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Home: Comment and Opinion: Matt Ladson:
Tom Hicks’ love affair with the media
Written by Matt Ladson on April 13th, 2008

Never has the good name of Liverpool Football Club been dragged through the press as much as these last 12 months - and all due to one man’s ego which just cannot sit out of the headlines and allow the team to do the talking on the pitch.

David Moores, the former Liverpool chairman, was known for doing things the ‘Liverpool Way’ - that is quietly and behind the scenes. He was a man who understood the football club, football business in general and indeed had mutual dignity and respect towards and from the supporters consequently.

Tom Hicks, however, has absolutely no understanding of how to go about business as co-owner of Liverpool FC. Continually airing the club’s dirty laundry in public and continually thickening the mud with every new press release, interview and poor choice of words.

  • Hicks chose to request the sacking of Rick Parry less than 48 hours after the Arsenal win, so the media can revel in his bad smell rather than finally give Rafa Benitez and his side the praise they deserved.
  • Hicks chose to publicly announce the meeting with Jurgen Klinsmann - one of the most unproffesional acts by any owner of any sports team.
  • Hicks chose to foolishly tell fans of his Texas Rangers team that buying into Liverpool was a good thing for them as he can use the money made to put into his American sides.
  • Hicks chose to compare the purchase of Liverpool FC to the purchase of leveraging the Weetabix company.
  • Hicks lied about having not spoken to DIC, then admitted he had but still lied about the length of talks.
  • Hicks chose to be at a baseball match rather than Liverpool’s most important match of the season.
  • … and chose to do all of this in the public eye, in the media… who knows what else has gone on behind the scenes.

    The man is a media nightmare for us, but an absolute dream for the media themselves, constantly giving them column inches and airtime to further drag the name of our club through the mud.

    And now the latest revelation certain to further improve his bad press amongst all Liverpool fans. Tom Hicks will be giving “an in-depth interview” with Sky Sports News just 24 hours after the 19th anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster.

    “The Texan sees the TV opportunity as his chance to spread further poison about Parry, who he has already called ‘arrogant, rude and insensitive’ in his letter calling for the chief executive’s resignation, which has further alienated Liverpool fans against Hicks.”

    Rick Parry has already gained support from many fans after he called for the bickering between Hicks and George Gillett to be sorted out and done in private, and again when commenting on Hicks’ allegations this week Parry told how these things shouldn’t be so publicly. Not in any walk of life would you expect this to happen, let alone at a club whose dealings used to the model for all football club’s on how to run their business. Those days are long gone under Mr. Hicks.

    Tom Hicks is the cancer of Liverpool Football Club eating away at it’s soul, slowly but surely.

    Written by Matt Ladson
    Contact and read more articles by Matt Ladson

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