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Monday, September 27, 2010

Misery on Merseyside

The loud protests echoing round Anfield on Saturday said it all - Liverpool fans are not happy and a quick glance at the results this season tells you why.
A lowly 16th in the league and dumped out of the cup against Northampton, the 2-2 draw with Sunderland was just another in a string of unacceptable results for a club of their stature and the fans made sure everyone knew about it.

But it wasn't the players or manager who faced the wrath of the Reds supporters, it was the owners, Tom Hicks and George Gillett.

After arriving full of grand promises two years ago things have only gone downhill for a club considered a rightful member of the Premier League big four. But instead the club is now saddled with debt, the Europa League has replaced the more lucrative Champions League and the ground move is as far away as ever. The Premier League betting also suggests they will really struggle this season.

But Liverpool fans will not take such downturns lying down. The Spirit of Shankley group is already an organised force against the American duo and Saturdays protest is just the latest in a long line of vocal acts against the owners.

Hicks and Gillett have so far doggedly refused to cave into the fans pleas, but with a deadline on the repayment of a debt to the Royal Bank of Scotland imminent, things could soon come to a head.

One option is for the club to sell on the cheap, with Hicks and Gillett walking away without a significant loss. Though this would see a fresh regime in charge many fans loathe to see Hicks and Gillett walk away with so much cash after such a disastrous tenure.

However, that could be the easy option compared to what else could happen. The RBS could seize control of the club which could quickly lead them falling into administration, leading to a nine point deduction and a fire sale of players.

It seems the fans are between a rock and a hard place as the future of the club reaches a decisive point, no one would make them football betting tips for this season.

And while the lawyers do their stuff off the field the fans will hope the likes of Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard, once again the best players on the pitch against the Black Cats, will help the club pick up form and lift some of the gloom lingering over Anfield this autumn.

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