‘That’s the end of me going the match,’ was the general concesus of the social networking fraternity. ‘They can fuck off’ was the opinion of the group debating the merits of a corporate slogan working its way into matchday vocabulary in a Liverpool public house.

After the initial uproar, it then came to being that the club were not looking to find new partners to get their greasy, corporate name in our Anfield but if the plan of a new stadium comes to fruition.

It’s the right idea not only from a fan’s perspective, but for the club’s persective also.

The mystique and legend of Anfield Road is something local Reds can be guilty of underestimating. Wide-eyed fans from clubs such as Internazionale, Real Madrid, Barcelona etc never stopped taking photographs on their respective visits to Merseyside.

The legend even prompted Spanish-newspaper Marca to claim: “This is Anfield – So What?”

Put simply, it would be commercial suicide to turn this into adidas Anfield Stadium. For the millions that would come in from whatever company, more millions would be undoubtedly lost in the process.

Because if head to Barcelona, going on a tour and buying merchandise from the Castol Camp Nou doesn’t have the same ring. You’re unlikely to have the same excitement of a visit to the Babestation Bernabeau.

A new stadium however, is a slightly different story.

If a deal could be struck similar to the one Arsenal and Emirates Airlines then it would be a good thing.

Personally, I believe a reveloped Anfield wins hands down every time.

However, if Fenway Sports go for a new stadium, it will forever be known as the ‘New Anfield’ by fans anyway, and there would be no mystique or legend that could be lost by inserting a company’s name in the title.

Hopefully, the suits realise that Anfield is such an important part of Liverpool FC – and once a decision is made to leave, there can be no going back.

Redeveloping and staying as ‘Anfield’ makes sense on the pitch, in the stands and in the boardroom.

In other news, David Moyes has made a shocking statement. After nine years, he’s finally admitted that ‘wouldn’t be against’ a groundshare!

Let’s all say this very, very slowly and as loud as possible so he, his club and the councillors of Liverpool past can get the message a decade after the idea was initially mooted as a serious idea: We. Don’t. Want. To. Share.

And according to the Echo an American named Hicks may be in court soon.
To say today’s news had a feeling of deja vu would be an understatement.



In fact, I take that back. Since the post after Blackburn calling for Roy Hodgson to pack his bags, there has been little to vent about.

Of course the Dalglish-factor has prompted scribes across the globe to heap deserved praise on the King.

And, while it’s still wise that the Fenway Sports Group are scrutinised at every point, they have thus far gone about business and their crash course into the game well.

Even the loss of he-who-shall-not-be-named failed to bring anger to this Red – the arrival of Messrs Suarez and Carroll and the attitudes of all involved in a hectic last day of transfer dealings meant that positivity still ensued at Anfield.

Which is bliss after Parry, Moores, Hicks, Gillett, Hodgson and Purslow. But, not good for a blog set-up to moan and groan about the goings-on at Liverpool Football Club.

However, we are at the start of what we hope is something a bit special. A massive rebuilding job is necessary, and if Kenny Dalglish is in charge of it, a redeveloped Anfield or new Anfield forthcoming and the afore mentioned Carroll and Suarez playing a role in it, then there should be plenty to be happy about.

Here’s to a hopefully happier and frequently updated ‘Stars and Strife’ (there will be a name change!).

Kenny Dalglish is cooler than the Fonz.

Liverpool fans needed an icon; since Shankly’s oratory skills fans have always demanded the man at the helm to be larger than life, to be a leader.

Roy Hodgson certain was not. Kenny Dalglish personifies these qualities.

Dalglish’s return has brought about a change in terms of tactics and team selections – a fluid approach has replaced a rigid one, unpredictable selections have replaced out of form players being blindly picked – but it is more than that that has changed the mood around L4.

Since the first rumblings discontent towards Tom Hicks and George Gillett the club’s fanbase has been split. From splits over whether or not a supporter should use in-game protests against the American duo, pro-Rafael Benitez and anti-Benitez fans, pro-Hodgson and anti-Hodgson fans, the unity that has fans around the globe holding the Kop is such high regard has been missing.

Enter the King’s return.

For any Red under 30, Kenny Dalglish is a mythical sort of figure. One mention of his name is enough to have anyone over-30 gushing over him; his goals, his tactics, his person.

For us, this is not the return of the King, but our first real experience of him. Yes, we’ve seen all the goals, yes we know he’s the greatest to wear the shirt, yes we know that he embodies everything we say is good about Liverpool. But to be able to experience it is something else.

Long live the King.

In times of trouble on the field, football fans first retort is always gallows humour.

“Anyone who thinks Liverpool will be relegated to the Coca Cola Championship is an idiot – it’s actually the nPower Championship now,” one text spreading around Merseyside last week stated.

After the dismal display on the seafront on Wednesday, joking has worn thin. Suddenly the prospect of becoming yet another another cruel case of being told you are ‘too good to go down’ by all and sundry only to find yourself in tears in mid May. Another big time club sliding down to English football’s second tier to the glee of football fans across the land.

It would be sensationalist in the extreme to begin calling last rights on Liverpool’s Premier League status. There is a long way to go until a bad season becomes a relegation dogfight, not least due to the fact that pitiful results are the problem of many other sides along with Liverpool. Put simply, Reds can take solace in the fact that there are even worse clubs in the Premiership.

Get world class players such as Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres firing on all cylinders, give the supporting cast some much needed confidence and win a series of games, and everything will be okay for the Kop.

Therein, however, lies the problem.

It’s now January and the above was being said in September.

Gerrard has done well, but has had a season interrupted every time he’s had a string of good games, this time by a brain-dead decision to fly into a nothing challenge at Old Trafford. Torres has flattered to deceive so many times this season there are already signs of the unwavering support the Kop affords him wavering. The supporting cast are underachievers, expensive flops and individuals who should be nowhere near Anfield.

Kenny Dalglish’s much heralded appointment as Reds boss has given the club a boost. From early impressions, the rigid defensive tactics that brought Roy Hodgson’s demise will be gradually replaced with a more fluid and attack minded style that suits the squad of players we have.

But even the King’s return to the throne and a change in direction in regards to tactics will take time and patience. At Bloomfield Road, players seemed unwilling to roam, to break free from their position. A change in a team’s style of play takes time: something Liverpool have little of.

The simple truth is that Liverpool have gone from being one or two players away from the finished article so the speak, to a bloated, unimpressive squad in under two years.

The blame lies with Hicks, Gillett and Purslow. But, that’s for another day. The club needs to pull together to ensure the trio are merely a unhappy chapter in Liverpool’s history rather than a legacy that we’re still paying the price of from the depths of the Championship.

