Moores Interview
Liverpoolfc.tv: How are you feeling after agreeing a deal to sell the Club?
David Moores: It's like a big relief. It's been a long and arduous journey over the past three years and there has been quite a lot of pressure and stress to contend with. At the end of the day I have managed to battle on until we got what we considered to be the best outcome for the club and the supporters going forward.
What is it about the deal which has convinced you it's the right one for the club?
There has never been any dithering on my part, I want to stress that. People know me and they know that if I had the money to afford the stadium – which is the main thing – then I would have done it myself. I wouldn't hold the club back and I wouldn't want to hold it back. It's an emotional time for me because my family has been involved in this club for fifty years. We had to find the money for the stadium and players so that the manager could have good funds each season.
I met George Gillett in Montreal in November and I was very taken with him. What he has done with the Montreal Canadiens and the arena they have built there is outstanding. He had a bit of a tough time when he first went to Canada in convincing people, but he has won them all over and is like a God there now. He has done a tremendous job.
Seeing his passion and what he has achieved was impressive. I liked his bubbliness. He's a character who is just very passionate about sport. He isn't dour, he'll be very forward and will tell it like it is. I know less about Mr Hicks but I also know he is very passionate. George is a very bubbly character who wants to see Liverpool winning everything. Trophies are what he is after.
When we were contemplating the two bids and decided to give DIC the exclusivity, George was very gracious and wished them good luck. He said he had immense respect for Dubai, that they were good people and that he wished us all the best for the future. I told George we couldn't see where he would have enough money for the stadium and players going forward and, to his credit, he went away and came back with Mr Hicks who is another very passionate sports person. Between the pair of them, I feel we have got very strong owners going forward. I believe that these two men will want to win things. They have proved that with their respective clubs. They are in it for the long term because they are involving their sons so you can plan for the future. This isn't someone coming over just to make a quick buck.
How tough was it to decide between DIC and the Gillett/Hicks offer?
I can only make this decision once. I only get one chance with it and there were a few things that just weren't quite right with DIC. The longer it went on the more concerns I had. I just asked if I could have two or three days to clear my mind and think over a few points I wasn't sure about and, unfortunately, we were only given six hours. It was such a major decision for me to make and I had to get it right.
Don't get me wrong, the people we dealt with from DIC were very honest men. I wouldn't have a bad word said about them but at the end of the day it wasn't them who were calling the shots. We never saw the top people. If we had a worry or wanted to clarify something then it had to go back to the top men.
IMGWe have not dithered in any way. We have made considered judgements. When you have a decision to make like this and you are so desperate to see the club go into the right hands then you have to be comfortable with whatever you decide.
Nobody gives ultimatums to one of the world's great institutions. It should never be thought that we considered George as our second choice. The fact that he came back with a second bid shows you how passionate he was about taking over the club.
Are you disappointed the way things ended with DIC?
I was a bit upset about being called dishonourable because I have never been dishonourable in my life. It was hard to take coming from somebody I have never seen. I don't want to get involved in slanging matches. As I said, I have great respect for the people I dealt with.
Some people have said you've taken the decision which has given you the most money…
If the DIC deal had gone ahead, even if Gillett had come back, then I'd have accepted their offer. I can't speak for the other directors but at the end of the day I'd rather not have the money and be able to stay as Chairman. It's upsetting that some people have said I'm in this for the money. I think the fans know that's not the case. I'm proud of our fans and I'm extremely proud to be one of them.
How big a decision has this been in your life?
It's the biggest decision I've ever had to make. If you are as passionate as I am about the club then I can't have been easy to live with over the past few years but my wife has been very supportive to me throughout. I've had a lot of help from my chief executive who has been absolutely spot on and I don't know how I'd have coped without him. It's quite lonely up there and it's always good to have good people around you and I have certainly had that.
How hard has it been to let go?
It is very hard to think it won't be my club anymore. Having said that, I am handing it over into safe hands because I can't afford to take the club any further forward. I haven't got that money and I'm not going to bankrupt the family.
What does the future hold for this club now?
I'll still be around for them to ask my opinions and Rick will still be here as chief executive. There are exciting times ahead with a brand new stadium, although I'll have regrets when we see the last days of this place. There's so much history here but we're land-locked and can't move on. I'd love to stay here but it's just impossible.
Where can George Gillett and Tom Hicks take this football club?
Hopefully to a place I was never able to manage – Premiership champions! That was the only one I never won as Chairman and that bugs me a bit. They can make us the best in England and make us able to compete and do better than Chelsea and Man United.
