Liverpool almost went bust with debt

The Hicks-Gillett era at Liverpool should stand as a warning to the risks of takeovers funded by debt, a senior UEFA figure told an inquiry into football.

William Gaillard, adviser to UEFA president Michel Platini, told MPs Liverpool had come close to going under after Tom Hicks and George Gillett had loaded debt from their takeover onto the club.

Gaillard, giving evidence to the culture, media and sport committee in London, said: 'The leveraged buy-outs for many clubs end in disaster - just take Liverpool where you have owners who came, contracted debt, bought out the previous owners and saddled the club with the debt.

'The club has been rescued, thank God, of the fantastic heritage of Liverpool Football Club, but it was a close call.

'There was the extraordinary situation where a club was being owned by the British and American governments.

'They suddenly found themselves being owned by two failed banks that had been taken over by Governments - RBS by the British government and Wachovia by the US government.'

Gaillard claimed that the takeover by American tycoon John Henry's NESV company that rescued Liverpool last year was in part due to the attraction of UEFA's financial fair play rules, where from 2014 clubs in European competition will only be allowed to spend what they earn.

He added: 'John Henry at Liverpool and Thomas di Benedetto at Roma said the main reason they were investing in European football was because of the financial fair play rules.

'They make a much more predictable environment, more similar to what they are used to in American sport, a more regulated environment than the crazy situation that existed before.'

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Liverpool 3-0 Man City

Sir Alex Ferguson and Manchester United can rarely have found a Liverpool home victory as satisfying as this. Manchester City were taken apart at Anfield, and that does not begin to cover the extent of their problems on a night when their designs on the FA Cup and investment for the Champions League were made to appear decidedly fragile by Kenny Dalglish's rampant team.

Roberto Mancini could not have envisaged a worse warm-up for Saturday's FA Cup semi-final with their local rivals at Wembley. Carlos Tevez limped off early with a suspected hamstring injury and, as has so often been the case this season, all of City's inspiration and guile went with him. They have at least been able to rely on stout defending throughout the campaign but even that asset was devastated as Andy Carroll scored the first two goals of his Liverpool career and formed a partnership with Luis Suárez that eclipsed the visitors' equally expensive attack in every respect. Dirk Kuyt got in the act as Liverpool made the contest safe inside 35 minutes.

City have now gone six Premier League away games without a win in 2011 and whether they will venture among the European elite next season is now open to question with Tottenham three points behind with a game in hand.

The two clubs' preparations could not have contrasted more greatly, with Liverpool bereft of defenders following defeat at Roy Hodgson's West Bromwich Albion and City having rested players for their rout of Sunderland. Yet the difference in their responses was even more profound. Liverpool were outstanding, City woeful. Whereas the home side compensated for absentees with spirit, ingenuity and individual excellence, the visitors were laboured, lethargic and devoid of imagination. All Sheikh Mansour has purchased on this performance is a squad high in stature, low in quality. City were anything but a team with designs on the Champions League and FA Cup.

A collective effort earned its standing ovation from the Anfield majority at half-time, in salute of the finest 45-minute display of Dalglish's second reign, but no one epitomised Liverpool's superior level of performance and desire better than the debutant John Flanagan. The 18-year-old had not made even a substitute's appearance before being drafted into a depleted defence at right-back yet he settled superbly. Liverpool's understandable reticence to give Flanagan the ball proved unnecessarily protective. A sweeping cross-field pass to Fábio Aurélio would have soothed any nerves in the teenager and defensively he was faultless, crunching hard but fair into Gareth Barry and muscling aside Mario Balotelli as the Italian attempted to break through on goal.

Balotelli's presence on the pitch was indicative of City's evening. In the 13th minute their captain Carlos Tevez was dispossessed by Carroll and appeared to injury a thigh in the process. He was immediately withdrawn but not before his opponent had swept Liverpool into the lead with an unstoppable drive beyond Joe Hart. Carroll's tackle on Tevez allowed Raul Meireles to strike from distance, though only into Vincent Kompany. The rebound was returned with interest by the England striker as his low, left-foot drive beat Hart purely for pace and power, not precision, and Anfield erupted to acclaim Carroll's first goal since his £35m transfer from Newcastle.

