Liverpool fans, what do you want?

Tom Hicks this morning delivered a withering attack on Rick Parry, Liverpool's chief executive, saying his leadership has been a "disaster".

"We have fallen so far behind the other leading clubs," Hicks said. "We should have the stadium built by now. We have a few major sponsors when we should have 15. We have still got the top brand in the world of football but that's no good if you don't know how to commercialise it. Rick needs to resign from Liverpool FC. He has put his heart into it but it is time for a change. You have to be able to work with the manager and Rick has proved he can't do that."

It was another broadside in the ongoing turmoil that has engulfed Liverpool since Hicks and his fellow American co-owner, George Gillett Jr, took over in February last year.

The murky affair has left a bad taste in the mouth at Anfield but what can sort the mess out?

Now is the time to speak, Liverpool fans. What exactly do you want? The owners to sell up to Dubai International Capital? Hicks and Gillett to sort out their differences? A new manager who will launch a realistic challenge on the Premier League?

Here is your chance to solve the problems. Vote below and send in your comments.

Opinion Polls & Market Research

Comments

[Jonathan Byrne]

What is happening at Liverpool off the field (thank god) is a typical example of American owners who know nothing of how football in this country operates. It is quite clear they are in it for the money and this was always the case. As a result the Board of Liverpool has a lot to answer for, and I include Rick Parry in this. If the owners dont sell out now, the club will only deteriorate further. Now it looks as though Chelsea may be ready to capitalise on the situation with a third bid for probably the best player the club has ever created, Steven Gerard. If this happens it will be a disaster. How can we ever seek to attract quality players to our club if we consistently fail to deliver in the league and if the money isn't made available. Benitez has done a good job, bearing in mind the jokers that he works for. He needs at least another season and more money to deliver his true potential. Equally, new owners (DIC) have the resources to invest further in the squad and would be welcomed. At the end of the day football is, and always has been, about success on the field delivering success off the field !!!

[Noel]

Americans.Its understandable, they appear to have no money available and just seem to talk about building a Stadium. LFC didn't learn from their time having 2 managers so why would 2 owners work.I have never heard anyone Give out about David Moores for selling to such a bunch of chancers.
Did he and Rick Parry not check the Finances and why are DIC the saviour when Mr. Moores and Parry didn't sell to them when they had the chance.Finally On Rafa Torres is Class but name any other of his signings that would make it into the Manchester United Team oe even Chelsea or Arsenal?
I Hope they sort it out for the sake of both the Club and the long suffering fans

[Jimmy Aro]

The truth is, there is need for a clean sweep.

Rafa has been a failure. The team is struggling against the big boys, we are currently the poorest relation in the top four. The football is not flowing, apart from the outstanding two, all others are average. Pick the premiership's first team and only the two have a chance. Attacking play and build up is so poor, scoring is a very painful exercise. The back four and two holding mid-fielders are the slowest coming out of the defence. Two times out of three, the defenders back-pass. The passing game is poor, long balls are predominant. Rafa should go, he will not bring the premiership.

I have often wondered why things are so slow at LFC utill the role and performance of Rick Perry was made public. For a team of LFC's pedigree, the number of unsuccessful transfer targets confirms Perry's incompetence. Management has settled for second best maby times, resulting in a huge squard, most of whom are, at best, passangers in the team. Perry should go.

The owners should be seen not be heard. Their situation is unfortunate. They came with good intentions and as businessmen are as concerned with commercial success as they are with the quality of play and well being of LFC as a club. The 50:50 situation with no dispute settlement provisions and a very old fashioned management team were a recipe for disaster. And the worst has happened. More frightening is the bruised ego of the two mega rich owners. Theirs is lkely to be the most difficult problem to resolve. Let us pray!!!

If by divine intervention, they reconcile their positions, the two executives (Perry and Rafa) should be waved good bye,, and more exciting, technically savy managers should be brought in.

We are still waiting for the premiership!!! More agonising for Reds' fans is the relegation to the bottom of the big four league table.