We've got an exceptional manager and he will have the funds to take the club forward and bring in world class players.
Could any other club have gone through this process without the fans getting impatient waiting for news on the investment search?
This is a very special club, more special than any other club in the world. The supporters have been tremendous to the club and tremendous to me.
There have been a few times when I thought they might turn on me but they never did. I think it's because they trust me. I tell it like it is and I'm always honest and fair to the fans because I am one of them and always will be.
Will the club change radically?
The two new people have both given their assurances that the same management team will be in place and there will be no change for the club's employees. My understanding is that there won't be a lot of interference because they are happy with the way the club has been run.
Are there any areas of the club which could do better under them?
Perhaps on the commercial side. I don't think we have maximised our world brand and hopefully they will help us to get into these areas where we have the fantastic fan bases.
Will you still play an active part around the club?
I will help out as much as they want me to help out. I'll still be going to every game, that's for sure. It wasn't part of the deal for me to stay around, they insisted it should be that way because they know I understand the club.
I've had a great time as Chairman. There have been good times and bad times but the good ones have far outweighed the bad. No-one can ever take away from me the fact that I was Chairman on the night we won the Champions League in Istanbul. Since the start of the new millennium we've won more trophies than any other club so it hasn't been all doom and gloom.
I'm so relieved the club can now move forward with a new stadium and more money. I have definitely made the right decision.
Interview with Gillett and Hicks
First of all, why Liverpool Football Club?
George Gillett: Firstly, we're not going to sit here and pretend to be the most knowledgeable of Liverpool fans because that's clearly not true. I can say, though, that our families are big football supporters. We have been watching European football for several years and on a recent visit to this country we were advised about the possibility of meeting with the Chairman and Rick Parry.
Tom Hicks: I have been in the sports business for 12 years and with 162 baseball games and 82 hockey games a year, I was not looking for another team. George called me about a month ago and explained what he thought was the vision and the opportunity at Liverpool. I have followed the English Premier League from afar because some of my business friends are ardent fans of the game. When I looked into this over the past month I was awe-struck with the history and the true passion of the fans compared to other sports I am involved with. The Texas Rangers have been around for 36 years and the Dallas Stars have been around for 13 years, so to have a chance of getting involved with a team with more than a hundred years of history and with fervent fans is something which really excited me. After a couple of weeks I told George I was seriously ready to be his partner. We came over last week to do some due diligence and to meet David and Rick. We went to the West Ham game which was a good win and then the following night we went to see the new Arsenal stadium when they played Tottenham. We made our pitch to David and the board and, fortunately for us, they accepted it.
George Gillett: Tom and I have been involved in sports for a long time. When you sit in our little country you get an unusual perspective and probably an incorrect one, because we think our sports are pretty popular. Then you come over here and see the tribal aspects of the fans and their affection and support for the team and realise it's a game which is watched by billions. You quickly see this is the most popular sport in the world and that this is one of the most popular clubs in the world. To have the opportunity of getting involved in this is a rare privilege.
It's a well managed club but we believe we bring some experience which the management can draw on to make things even better. Tom and I are a little put off that people assume everything is about money, because we really hope we have some ideas as well as some capital.
Tom Hicks: We have both been involved in building and modifying new stadiums so we think we can bring a lot of good ideas to the work which has already been done which will be to the benefit of the fans and the club.
The reason any businessman goes into sport is because they have a passion for winning. Despite all the success I've had in life, nothing has given me more satisfaction on an emotional level than winning the Stanley Cup in 1999 and being able to get my hands on the trophy. At that moment my smile touched both ears.
It's been an uncertain time for the fans over the last few weeks, so how can you reassure them that the club they cherish so much is moving into safe hands?
Tom Hicks: I don't think David Moores would have chosen us to be the new custodians of this football club unless he was convinced we share that same sense of responsibility. We view this as a very long term process. Most people who come into sport do make mistakes but we have been in the business a long time and we know the importance of stability in terms of the team, the players and the fans. We are fortunate here that with Rick and Rafa we already have stability.
What do you hope to achieve with Liverpool Football Club?
George Gillett: We had the privilege of spending some time last night with Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher and they delivered us the message. They are all about winning and all about the passion from the fans. They asked us three specific questions:
They wanted continuity of management with David and Rick. They have enormous regard for them. They also spoke extremely warmly about Rafa and made us aware that they feel this man is truly one of the great geniuses in the recent history of the sport. They wanted to communicate to us the feeling from the dressing room was of great respect for the management team.
