As George Gillett digested the words he was reading, the blood drained slowly from his face.

Surely there was a misprint in this report about Steven Gerrard marrying his long-term partner Alex which completely changed its meaning.

He read it again but it came out the same, so he phoned his co-owner: “Tom, there’s something you need to know. Our team captain is gay.”

A bemused Hicks asked for the evidence and when Gillett read it to him, in between guffaws, he explained that in England the term “partner” can refer to a member of the opposite sex.

Their captain wasn’t tackling for the other side. Alex was a woman.

Taken from Epic Swindle: 44 Months With A Pair Of Cowboys, by Brian Reade

This is just a snippet of a truly hilarious latest part of the serialisation of Brian Reade’s new book in the Daily Mirror to read more CLICK HERE.

Today’s extract includes embarrassing exchanges with Robbie Keane and Robbie Fowler and yet more evidence that proves just how lucky the Anfield side were to get rid of the pair of idiots when they did!

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Liverpool owner John W Henry was shocked by the club’s wage bill and how poor the quality in the squad was when he took over.

The American bought the club in October from Tom Hicks and George Gillett as head of Fenway Sports Group.

Liverpool have endured a torrid two seasons, missing out on a Champions League place last year and flirting with relegation at the start of this campaign.

But since Henry has taken charge, and installed Kenny Dalglish as manger to succeed Roy Hodgson, the club’s fortunes have changed.

The Reds are now in sixth and chasing Tottenham Hotspur for the final Europa League spot.

And Henry is clear where the blame should lie for the dire state the club was allowed to fall into until he arrived.

The 61-year-old blames former manager Rafael Benitez and the former co-owners for not getting value for money from their transfer deals.

“The worst surprise was the lack of depth,” Henry told Four Four Two. “Our biggest concern was this issue – and it was a bigger issue than we feared.

“There was a huge, multi-year payroll for a squad with very little quality in depth.”

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A company owned by former Liverpool co-owner Tom Hicks has been accused of fraud by a finance company in US court papers.

The New York-based GSP is suing accountancy firm KPMG for giving a ‘clean bill of health’ to the Hicks Sports Group (HSG) in 2008.

HSG owned the Dallas Stars hockey team and Texas Rangers baseball team but the company defaulted on a $540million credit line the following year.

KPMG allegedly helped to hide the true position of HSG’s company finances.

“KPMG substantially assisted Hicks Sports’ fraud by certifying that its consolidated financial statements ‘present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of [Hicks Sports] and subsidiaries… and the results of their operations and their cash flows… in conformity with US generally accepted accounting principles’,” the claim form read.

GSP claim if KPMG had done their job then the finance company could have recovered the $67million it loaned HSG.

The court papers also reveal the losses suffered by Hicks leading up to the Texan buying Liverpool in 2007.

But HSG’s financial affairs were not related to those of Liverpool football club.

The lawsuit says HSG suffered losses of $113m, $67.8m and $95m in the years 2002-04.

Hicks restructured his debts and by 2006 had a total credit facility of $540m to HSG through a variety of deals with lenders.

This news will come as great satisfaction for Reds fans who despaired during the time Hicks and partner George Gillett ran the club.

The pair were ousted in November last year and claimed to be victims of an ‘epic swindle’ during the takeover by Fenway Sports Group.

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Liverpool’s principal owner John W Henry has confirmed the club have not yet offered a new contract to manager Kenny Dalglish.

The Reds legend stepped into the managerial hot-seat at Anfield to replace Roy Hodgson in January, initially agreeing a deal until the end of the season.

Dalglish’s tenure thus far has been a successful one and reports had suggested a two-year deal was already in place.

But Henry denies an agreement has been reached, insisting talks have yet to begin – although he has intimated the club’s owners are ready to enter into talks over a long-term contract.

“The only discussion we’ve had has been with Kenny and that was solely concerning when we should begin discussions,” Henry told the Daily Telegraph.

“I wouldn’t anticipate any further comments until such discussions have commenced and we have something to announce.

“Any reports until then are purely speculation.”

Source: Sky Sports

So why the delay?

No one else on planet football could have united Liverpool Football Club so quickly – not even Jose Mourinho.

At the start of the season the Anfield side were in disarray.

Tom Hicks and George Gillett still owned Liverpool, the team was in tatters following the departure of Rafa Benitez and the fans were utterly depressed about the goings-on on and off the pitch.

But then the most-hated Americans in Liverpool’s history were ousted and a new-breed of Yank took over.

They promised a renaissance – restoring the proud club to where it once belonged.

But it did not happen straight away. The new manager Roy Hodgson could not inspire the players or the fans and so was given the boot in January.

Who could save the club? Enter the messiah.

Kenny Dalglish cut short a cruise to come to the rescue of his beloved club, rolling into Merseyside like John Wayne in the Wild West, with men cheering and women swooning (well maybe the older generation of ladies).

The King had a tough start – an away trip to fierce enemies Manchester United – but has not looked back since.