[Jonathan P]

I may be young but i know more about Liverpool than these pathetic Yanks. I started supporting Liverpool when i was eight and i'm in my teens now and i feel a great sense of loyalty to the club, even after a short time supporting the club. i cried tears of joy when we won the champions league in 2005. Have you ever felt this way you yanks? i'll bet my life that you have never ever felt that way. Get out of the club and let some real supporters run the club. At least they have the club at heart. They would not hold talks with other coaches behind the back of Benitez, nor stir up STUPID controversies behind the scenes that take the limelight away from the team that is playing well on the pitch and distract the players. OUT WITH THE YANKS!!!

[max]

yer the thing is unless they sell we wont win the title next year and we wont get any big transfers becuase hicks and gillet are already in debt. Also unless benetiz produces results in the premiership we should sack him and get a manager who plays more entertaining and consistent football

[joken932]

I truly believe that. Liverpool FC have brought this on themselves and Mr Moores has a lot to answer for; like the world around us, greed and a diminishing sense of duty or obligation takes precedence over morals, history and the religion some call Liverpool FC. How the Board were conned into letting two American Oligarchs, their egos and a fistful of Venture capital get the better of their moral duty to 'The Club' is way beyond me( a lifelong fan). The focus is now on how they can both make money out of this situation . What do they care about tradition and the fallout that follows.

[Richard S]

Anfield is the greatest, most charismatic and atmospheric stadium in the world. Atmosphere doesn't earn Hicks and Gillertt money, but a high capacity stadium will. That is why they want to destroy Anfield.
They concider the fans nothing more than consumers.
Anybody who is OK with Anfield being destroyed is NOT a genuine Liverpool fan.

The design they picked is sickeningly ugly. Surprise! 99% glass, the cheapest building material to use.

SAVE ANFIELD.

[G Brown]

Hicks and Gillett have not kept a word that is honorable since they decided to buy the club. They are a disgrace to this world and are unfit human beings.

[wayne]

One simple question i would love answered is how much did david moores get from the americans compared to what DIC were offering, David Moores has been the problem at liverpool for a long time we have lacked behind the other so called big three clubs in advertising, ground except for chelsea. Liverpool should have been in a bigger ground along time ago and as for the yanks please from an avid liverpool fan of 35 years sell to DIC soon at least they are liverpool fans not ice hockey fans.

[Matthew Brooks]

How can you say liverpool will be forced to sell Torres due to a bank loan when we didnt even use a bank loan to pay for him.
We payed for him due to the sales of the likes of Craig Bellamy and Djibril Cisse and others, Where do you get you sources from, if you have any what so ever email them to me, or are they just fake like the rest of your stories.

[Suj]

The situation at Liverpool is farcical with Tom Hicks is basically holding out for more money. I don't believe for 1 second he's got the best interests of the club in mind. There was a proposal by some Liverpool fans to own the club between them (100000 need to invest £5000 each) valuing the club at £500 million. I believe tht about £100 million has been pledged. So one possible solution is for the fans bid to get together with DIC...raise £500 million between them (as DIC's original offer was £400 million) this way we get funding for new stadium and players, and always have fan representation on the board (which DIC supposedly wanted) which hopefully will prevent a situation like this happening again. But an offer of this magnitude will guarantee the American cowboys will go home.

[Robert]

Its time that the two American owners of Liverpool FC recognised that they can´t further the interests of the club, and are in fact, making a mockery of a much loved and respected sporting institution. They should stop embarrasing us and sell! It´s clear that Rick Parry, for all his love of the club, has been a poor representative. In this, Hicks is right! As for Moores, he may have had a whole range of reasons for selling to the Americans, but simple profit seems to have been foremost. His hands look soiled. It may sound easy, but the club is crying out for a fan, be it a company or and individual, capable of investing money and emotion.