A win on Sunday and the confidence that has been lacking at Anfield this season will come flooding back and any thoughts of a fight at the bottom will go back to the gallows humour and self deprecation that football fans turn to.

A loss, and suddenly the time for joking is well and truly over.

Contents:

Introduction

Grumblings of Discontent

Anger and Organisation

Tom Hicks Jnr at The Sandon

Frustrated Pressure

George at the Crowne Plaza

Fan Ownership

Off the Streets, Onto the Keyboard

The Cavalry Finally Arrive

End Game

So, Back to Normal?

Introduction

There can be little doubt that the period between February 2007 and October 2010 marked a hugely significant and eventful time in the storied history of Liverpool Football Club. A Champions League final defeat, blows in the knockout stages of the same competition in later seasons, a Premiership title missed by the slimmest of margins, and the dismantling of a hugely talented squad over the course of three transfer windows meant that on-field events were enough to keep fans on their toes. However, it was off the field events that will forever be remembered from this period.

The three years and eight months of Thomas O. Hicks and George Gillett’s ownership of the club will never go down as a success. With a series of apparently ‘done and dusted’ takeovers with origins in all corners of the globe, and a civil war played out publicly and a football club in turmoil, these were uncharted times for the club and its fans.

However, it was on the terraces and the streets of Liverpool and beyond that Hicks and Gillett had the greatest impact. There was an open revolt against the owners that saw fans taking the streets to protest, the creation of a fan’s group that grew into an influential union, the owners accosted when in the city, and a total reshaping of the way fans thought.

It wasn’t a united fight to get rid of the Americans by one method alone; supporters at times turned on each other in disagreement over how to convey anger to the upper echelons of the club.

This is not a piece that aims to unearth anything new about the struggles of the H&G era, nor is it to describe in-depth the ins and outs of the legal wrangling and behind closed doors dealings. It is intended to document the efforts made by fans and provide a timescale to a hugely important and period in following Liverpool Football Club.

As well as looking at the change in the Liverpool fanbase, there are some detailed, eye witness reports on major incidents during the time.

It must be noted that I am a Spirit of Shankly member and nothing else. I have no reason to write about topics with any bias towards the Union (although, joining up is essential in my view for all Liverpool fans!)

Grumbles of Discontent

May 2007. After a ballot took place to distribute the remaining tickets for the Champions League Final amongst Reds fans who had been to six games in the competition, there was widespread anger. The problem was simple: no-one seemed to be successful in the so-called ballot.

The maths didn’t add up. Internet forums got together and shared information. Out of thousands upon thousands of those entered into the ballot, around 5% were successful. Tickets were missing from the paltry allocation given to us by UEFA, and when Rick Parry patronisingly told the Liverpool Echo that he wasn’t prepared to “play the numbers game” anger reached fever pitch. Blindly blaming the powers that be for the ticket allocation was no longer acceptable – where had the tickets actually gone, fans asked.

Hundreds of fans – some with tickets for the final, some without – marched from The Sandon to Anfield to vent their frustrations.

This isn’t a problem that can be attributed to the Americans – although their huge allocation for their cronies’ trip to Greece didn’t help matters – but it marks the first time fans protested outside Anfield. It marked the first time fans said ‘enough is enough’ and made their voices heard. It was a crucial day in the history of fans of the club.

While the few hundred – referenced by a steward as “200 divvies” – were a drop in the ocean in terms of the tens of thousands of match going Reds, it could certainly be argued that this occasion broke some of the reluctance to air any grievances in public. Some agreed; some didn’t. Some joined in, some didn’t. But, on that wet day at an end of season dead rubber against Charlton Athletic, the seeds of protest that grew in the next few years were sown.

The aftermath of defeat in the afore mentioned Champions League final hurt. Messrs Hicks and Gillett had taken to the Athens pitch and slapped hands with enthusiastic fans, as well as brandishing an assortment of currencies to a Sky Sports interviewer when asked how they would sustain future success. The feeling among fans at the time was still a positive one: they were enjoying a successful introduction to the game, and to the club.

Even when Rafael Benítez used his press conference the day after the night before in an Athens hotel to publicly call on the duo to adapt quickly to a different game, hitting the streets of L4 in protest was a long way off. Of course it was slightly unnerving to hear a man revered by all Liverpool fans talk about dissatisfaction, but there was a feeling that Benítez was merely giving the owners a metaphorical kick up the backside rather than an ultimatum.

Even a transfer window wheeling and dealing rather than splashing the money Gillett had brandished in that infamous interview never inflamed fans to criticise the Americans. New boy Fernando Torres’ sensational start to life at Liverpool meant that no-one looked beyond the exaggerated fees quoted in the media or at the sales of Craig Bellamy, Luis Garcia et al to fund the deal in part at least.

If alarm bells had thus far failed to ring in the ears of Reds, there was a sharp, piercing sound after a Benítez press conference prior to a match at Newcastle United. The press conference remains a pivotal moment in the American era.

Immediately, action was called for. The ‘Reclaim the Kop’ group set-up to improve atmosphere at Anfield and highlight Liverpool traditions they felt were not being upheld, organised a ‘March in Support of Rafa’. Not a march against Hicks and Gillett – there was still a huge reluctance to criticise the pair even after Benítez’ job was revealed to be in huge danger – but in support of the manager.

The RTK statement on the march stated: Let’s leave any anti-American and anti-Rick Parry feelings to one side for tonight. No matter how you feel on the subject, let’s leave that for another day and use tonight to show our passionate support for our manager. Our Club. Our Manager. Don’t let anything dilute that. Just use tonight to march in support of our manager, the man that’s brought us so many special nights, the man who’s working towards bringing us more of those nights and the man that needs our backing more than ever. Let’s show him how much he means to us. Starting with the march outside, then let’s take that inside the ground and get Anfield rocking. It’s down to us, all of us, to make that happen.

The result was a march that made headlines around the world, and quite likely saved Rafael Benítez. While later marches became edgier, more aggressive and definitely more critical of Hicks and Gillett, this was a march that, like the Athens protest, changed the thinking among many Reds about protesting.

The march was hugely different from later protests. Songs in support of Benítez filled the air, followed by Liverpool classics such as ‘Oh When the Reds’ and ‘Like a team that’s gonna win the European Cup” rather than anti-American ditties. Instead of a definitive plan of action and route, there was little organisation as fans marched around the Oakfield Road and then past the Sandon only to go back the way they came.

But the willingness to protest a decision by the higher ups at Liverpool Football Club was there. The Americans were on thin ice – and it would only take one more mistake to turn quiet discontent into vocal anger.

Anger and Organisation

Tom Hicks startling revelation to the Liverpool Echo that he and Gillett had approached Jurgen Klinsmann to take over from Rafael Benítez was the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back.