Secondly, they wanted to talk about players and to encourage us to support Rick and Rafa's efforts in building the team.
They were also clear with their views on the stadium. They made us aware the sound, the energy and the passion that Anfield provides needs to be incorporated into the design of the new stadium.
They were the three messages they wanted us to hear and we heard them loud and clear.
Did you understand what Jamie Carragher was saying?
George Gillett: We did! He's definitely a scouser, that's for sure. The first thing the two players did was give us their shirts with a nice message so that was a special moment for us.
You were determined to get hold of this football club, weren't you?
George Gillett: We were. I think both Tom and I have learnt that it's a great honour and a rare privilege to be considered to hold one of the greatest assets in sport in trust. To have that privilege is really special.
I don't know how to properly communicate how much care David Moores put into making this decision. He questioned us aggressively about our commitment, our passion and our willingness to help take the club forward. He wants to ensure we can re-emerge as the greatest team in the Premiership and be fully competitive in Europe. The interview process was rigorous, it was not foregone and it was not about money. It was about our passion and our understanding of the fans of this club.
David is an amazing man and this club is his life. This was the most difficult decision of his life because every single fibre in his body is in this club.
Tom Hicks: This club has been in David's family for fifty years and when we left his house it was a very poignant moment because there were tears in his eyes. He has agreed to be a Life President at the club and he will still be sitting in the directors' seats at Anfield. From the players' point of view, the best thing that can happen is that they feel nothing has changed except for a new stadium being built and more aggressive support in the transfer market.
George Gillett: The less the fans see any change the better for this club. Neither Tom or I are high-profile. We are both hugely supportive of our families and of our franchises but the less people write about us and the more they write about the fans, the challenges and the opportunities then the better for everybody.
It sounds like David has really put you through it in terms of making sure you were the right people to take over…
George Gillett: Very much so. There were two processes and ultimately he had to make two difficult decisions. The club felt they had two very well qualified potential buyers and it's no secret that one had extraordinarily deep pockets whereas ours are deep but not that deep. I think they correctly chose the other party and we were not offended by that.
On the other hand, if there's any trait that the Gillett's and the Hicks have then it's patience and stubbornness. In hockey we have a saying that it's really tough to score if you're not in front of the net. We stayed in front of the net and we tried not to do anything which was offensive or negative. We wanted to reinforce our respect for what David and the team had built and ultimately we were given a second chance because the Hicks joined us. There's no doubt that we increased our price because they were with us and enabled us to have the capital to be more aggressive.
There were reports you were interested in a ground share…
Tom Hicks: I can categorically say we have no interest in a ground share with any other team. We are going to build the finest team for the finest stadium in the Premier League and that is Liverpool.
George Gillett: I don't know how this story got started. It didn't get started with us. I look forward to meeting the officials from Everton some day because we are both in this wonderful city, but I have never authorised anyone to talk or act on our behalf relative to the possibility of ground sharing. I have no idea where this has come from. It was not true and we can categorically deny it.
The first time I met Rick Parry I asked him the question and that's the only time I can recall the topic coming up. He looked me in the eye and said that if I ever brought that topic up in a serious way again then I could have his resignation because he wouldn't be involved with or support that kind of discussion. That was very clear and so the subject never came up again from our side.
More recently someone close to the club said that if the topic did come up then it was the surest way possible for us to be lynched.
We want to build the greatest facility for the players and the fans and make this the best location for players to play and for fans to come.
Can we bring the title here under your ownership?
George Gillett: I really hope so. Rick has told me of a Shankly saying that 'first is first and second is nowhere' and that sounds good to us.
Rick Parry Interview
"When we go back to last November, it was a very finely balanced decision when we went with DIC," said Parry.
"David Moores had a lot of soul searching. We had two great bids on the table and at that stage, as George will no doubt tell you, I had to tell him that he'd been unsuccessful.
"He was very, very gracious in defeat. He wished us good luck, but was at pains to ask where he'd gone wrong and where the shortcomings were.
"To his credit, he kept his own counsel, but didn't go away. He was persistent, dogged and determined.
"Clearly things with DIC took longer than we expected and we thought we would have things wrapped up before Christmas, but it was taking significantly longer than that.
"As we got well into January, so George started to come back again. I wouldn't say we welcomed him with open arms at first, but he wouldn't go away.
"The thing that made a difference is he came back with a very different proposition because he brought Tom on board. No disrespect to George, but that changed the complexion of the bid.
"If George and Tom had been sitting down in November, maybe the decision would have gone that way then.
"I've no doubt that we've made the right decision."
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