It´s time to stop this distressing circus the club is becoming!!Itís time that the two American owners of Liverpool FC recognised that they can´t further the interests of the club, and are in fact, making a mockery of a much loved and respected sporting institution. They should stop embarrasing us and sell! It´s clear that Rick Parry, for all his love of the club, has been a poor representative. In this, Hicks is right! As for Moores, he may have had a whole range of reasons for selling to the Americans, but simple profit seems to have been foremost. His hands look soiled. It may sound easy, but the club is crying out for a fan, be it a company or and individual, capable of investing money and emotion.

It´s time to stop this distressing circus the club is becoming!!

[Danny]

I am a scouser and I am constantly appalled at what has become of the people of this city. The constant whine, whine, whine, whining, is pathetic. The only thing worse is the death threats those guys are getting. At least if they do sell they will make more in a yr or two than Moores made owning the club for decades.
Benitez is a whiner, and real Liverpool fans acknowledge that,he sadly is rubbing off on scousers.

[alan]

The fact is that Hicks is right in what he has said, Liverpool are behind other clubs commercially, and have been for some years. I cannot believe we did not cash in more on our Champions League success.

Peter Robinson and Moores - who led the club into the premiership - are as much to blame, they were traditionalists who failed to move with the times; when United launched their megastore at Old Trafford, Liverpool were still using a portacabin as their club shop.

Its time for Liverpool to move ahead of clubs and to do this we must get rid of Parry and get someone with more marketing and business know-how. A forward thinker who will help make Liverpool the worlds richest club.

Parry to go first, then Hicks & Gillett. We need someone to bring stability to the club, and with these two at the helm - using the media to get at oneanother - this will never happen.

[Tom Hollingsworth]

Question: When did this all become about Ricky Parry?

Answer: When Tom Hicks mentioned it.

Why are we all talking about Mr Parry? I think it is quite clear that the majority of fans are un-happy with the ownership of the club so why focus on the man who now works towards them. Yes there are probably some legitimate concerns surrounding Parry from the fans point of view but what can be hoped to be changed by replacing Parry? We'd still be left with an unpopular and, in my opinion, unprofessional board and it's safe to assume that they're not going to appoint someone in Parry's place who disagrees with their approach.

I guess my point is - if we're unhappy with the people at the top then let's get behind changing that. Getting rid of Parry who, despite the key role he plays at the club, is still responsible to the owners will just give way to a replacement who is more sympathetic to the current ownership group and given what they've done to the club and its reputation so far will only lead us into a worse position.

I'm going to end my post now as I’ve talked on a subject that Mr Hicks brought up to deflect attention from himself for far too long.

HICKS OUT.

P.S Hicks does not support Benitez he admitted to the world that he tried to replace him. A one year extension will never cover up that.

[Koppper]

Unfortunately Hicks is paying a lot of PR people to come on to boards like this and spout rubbish. There have been many Liverpool fan's surveys which all say the same thing - we want Hicks and Gillett out and Rafa to stay. These Hick's stooges cannot sway large polls however, so just look at the results of your poll above - 77.6% want Hicks and Gillet out, and Rafa to stay. After taking 1000's of supporters views into account, this is the truth.

[Kevin (Wirral)]

I think Cookie has hit the nail on the head, half the people on the forums, whilst supporters, have never been inside the ground. Times change and the days of the bootroom are over. I have been going to Anfield for 33 years and have seen some of the best football you will ever see, but we missed the boat when we were at the top and failure to capitalise on our success by trying to keep it as a small family business has cost us dearly.