The interview was published on the 14^th January 2008. The day after, the Reds played Luton Town in a FA Cup that should have been about Jamie Carragher captaining the Liverpool side on his 500^th appearance. Instead, fans gave renewed support to Benítez. It would be merely the start of a backlash in the ground.

The home game against Aston Villa the following Monday marked new territory: protests during the game.

“They don’t care about Rafa,

They don’t care about fans,

Liverpool Football Club, is in the wrong hands”

A variation on the song used to criticise Rick Parry in the Athens ticket protest that would become synonymous with the struggle against Hicks and Gillett.

It began with the 306 and 305 sections of the Kop. Then, section by section, a domino effect ensued. After more and more Kopites stood and joined in, in no time the chant reached a crescendo with a standing Kop directing their ire at the directors box and across the Atlantic. Make no mistake, this was a huge moment. This was a moment that the grumbling of discontent turned into widespread anger.

The following Saturday, plucky minnows Havant and Waterlooville came to Anfield in a David v Goliath FA Cup Fourth Round tie. The non-league outfit took the lead twice, and were sportingly applauded after each goal, before the Reds’ class told and Liverpool were 4-2 up. With the game and a place in the Fifth Round in the bag, the same sections of the Kop that started the protest songs five days earlier began to air the same songs. This time however, there was no domino effect, and no crescendo.

Many in blocks towards the front of the Kop thought this was neither the time nor place for airing anti-American songs. It was Havant and Waterlooville’s day, and to dampen the atmosphere provided by their travelling fans would spoil their day. There were also many who felt that while they were willing to protest at the Villa game, they weren’t prepared to protest week-in, week-out. The songs at the back of the Kop continued – many arguing that the game was won and so the team could deal with songs against the Americans, and nothing had changed since the Villa game – and there were some ugly scenes as fans argued among themselves.

After a stand-off until the end of the game, with the back continuing to start protest songs while the front protested at the protest songs, it was clear that there was going to be some friction among fans. It should noted that it certainly was nowhere near as black and white as a ‘front of the Kop and back of the Kop’ row – many at the back argued with protestors and vice versa – however, it was clear that something had to give. Something or someone had to take the lead.

After texts and phone calls were made after posts calling for a meeting on internet boards, hundreds took up their places in the back room of the pub yards from Anfield on the 31^st January 2008. Chaired by Paul Rice, with Nicky Allt, Dave Usher, Alan Kayll, Andy Heaton and Neil Atkinson on the panel there was passionate and lengthy discussions on the situation. The meeting was set-up pre Havant & Waterlooville, but the scenes on the Kop that day accelerated the need for fans looking to oust Hicks and Gillett to organise and ensure everyone was on the same page.

At this time it was widely expected that the Dubai International Capital group were preparing an offer to Hicks and Gillett, but in the meantime efforts were stepped up to put unprecedented pressure on the owners. A boycott of club merchandise was agreed. Protests were voted in. The gloves were now off – whilst Athens and Anfield protests were the first of note in the club’s history, they were about to become commonplace.

In the various exchanges and votes, it was decided that a group should be set-up to protest against the Americans ownership. Once the idea came from Allt that a union with fully paid up membership could influence not only the exit of the Americans but give a platform to ensure the fans had a voice on other matters, it was unanimously agreed upon by all.

From talking about methods of ousting two Americans, the discussion from the floor took in travelling to away games, influencing the club to show more support for the local community and providing a voice to the great ticket fiascos of the past. In the three hours that ranged from passionate, sensible speeches from Reds to one or two outlandish and bizarre ramblings, a greater picture became apparent: people were now anti-Hicks and Gillett, but it seemed that breaking the barrier of being critical of the owners of the club had allowed a flood of other issues to come to the fore. Instead of dismissing individual letters and phone calls of complaints, the club would have to acknowledge an organised fans group’s frustrations.

A vote from the floor saw a unanimous decision from those present – a trade union-like organisation with card carrying members could give fans a voice.

Next up was a name. While “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” and “Girls Aloud” were suggested and may have given the Union a different feel, the name “Sons of Shankly” was decided upon (changed at the next meeting to the ‘Spirit of Shankly’ to represent the female members). ‘Liverpool Supporters Union’ was the alternative, and later added to the group’s name.

A leafleting blitz generously organised in part by the Hillsbrough Justice Campaign was to take place at the Sunderland game three days later. While a lengthy debate took place about how to protest – an argument that would continue into the American’s latter days in charge – there was reason to be optimistic when leaving the public house that night.

The rest as they say is history. Membership forms were out within weeks and leaflets handed out just a few days later. The landscape of our fan base had changed forever.

On the same day as the inaugural SOS meeting, a press conference attended by local and national media was held by a Rogan Taylor –led ‘Share Liverpool’ group. Taylor told the assorted media that the club could be bought by the fans, and as such kept out of the clutches of businessmen with no association with the club other than profit (see . Fan Ownership).

Tom Hicks Jnr at The Sandon

After news broke of Tom Hicks Jnr’s attendance at the Middlesbrough game in February 2008, moves were immediately made to make sure the growing anger at his families’ ownership of Liverpool Football Club was felt.

After a thirty-minute after game protest in which “they don’t care about fans, Liverpool Football Club is in the wrong hands” reverberated around The Kop interrupted only by “What do we want? Yanks Out!” every so often, it was off to the Sandon on a normal post-home game drink.

Just a month after hundreds congregated in The Sandon and the Spirit of Shankly was formed, the pub Liverpool was formed in was to become centre stage again.

As a group of us were about to leave word went round that he was in the middle room of the pub.

Surely not. A man whose attendance had prompted a 500-strong protest just minutes ago, drinking in a hostile, Red only boozer?

Yet, there he was. Sticking out like a sore thumb stood a tall American in a suit, nervously sipping his pint with three sheepish security around him.

Was he naive? Definately. Stupid? Definitely. Ignorant? Again, definitely.

What happened next varies wildly depending upon what media source you listen to. To some, Hicks was run out of town under a flurry of glasses, bottles and phlegm. To others Hicks smoothed relations over and spoke to fans on a personal level, winning everyone over with aplomb.

The real answer is in the middle.

Whilst the majority of people stayed towards the back singing “you lying bastard, get out of our pub”, it must be noted that none seemed too anxious to grill Hicks. Maybe it was the three beefy security guards, or maybe Hick’s brashness had stunned them. Maybe they’d lost their voices when they got too close to Hicks.

