Published>Wed, Oct 06 10 11:16 PM
Liverpool supporters are overjoyed at the prospect of owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett being forced out of Anfield but they will not welcome their replacements with open arms.
If New England Sports Ventures complete their proposed buyout of the Premier League club, it is unlikely that United States flags will suddenly become fashionable on the Kop.
"New owners are not walking into a club of supporters with open arms," a statement from supporters group Spirit of Shankly said on Wednesday.
"There will be one gently outstretched hand of welcome while the other hand contains a list of questions that will need honest and open answers before any welcome becomes more warm."
That there are now a host of fan groups like Spirit of Shankly is a demonstration of how unpopular Hicks and Gillett have become over the last three years.
Having been promised that the club would not be borrowed against and that a new stadium was imminent, bafflement was followed by frustration and then anger.
SUPPORTERS CLUB
Les Lawson, chairman of the official supporters club, accepts that any new owner will want to make money but he hopes they will learn from the mistakes of Hicks and Gillett.
"When they took over in 2007, Liverpool were heading for their second Champions League final in three years," Lawson told Reuters.
"Under their mis-management of the club, we didn't qualify for the Champions League last season and we're now in the bottom three after failing to invest any money in the last four transfer windows," he added.
"All they wanted to do was make money and I wouldn't even give them the taxi fare to Speke airport.
"Liverpool are one of the biggest sporting brands in the world and that's something Liverpool can explore and make money from but when you're successful on the pitch, it brings success off the pitch. The most important thing is to get it right on the pitch and then everything else follows."
Only actions will win the supporters over but new owners would be wise to take heed of the depth of feeling among the various groups that have sprung up since 2007.
No public relations spin could have made Hicks and Gillett popular but their reign has been punctuated by major gaffes, from Tom Hicks junior's abusive email to a fan, to the stadium issue and rows over former manager Rafael Benitez.
Spirit of Shankly spokesman James McKenna said it would take time for fans to trust their new custodians.
"We know very little about the new owners," he said. "They seem to have a good track record with their other franchises but people will want to know what they've got planned for this club and how they'll move it forward, how it's financed and what their intentions are.
"People are waiting with baited breath to see what's happening. We need the new owners to not make the same mistakes and learn from that."
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