I don't lay all of the blame totally at Rick Parry's door, but certainly David Moores has a lot to answer for. I am more than interested in the proposed takeover mooted by www.shareliverpoolfc.com and would say that we certainly would be no worse off than we are now. I don't think DIC are the answer but we are were we are and getting rid of Parry would be a step in the right direction

[Michael Gabriele]

Parry & Gillet Out!
sign the petition here
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/parry-gillett-out/

Mr. Parry is a handsomely paid CEO whose tenure at our club has conincided with our embarrassing failure to keep pace in the modern football market. The potential of our hugely popular brand has been wasted whilst the other clubs at the top of the Premiership continue to grow at a far faster rate than ourselves. Further to this is his lack of support for our manager, especially in the transfer market, his involvement in the Athens ticket fiasco, his attempts to hide his role in the plot to oust Rafa Benitez for Jurgen Klinsmann and his insulting attempts to hide behind 'the Liverpool way' saying - as if he can share in our glorious past by merely waving that flag.
George Gillett should step down for his reported initiation of the Klinsmann talks, his reluctance to speak openly during the debacle of the past 6 months and his refusal to come out and back our manager as Mr. Hicks has.

[Marco, Atlanta]

Support the owner that supports the manager. Tom Hicks seems to understand that LFC needs Rafa.

I do not get the same vibe from Gillett or Parry.

[Bobby]

Liverpool should simply be relegated to the league championship

[Neil Broad]

The Liverpool Way is a dignified way - for so many years under the educated and sympathetic stewardship of Peter Robinson all business was transacted, as it should be, behind closed doors.

A 50/50 ownership does not work in normal circumstances and LFC's are currently far from normal.

Whether or not DIC are the answer is not the current issue, they would at least be one point of contact, one board of directors and one hand to guide strategy both on and off the field in terms of stadium and player purchasing power.

Abramovich's subsidy of Chelsea is unique and will remain so, but we should look at Villa as to how an owner can be the power behind the throne without being a media disaster.

We have a job to do to catch up with United et al commercially and need to do so but stability is the starting point.

Get out of our club and return it to where it needs to be.

[Rich Meese]

If Hicks would just shut up and stop talking to the media and just keep this rubbish out of the public eye, then we'd be a step up already.. He obviously doesn't understand the way things are done at Liverpool.

If he thinks he's the right man for the job then he should work internally, not drag all this muck through the press.. it's not something that we should have to be dealing with as fans.. the guys at the top are supposed to give the manager money and responsibility to run the team.. and it's the team that we support.. If they want to cream money off the top as part of their business investment, then so be it.. but stop the public mud slinging!

[John Cullen]

We need a clean sweep and a fresh start or this chaos will be the norm in future. Businesses come and go but our sports clubs are our inheritence and belong to the people. They were never meant to be used as chips to be invested and exchanged for profit. The supporters are the only ones who want nothing but the good of the club, and they are the ones who hold the real chips - the turnstyle cash, the monthly tv payments, the club shop turnover. Supporters pay the piper and should call the tune. They can, if they want to. They can get together and decide what is to be done. For a start, support LFC supporters club and SOS.
John C - Cork, ex Liverpool

[Cookie]

Here we go again!!!
So called 'fans groups' claiming to speak for the majority of fans yet protests and petitions generate no more than a couple of hundred turn out.
40,000+ going to Anfield with a TINY minority protesting.
Hardly the voice of the fans huh?

These 'small' fans groups are using forums to poison minds but all they are doing is poisoning the minds of people who do not know where Anfield is and have probably never even been to Liverpool.

Hicks & Gillett have made mistakes as has Rick Parry & David Moores.
THEY are the only people who can sort this mess out and the worst case scenario while these people are in charge is for Hicks to take 100% control, sack Parry and leave Rafa to get on with doing his job.

Fan groups and their protests will be going on for a very long time because I DO NOT see Hicks letting go of LFC.

IF, and a big IF, Liverpool were to win the title next season with Hicks' money, how many of these 'above everyone else fan groups' would still continue to protest.

I am not overly happy with Hicks as owner but until someone else comes in I will give him enough time to prove he can do the job on his own.

[Kemlyn Hughes]

The ownership is a smokescreen - Rafa has simply not delivered. We need to challenge for the title, not be in a dogfight for a CL place. He's spent an absolute fortune, yet without Torres and Gerrard, we'd be mid-table.

Thanks, bye bye Mr Benitez.