Either way, it was one Red who went over and asked questions of Hicks (later described as a “Jeremy Paxman-style grilling” by the Echo). He told Jnr that he and his family were not wanted and that the relationship with Liverpool fans was beyond repair. He asked where the then missing in the action Foster Gillett was, the man supposedly looking after the running of the club on a day-to-day basis. Hicks answered that he knew there was a long way to go to gaining the fan’s trust, but he was moving over and would try and repair the damage caused due to Klinnsmann, debt and the realisation that the American was becoming a nightmare.

Hicks’ security team were already making noises that it was time to go and he apologized to Liverpool’s Paxman and made his way out. Anti-Hicks and Gillett songs were still being sung from the back room of the Sandon and by this time obviously word had gotten round. It must be noted that Hicks seemed to leave due to his security staff’s insistence and was not chased out the public house.

One fan did spit at Hicks, missing it must be noted, and one or two bottles were thrown at the car waiting for him outside.

Whether or not you believe that this went too far or wasn’t far enough, the extremes of this story have become more, well, extreme over time.

Hicks Jnr had miscalculated the deep-rooted feelings Reds have about Liverpool FC was questioned accordingly.

This incident undoubtedly brought criticism and praise by fans. Some reading the reports in various media outlets believe Hicks should have been ran out the pub for his family’s actions. Some saw the act as an olive branch and praised Hicks for drinking with fans even with the obvious safety concerns.

It could even be argued that the splits and factions in Liverpool fans were influenced by this incident above all. From then on to some, any fan against Hicks and Gillett were yobs, hell bent on vandalism to property and unhelpful behaviour. What was, by and large, an incident that happened quickly and considering the importance of the situation, quietly, the consequent media coverage shaped the way many thought afterwards.

When the upstairs of the Sandon – for so long a stronghold for Reds seeking a post-match drink – was closed as the Americans had decided to use it for their corporate packages, there were one or two ironic chuckles amongst Reds. Hicks obviously felt that having been run out the pub, it was his turn to run the natives out as well.

Frustrated Pressure

At this point, it was fair to say that attitudes were changing. Protests were organised under the Spirit of Shankly umbrella, and, only twelve months after the Athens protest, becoming commonplace at Anfield. That is not to say this change in the makeup of Liverpool fans was to be totally welcomed – everyone involved would have preferred to be sat in the comfort of the pub with suitable custodians in charge, no doubt – but it was the shift in how people began to think that is most significant when looking back on the American era in terms of Liverpool fans.

It was almost as though years of substandard service by the club, pre and post-Hicks and Gillett promises broken on stadia, the Anfield area and a lack of real leadership from those at the top had built up. It took a lot for Liverpool to break the mould and in the oft-quoted saying “be like Newcastle”. It took a lot – the near sacking of a manager for non-football purposes and the dirty linen being paraded in public – until fans got angry enough to march, shout and protest.

It seems strange that after outlining the extensive events of a small timescale, there is little else that changed throughout Hicks and Gillett’s time. The same fans who were pissed off and unhappy with protests, who believed it a contradiction of the fabled ‘Liverpool Way’ stayed pissed off by and large. The same fans who saw Hicks and Gillett as a fight that needed to be won by protesting, regularly protested.

There were numerous protests after the initial marches. An impromptu gathering in the Main Stand car park after the Chelsea game that saw George Gillett met at his hotel (more on that later) earlier in the day was loud and certainly got the message across to the two who were holed up in the Main Stand. The protests prior to the Manchester United game in 08-09 and 09-10 were more than memorable for numbers (estimates for both ranges from 2,000 to 10,000), noise and presence, with banners, flags and wavers producing a strong message.

It went beyond songs and banners before selected home game. In the summer of 2009, a ‘renegade fans group’ (according to the Daily Post) targeted Royal Bank of Scotland branches by chaining the locks and urging the bank to say no to refinancing Hicks and Gillett. Graffiti appeared around Anfield and Melwood at various points, mainly concerning the Americans and at times Christian Purslow.

George at the Crowne Plaza

It’s February 2009. Liverpool are in the middle of a title challenge that had stuttered through January and allowed Manchester United to get their noses in front of us at the top of the Premier League. A huge game with a Chelsea side that had failed to get into gear but were still in the mix awaited.

The Spirit of Shankly held a meeting for members in Zeligs bar in the new Liverpool One, a new venue. As well as offering draught beer rather than cans, and being a lot warmer than the Baltic surroundings of the normal Olympia venue just outside the city centre, the new location would be also be beneficial for events after the meeting.

During a typically passionate and eventful meeting, a source to one of the committee was informed Tom Hicks was staying in the Radisson Hotel and George Gillett was in the Crown Plaza. Both had dismissed all media enquiries on their visit out of hand: by this stage Gillett was letting Hicks take the heat and staying schtum and Hicks was using Sky Sports News as his media outlet. After all, why answer hard questions from a concerned fan base when you can send Sky Sports a video from America and have it played on loop for the next twelve hours?

Word went round that Hicks was already enjoying the hospitality of the Anfield corporate lounges already. It was agreed that if the owners of our football club were not willing to talk to fans justifiably angry at the running of the club that they pump a large amount of money and passion into, then the fans would go to him. Gillett was, according to sources, still in the Crowne Plaza.

Some confusion reigned after the meeting was called, and as 20 or so marched the short distance past the Albert Dock to the hotel, some remained at Zeligs, although numbers swelled rapidly.

It’s funny because in numerous media sources, gaining entry to the CP was described by every journalist (none of whom were present) as some sort of military operation. According to the Echo “a number of supporters got past security to confront him.” As James Bond-esque as that sounds the reality is unfortunately far less glamorous. A staff member opened the door and welcomed the fans to the hotel in a friendly manner and cheerful manner.

The plan was to ask for Gillett at reception. When the inevitable denial of his residence came a message was to be left that Liverpool fans the World over were not happy with his co-ownership and wanted him to go.

But before the receptionist was asked an eagle-eyed member of the dozen spotted him sipping coffee in the reception area.

His security tried to make fans leave with various arguments – “there’s children present” (there was no swearing, no threats, and no scene) and “just leave him alone” being the most used – whilst Gillett used the negotiating skills he’s obviously honed during years in business: he picked his phone up and pretended to be talking to someone*. That’s right, an act most teenagers try when their parents are asking them to clean their rooms, still used by apparent billionaire businessmen.

After the Police were called by hotel management, Gillett agreed to speak with one fan and one fan only. It must be noted that police were not called due to any offence caused but because word had got round and the numbers outside the hotel were growing quickly.

James McKenna, SOS committee member took control and the situation and it was decided that he was to be the representative. And as he managed to do what every media outlet in the World wanted to do and grilled Gillett figuratively, fans outside aired their anger with a peaceful protest approved by the police present.

