Liverpool set for war with council over Anfield

Liverpool set for war with council over Anfield

Published 23:01 01/08/11 By David Maddock

Liverpool face the prospect of being forced to scrap ALL their stadium development plans.

And that could see the Merseyside club being stuck at Anfield, without any increase in the famous old ground's capacity, because of rigid and unsympathetic deadlines set by the local council.

Those deadlines - over a lease needed on the parkland that sits alongside Anfield - have inspired claims from angry fans' groups that the council want to railroad through a shared stadium for the Reds and neighbours Everton.

Although Liverpool City Council leader Joe Anderson has rubbished the suggestion that he is intent on a shared stadium because he is an Everton supporter, it is true his hardline stance is threatening the Reds' attempts to expand their current capacity, which stands at less than 45,000.

Liverpool's owners, Fenway Sports Group, are currently studying two methods of increasing capacity: either re-develop Anfield or build a new stadium on Stanley Park, which lies between their ground and Everton's Goodison Park stadium.

They face a looming deadline, however, over a lease for the parkland, and have been threatened by the City Council with the removal of that lease if they don't make their mind up by September.

That leaves the club with a massive dilemma that poses a threat to their future.

They know they MUST increase capacity dramatically to stand any chance of competing with the likes of Manchester United and even Arsenal.

Currently, Liverpool's match-day revenue lags at nearly £3million per game behind United, because the Manchester club has a capacity almost double that of Anfield, plus a massively greater corporate capacity.

Liverpool know they have to get the decision over the two ground options right, because of the importance to the future of the club.

But the council's deadline means they don't have the time explore each plan fully.

While building costs are an important element of those deliberations, the onus on regeneration of the area around Anfield is also a huge factor, with the club and council at odds over who must carry the financial burden of those plans.

Liverpool say the council is ultimately responsible for community regeneration, while they are responsible for the club's future and the best interests of their fans.

In what has become a high-stakes showdown with the first side to blink being the loser, the council are forcing the club into a corner, where the losers could be both the fans and the local residents.

Which such massive financial decisions at stake, the deadline for the park lease means LIverpool may be forced to let it pass... which would rule out any chance of building a new stadium.

That would also leave open the danger that redevelopment of Anfield would not be possible.

With the club already adamantly ruling out a move to another site - such as a docklands area identified by the council - it leaves the threat that development plans will collapse completely.

Influential observers point out that would damage the club, but also leave the area a desolate building site with no chance of the regeneration the council are hoping for.

Liverpool were hoping a stadium naming-rights deals would finance the building of a new ground, but there is not enough time left before the lease's deadline to put that into place.

They will plead with the council to extend their deadline and allow the process to exhaust all possibilities, but if that request is ignored, it could spark open political warfare in the city.

Already, one fans' group has started an email petition, demanding that Liverpool City Council drop any idea of a shared stadium with Everton, and also the kind of support for Liverpool Football Club they believe is warranted.

Kopfaithful, a group that played a major role in the departure of Tom Hicks and George Gillett from the club, have set up the campaign.

They are asking all supporters to join them into pressurising the council into backing the club.

MirrorFootball

The challenge still huge to find a proper solution to remove the obstacles and rebuild Anfield which was the priority plan for us and naming rights for building the new stadium in Stanly Park.

What if we couldn't respond in time to get that 999-year loan and fight with the City Council over rebuilding Anfield? Is it right or wrong? What else we can do? Do they give us an extension to find a solution?

Thought the days of protests and marches were behind us. The way this is going looks like we will need to make some new banners and get back on the streets!!

Thought the days of protests and marches were behind us. The way this is going looks like we will need to make some new banners and get back on the streets!!

I think it's more serious than that as our future lives hangs on the balance! They should decide one or another. I thought we're losing time and if the problems are out of our hand so be it and move on with the Stanly Park.

Think it's a bit of a sensationalist article from Maddock, who's probably stuck for juicy Liverpool-related material since his bum-chum Purslow was f*cked off.

We all know there's a deadline. Work is underway to figure out which route we're going to go down. I'm not worried as I'm confident we'll go down the best road for the club in the long term.

The article does smack of sensationalism with the worst scenarios being explored in detail and leads to the impression that the author does indeed have an agenda.

Daily Mirror again filling their pages with pure guff because as ever they don't have anything of any quality or substance to say at all. Like all tabloids - complete RAG.

Daily Mirror again filling their pages with pure guff because as ever they don't have anything of any quality or substance to say at all. Like all tabloids - complete RAG.

Maddock hasn't been bad to us in the past.

I just hope this isn't true.

EXCLUSIVE: Council leader throws Liverpool new stadium lifeline

Published 22:50 02/08/11 By David Maddock

City Council leader Joe Anderson is ready to offer Liverpool a lifeline, as the club’s future hangs in the balance.

Plans to dramatically increase crowd capacity are under serious threat because of planning issues, and deadlines for taking up the lease on building land.

Club officials are acutely aware the gap between themselves and Manchester United is growing ever wider, because of their bitter rival’s massive attendance advantage on matchday, especially in the corporate area.

If that gap isn’t closed soon, then Liverpool fear they will lose their status as a world leader in the sport, and be forever relegated to the second tier of the game.

The club has been feverishly exploring two opposing options, on whether to redevelop Anfield or build a new stadium on nearby Stanley Park.

But with a deadline soon to run out on the lease over the park, and Liverpool no nearer to resolving finance issues relating to the two projects, they are now faced with the danger of doing neither…and falling behind.