[ZAC ahmed]

I cannot believe how some fans can be so gullable, and believe this liar and fraudster.
If fans think that hicks is good for the club, then they are not true fans, and they need educating on this man's masterplan.
it's a pr stunt, he is a debt master, he wants parry out so he can control the boardroom.
if he gets control kiss goodbye to any success and say hello to debt, debt, debt, and more debt.
he is a scammer, DIC are the only saviours, the Saviours, and I pray they take over soon.

HICKS OUT, HICKS OUT, DIC IN PLEASE, PLEASE

[Brian]

HICKS & GILLET OUT

Everyone is forgetting there are two liars in charge at the moment, get them both out now!

As for hicks, what an insensitive idiot he is. Coming out with this talk of disaster in the week of the anniversary of Hillsborough when so many of us are dealing with our own personal demons!

You can take your PR stunt and shove it where the sun don’t shine, anyone who falls for this is obviously one of the Sly Sports post 2005 generation of fans and doesn’t have a clue what our club should represent.

[Mike T]

Hicks recorded this interview on the 15th April, an utter disgrace for that alone. He has lied to the fans on many occasions over the last year and we fans are clever enough to have worked him out. His sporting 'franchises' in the US and their lack of success makes interesting reading and does not suggest a man who will guide this great Club back to the top of the Premiership, far from it I am afraid. He is absolutley despised by the vast majority of Liverpool supporters.

[Joel Eboji]

The majority of Liverpool FC fans are blinded by the passion and love that they have for the Livepool FC. The problem with having too much passion and love for any football club is that we can sometimes become ignorant to the fact that Lverpool FC is a business and businesses need to make profit.

Hicks argument is that Parry is not upto the task, as he has been at the helm for the last decade and nothing has been achieved in terms of success, on and off field but mainly off the field with the commercial aspects being questioned.

IMO I think that Hicks was right to question Parry's competence in the running of Liverpool FC, as too often manager's are the made the escape goats and fired for their incompetent and failure to bring success to a Football club. I think whats happening at Liverpool FC should be a lesson that everyone should be held accountable from Owners, CEO's, Managers, Football players and even the fans to a certain degree in their expectations.

Don't fall for Hicks little interview, making himself out to be the nice guy in this saga, he is dragging the name of the club down and the sooner he goes the better.

On a great week of European football for the club he comes out with this, why now? If he hasn't got the sense to see that it is a bad time to release this then he is even thicker than we all thought.

Benitez needs financial security otherwise he won't be able to focus on his job, but Hicks isn't the right man to take us forward, he doesn't follow the traditions of the club, Bill Shankly would be discusted with the things going on.

Hicks, get out of our club now, you may act like the kind Papa Hicks sitting infront of your fire place with your Liverpool mug in hand, but we Liverpool fans wont fall for your slimey little mind games.

HICKS OUT NOW!!!!

[Paul Gribbon]

HICKS OUT NOW!!!
Hicks out first, then Gillett & then Parry.
Hicks will never be welcome at Anfield again. We will never forget Tom - lies, lies, lies!

[BarnesTheKing]

Why is it that most Liverpool fans think that DIC will change everything? They're not going to pump Abramovich-style money into transfers, they're businessmen, same as Hicks.

I'm not a Hicks fan but at least he's a man with a plan and is keen to keep Benitez in place. That will mean there's some stability at the club which is IMO the most important thing right now.

I say give him a chance to put a stadium in place, give us some real cash (£60m/£70m) for players (particularly wide men) and then see what happens.

Remember all the United fans who wanted the Glazers blown to the moon! Look at the money they've spent and unless some side break out of the chasing three they'll win the Prem Lge 3 or 4 out of the next 5 seasons. That's worse than having Hicks in place!

[Mia Fiona, Jakarta]

It's all went wrong since we sold the team to two owners, now their honeymoon is over and everyone got stucked with this situation. I'd rather have Parry to step down, least damaging impacts to overall situation i.e fans, players and the club itself.

Please Parry, do a big favour by putting the club first then your own pride!