When McKenna came out the songs stopped and everyone listened. Amongst the usual BS that Messrs Hicks and Gillett were so fond of, we were told Gillett had claimed we had spent more than anyone in the Premier League, were worth more now than them all, and that Rafael Benítez had spoken to three other clubs about becoming manager. Unsurprisingly, he refused to name the three clubs.

He believed he had been a fit and proper custodian, was open to selling his stake, and had foot the bill with Hicks for players and £100m on a stadium that a year and half later is still on the shelf. Lies, lies and more lies.

But most astonishing was yet to come.

As McKenna made his way outside after the impromptu interview to address the fans outside the CP, Gillett stated that “we were going well until someone opened his mouth” (Rafa Benitez had gone public with his unhappiness with what he felt was unfair refereeing and decision within the FA regarding United).

An open attack on a manager as we were in the middle of a title challenge. Thanks George.

As Gillett’s answers were relayed outside, the man himself was taken out the back door and whisked to Anfield to watch Benítez’s side defeat Chelsea 2-0 on their way to an impressive points tally that was never built on in the transfer market.

*For those wondering, the phone was a 1997-style Motorola. If ever proof was needed these two were skint, it was there in George’s hand.

Fan Ownership

The concept of fan ownership was first mooted to much fanfare at the launch of Share Liverpool on January 31^st, 2008 – the same day the meeting at the Sandon took place across town.

It was well received. There was little to dislike about an idea that involved the fans taking control of the club and running it in a democratic and open manner. The phrase “a debt-free club is a rich club” was used, and at the time with details of the level of debt and lack of investment being seen at the club becoming more apparent, Share Liverpool had support.

The huge elephant in the room for the Rogan Taylor-led group, was acquiring the necessary funding to stage a takeover. Dubai International Capital had baulked at Hicks and Gillett’s asking price, so what chance did the fans have, we all asked?

A website asking those interested to log their interest crashed under the weight of huge traffic.  But, getting involved was a vague term, and although Taylor often quoted the number of those who had registered, the figure finally put on a share in the plan was its ultimate downfall in many Liverpool eyes. That figure – £5,000 a share – turned a lot of attitudes towards Share Liverpool from cautious optimism to disregard.

Things seemed to go quiet. A meeting was held at the Liverpool Lighthouse pub prior to an early season, in which Labour MP Andy Burnham and Liverpool legends John Barnes, John Aldridge and Phil Thompson threw their weight behind the group and plan. They spoke with passion, and you could more than sense that they truly believe fan ownership could happen. But, the question remained: just how can ordinary fans find £5,000 during a recession to put in?

Share Liverpool should be applauded for their part in bringing fan ownership to the masses, but perhaps a lower asking price may have ignited that initial spark of enthusiasm. While efforts to oust the Americans reached fever pitch, the fan ownership front went quiet.

The Spirit of Shankly used an Independence Day rally in July 2010 to launch its own fan ownership campaign. With the Credit Union, the group and its members launched an initiative that was due to start in August 2010 that would involve setting up an account  and putting in what could be afford, with the aim of saving £500 per member. Instead of outright fan ownership – although that, like the Share Liverpool scheme, remained the ultimate goal – there was a more modest aim of a share of the club.

Alas, at the time of writing (December 2010), the Credit Union scheme has not been launched, and with new owners coming in, the fan ownership idea may have run out of steam.

The fact remains however, that Liverpool fans were now looking to wrestle control of the club back. Gone were the days of blindly trusting the board to do what was right for the club. The very fact fan ownership was, and still remains too many; an ideal proposition was proof indeed of the shift in attitudes in some quarters.

Off the Streets, Onto the Keyboard

Type ‘Liverpool FC’ into any internet search engine, and it’s easy to see just how big of an internet presence fans of the club have. There are hundreds of thousands of websites, forums, chat rooms and various other methods for people to interact and discuss the Reds.

It is no surprise then that the fight against Hicks and Gillett was also taken to new levels when people used the vast array on resources available on the internet to keep the pressure on across the pond.

Hicks’ bitter but certainly sweet parting shot about “internet terrorists” shows just how influential the various groups were.

Hicks, of course, have more reason than most to curse the wonders of technology. Not only did he see various desperate attempts at refinancing thwarted by on the ball Reds, his son Tom Jar was forced to resign after Steve Horner, from the KopFaithful group, received a probably inebriated reply to some reasonable questions of Jnr’s family’s running of the club: “Blow me f*ckface. Go to hell. I’m sick of people like you.”

When one American Liverpool fan posted a picture of the two Hicks at a prominent New York business quarter on the social networking website Twitter, it caused quite a stir. All banks with headquarters in the surrounding area received a deluge of e-mails from Reds around the world asking them not to refinance or loan money to the duo. Before the handshakes and pleasantries had been exchanged, the banks were distancing themselves from Hicks in his hour of need.

The Save Liverpool group from website Redandwhitekop.com were equally as influential, so much so that John Henry chose the group as one of the handful he met with upon becoming co-owner of Liverpool.

The Spirit of Shankly used the internet to its benefit as well. When news came that Christian Purslow was to attend a lunch with new club sponsors Standard Chartered at the London Carriageworks restaurant in the city’s Hope Street, 30 members were organised at short notice on a Thursday afternoon to confront the man dodging the questions fans had.

After the SOS urged fans that did not have work commitments to attend, the plug was pulled on the event.

Maybe it was the Audi one Red had parked outside with “Kick Purslow Out” printed on the side!

Maybe Purslow and Standard Chartered had time in their schedules to rearrange events apparently booked months in advance; maybe Purslow et al did actually have some excuse for the late cancellation. Maybe Purslow didn’t want the sponsors to see the reality behind the American ownership and his role in that. Maybe Purslow was unwilling to answer the questions.

But 30 people at short notice have made an impact. 30 at short notice ensured someone had felt it necessary to have a police van parked outside.

It was not just UK-based Reds that became more willing to protest against the club – the power of the internet and the changing ways fans used the information at their fingertips can never be underestimated.

The Cavalry Finally Arrive

To paint the fan base during the Hicks and Gillett era as a strong, united force hell bent on ridding the club of the people holding it back would be inaccurate.

The Spirit of Shankly were in some quarters unpopular. There’s something very Liverpool about the psyche of going against the grain. If something becomes popular or mainstream, it’s very Liverpool to snipe and complain.

With the organisation set-up in the realisation that a manager was being deemed unfit to lead Liverpool despite popularity among the fans, the manager issue blurred the lines for many. SOS was seen as a pro-Benítez group, which was never the case. Even the fans braving sub-zero temperatures to hand out leaflet outlining the debt and lies told were greeted by the minority with comments such as “if it was Rafa out, I’d take one,” and “it’s not all the Yanks fault.”

