George Gillett believes Liverpool are in a sound position to ride out their financial problems but has refused to comment on whether the club is up for sale.
There had been speculation that Gillett and his co-owner, Tom Hicks, are ready to sell their stake in the club, with the investment bank Merrill Lynch understood to have been contacted to find a buyer as the Americans need to restructure the £350m loan with the Royal Bank of Scotland that expires in January. However the RBS, about to be part nationalised, has now adopted more stringent policies.
"The stories feed on themselves and some are made up," Gillett claimed. "With regard to what we're doing, we would not have any comment on that - there has already been enough speculation."
Gillett is confident Liverpool - and Premier League clubs in general - are in a good position, despite their debts, to survive in these testing times. "What I read is not in the newspapers because it is an unreliable source - what I am looking at are other financial filings which I think are more reliable," he told Toronto's Sports Radio. "There are certain sports which have felt the impact. It's a good time to be cautious but it's a bit early to write the obituary of professional sports."
Gillett, also the owner of the Montreal Canadiens ice hockey franchise, added that plans for a new stadium in Liverpool have not been shelved permanently. "We put it off on a temporary basis and we continued to invest substantial money every month in engineering, architecture, planning, approving and zoning. There is still a substantial effort going on but the current situation in the financial world has made it prudent to delay it for an immediate period until the money market eases up.
"There are some things which have happened which have upset the fans and got them mad at Tom and myself. At this point, based on the media that we are seeing and an awful lot of the fan communication, I think they are at a point now where they are allowing the boys to demonstrate their skill; and also to allow Rafael BenÃtez, who is one of the great coaches, to do his thing. We just want to leave it that way and we will operate behind the scenes and let the club do the talking.
"Tom and I are talking and we are working together. They seem to have a measure over in England as to how well you're getting along as friends by whether you use first names to each other or not. And the answer to that is that we are talking to each other on a first-name basis. Things are good. Tom is a great guy and he is smart as hell. We got off on the wrong basis and I think we are a little embarrassed by that."
Sami Hyypia, meanwhile, maintains that he is unconcerned about the manner of Liverpool's victories, seven of the eight by the odd goal, as long as they remain at the top of the table. The 35-year-old Finn, now in his 10th season at the club and returned to the starting line-up for the 1-0 win over Portsmouth, claims they have never been better equipped.
"At the beginning of the season there were some games in which we didn't perform brilliantly but we got the result," he said. "If, come May, we are at the top of the league, then nobody will remember that we played bad football at the beginning of the season. The difference from the previous seasons is that in the summer we made some good signings that have settled straight into the team. We also have a lot of competition for places, which is something we haven't maybe had as much in past seasons. I think this season maybe we are a bit stronger mentally, too."
There had been speculation that Gillett and his co-owner, Tom Hicks, are ready to sell their stake in the club, with the investment bank Merrill Lynch understood to have been contacted to find a buyer as the Americans need to restructure the £350m loan with the Royal Bank of Scotland that expires in January. However the RBS, about to be part nationalised, has now adopted more stringent policies.
"The stories feed on themselves and some are made up," Gillett claimed. "With regard to what we're doing, we would not have any comment on that - there has already been enough speculation."
Gillett is confident Liverpool - and Premier League clubs in general - are in a good position, despite their debts, to survive in these testing times. "What I read is not in the newspapers because it is an unreliable source - what I am looking at are other financial filings which I think are more reliable," he told Toronto's Sports Radio. "There are certain sports which have felt the impact. It's a good time to be cautious but it's a bit early to write the obituary of professional sports."
Gillett, also the owner of the Montreal Canadiens ice hockey franchise, added that plans for a new stadium in Liverpool have not been shelved permanently. "We put it off on a temporary basis and we continued to invest substantial money every month in engineering, architecture, planning, approving and zoning. There is still a substantial effort going on but the current situation in the financial world has made it prudent to delay it for an immediate period until the money market eases up.
"There are some things which have happened which have upset the fans and got them mad at Tom and myself. At this point, based on the media that we are seeing and an awful lot of the fan communication, I think they are at a point now where they are allowing the boys to demonstrate their skill; and also to allow Rafael BenÃtez, who is one of the great coaches, to do his thing. We just want to leave it that way and we will operate behind the scenes and let the club do the talking.
"Tom and I are talking and we are working together. They seem to have a measure over in England as to how well you're getting along as friends by whether you use first names to each other or not. And the answer to that is that we are talking to each other on a first-name basis. Things are good. Tom is a great guy and he is smart as hell. We got off on the wrong basis and I think we are a little embarrassed by that."
Sami Hyypia, meanwhile, maintains that he is unconcerned about the manner of Liverpool's victories, seven of the eight by the odd goal, as long as they remain at the top of the table. The 35-year-old Finn, now in his 10th season at the club and returned to the starting line-up for the 1-0 win over Portsmouth, claims they have never been better equipped.
"At the beginning of the season there were some games in which we didn't perform brilliantly but we got the result," he said. "If, come May, we are at the top of the league, then nobody will remember that we played bad football at the beginning of the season. The difference from the previous seasons is that in the summer we made some good signings that have settled straight into the team. We also have a lot of competition for places, which is something we haven't maybe had as much in past seasons. I think this season maybe we are a bit stronger mentally, too."
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