Tom Hicks Jr. has apologised to a Liverpool supporter after he was accused of sending an abusive email.
The Dallas based Liverpool director and son of co-owner Tom Hicks Senior was contacted by Stephen Horner, a concerned fan, who emailed him an extract of a Liverpool Echo article published this weekend.
The extract contained a series of points raised in the Football Echo's Blood Red Column this weekend. The article analysed and explored the challenges facing Rafa Benitez.
But just before 4am in Texas yesterday (10am in England), Hicks Jr. sent one reply calling Mr. Horner “an idiot”.
He then sent another email – this time with Liverpool’s financial and commercial directors Philip Nash and Ian Ayre copied in – which told Horner: “Blow me f*** face. Go to Hell. I’m sick of you.”
Mr. Horner says he was shocked by the outburst but late last night, he was again contacted by Hicks Jr., this time to say sorry for the incident.
The email read: “Stephen, I apologize for losing my temper and using bad language with you. It was a kneejerk reaction. Tommy”
Liverpool – who have sold Andriy Voronin and Andrea Dossena this weekend to Dinamo Moscow and Napoli respectively – were not making any comment today on the incident but the club insist neither Mr. Nash nor Mr. Ayre received the original email.
This is not the first time that Hicks Jr. has clashed with Liverpool supporters.
He was at the centre of a heated row in the Sandon Pub, near Anfield, in February 2008 after the Reds had beaten Middlesbrough 3-2.
Regardless of whether Hicks Jr. has apologised, though, Paul Rice – Chairman of Spirit of Shankly – believes the Texan has made his position on the board untenable.
He said: “It is totally indefensible for a director of the club to speak to a fan in that manner. The comment is unbecoming of a director of Liverpool FC.”
Horner himself said today: "The email that I sent on Saturday morning to Tom Hicks Senior, George Gillett and Tom Hicks Jr. was merely a link to the Liverpool Echo article, 'Rafa Benitez should not have to manage Liverpool FC's debt', where I copied and pasted the pertinent points made in the article.
"I was polite and offered no personal view on the article, but felt compelled to send the article to the owners as it succinctly covered all of the main concerns that we as supporters have with the current situation; namely the £240M debt which Hicks and Gillett have loaded onto the club, the lack of investment in the playing squad and the false promises over the New Stadium.
"We are totally hamstrung as a result of the leveraged buy out by Hicks and Gillett, and cannot move forward as a Football club on or off the field.
"We finished 2nd in the league last season, and should have kicked on this season. There should have been investment in the playing squad in the summer and yet we have invested less than we recouped through player sales.
"We will continue to regress whilst Hicks and Gillett are owners of this worldwide institution. I am sick and tired of the propaganda and spin that is coming out of Liverpool Football Club.
"It is time for honesty. We exist to win trophies, not to pay off debts that have been loaded onto the club by others.
"The damage has been done by Hicks initial two email messages that he sent me on Saturday morning, and the apology received later in the day is hollow and probably a PR exercise.
He added: "The Gillett and Hicks reign has been nothing short of disastrous and they have proved time and time again that they are not fit and proper custodians of this special Football Club which means so much to so many people around the world. I urge former Chairman David Moores to now step forward and speak out, and admit his fatal mistake in selling to Gillett and Hicks.
"Hicks Junior should resign with immediate effect and it is time that Gillett and Hicks sold up and handed the reigns over to people who understand "The Liverpool Way".
"They are not welcome at Anfield and should name their price and begin negotiations with more suitable investors who can take this great club forward."
The Dallas based Liverpool director and son of co-owner Tom Hicks Senior was contacted by Stephen Horner, a concerned fan, who emailed him an extract of a Liverpool Echo article published this weekend.
The extract contained a series of points raised in the Football Echo's Blood Red Column this weekend. The article analysed and explored the challenges facing Rafa Benitez.
But just before 4am in Texas yesterday (10am in England), Hicks Jr. sent one reply calling Mr. Horner “an idiot”.
He then sent another email – this time with Liverpool’s financial and commercial directors Philip Nash and Ian Ayre copied in – which told Horner: “Blow me f*** face. Go to Hell. I’m sick of you.”
Mr. Horner says he was shocked by the outburst but late last night, he was again contacted by Hicks Jr., this time to say sorry for the incident.
The email read: “Stephen, I apologize for losing my temper and using bad language with you. It was a kneejerk reaction. Tommy”
Liverpool – who have sold Andriy Voronin and Andrea Dossena this weekend to Dinamo Moscow and Napoli respectively – were not making any comment today on the incident but the club insist neither Mr. Nash nor Mr. Ayre received the original email.
This is not the first time that Hicks Jr. has clashed with Liverpool supporters.
He was at the centre of a heated row in the Sandon Pub, near Anfield, in February 2008 after the Reds had beaten Middlesbrough 3-2.
Regardless of whether Hicks Jr. has apologised, though, Paul Rice – Chairman of Spirit of Shankly – believes the Texan has made his position on the board untenable.
He said: “It is totally indefensible for a director of the club to speak to a fan in that manner. The comment is unbecoming of a director of Liverpool FC.”
Horner himself said today: "The email that I sent on Saturday morning to Tom Hicks Senior, George Gillett and Tom Hicks Jr. was merely a link to the Liverpool Echo article, 'Rafa Benitez should not have to manage Liverpool FC's debt', where I copied and pasted the pertinent points made in the article.
"I was polite and offered no personal view on the article, but felt compelled to send the article to the owners as it succinctly covered all of the main concerns that we as supporters have with the current situation; namely the £240M debt which Hicks and Gillett have loaded onto the club, the lack of investment in the playing squad and the false promises over the New Stadium.
"We are totally hamstrung as a result of the leveraged buy out by Hicks and Gillett, and cannot move forward as a Football club on or off the field.
"We finished 2nd in the league last season, and should have kicked on this season. There should have been investment in the playing squad in the summer and yet we have invested less than we recouped through player sales.
"We will continue to regress whilst Hicks and Gillett are owners of this worldwide institution. I am sick and tired of the propaganda and spin that is coming out of Liverpool Football Club.
"It is time for honesty. We exist to win trophies, not to pay off debts that have been loaded onto the club by others.
"The damage has been done by Hicks initial two email messages that he sent me on Saturday morning, and the apology received later in the day is hollow and probably a PR exercise.
He added: "The Gillett and Hicks reign has been nothing short of disastrous and they have proved time and time again that they are not fit and proper custodians of this special Football Club which means so much to so many people around the world. I urge former Chairman David Moores to now step forward and speak out, and admit his fatal mistake in selling to Gillett and Hicks.
"Hicks Junior should resign with immediate effect and it is time that Gillett and Hicks sold up and handed the reigns over to people who understand "The Liverpool Way".
"They are not welcome at Anfield and should name their price and begin negotiations with more suitable investors who can take this great club forward."
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