Hart had already tipped a Luis Suárez shot on to the post before Liverpool took the lead with the Uruguayan, displaying a sublime touch and an unerring knack of finding space all over the pitch, sent through by Carroll's quick thinking. The England goalkeeper was beaten again 11 minutes before the interval when Meireles, Suárez and Aurélio had shots blocked inside the area. The latter's effort was deflected across the area by Kompany, who appeared a defender alone against the Liverpool tide, and Dirk Kuyt picked his spot into the far corner.

City were reeling, in complete disarray, and seconds later Carroll glanced his second of the night past a despairing Hart when he towered above Aleksandar Kolarov to meet Meireles' cross with a glancing header.

In contrast to the pedestrian Edin Dzeko and Balotelli, Carroll and Suárez looked a double-act of rich potential. They embarrassed their City counter-parts in terms of industry and threat. City's £25m Italian substitute suffered the ignominy of being withdrawn with seven minutes remaining, although with Tevez injured and the game long lost he may well have been protected with the semi-final in mind.

Mancini does not escape blame having resisted putting Adam Johnson against the untested Flanagan, and there was an angry reaction from James Milner when one of the few City players to offer endeavour was replaced on the hour.

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Steven Gerrard insists Andy Carroll and Luis Suarez are better for Liverpool than Fernando Torres

By Sportsmail Reporter
Last updated at 2:15 PM on 27th March 2011

Steven Gerrard believes Liverpool are better off having sold Fernando Torres to Chelsea and brought in Andy Carroll and Luis Suarez.

Many felt the Reds had got the raw end of the deal when Torres joined the Blues in a ?50million deal on transfer deadline day, while Kenny Dalglish moved to bring in Suarez from Ajax and Carroll from Newcastle for a British record fee of ?35m.

But Torres has yet to score for Chelsea since his big money move, while Suarez and Carroll have made promising starts to life at Anfield, with the former turning in an outstanding performance in the 3-1 win over Manchester United.

Good deal: For the money they raised from selling Fernando Torres, Liverpool got Andy Carroll and Luis Suarez

And Gerrard said: 'Suarez has only played a few games but we know he will be a top player. Training and playing with him in his first few games he has been strong and technically good, but Fernando in his first year with us was frightening as well.

'But I think Liverpool are in a better position having two top forwards instead of one. I enjoyed playing behind Fernando but if you said I could have Fernando on form or Andy Carroll and Luis Suarez on form, I would take the two over one.'

In the interview with Sky Sports Gerrard revealed the Liverpool players had felt let down by Torres' decision to leave.

top of the flops: Torres has failed to score since joining Chelsea

'We felt slightly let down, like the supporters we wanted him to stay as he is a top player. But he made his decision and we have to respect that,' he said.

The Reds skipper also claimed the club were right to part company with Roy Hodgson following a difficult start to the former Fulham boss' tenure at Anfield.

'When the Liverpool fans turn against you you have to listen,' said Gerrard. 'They are Liverpool Football Club.'

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Liverpool 3 West Ham United 0: match report

Liverpool's journey to Madrid will be far more taxing than this leisurely stroll through West Ham United’s defence, which obligingly parted three times to allow goals for Yossi Benayoun, David Ngog and a rebound in off the unfortunate Robert Green.

In stark contrast to their lively support, West Ham’s lack of fight was alarming as they remain in 17th position, only three points above Hull City, who play their game against Aston Villa tomorrow. West Ham remain in peril, although at least their goal difference is markedly superior to Hull’s.

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West Ham had no one in the class of Steven Gerrard, who ran the game until leaving to a standing ovation, and whose set-pieces triggered carnage in the visitors’ defence. Liverpool’s captain seemed a man on a hurry, as if he had a train to catch, which he actually does today.

Such was Liverpool’s early control, the hosts cruising into a two-goal lead, that they could have left even earlier for Madrid. Despite their team’s very obvious travails, the West Ham supporters were at least in good voice, taunting the Kop with chants of “Thursday night, Channel Five’’, although they could easily have added “Tuesday night, Channel Tunnel’’.

