SOS meeting with Gillett before manc game

Dear Member

Spirit Of Shankly, the Liverpool Supporters' Union last week called for two victories. For a large, and loud passionate march to take place prior to the Manchester United game, and for fans to then take that anger and passion inside and convert it into supporting the team during the game. We all know what went on inside the ground, and the fans were magnificent.
Outside of the ground, it was a resounding victory. Thousands of fans gathered at the Liverpool FC Supporters' Club on Lower Breck Road, to take park in the march. Seeing such a massive show of red strength marching up the road, in protest at the owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett, was an inspiring sight, and as such even more fans joined in along the route. By the time the march reached The Kop, the numbers had swelled to around 4,000 and George Gillett inside the ground, Tom Hicks in America, and the rest of the world will have no doubt heard our message - Enough is Enough, Hicks and Gillett, Out Now!

We would like to thank all those fans who took part in the march, and all those who backed it but were unable to make it. To those who stood and applauded - the march is just as much for you as it is for anyone else. We appreciate the support, but next time, feel free to join in. It's my football club, your football club, his football club, her football club. It is OUR football club. So lets fight for it. And we will keep on fighting for it. It needs it. We wish it didn't but it does, so lets keep up the fight - We can win it!

Prior to the march taking place on Saturday, George Gillett asked for a meeting to take place with Spirit Of Shankly.  A decision was made to accept the request and meet with him. The meeting took place at Anfield prior to the march and a small delegation met with Gillett. He made a number of claims during the meeting. However, he gave no indication as to what his or Tom Hicks' future plans for the club were. He claimed that the club was financially sound, and was in no worse a situation than any other football club. He also claimed that the banks were responsible for the debt being put onto the football club as a result of the credit crunch. He admitted communication at the top level of the football club was not as it should be, between himself, Hicks, Ian Ayres, Rick Parry, and more importantly the manager, Rafael Benitez. In answer to stories reaching us to the contrary, it was made absolutely clear to Gillett that we were not running our campaign against the current owners at the instigation of Amanda Staveley or anybody else connected to Dubai.

Make no mistake - This is a victory for the Union. One man who we have campaigned so vociferously against wanted to meet with us. No one has been taken in by anything Gillett had to say. The meeting provided us with an ideal opportunity to tell him about what we believed was wrong with the football club, primarily how they have ran it since the takeover. We also reminded him that we, as a Union, wanted both himself and Tom Hicks to sell up and leave. Further detail on what went on during the meeting will be sent out to members shortly.

Finally - Thanks again for the support on Saturday. If we stand together, we can and we will win!

Spirit Of Shankly

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Received this today in an e-mail, looks like things went well yesterday.

A big to all those involved.

Hopefully, although I'm not holding my breath, something good might just come out of all this.

 

Will be interesting to see if there was any minutes taken from that meeting. Looking forward to the hearing details.

I have no doubt Gillett will try to pull the wool over the eyes of any Liverpool fan. But it wont work, the damage is done.

Blaming the banks for the debt on the club? Who's fault is it that then George? I'm sure you signed for the loans rather than put your hand in your pocket?

Thanks for moving this Kenny 

I think everyone's wise to Gillett's sneaky ways, he won't get away with it for much longer.

It's only a matter of time I feel.

Lying, Cheating, good for nothing yankee bum, poor excuse for a man, little runt, toadface............hate ful man.

Blaming the banks for landing the club in debt is pathetic.

Then to suggest that the Liverpool fans are being whipped up in to a frenzy because of Amanda Staveley (who is unquestionably fit however) is ridiculous.

If anything it proves how very little the man knows about our feelings.  At least they told him to sell up and get off.

Well at least Gillett learned one little lesson this weekend!

We the fans are more organised than he or Tom Hicks ever thought.

To read that statement from SOS after they had met with George shows they tried to ride roughshod over the fans, especially when he tried to accuse SOS of being run by Amanda Staveley or DIC.

He'll learn: Militantcy is in the blood in this city.

Have faith brothers and sisters, our time will come YNWA

The march was boss, I was in the advance guard of the 4000 divvies. Gillett is an arsehole, simple as.

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=VGJEBwqydeE


http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=8509pk2eVE0&feature=related


P.S  well in to MsGerrard and Kenny for starting to source and post SOS statements on here now, spread the word brothers and sisters. Fight on.

P.P.S. is right JD Amanda Staveley is well fit.

Details of the meeting the Spirit Of Shankly union held with George Gillett before we played the mancs:

Meeting with George Gillett, 13th Sept 2008

On Saturday September 13th several Spirit of Shankly Union committee members met, at short notice, with George Gillett at Anfield a few hours prior to the match with Manchester United. The meeting had been called by Mr Gillett so that he could hear, in his words, "what was on our minds".

Mr Gillet was accompanied by Chief Executive Rick Parry and long-time family business associate, Jim Skidmore.