There was also the incident at the SOS ‘End of Season Do’ in 2009. While a local musician was on stage, he began an impromptu rendition of ‘Horse with No Name’, with the chorus punctured with shouts of ‘Munich’. Not nice, not clever, and hugely damaging.

A video went on youtube, and was picked up by various news outlets. The Liverpool Echo produced a piece on it, leading the issue to take on a life of its own. Many fans decried the SOS for it, and a reputation was attributed to the group.

I was at the ‘do’ and can honestly say I left the Olympia that night not thinking about Munich shouts during the songs, but happy with a well organised event. The videos were damaging – people shouting Munich in front of a banner of Bill Shankly overlooking events seemed almost choreographed – but, what could the SOS do? Go around kicking out everyone who had sung it?

It must be noted that over time it has become embellished to the point that media outlets would have you believe the 1,000-strong crowd of members and non-members were involved: it was a minority. As with the Sandon incident and the even the Crowne Plaza, the story grew legs of its own.

As time went on, the former players fans had been looking for to put their considerable weight behind campaigns to rid the club of Hicks and Gillett began to stir. Other than Jason McAteer, later John Aldridge, Phil Thompson and Howard Gayle and in their last days a few others crawling out the woodwork, it was the fans fight from start to finish.

Too many ex-players were too concerned with their place on the gravy train that is club speaking engagements cushy pundit jobs and keeping the club sweet. People like Aldridge and Thompson did, one sensed, genuinely had a dilemma on speaking out, but both fought the fans case to some extent.

The rest sat back and gave no help at all. It was crying out for an ex-player to boost the campaign. The cavalry arrived, but too late. That should never, ever be forgotten.

End Game

With the battle between the ‘home team’ of the Liverpool board – Martin Broughton, Ian Ayres and Christian Purslow – and the by now flatling Hicks and Gillett having reached London’s High Court, there was to be one last incident that summed up the 44 months of the American nightmare.

In a saga that gets more surreal by the day, even this surprised.
Around 30 minutes into Wednesday’s judgement, Christian Purslow, a man who I’ve held nothing but contempt for the previous twelve months turned to me as I stood nose pressed against the glass of Court 18 in London’s High Court, winked, gave a thumbs up and mouthed: “They’re gone. They’re gone.”
The day started like so many London trips have done; a cold wait for a coach at the Rocket while the only souls around are milkmen and drunkards stumbling home from a night on the sauce. It was, however, a day that was nothing like any London trip before nor any future trip to the capital. On a coach, a fantastic gesture by the Spirit of Shankly by the way, not to a match, but to a court. That we never expected to be able to enter and to a case that was not guaranteed to reach a conclusion that day.
Whilst passing Trafalgar Square, the luxurious stretch of shops down Knightsbridge there was a strange atmosphere on board. No spotting of home fans resulting in windows being banged and insults being traded. A request by Radio Five Live for an interviewee was made, rather than a rallying call.

Ryanair chief Michael O’Leary stood outside court upon our arrival telling any media that would half listen that his company had “bought Liverpool Football Club”, in his Hi Tech trainers. A court case involving ‘celebrities’ (in the loosest sense of the word) Katie Price and Peter Andre was set to begin. This combination of the surreal and the embarrassing in and around the court was a stark contrast to the sombre 7/7 terrorist attack hearing also taking place.

Upon arrival at the High court just after the 10am start, entry was not expected. However after seeing the first few successful entries into the court, everyone followed suit and after getting through the security check – passing the Andre v Price case in the process – we walked into court 18.

There in the tiny public gallery, an assortment of journalists and fans strained to hear what Justice Floyd was saying. Suits and notepads mingled with trainers and scarves. Every time the door opened disapproving shakes of heads were directed at the door. Every whisper or cough drew sighs.

Sure enough upon reaching the front of the gallery we found ourselves a yard away from the ‘home team’ – Messrs Broughton, Ayre and Purslow. As the words of Justice Floyd were becoming harder to hear as various reporters ran in and out to rely goings on to colleagues, for the next half an hour the body language of the three became our way of trying to grasp what was going on.

Broughton remained emotionless throughout, bar one or two knowing nods to his fellow board members. Ayre tried to do the same, nodding and smiling in agreement with Floyd, before quickly regaining composure. Purslow was a contrast to both: he exchanged nods with the two fans behind him, laughed at the poster with a mocked Broughton holding a sign proclaiming “We Win!” the fans had in their possession and looked back to myself and a friend with the afore mentioned gesture, and other reassuring gestures towards the end of the case. Confidence in the board’s case against Hicks was certainly high with Purslow.
And after the case had finished the board slapped the backs of fans in the gallery telling each one “Thanks for coming up.” It was another strange moment in a strange day. Men who for months we’ve held banners up against, disrupted dinner plans for and chanted again shaking hands and delivering the news we’ve waited two a half years for.

As fans, media and the board made their way out of the court, the media scrum inside the court paled into insignificance with the masses of photographers outside the court. A few cringe-worthy chants of “We love your Martin, we do!” and an unnecessary “You lying bastards” may have followed, but most fans enjoyed their brief moments of fame. Competitive reporters swarmed around the Reds who had travelled desperate for an interview and reaction from Reds; some revelled in their false fame, although the reporter’s job was made difficult by the number of “I’m supposed to be off sick” responses they got.
It was then over to the George pub opposite the court for yet another bizarre event. Cheers echoed around as Sky Sports News aired the interviews and continued every time the enthusiastic presenter emphatically told us “Liverpool FC are set to be sold”. As journalists on laptops filed their reports back to their respective newsrooms, fans sang “Scouser Tommy” and “We’re gonna bounce in a minute”. A post-court singsong if you will.

As we made our way to the coach – after a live SSN appearance – ale was stocked up and the mood on board the coach heading back North was euphoric. As one Red perfectly put it: “It’s the first away this season we’ve come away with a win in.”
Of course euphoria turned to anger and confusion upon a half-drunk return home. Hicks had his injunction from a Dallas courtroom, and had thrown yet another spanner in the works. It was merely delaying the inevitable, but typical of a desperate man.

But the nauseating memory of watching the club’s future being played out in a courtroom rather than on the pitch will linger long in the memory. The sight of suits standing up and battling for our future rather than players is one we should never have to go through again. Hopefully Hicks we can start concentrating on events on the field rather than mind-numbing litigation after the deal was finally given the green light.

So, Back to Normal?

When John Henry and the New England Sports Ventures group wrestled control of Liverpool Football Club through the courts, it was reassuring to see the reaction of Liverpool fans.

Delighted to see the back of Hicks and Gillett, ecstatic that a three and a half year battle had been won, vindicated when the media started singing the fans praises. But, and most importantly, cautious.

