Looks like the war is far from over, how low can this man get ? Tomorrow's Mail on Sunday:http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/sport/football.html?in_article_id=559299&in_page_id=1779&ct=5 Liverpool joint owner Tom Hicks has escalated the battle for control of Anfield to breaking point by insisting that he wants to introduce a new team to run the club's finances within the next six weeks.
The Texan's declaration of intent is the latest round in his increasingly bitter stand-off with fellow American owner George Gillett and the club's chief executive, Rick Parry.
Hicks called for Parry's resignation last week, a demand that the chief executive described as 'offensive', coming as it did just 48 hours after Liverpool's epic Champions League win against Arsenal.
Now, in a wide-ranging interview with The Mail on Sunday ahead of Liverpool's home game against Blackburn today, Hicks says he wants Parry removed from the job he has held for 10 years and a new CEO to be in position before the end of May.
Hicks is understood to favour the promotion to chief executive of commercial director Ian Ayre, a Liverpudlian who was brought in to the club last year to try to boost Liverpool's revenue-making operations around the world.
Hicks accuses Parry of holding back the development of the club, both in its commercial growth and on the pitch, and of having been actively involved in the controversial talks with Jürgen Klinsmann last year that effectively started the civil war at Anfield by undermining the position of Rafa Benitez as manager.
The American claims that Parry has 'refused to interact' with Ayre and his commercial team and that only the chief executive's removal from his job would enable Benitez to sign the players he wants in order to mount a credible title challenge.
Hicks said: "Rick Parry has been Liverpool's CEO for 10 years and we haven't won a league championship under his leadership. Our commercial revenues have not kept up with other top clubs during that time, which has made it very difficult to compete for the Premier League.
"After watching him operate, I came to the conclusion it was time to ask him to resign, due to his inability to manage an organisation, his seemingly arrogant attitude to our supporters and his lack of communication with Rafa.
"I reached my decision a few weeks ago but waited until after the games against Everton and Arsenal. It is important to try to have a new CEO in place by May so we can begin working with Rafa on player transfers."
Parry, who has the support of Gillett as the two Americans jostle for control of the £400 million Liverpool empire, is understood to be astonished that question marks could be placed against his record as an administrator both with the Premier League, where he was also chief executive, and with Liverpool.
He says a meeting of the six-man Liverpool board should be called to discuss Hicks's accusations.
As the board consists of Hicks, Gillett, their sons, Tommy Hicks jnr and Foster Gillett, Parry himself and former chairman David Moores, Parry is confident that the Gillett camp would win any vote of confidence in him by a 4-2 majority.
Parry said: "I stand by my track record in English football and as chief executive of Liverpool Football Club. It would be inappropriate for me to comment in detail on these allegations — that should be a matter for the Liverpool board.
"In fact, I would welcome an opportunity to discuss these matters with our co-owners and board colleagues. This continuous airing of issues in the media is clearly not helpful at this crucial stage of our season."
Helpful or not, Hicks is intent on setting his version of events before the Liverpool public. He is known to be particularly annoyed at being blamed for going behind Benitez's back to meet Klinsmann when he claims the meeting was primarily set up by Gillett, with Parry's knowledge.
Parry does not deny having been at crucial discussions with Klinsmann, the former German World Cup player and coach, but says he was there at the instruction of Hicks and Gillett.
Hicks insists Liverpool need a single strong owner at the helm.
He promised that if he takes full control Benitez would be given a long-term deal, and he vowed to eliminate the majority of the club's debt before they run out in a planned new stadium at Stanley Park in 2011.
Hicks said: "It's time for Liverpool to have one strong owner to give Rafa the support he needs to win trophies, grow our commercial revenues worldwide and build the best stadium in the world. I believe I am that owner.
"Under my ownership, Ian Ayre, Philip Nash [the finance director] and Rafa Benitez would make an outstanding management team. As we prepare to move into our new stadium in 2011, we will have the resources to be competitive year in and year out, and restore Liverpool Football Club to its position as the No 1 club in the world."
Benitez, who wants to sign three players in the summer, has complained in the past that the club have risked losing stars because of a lack of urgency in the transfer market.
Parry was also heavily criticised for not letting regular fans know the details of how tickets for last season's Champions League final in Athens were allocated. Hicks said he would ask Gillett to support the ending of Parry's contract.
"If he chooses not to, the record will be clear," said Hicks.
He is aware that he and Gillett are not popular with sections of the Liverpool fan-base who are fed up with the ownership saga dragging on for months. "I can certainly understand the fans' concerns," said Hicks.
Meanwhile, Moores, the man who sold the club to the two Americans 14 months ago, has hit out at their feuding. "It makes the club a laughing stock and that's not acceptable," he said. "This is not what the club is about. It is embarrassing and not an acceptable way of doing things. It needs to be resolved as quickly as possible. The two owners have got to stop thinking of themselves and start thinking of the club, its values, traditions and heritage."