The Union laid out unequivocally its opposition to Gillett and Hick's tenure at the club. Mr Gillett was told in the strongest terms that they had failed to deliver on their pledges regarding their ownership. He was left in no doubt that the Union saw neither he nor Tom Hicks as fit to run Liverpool Football Club. He was reminded of three basic claims that they had made when acquiring the club:

That no debt would be placed directly upon the club

That work on a new stadium - the whole point of the sale of the club - would begin almost immediately. "A spade in the ground in 60 days"

That he would respect the clubs traditions and values conducting the clubs affairs in a proper manner in keeping with 'The Liverpool Way'

Mr Gillett was told that the management structure at the club was untenable; that the division within the club was causing stagnation at best, and at worst causing us to fall behind our rivals. Gillett was told that the club appears to have no real, clear leadership. The apparent lack of dialogue between himself and Tom Hicks was a real cause for concern for all Liverpool fans, as was the lack of dialogue between Tom Hicks and Rick Parry. We made it clear that the internal warring at the club was a great of source of embarrassment and concern for all supporters. The Union then pressed him on the issue of saddling the club with a huge debt, reducing its ability to compete in the transfer market as profits are eaten up by repayments.

In response, Mr Gillett agreed that the leadership issues were far from perfect and that communication was not as it should be. He described the position as "cumbersome". He did, however, take exception at being branded a liar over other issues. The club's financial position changed, he insisted, because of the global financial situation, not because he reneged on any previous promise. External circumstances outside his control, with the banks, were the cause of the debt being placed upon Liverpool FC during the refinancing process.

This was, he went on, at the banks' and other financial institutions' insistence although he would not explain how the credit crunch itself could cause such a reorganisation of the debt. Mr Gillett also failed to reconcile, in the Union's eyes, his own stated intention of not loading the club with debt, with his partner's modus operandi in the leveraged buy-out business, whereby - in Hick's words - "When I was in the leverage buy-out business we bought Weetabix and we leveraged it up to make our return. You could say that anyone who was eating Weetabix was paying for our purchase of Weetabix. It was just business. It is the same for Liverpool".

He denied that the debt and lack of operating finances had led us to fall behind in the transfer market; claiming that the club was in "decent" financial shape and had outspent everyone - bar Chelsea – over recent seasons. He claimed that the club had plenty of money to pay any debt repayments (he categorically denied it was anywhere near the £30m quoted in the press, but would not elaborate when pressed for a more accurate figure) and to operate in the transfer market. He denied that neither he, nor Hicks had taken any money out of the club, other than legitimate legal expenses accrued during the takeover. He reiterated the club's previous announcement that the turnaround in the global financial markets had led to a temporary halt on the stadium build. "The credit crunch", he insisted, "is here - it is real".

Mr Gillett agreed to look into a number of issues such as the £29 fan card membership scheme and other recent initiatives that we felt were squeezing the ordinary fan and were, instead, catering for the corporate market. He also agreed to consider the effect that the stadium delay was having on the overall regeneration of the Anfield area.

Despite all of Mr Gillett's claims, and his attempts to play down the situation we find ourselves in at the moment, we have not and will not be changing our stance. We remain unmoved in wanting Tom Hicks and George Gillett out of this football club, for the benefit of the club and for all of its supporters.

Details of the meeting the Spirit Of Shankly union held with George Gillett before we played the mancs:

Meeting with George Gillett, 13th Sept 2008

On Saturday September 13th several Spirit of Shankly Union committee members met, at short notice, with George Gillett at Anfield a few hours prior to the match with Manchester United. The meeting had been called by Mr Gillett so that he could hear, in his words, "what was on our minds".

Mr Gillet was accompanied by Chief Executive Rick Parry and long-time family business associate, Jim Skidmore.

The Union laid out unequivocally its opposition to Gillett and Hick's tenure at the club. Mr Gillett was told in the strongest terms that they had failed to deliver on their pledges regarding their ownership. He was left in no doubt that the Union saw neither he nor Tom Hicks as fit to run Liverpool Football Club. He was reminded of three basic claims that they had made when acquiring the club:

That no debt would be placed directly upon the club

That work on a new stadium - the whole point of the sale of the club - would begin almost immediately. "A spade in the ground in 60 days"

That he would respect the clubs traditions and values conducting the clubs affairs in a proper manner in keeping with 'The Liverpool Way'

Mr Gillett was told that the management structure at the club was untenable; that the division within the club was causing stagnation at best, and at worst causing us to fall behind our rivals. Gillett was told that the club appears to have no real, clear leadership. The apparent lack of dialogue between himself and Tom Hicks was a real cause for concern for all Liverpool fans, as was the lack of dialogue between Tom Hicks and Rick Parry. We made it clear that the internal warring at the club was a great of source of embarrassment and concern for all supporters. The Union then pressed him on the issue of saddling the club with a huge debt, reducing its ability to compete in the transfer market as profits are eaten up by repayments.

In response, Mr Gillett agreed that the leadership issues were far from perfect and that communication was not as it should be. He described the position as "cumbersome". He did, however, take exception at being branded a liar over other issues. The club's financial position changed, he insisted, because of the global financial situation, not because he reneged on any previous promise. External circumstances outside his control, with the banks, were the cause of the debt being placed upon Liverpool FC during the refinancing process.

