Liverpoool owner Tom Hicks last night broke his silence on the civil war at Anfield to give under-pressure manager Rafa Benitez a vital peace offering.
Hicks insisted he 'got along just fine' with Benitez and described speculation that the Liverpool manager might be sacked as 'unfair'.
The Texan's comments will be a huge relief to Benitez, who has cut an isolated figure in the last couple of weeks despite Liverpool going into today's match against Bolton unbeaten in the Premier League.
It will also delight thousands of fans who demonstrated their support for Benitez during the midweek Champions League win against Porto.
Hicks confirmed that he and fellow owner George Gillett will fly to England in 11 days — 48 hours after Liverpool's decisive European qualifier against Marseille — to discuss plans with Benitez.
On the agenda will be the fate of Javier Mascherano and Peter Crouch. Benitez wants to tie up a £17million deal for Mascherano as soon as possible while the owners would prefer to wait until the summer when the Argentinian's loan deal ends.
Benitez is also keen to resist a £12m bid from Manchester City for Crouch but may have to convince the money men, who are aware that the England striker has only 18 months left on his contract and his value will fall if he is not sold in January. Hicks was incensed by Benitez's petulant behaviour at a press conference 10 days ago when the Liverpool manager sulkily repeated he would be 'focusing on coaching and training'.
Benitez has since tried to mend the situation and last night it appeared his tactic had worked, with the straight-talking Hicks suggesting they could continue to work together.
'We get along just fine with Rafa,' said Hicks. 'A small difference escalated into a huge issue, which was unfair to Rafa.
'He has the team playing very well now. It has been a big misunderstanding blown out of proportion. I'm glad things have settled down.'
Hicks insisted he 'got along just fine' with Benitez and described speculation that the Liverpool manager might be sacked as 'unfair'.
The Texan's comments will be a huge relief to Benitez, who has cut an isolated figure in the last couple of weeks despite Liverpool going into today's match against Bolton unbeaten in the Premier League.
It will also delight thousands of fans who demonstrated their support for Benitez during the midweek Champions League win against Porto.
Hicks confirmed that he and fellow owner George Gillett will fly to England in 11 days — 48 hours after Liverpool's decisive European qualifier against Marseille — to discuss plans with Benitez.
On the agenda will be the fate of Javier Mascherano and Peter Crouch. Benitez wants to tie up a £17million deal for Mascherano as soon as possible while the owners would prefer to wait until the summer when the Argentinian's loan deal ends.
Benitez is also keen to resist a £12m bid from Manchester City for Crouch but may have to convince the money men, who are aware that the England striker has only 18 months left on his contract and his value will fall if he is not sold in January. Hicks was incensed by Benitez's petulant behaviour at a press conference 10 days ago when the Liverpool manager sulkily repeated he would be 'focusing on coaching and training'.
Benitez has since tried to mend the situation and last night it appeared his tactic had worked, with the straight-talking Hicks suggesting they could continue to work together.
'We get along just fine with Rafa,' said Hicks. 'A small difference escalated into a huge issue, which was unfair to Rafa.
'He has the team playing very well now. It has been a big misunderstanding blown out of proportion. I'm glad things have settled down.'
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