Interesting connections-
Gavin Masterton, former boss of the Bank of Scotland and close friend of David Murray, retired from BoS in 2001 and started up a company called Stadia Improvements Group. All SPL clubs at that time were BoS customers (except Celtic) and they almost all needed major improvements to their grounds which, coincidentally, were provided by SIG.

With former owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett back in the news, now's as good a time as any to remember that as bad as this season has been, it could have always been worse. Plus Charlie Adam's expected season-long absence is finally confirmed, and with the pre-season tour fully set it's time to send Liverpool Football Club your money.

Everyday, a football club owner falls into the media's cross hairs for some reason or another. One of the common gripes is that Owen Owner is a no good corporate raider. Without a doubt, some investment banks and American executives fit this Barbarians at the Gate caricature perfectly. We can all thank our lucky stars that Liverpool ran out of town Gillete and Hicks before administration entered the equation.

Ex-Liverpool owners Hicks and Gillett lodge compensation claim

Former Liverpool owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett are refusing to give up their attempts to win damages against the club's owners, former Anfield directors and the Royal Bank of Scotland.

View the full story here: The Mail

A news article on 2011-09-29 22:24:56 from: The Mail

This news item has been reproduced from today's media.

Liverpool managing director Ian Ayre admits the failure of former owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett to build a new stadium "set the club back several years".
And Ayre, promoted from commercial director late last season by new owners Fenway Sports Group, said had it not been for huge strides made in off-field business during that time the finances would have been in a bigger mess than they were just before FSG assumed control.

The parallel between the start of the 2010/11 season for Liverpool Football Club was drastic, immense and vast. Starting the season with a new manager who was completely unwanted by the majority of supporters, who were still angry at losing fan favourite Rafael (Rafa) Benitez and having seen club icon Kenny Dalglish been looked over by the clubs decision makers.

I have a new piece in Slate on parity in soccer, which of course means the lack of parity in soccer, which means the fact that Real Madrid and Barcelona have combined to win 51 La Liga titles compared to 28 for all the other clubs in Spain, and Blackburn is still the only club outside the Functional Big Three ever to win a Premier League title, and even a plucky underdog like Leyton Orient, after bravely winning an FA Cup draw against Arsenal at home, can expect to be roto-rooted into oblivion by Nicklas Bendtner at the Emirates.

LONDON, England Tom Hicks has won the right to launch a damages claim over the sale of Liverpool yet the Reds are delighted with the High Court's verdict. High Court judge Mr Justice Floyd ruled Hicks must bring any claims he has in the UK and is not able to pursue a lawsuit [...]

By Chris Wright

Liverpool have released a statement on behalf of their current owners Fenway Sports Group (formerly NESV), former creditors the Royal Bank of Scotland and former chairman Sir Martin Broughton in to express their collective delight at hearing that 'swindled' former owner (his words, not mine) Tom Hicks has been thwarted once again in his bid to sue the club for over £140 million's worth of damages i.

Kickoff from Generali Arena at 20:05 GMT, 3:05 EST.

Ways to Watch:

Match live on Five in the UK, GolTV in the US, and 3e in Ireland (thanks to Patrick).

MyP2P.eu
Atdhenet.tv
From Sport

Liverpool:

Team sheet when it's released.

Liverpool's former chairman Sir Martin Broughton, the club's new owners New England Sports Ventures and the Royal Bank of Scotland all did battle with the club's former owner, Tom Hicks, at the high court on Wednesday.
Hicks wants to take his complaint against the enforced sale of the Premier League club, which he claims cost him £140m, through the United States courts.

LONDON, England - The court battle over the sale of Liverpool resumed Wednesday with the former American co-owners seeking approval to pursue a $1.6 billion damages claim for what they called a "giant swindle." The case in London comes as Liverpool's fortunes on the field have been revived for the first time since Tom Hicks [.