This was, he went on, at the banks' and other financial institutions' insistence although he would not explain how the credit crunch itself could cause such a reorganisation of the debt. Mr Gillett also failed to reconcile, in the Union's eyes, his own stated intention of not loading the club with debt, with his partner's modus operandi in the leveraged buy-out business, whereby - in Hick's words - "When I was in the leverage buy-out business we bought Weetabix and we leveraged it up to make our return. You could say that anyone who was eating Weetabix was paying for our purchase of Weetabix. It was just business. It is the same for Liverpool".

He denied that the debt and lack of operating finances had led us to fall behind in the transfer market; claiming that the club was in "decent" financial shape and had outspent everyone - bar Chelsea – over recent seasons. He claimed that the club had plenty of money to pay any debt repayments (he categorically denied it was anywhere near the £30m quoted in the press, but would not elaborate when pressed for a more accurate figure) and to operate in the transfer market. He denied that neither he, nor Hicks had taken any money out of the club, other than legitimate legal expenses accrued during the takeover. He reiterated the club's previous announcement that the turnaround in the global financial markets had led to a temporary halt on the stadium build. "The credit crunch", he insisted, "is here - it is real".

Mr Gillett agreed to look into a number of issues such as the £29 fan card membership scheme and other recent initiatives that we felt were squeezing the ordinary fan and were, instead, catering for the corporate market. He also agreed to consider the effect that the stadium delay was having on the overall regeneration of the Anfield area.

Despite all of Mr Gillett's claims, and his attempts to play down the situation we find ourselves in at the moment, we have not and will not be changing our stance. We remain unmoved in wanting Tom Hicks and George Gillett out of this football club, for the benefit of the club and for all of its supporters.

Kenny is this the e-mail that was sent to all members today mate?  No offence but it was meant for Members of the Union, don't know if you are, though you must be if you got the e-mail. Its been posted on loads of LFC forums but SOS have asked for them to be taken down, so that members might have a chance to to read it first before SOS releases the information generally, that's the reason its not been put up on the Spirit of shankly website yet.  same as the Rafa meeting part of the E-mail.

Thanks for posting Kenny.

As for your comments, kingjari, disappointing point of view that mate.

cheers for that kenny. i think all real fans should be kept in the loop about whats going on and any developments, or lack of them.

thanks again.

Thanks for posting Kenny.

As for your comments, kingjari, disappointing point of view that mate.

I understand, It's a fault that Spirit of Shankly don't post officially on here John, honest. But this was some thing the Union wanted kept among members for the time being at least, having said that they should have said so in the E-mail itself.

a new rumour on ESPN NHL website predictions article states a canadian billionaire jim basillie of blackberry phone fame has purchased george gillets interest in liverpool f.c

Link please

a new rumour on ESPN NHL website predictions article states a canadian billionaire jim basillie of blackberry phone fame has purchased george gillets interest in liverpool f.c

Actually, when you Google the two names (spelt correctly, unlike you have) you find that Balsillie was linked with buying the Montreal Canadiens.  Apparently he is a lifelong fan and was misquoted saying they (the Canadiens) were up for sale.  Nothng about LFC anywhere that I can see.

Here's one such report.


MONTREAL - Jim Balsillie denies telling a French-language newspaper that the Montreal Canadiens are for sale.

Balsillie's spokesman said the head of BlackBerry maker Research in Motion was shocked to hear about the story that appeared in a Montreal newspaper.

"He didn't know about it, nor did I, until this morning," Toronto lawyer Richard Rodier told The Canadian Press on Friday.

"He says he did not say the Montreal Canadiens were for sale."

Rodier said Balsillie was quick to send an apology to Canadiens owner George Gillett.

"He has a tremendous amount of respect for the Montreal Canadiens organization, and for Mr. Gillett personally," he said.

Gillett and NHL commissioner Gary Bettman both denied Friday that the club is for sale.

Balsillie has met with Gillett on a number of occasions, but they never engaged in talks about the sale of the hockey club, Rodier said.

"There's never been any discussion whatsoever about any investment in the Montreal Canadiens," he said.

Balsillie has been trying to buy an NHL franchise in recent years but has been unsuccessful in his pursuits.

Rodier said Balsillie, a lifelong Habs fan, was asked by the newspaper if he would consider moving the club to Ontario if he owned it.

The billionaire answered that relocating the storied team out of Montreal would be a sin, Rodier added.

"Whether that was somehow morphed into interest in buying the Canadiens, or something like that, who knows?"

The spokesman said Balsillie still hopes to one day own and operate an NHL franchise.

http://www.thehockeynews.com/articles/19673-Jim-Balsillie-never-told-Montreal-newspaper-the-Canadiens-were-for-sale.html

a new rumour on ESPN NHL website predictions article states a canadian billionaire jim basillie of blackberry phone fame has purchased george gillets interest in liverpool f.c

Can't find a single thing on it.