Liverpool's internal crisis deepened yesterday to such an extent that manager Rafael Benitez felt unable to face the club's scheduled weekly press conference.
The Spaniard is understood to be shocked, embarrassed and extremely unhappy that his relationship with Rick Parry has been used in the club's increasingly bitter power struggle.
Co-owner Tom Hicks wrote to Parry on Thursday to demand his resignation as chief executive and, within the letter, outlined complaints that Benitez was alleged to have made about the speed with which the club had acted on certain transfer targets. Benitez, though, had no idea that he was to be involved in this way and clearly felt that he had been put in an impossible position.
Given the press conference would have been dominated by the Hicks/Parry split, Benitez did not want to be placed in a situation where he would be pressed to come out in support of either the club's co-owner or chief executive.
Instead, he spoke to the club website. Asked about the past 24 hours, he said: "I understand why you have to ask the question but, as I have told the players, we must be focused on football. We have an important game on Sunday and we have to concentrate on that."
Parry only saw his letter from Hicks yesterday morning, having first learnt about it via family members who had been watching television reports on Thursday.
Hicks outlined in it his reasons for wanting Parry to leave. Besides the claim that Benitez has said Parry cost the club possible signings because of a lack of communication, the long-standing chief executive was criticised for failing to mirror Manchester United in maximising Liverpool's commercial potential.
Parry yesterday highlighted the "offensive" timing of the letter so soon after the club's Champions League win over Arsenal. "This week I shouldn't be the story, the story should be the team," he said "It's offensive to the manager, the players, and the fans in a week when we've had another great European triumph there's more dirty linen being washed.
"No individual is bigger than the club, certainly not me. The club will be fine. But once again it shows that there is a little bit of a lack of unity at the top. I'm just getting on with the job, there's work to do."
Parry was boosted by a public show of support from co-owner George Gillett. "Rick Parry retains our full support," said Gillett. "Any decision to remove him would need the approval of the full Liverpool board which, it should be remembered, consists of six people - myself, Foster [Gillett's son], David Moores, Rick himself, Tom Hicks and Tom junior. We have not seen the document in question and we were not party to it."
It all leaves Liverpool locked in an undignified stalemate. Hicks has stressed that he has no intention of selling his stake, while Gillett regards their relationship as "unworkable" and will not sell to his co-owner. With potential owners Dubai International Capital waiting patiently, another possible solution emerged yesterday with the suggestion a Norwegian consortium might resurrect their interest.
Headed by Petter Stordalen and Oystein Stray Spetalen, who have an estimated combined personal wealth of £450m, the Norwegians were linked with a takeover last year prior to the Americans' arrival.
The Spaniard is understood to be shocked, embarrassed and extremely unhappy that his relationship with Rick Parry has been used in the club's increasingly bitter power struggle.
Co-owner Tom Hicks wrote to Parry on Thursday to demand his resignation as chief executive and, within the letter, outlined complaints that Benitez was alleged to have made about the speed with which the club had acted on certain transfer targets. Benitez, though, had no idea that he was to be involved in this way and clearly felt that he had been put in an impossible position.
Given the press conference would have been dominated by the Hicks/Parry split, Benitez did not want to be placed in a situation where he would be pressed to come out in support of either the club's co-owner or chief executive.
Instead, he spoke to the club website. Asked about the past 24 hours, he said: "I understand why you have to ask the question but, as I have told the players, we must be focused on football. We have an important game on Sunday and we have to concentrate on that."
Parry only saw his letter from Hicks yesterday morning, having first learnt about it via family members who had been watching television reports on Thursday.
Hicks outlined in it his reasons for wanting Parry to leave. Besides the claim that Benitez has said Parry cost the club possible signings because of a lack of communication, the long-standing chief executive was criticised for failing to mirror Manchester United in maximising Liverpool's commercial potential.
Parry yesterday highlighted the "offensive" timing of the letter so soon after the club's Champions League win over Arsenal. "This week I shouldn't be the story, the story should be the team," he said "It's offensive to the manager, the players, and the fans in a week when we've had another great European triumph there's more dirty linen being washed.
"No individual is bigger than the club, certainly not me. The club will be fine. But once again it shows that there is a little bit of a lack of unity at the top. I'm just getting on with the job, there's work to do."
Parry was boosted by a public show of support from co-owner George Gillett. "Rick Parry retains our full support," said Gillett. "Any decision to remove him would need the approval of the full Liverpool board which, it should be remembered, consists of six people - myself, Foster [Gillett's son], David Moores, Rick himself, Tom Hicks and Tom junior. We have not seen the document in question and we were not party to it."
It all leaves Liverpool locked in an undignified stalemate. Hicks has stressed that he has no intention of selling his stake, while Gillett regards their relationship as "unworkable" and will not sell to his co-owner. With potential owners Dubai International Capital waiting patiently, another possible solution emerged yesterday with the suggestion a Norwegian consortium might resurrect their interest.
Headed by Petter Stordalen and Oystein Stray Spetalen, who have an estimated combined personal wealth of £450m, the Norwegians were linked with a takeover last year prior to the Americans' arrival.
No comments:
Post a Comment