Anderson though, has pledged to offer every help possible to the club to achieve their aim of increasing capacity, to allow them to remain amongst the elite of world football.

The council recognise the business advantage such a status brings to the city, and the leader insisted that, despite claims from disgruntled fans’ groups, he has absolutely no agenda against either football club in the city.

“We realise the issue over the lease is a difficult one for the football club, and we have already extended the deadline for a period of six months to allow time to explore all options,” he explained.

“What we can’t do is give an open cheque and an open guarantee, because ultimately while we have a responsibility to the club and the fans, we also have a responsibility to the people in the Anfield area, who have been living in squalor for 10 years.

“But we recognise there are new owners who have to explore all decisions, and if they can demonstrate there is a real need for more time to make that decision, then we are prepared to extend the deadline further.

“From our point of view we have always had a good relationship with the club, and we’ll bend over backwards to do whatever we can to support the decision they make.”

It is a complicated issue that has come down to something of a stand off between the club and the council over the opposing plans to develop Anfield or build a new stadium.

Some fans have expressed fears the leader has an agenda to build a shared stadium on dock development land in the city, but Anderson has dismissed that idea as “absolute nonsense”.

The reality is actually very different. Liverpool were leaning towards building a new stadium on Stanley Park, but have so far been unable to secure the naming rights for the new ground that would provide sufficient funds to get it built.

If they take on the lease on the land and then don’t build, it will be a crippling future cost that would prove seriously damaging.

But with the September deadline looming over the lease, if they don’t take up the right to develop the land, they will be left with only the chance to expand the Anfield stadium…and that is fraught with danger.

Central government planning controls – which have nothing to do with the local council – would most likely lead to a lengthy enquiry that would delay development, and could prevent it altogether.

As one club official admitted, there is now a very real danger of Liverpool being forced to remain with their current 45,000 capacity, which would damage the club and the local economy.

LFC is a prize asset to the council, because they are one of the few world-leading businesses in the area, and that is why Anderson is determined to offer support.

But he insisted Liverpool must demonstrate progress in their decision over the future, whether that means redeveloping Anfield or building a new stadium.

“I am really disappointed with what some people have been claiming, because it is a load of tripe. Any decision over a shared stadium is a decision for the two football clubs, and nothing to do with us,” Anderson added.

“Likewise, we can’t simply grant compulsory purchase orders that will allow houses next to Anfield to be knocked down to increase the stadium capacity. There are central government guidelines, and there has to be a demonstrable regeneration of the area.

“A bigger stadium on its own doesn’t regenerate the area, so we have work with the club to ensure the criteria is met. And we are not just working with Liverpool. We are speaking with Everton too on an almost weekly basis about their plans for relocation.

“In the end, we will do all we can to help Liverpool, because they are an important business element of the city. But we have to protect to residents of the area too.”

Ideally, Liverpool would like more time to explore the option of increasing capacity at Anfield, but that still seems a difficult option, and their most likely course is to build a new stadium.

That though, would be dependent on getting the financial backing a naming rights deal would provide, and again, the club needs time for that to happen.

Anderson’s offer yesterday, which he exclusively revealed to the Mirror, will ease the pressure on the club, but they know they still face a huge milestone in the club’s history, as they attempt to secure their future amongst the world elite.

MirrorFootball

Seems like old news this.

The council already extended the option of a lease as it expired at the end of June.  It's in the council's interest to be as helpful as possible to the club.

David Maddock must have just got back from holiday and not had time to read the press from the last month.

Surprising that Maddock did seem to dwell on the negative while the council's latest statement appeared upbeat, more media drivel to fill newspace possibly the editors decision to print any old sh*te irrespective of current situations.

Surprising that Maddock did seem to dwell on the negative while the council's latest statement appeared upbeat, more media drivel to fill newspace possibly the editors decision to print any old sh*te irrespective of current situations.

Maddock goes back and forth all the time, with his POV on Liverpool.  I'm guessing his 'numbers' have been down of late, so he stirred a non-story into a sh*t storm.

Maddock goes back and forth all the time, with his POV on Liverpool.  I'm guessing his 'numbers' have been down of late, so he stirred a non-story into a sh*t storm.

Either way it's a definite sh*t stirring attempt.

Maddock hasn't been bad to us in the past.

Want to bet on that.

I could go all the way back to when Fowler was sold to Leeds, the piece he did following the transfer slagged Ged and the club completely.

LFC have been granted another extension by Liverpool City Council as they continue to explore all the options on the future of Anfield.

No word on how long yet?

It'll be until someone blinks.

JWH and FSG won't blink.

No sense spending triple what we have to, to try and get the same amount of seats added to a stadium.

Anfield housing demolition begins.
The first demolitions of empty houses since an announcement of a major regeneration of Anfield are now under way.
The entire of Salisbury Road is being ripped down as part of works that will take three months to complete.
Earlier this year the council, LFC and social landlord Your Housing revealed blueprints for a regeneration project for the area worth up to £260m with enhancements to Anfield stadium and new and refurbished homes.

Could this be progress??

From an Echo report tonight but cannot find a link in the online edition.
Anyway that's the bollocks of the story. 

Salisbury Road is quite a way from the stadium so not sure it represents too much progress as there have been other houses demolished in that area recently too...

But there could be something in it.

Hang on hasn't most of Salisbury Road been knocked down already?

Hang on hasn't most of Salisbury Road been knocked down already?

It is 'work in progress' apparently, the site will be levelled and greened up in readiness for the next stage of the process according to the article.