There is a feeling that fans will not be won over by cowboy boots with liverbirds etched on, or that words and not actions will suffice from owners.

The Spirit of Shankly now gives fans a fantastic platform to influence the club on a variety of issues. You get the sense that people are less likely to pay their money and keep quiet. And, nor should they.

The Hicks and Gillett era signalled unpleasantness all round. No-one enjoys or wants to protest against the club they love. But if one positive can be taken from January 2007 to October 2010, it’s the fact that the fan base changed in such a fashion that future unsuitable custodians will not have it so easy for so long.

Mark Piercy

piercymark@Gmail.com

“Hodgson for England!” was followed by “Dalglish!” After Blackburn Rovers had scored their second, far too easy, goal, it was expected.

Even the away end joining in with the Rovers’ fans gleeful rendition of “you’re getting sacked in the morning” was an ironic and sarcastic slight on the former Fulham manager.

However, the humour and irony used to dress up anti-Hodgson feeling among Liverpool fans for the past three months was replaced by venom. “Fuck off Hodgson, fuck off Hodgson” reverberated around the Darwen End of Ewood Park. Never has some venom, such aggression been directed at a Liverpool manager. If Blackpool, Wolverhampton and Stoke were the last rights of Hodgson’s reign, this was the point of absolutely no return.

It’s ironic Ewood Park was the setting for another depressing night for the Reds. Over a decade after his stint as Blackburn boss, Hodgson is unpopular among the Rovers faithful. Over 15 years after his reign, Kenny Dalglish remains the man who brought an unlikely league championship to Lancashire. In the home and away ends, there was a mutual agreement on the two.

It must not be forgotten among the understandable calls for the manager’s head that the current Liverpool have let down two managers. Paul Konchesky and Christian Poulsen can be attributed to Hodgson, and will be held up as examples of why the Hodgson era was a failure. But experienced and long-term Liverpool players who will be applauded onto the field time and time again and given a free pass have contributed to two manager’s demise as Reds boss with woeful performances letting down the fans that have supported the team consistently in the past eighteen poor months.

Glen Johnson has underachieved and underperformed for the vast majority of his career. For all the money splashed on his services, for all the international caps he’s gained, he’s an average full-back. Of course, most full-backs are hardly world beaters, but coupled with a lack of desire and commitment, and Johnson deserves nothing but criticism for his displays in recent times.

He is of course, not alone. Martin Skrtel looks a lost cause at times, and has become a liability. Ryan Babel seems more interested in bleating to his Twitter followers about his wasted ability than doing anything about it on the training ground. Fernando Torres can understandably point to long ball tactics that do not suit him, however in recent months his head seems to be in sunnier climates and the fight has gone.

In fact: other than Pepe Reina and Steven Gerrard, who has covered themselves in glory in Benítez’s final days and Hodgson’s reign? It’s the managers who carry the can, but it should never be forgotten that this Liverpool squad have talked the talk, but failed to walk the walk.

Hodgson however, cannot point to the players and deflect responsibility (although he will continue to try).

It’s clear that he has absolutely no long-term future as manager of Liverpool Football Club. If ironic and humorous chants in his direction weren’t bad enough, an away end telling him to “fuck off” is the point of no return.

Too negative. Too stubborn. His post-match comments matched his tactical ability – baffling, insulting and unacceptable.

It’s how long the short term is in the American owner’s eyes that could have long term repercussions for Liverpool Football Club. Each passing day, each game wasted, and the cloud of negativity that has engulfed Anfield in recent times will continue to linger.

It’s time for petty rivalry to be put to one side for the greater good of both clubs and the city, they say. We’re cutting our noses off to spite our faces, they say. If it’s good enough for Milan and Munich, it’s good enough for us, they say. It makes sense, they say.

It’s become almost nauseating to see this subject brought up every six months and being spoken to by individuals with no concept of football as if we’re Neanderthals clinging onto a partisan hatred for Everton to hinder a development that would benefit the city. Almost like these people banging the well beaten ground share drum are the parents of stubborn toddlers who aren’t capable of understanding what is right for themselves.

It can’t be argued that sharing a new stadium with Everton would be beneficial financially. Half the material costs, half the construction costs, no doubt a nice grant or two thrown in and it all adds up to a fair few quid saved. But, why stop there in the chase of a few quid? Why not merge the clubs together? I mean two sets of supporters, two sets of international players, merchandise, and new stadium, what could make more economical sense?

When you think of great clubs around the globe, the stadia they play their football in immediately springs to mind. Think of Barcelona, and the Camp Nou follows quickly. Boca Juniors and the La Bombonera Chocolate Box is as prominent as Maradona and the blue and yellow strip. A club’s stadium isn’t there to be compromised to make a few quid to spend on new players that are here today and gone tomorrow. They are integral to a club; look at the difficulties many fans have faced when moving to [i]their own[/i] stadium from a cherished long standing home: look at many Arsenal fans avoidance of the fancy new Emirates Stadium replacing the cramped but loved Highbury. A football ground is as big a part of a club as any player, manager or kit.

But, we’re told the Italians do it. The Germans can look beyond pettiness and share a ground.  A look beyond this “if it’s repeated often enough it becomes true” patter, the truth is different.

In Munchen, 1860 have failed to punch above their weight in moving in with Bayern at the new Allianz Arena, and have been forced to sell their 50% stake in the stadium, although they do play there as tenants now. Over in Rome, Lazio have run into trouble in attempts to move from the Stadio Olympico, but have made attempts over the years. Internazionale are looking to move a new ground soon. Ground sharing, doesn’t work on the continent. Sharing in the majority of cases has either resulted in clubs moving or planning to fly the nest to their own abode.

Going back to Milan, let’s take a look at the practicalities of sharing a ground with our Blue brethren. Liverpool have always been clear that reserve games cannot be brought back to Anfield because any more fixtures than the first team calendar would result in the surface being substandard. Look at the pitch on the San Siro in August and take a look at the surface in May; take into account the stark difference in the Mediterranean climate and the Mersey climate, and that’s problem number one constantly glossed over.

How about capacity? The long standing Evertonian jibe regarding the huge numbers who travel from Norway, Ireland and further afield to watch the Reds at home are correct; so how could a capacity be agreed upon that fits the bill for a club that could fill a 70,000 for a majority of games and who offer no chance of a season ticket and a club that regularly sell tickets for the biggest game of the season on general sale and offer half season tickets? That is not bias from a bitter Red, that is the cold, hard truth. Would Everton be willing to foot half the bill for extra capacity they would have no use for? Would Liverpool forgo the option of a new stadium or redeveloped Anfield that would meet the club’s need to settle for a few capacity more than the current Anfield? If economics are the main reason behind the swathe of ground share articles and interviews over nigh on a decade, then the capacity issue makes no economic sense. Both clubs have different needs.

