here and pretend to be the
most knowledgeable of Liverpool fans because that's clearly not true. I can
say, though, that our families are big football supporters. We have been
watching European football for several years and on a recent visit to this
country we were advised about the possibility of meeting with the Chairman
and Rick Parry.
Tom Hicks: I have been in the sports business for 12 years and with 162
baseball games and 82 hockey games a year, I was not looking for another
team. George called me about a month ago and explained what he thought was
the vision and the opportunity at Liverpool. I have followed the English
Premier League from afar because some of my business friends are ardent fans
of the game. When I looked into this over the past month I was awe-struck
with the history and the true passion of the fans compared to other sports I
am involved with. The Texas Rangers have been around for 36 years and the
Dallas Stars have been around for 13 years, so to have a chance of getting
involved with a team with more than a hundred years of history and with
fervent fans is something which really excited me. After a couple of weeks I
told George I was seriously ready to be his partner. We came over last week
to do some due diligence and to meet David and Rick. We went to the West Ham
game which was a good win and then the following night we went to see the
new Arsenal stadium when they played Tottenham. We made our pitch to David
and the board and, fortunately for us, they accepted it.
George Gillett: Tom and I have been involved in sports for a long time. When
you sit in our little country you get an unusual perspective and probably an
incorrect one, because we think our sports are pretty popular. Then you come
over here and see the tribal aspects of the fans and their affection and
support for the team and realise it's a game which is watched by billions.
You quickly see this is the most popular sport in the world and that this is
one of the most popular clubs in the world. To have the opportunity of
getting involved in this is a rare privilege.
It's a well managed club but we believe we bring some experience which the
management can draw on to make things even better. Tom and I are a little
put off that people assume everything is about money, because we really hope
we have some ideas as well as some capital.
Tom Hicks: We have both been involved in building and modifying new stadiums
so we think we can bring a lot of good ideas to the work which has already
been done which will be to the benefit of the fans and the club.
The reason any businessman goes into sport is because they have a passion
for winning. Despite all the success I've had in life, nothing has given me
more satisfaction on an emotional level than winning the Stanley Cup in 1999
and being able to get my hands on the trophy. At that moment my smile
touched both ears.
It's been an uncertain time for the fans over the last few weeks, so how can
you reassure them that the club they cherish so much is moving into safe
hands?
Tom Hicks: I don't think David Moores would have chosen us to be the new
custodians of this football club unless he was convinced we share that same
sense of responsibility. We view this as a very long term process. Most
people who come into sport do make mistakes but we have been in the business
a long time and we know the importance of stability in terms of the team,
the players and the fans. We are fortunate here that with Rick and Rafa we
already have stability.
What do you hope to achieve with Liverpool Football Club?
George Gillett: We had the privilege of spending some time last night with
Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher and they delivered us the message. They
are all about winning and all about the passion from the fans. They asked us
three specific questions:
They wanted continuity of management with David and Rick. They have enormous
regard for them. They also spoke extremely warmly about Rafa and made us
aware that they feel this man is truly one of the great geniuses in the
recent history of the sport. They wanted to communicate to us the feeling
from the dressing room was of great respect for the management team.
Secondly, they wanted to talk about players and to encourage us to support
Rick and Rafa's efforts in building the team.
They were also clear with their views on the stadium. They made us aware the
sound, the energy and the passion that Anfield provides needs to be
incorporated into the design of the new stadium.
They were the three messages they wanted us to hear and we heard them loud
and clear.
Did you understand what Jamie Carragher was saying?
George Gillett: We did! He's definitely a scouser, that's for sure. The
first thing the two players did was give us their shirts with a nice message
so that was a special moment for us.
You were determined to get hold of this football club, weren't you?
George Gillett: We were. I think both Tom and I have learnt that it's a
great honour and a rare privilege to be considered to hold one of the
greatest assets in sport in trust. To have that privilege is really special.
I don't know how to properly communicate how much care David Moores put into
making this decision. He questioned us aggressively about our commitment,
our passion and our willingness to help take the club forward. He wants to
ensure we can re-emerge as the greatest team in the Premiership and be fully
competitive in Europe. The interview process was rigorous, it was not
foregone and it was not about money. It was about our passion and our
understanding of the fans of this club.
David is an amazing man and this club is his life. This was the most
difficult decision of his life because every single fibre in his body is in
this club.
Tom Hicks: This club has been in David's family for fifty years and when we
left his house it was a very poignant moment because there were tears in his
eyes. He has agreed to be a Life President at the club and he will still be
sitting in the directors' seats at Anfield. From the players' point of view,
the best thing that can happen is that they feel nothing has changed except
for a new stadium being built and more aggressive support in the transfer
market.
George Gillett: The less the fans see any change the better for this club.
Neither Tom or I are high-profile. We are both hugely supportive of our
families and of our franchises but the less people write about us and the
more they write about the fans, the challenges and the opportunities then
the better for everybody.
It sounds like David has really put you through it in terms of making sure
you were the right people to take over.
George Gillett: Very much so. There were two processes and ultimately he had
to make two difficult decisions. The club felt they had two very well
qualified potential buyers and it's no secret that one had extraordinarily
deep pockets whereas ours are deep but not that deep. I think they correctly
chose the other party and we were not offended by that.
On the other hand, if there's any trait that the Gillett's and the Hicks's
have then it's patience and stubbornness. In hockey we have a saying that
it's really tough to score if you're not in front of the net. We stayed in
front of the net and we tried not to do anything which was offensive or
negative. We wanted to reinforce our respect for what David and the team had
built and ultimately we were given a second chance because the Hicks's
joined us. There's no doubt that we increased our price because they were
with us and enabled us to have the capital to be more aggressive.
There were reports you were interested in a ground share.
Tom Hicks: I can categorically say we have no interest in a ground share
with any other team. We are going to build the finest team for the finest
stadium in the Premier League and that is Liverpool.
George Gillett: I don't know how this story got started. It didn't get
started with us. I look forward to meeting the officials from Everton some
day because we are both in this wonderful city, but I have never authorised
anyone to talk or act on our behalf relative to the possibility of ground
sharing. I have no idea where this has come from. It was not true and we can
categorically deny it.
The first time I met Rick Parry I asked him the question and that's the only
time I can recall the topic coming up. He looked me in the eye and said that
if I ever brought that topic up in a serious way again then I could have his
resignation because he wouldn't be involved with or support that kind of
discussion. That was very clear and so the subject never came up again from
our side.
More recently someone close to the club said that if the topic did come up
then it was the surest way possible for us to be lynched.
We want to build the greatest facility for the players and the fans and make
this the best location for players to play and for fans to come.
Can we bring the title here under your ownership?
George Gillett: I really hope so. Rick has told me of a Shankly saying that
'first is first and second is nowhere' and that sounds good to us.
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