He was even managing to coax some good form out of Fernando Torres, before the Spaniard decided to jump ship to Chelsea.

But the experienced Scot did not panic, took the £50million and bought two top class replacements in Luis Suarez and Andy Carroll.

The upturn in form culminated in the 3-1 victory over United, with Suarez starring.

Dalglish has managed to get the board, the players and the all-important fans singing off the same Gerry and the Pacemakers hymn sheet.

So again I ask, why the delay?

John W Henry is using Dalglish’s own loyalty against him. The American knows the Scot would not leave for Chelsea or Inter Milan, so why the rush for a new deal?

Henry knows he has the upper-hand in negotiations because Dalglish loves the club so much and is desperate to restore Liverpool to former glories.

Ok, it is clever business from the American but Liverpool Fc is more than that. It is a cult, a belief, a faith.

When the Americans understand and show that, they will know why King Kenny Dalglish is a true messiah.

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Former Liverpool owner Tom Hicks was given permission to claim damages over the sale of the Premier League club by a High Court  judge in London.

Mr Justice Floyd did not lift the anti-suit orders but varied the injunction, allowing the American to make applications in the USA in support of any proceedings in this country providing he gives seven days notice to the parties he sues.

The judge also dismissed an application to strike out by former Anfield chairman Sir Martin Broughton, who claimed damages against the former co-owner.

But Floyd did allow NESV’s application to join the Broughton action.

Hicks believes he was the victim of an ‘epic swindle’ when Liverpool were sold to New England Sports Ventures last year, claiming he lost £140million in the £300million takeover.

NESV bought the club after repaying a £237million loan Hicks and his former partner George Gillett took out with the Royal Bank of Scotland and Wells Fargo and Co.

Mr Justice Floyd said in his ruling that the sale of Liverpool came about because of Hicks and Gillett’s indebtedness.

Broughton arranged a board meeting last October to consider two offers or the club, both of which were opposed by the former owners.

The US pair attempted to remove the English directors of the club and replace them with their own men but Broughton continued with the board meeting and accepted the offer from Sports Ventures.

The judge said the former owners then sought a temporary restraining order in Texas “expressly aimed at stopping the sale”.

Floyd then allowed an anti-suit injunction “on the basis of what appeared to me to be the unconscionable conduct of the former owners in seeking to undermine the English proceedings”.

Of his decision not to discharge the anti-suit injunction, he said: “The reality of the situation is that the former owners have already started two sets of proceedings and openly asserted their intention to start more.

“They will undoubtedly start more proceedings if allowed to do so. There is a real threat that those proceedings will be in the United States.”

Of the application to vary the anti-suit order, he said the former owners should be free to be able to make applications in the US courts that would aid proceedings in the UK.

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Former Liverpool owners Tom Hicks and George Gillet will discover on Thrusday if they can launch a damages claim over the sale of the Anfield club.

Mr Justice Floyd will preside over the decision to overturn his ruling on the anti-suit orders which allowed the club to be sold to New England Sport Ventures.

The judge will also rule on the claim from Sir Martin Broughton, former chairman of the club, who is seeking damages against Hicks and Gillett for their actions while owners of Liverpool.

NESV bought the club after repaying a £237million loan Hicks and Gillett took out with the Royal Bank of Scotland and Wells Fargo and Co.

Hicks and Gillet believe they were the victim of an “epic swindle” when the club was sold against their wishes to NESV for £300million by RBS and the former directors of the club.

NESV have also applied to the court for an application for a permanent anti-suit order blocking action outside the UK and European Union.

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Former Liverpool Fc managing director Christian Purslow described selling the club to New England Sports Ventures as a “bottom of the barrel” deal, it was revealed in court yesterday.

In a sensational email sent just a month before the deal with NESV was completed, Mr Purslow told LFC board members:

He did not believe NESV had the money for a new stadium.
Their bid was at the “extreme bottom end” of what was wanted.
John Henry’s background as a hedge fund financier “could not be worse” for PR.
The only positive was that they “existed”.

The email was disclosed by Tom Hicks and George Gillett’s legal team as they try to have an anti-suit injunction stopping them from suing for damages outside the UK or European Union lifted.

They want to show that the deal accepted for LFC undervalued the club and ignored other, higher offers.

It is not known whether Mr Purslow changed his mind about the deal or if it improved in the month before the sale.

The email was sent to fellow LFC directors Ian Ayre, Phillip Nash, and then chairman Sir Martin Broughton on September 15 last year.

Mr Purslow urged the trio to “avoid the natural temptation to jump straight into the deal with NESV”, and then lists all the negative elements in their bid.

He wrote: “So what is positive? Answer, they exist. Which is not a lot, but it is not to be underestimated in importance.”

He then suggests they “double check that none of the possibles who have come and gone in the past 18 months to apparent levels lower than Sharjah but higher than NESV are not there.

“So I repeat this is a bottom of the barrel outcome.”