You and a neighbour are on the lookout for new cars. You’ve never got on, been quite competitive in the past, and don’t get on. He’s looking for a smaller car; you’re on the lookout for something bigger. Despite the fact you are both struggling to find the finance to purchase the car they need, would you expect them to compromise and club together to share a car because it makes financial sense? If they did decide to share a new car, one could never call it “their car”: the sense of pride in having something that belongs to an individual would no longer be there. You couldn’t put that air freshener you bought from Wickes up without asking the neighbour first, make any adjustments, receive the benefits of having a car belonging solely to oneself.

Of course, the analogy wears thin, but the ground share shares similar principles: it makes no sense whatsoever. shared stadium in the city would ensure that both clubs lost a huge part of their identity, end up with a stadium not totally suited to their respective need, and leave football on Merseyside in a far worse off condition than it currently is.

The ground share doesn’t work. We don’t want it. We didn’t want it in 2003, we don’t want it seven years on, and we won’t want it in seven years time. Broughton, Moyes, Kenwright, Elstone, Prentice, Bradley et al – take note.

More importantly, however, is that our new custodians get the message that has echoed around away grounds everytime one of the above has brought the issue back into the news: it is not an option.

It’s been difficult to muster the motivation to do a blog post on the goings on in the Anfield ownership saga in recent weeks.

Whilst anger and bemusement over the latest in gaffes by Messrs Hicks, Gillett, Purslow and Broughton were more than easy to comment on a daily basis, the wrangling for the club isn’t.

With all sides giving little information about their respective bids or motives, numerous ‘insiders’ interested in their own agendas and a list of names growing by the day connected to the sale, where do you start.

On Friday evening I was out and as I sat in a corner of a pub anxiously refreshing my phone for the non-committal statement by the club, it dawned on me. How have we got to this? How two days before the season was I googling seemingly random businessmen’s Wikipedia rather than making bets with Blues, stupidly talking up our title chances and nervously awaiting the sight of new signings in red?

All football fans should be knowledgable about the goings on in their club’s boardroom of course, but how on earth can we be expected to keep up with goings on. And, more importantly, how on earth can we be expected to try to stop the club being sold to Gillett and Hicks Mrk II?

No-one should naively believe a multi-billionaire with a love of Liverpool and cash to burn is waiting in the wings to build a stadium and buy the best players is waiting in the wings to right the past three years wrongs. But with investment and honesty, both fans and new owners can be appeased – fans through success on the field, and owners by a substantial long-term return on their investment.

Getting rid of the American parasites is essential for Liverpool Football Club to retain its status amongst the elite of club football. Equally as essential – in fact, more so – is getting it right next time. The club can not afford another era of mismanagement and being the cash cow of desperate businessmen rather than a well-ran profitable sporting institute.

It’s not the time scale of the sale that is becoming problematic – after all, had Parry and Moores taken more time to look at the American bid we may have avoided this whole mess – but the fact that we’re suddenly trying to comprehend the blinking game between chancers and businessmen. Trying to second guess Wall Street. Purchasing the Financial Times to try and comprehend what’s going on rather than the nationals.

At the minute however, there’s no way we can ensure this will happen. And despite the end being nigh for our detested owners – something that should undoubtedly be celebrated as a success story for the power fans have when they organise themselves as we have done – the whole sorry situation still leaves a bitter taste.

Milan Jovanovic (Standard Liege) Bosman Free

Joe Cole (Chelsea) Bosman Free

Danny Wilson (Rangers) £2m

Fabio Aurelio (Free) Re-Signed, out of contract

Christian Poulsen (Juventus) £4.55m

Total outgoing: £8.25m

Mikel San Jose (Bilbao) £2.5m

Yossi Benayoun (Chelsea) £6m

Albert Riera (Olympiakos) £3m

David Martin (MK Dons) Free transfer

Total incoming: £11.5m

Net spend: -£3.25m
(This page will be kept updated until the end of the transfer window)

May 2007. After a ballot took place to distribute the remaining tickets for the Champions League Final amongst Reds fans who had been to six games in the competition, there was widespread anger. The problem was simple – no-one seemed to be successful.

The maths didn’t add up. Internet forums got together and shared information. Out of thousands upon thousands of those entered into the ballot, around 5% were successful. Tickets were missing from the paltry allocation given to us by UEFA, and when Rick Parry patronisingly told the Liverpool Echo that he wasn’t prepared to “play the numbers game” anger reached fever pitch.

Hundreds of fans – some with tickets, some without – marched from The Sandon to Anfield to vent their frustrations.

This isn’t a problem that can be attributed to the Americans – although their huge allocation for their cronies didn’t help – but it marks the first time fans protested outside Anfield. It marked the first time fans said ‘enough is enough’ and made their voices heard. It was a crucial day in the history of fans of the club.

That takes us to the Sandon eight months later.

After Rafael Benítez publicly aired his grievances with co-owners Hicks and Gillett, there was a ‘March in Support of Rafa”. Despite the very real threat reflected in media reports of Benítez being sacked – the ‘Liverpool Way’ and resistance to publicly criticising the club with protests was still evident even after the Athens protest.

But those two protests paved the way for the meeting in the Sandon. It was Tom Hicks admitting to the Liverpool Echo that Jurgen Klinsmann had been approached to become Liverpool manager that became the straw that broke the camel’s back.

After texts and phone calls were made after posts calling for a meeting on internet boards, hundreds took up their places in the back room of the pub yards from Anfield. Chaired by Paul Rice, with Nicky Allt, Dave Usher, Alan Kayll, Andy Heaton and Neil Atkinson on the panel there was passionate and lengthy discussions on the situation.

At this time it was widely expected that Dubai would ride in and save us from Hicks and Gillett, but in the meantime efforts were stepped up to put unprecedented pressure on the owners. A boycott of club merchandise was agreed. Protests were voted in. The gloves were now off – whilst the afore mentioned protests were the first in the club’s history, they were about to become commonplace.

In the various exchanges and votes, it was decided that a group should be set-up to protest against the Americans ownership. Once the idea came from Allt that a union with fully paid up membership could influence not only the exit of the Americans but give a platform to ensure the fans had a voice on other matters, it was unanimously agreed upon by all.

After suggestions to the name of this organisation came thick and fast from the floor – “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” and “Girls Aloud” were the best of a bad bunch – the name “Sons of Shankly” was decided upon (changed at the next meeting to the “Spirit of Shankly” to represent the female members).

The rest as they say is history. Membership forms were out within weeks and leaflets handed out just a few days later. The landscape of our fanbase had changed forever.