Liverpool’s complicated journey to Madrid seems to involve everything but the ferry across the Mersey, and it seemed slightly cruel to stage stop-overs in London and Paris, two cities where they have experienced such joy in the European Cup.

Ignoring the West Ham jibes, Liverpool let their football do the talking. Benayoun was really in the mood, taking the game time and again to his old team, doubtless stirred by some of the ribald chants coming his way, scoring early. When Steven Gerrard swung over a free-kick from the right, West Ham’s defence froze, allowing Benayoun to glide in and score via his midriff.

For those West Ham supporters who had questioned Benayoun’s occasional stomach for the fight, here was the most ironic of responses.

Sadly for West Ham, Zola’s defence lacked the defiance of their supporters and the visitors almost fell further behind from another chaos-bringing set-piece. This time it was a corner from the right, driven in by Gerrard, perfectly measured to pick out Sotirios Kyrgiakos. Somehow, he managed to head the ball down and over the bar.

Beware Greeks wasting gifts? Liverpool swiftly recovered from the centre-half’s aberration, extending their lead through a fine, quick-passing move. Benayoun was again involved, darting through the middle before intelligently switching the ball

right to Maxi Rodríguez. The Argentine’s cross was immaculate, swept into the box where Ngog deftly re-directed it first time past Green.

In front of the watching Ray Clemence, and in the wake of good reviews for David James against Aston Villa, Green picked a bad moment to falter. However much he was let down again by his sluggish defenders, West Ham’s England keeper reacted too slowly to Ngog’s finish.

West Ham tried to respond, tried to give their fans some reward for their devotion, something to remember on the tortuous journey back down the cone-zone that is the M6. Carlton Cole, who was being watched by Franco Baldini, embarked on a typical muscular charge through the middle, Liverpool players bouncing off him, before he shot wide.

Badly missing the suspended Scott Parker, West Ham’s midfield lacked real bite and Gerrard drove through the middle almost at will. When space really opened up just before the interval, Dirk Kuyt tried his luck from 30 yards, bringing a sprawling save from Green.

West Ham were so disappointing, so tame. Arguably the best touch from a visitor in the first half came from Zola, the Italian neatly controlling a loose ball as it hurtled out for a throw near the tunnel.

Zola had little choice but to gamble at the break sending on another striker, attempting to pose Liverpool some semblance of a threat. He removed his right-winger, Junior Stanislas, and sent on Guillermo Franco, who ran around, soon colliding with Pepe Reina. Franco was often involved, soon lifting a long pass towards Cole on the right only for Glen Johnson to intercept.

After this brief flurry of action from West Ham, the game settled back into its earlier rhythm. Liverpool were dominant, adding a third just before the hour mark from more dead-ball mayhem. When Gerrard whipped over another free-kick, Kyrgiakos diverted the ball goalwards, it hit the post and rebounded in off the luckless Green.

West Ham finally remembered the art of defending when Gerrard came raiding into the box, being denied only by a block from Manuel da Costa.

West Ham woke up, piecing together a quick attack, bringing Cole one-on-one with Reina. It was an unequal contest, Reina spreading himself and saving with ease at an Anfield Road End that was far from full. For all the talk of a fans’ protest, it appeared that the empty seats were a result of Liverpool’s Scandinavian and Irish fan clubs being unable to travel.

The Kop was full but quiet and the only real noise emanated from the West Ham section. “4-3, we’re going to win 4-3’’ they chanted, breaking off from a lengthy version of the Hokey Cokey.

Keen to shake it up, Zola sent on Benni McCarthy for Cole. Rafa Benitez made a substitution that will have doubtless pleased Baldini, removing Gerrard, who departed to a standing ovation after tenderly tying the armband around Jamie Carragher’s left bicep. Some of Gerrard’s passing and turning had been superb and Liverpool briefly lost some of their zest. Rodríguez sought to raise the tempo again with a powerful shot that Green clutched at the second attempt.

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