Source: Liverpool Echo

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Former Liverpool owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett are pursuing a $1.6billion (£993.2million) damages claim, as they refuse to leave quietly.

They are seeking damages for what they claim to be a “giant swindle” after they forced to sell the Anfield club to New England Sports Ventures (NESV).

Hicks is claiming the ‘Bristish establishment’ conspired to sell Liverpool for half of what it is worth to John Henry, owner of NESV.

The claim is against the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) and the clubs three directors at the time – Martin Broughton, Christian Purslow and Ian Ayre – as they approved the $476million (£300million) sale to NESV. The club itself should not be affected.

The two Americans contest whether the three directors have the power to approve the sale of the club.

Hicks and Gillett were forced to sell the club last year after struggling to repay debts to RBS from their 2007 takeover of Liverpool. The Americans want damages for the losses they incurred due to the NESV buyout.

In October, Hicks and Gillett withdrew a temporary restraining order, obtained in Texas, blocking the sale to avoid being declared in contempt of the London court.

“There is no settled decision by us to sue in England or abroad,” Paul Girolami, representing Hicks and Gillett, told London’s High Court on Wednesday.

RBS, which held the bulk of Liverpool’s debt, and former chairman Martin Broughton are counter-suing to stop Hicks and Gillett from the pursuit of damages.

Information from ESPN

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In an earlier article praise was lavished on Blackpool’s Ian Holloway and Charlie Adam for the manner in which they have handled themselves during this January transfer window.

This praise, however, cannot be bestowed upon Fernando Torres, the Liverpool striker, following his plea to leave the club within this January transfer window.

The written transfer request, which was swiflty rejected by the Merseyside club, has only served to confirm the supporters’ worst fears.

Few would argue that Liverpool have had a poor season by their exceptionally high standards. But this poor form is a contribution of Torres and his team-mates. Whether the Liverpool supporters blame Roy Hodgson or the players for their position is open to debate but one thing that has remained constant this season is the inconsistent form of Torres.

Since his arrival at Anfield in the summer of 2007 from Atletico Madrid, the Spanish international has been a huge success. However, similarly to Wayne Rooney at Manchester United, Torres has struggled for form amid claims that he sees his future away from Liverpool. That time has seemingly arrived.

Having been the subject of a reported £35m bid from Chelsea which was rejected yesterday, reports were circling that Torres was keen for his employers to consider the London club’s bid. These rumours were later followed up by the confirmation of a transfer request from the Spanish striker.

There are a number of reasons that make Torres’ intention to leave so disrespectful and ill-timed.

Under the ownership of Tom Hicks and George Gillett and since the buy-out by John Henry, Torres was quite vocal in his thoughts on investing in players. Liverpool fans would have been forgiven for thinking that on a day in which Liverpool had agreed a deal to sign Luis Suarez, the Uruguayan striker, from Ajax, a transfer request would not be forthcoming.

Liverpool fans might have been forgiven for thinking that, in the light of his lacklustre displays and distinct lack of interest in the first half of the season, that a transfer request would not be forthcoming as he wanted to repay the faith shown in him by the club and their fans during this testing time.

Liverpool fans might have been forgiven for thinking that, since he signed a contract extension to run until 2013/14 as early as last summer, a transfer request would not be forthcoming as he had signalled his long term intention to remain on Merseyside.

Liverpool fans might not be so forgiving now.

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Tom Hicks and George Gillett are heading back to court in the latest twist in Liverpool’s ownership saga.

The pair lost control of the club – and £140million – when the Reds were sold in October to New England Sports Ventures for £300m.

During the legal manoeuvrings at the time, an anti-suit injunction was taken out when Hicks launched a £1billion lawsuit in Dallas trying to halt the sale of the club.

Solicitors for the duo now want to discharge the suit, which currently runs indefinitely, in a move which could result in the American pair launching a bid for damages.

A High Court date has been set for 9th and 10th February to be heard before Mr Justice Floyd, who ruled the deal with NESV could go ahead.

Hicks and Gillett will be represented in court against NESV, now the Fenway Sports Group, the Royal Bank of Scotland and former Liverpool chairman Martin Broughton.

Keith Oliver, from solicitors Peters and Peters, told the Daily Express: “It is hoped that the hearing will enable the dispute between the various parties to be unravelled and the way forward to be determined.

“They (Hicks and Gillett) feel very wronged by the process and will consider their options.”

But it is thought Broughton is unconcerned by the latest legal move and believes the motion will be defeated. (Sky Sports)

Liverpool’s courtroom drama seemed to be over.

There were weeks of uncertainty as lawyers mulled over the future of the club, which farcically ended up in Texas as Messrs Hicks and Gillett’s dirty tactics reached a whole new level.

Those days seem a very long time ago, but few people give up on £140m without a fight.

Even so, for Hicks and Gillett to have come up with new evidence or proof that they have been wronged in the last few weeks seems unlikely at best.

Should it happen, it will be just another unnecessary distraction from on-field affairs, and all associated with the club will hope their team can keep their focus.

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