Destabilising owner Hicks has no respect for Liverpool, blast supporters' clubs

Last updated at 16:20 17 April 2008

Liverpool fans' groups have criticised co-owner Tom Hicks' latest attack on the

way the club is run as "destabilising" ahead of next week's Champions League

semi-final.

The club has been plunged into civil war as the boardroom power battle rages

on, with Hicks, his estranged Anfield partner George Gillett, chief executive Rick Parry

and manager Rafael Benitez all involved.

Hicks demanded Parry's resignation in a letter last week, and went public in

his condemnation of the chief executive's decade of control at the weekend.

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Today Hicks launched another attack on Parry. He called Parry's reign

"disastrous," and claims he will soon be able to buy out Gillett and have the

money to fund the new stadium and finance Benitez's summer spending.

But fans' groups are angry at the timing of Hicks' latest attack. Neil

Atkinson, chairman of the Spirit of Shankly group set up to fight the

Americans' ownership, said: "We have a European Cup semi-final coming up

in a few days time and this is a terrible time to do what he has done.

"He thinks he can rattle out this sort of stuff and leave everyone to get on

with it. Rather than be silent and stay in the background over the next four or

five weeks.

"He had one big go in the week between the Arsenal semi-final and the

Hillsborough memorial service. There were huge numbers of supporters grieving for loved ones. It was a time

to be respectful and understand what this football club is all about.

"But Mr Hicks seems to have no respect for anyone. He didn't say anything on

the day of the service, but straight afterwards he is up and running again.

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"Tom Hicks has got no respect for football or this club. The man cannot be

trusted at all. He said there would be no debt on the club, but that is not what

has happened.

"The situation with Rick Parry is really an irrelevance. He is good for one

thing only, and that is his vote at board meetings to keep Hicks at bay.

"Apart from that, it looks as if whoever ends up owning the club, be it Hicks

or DIC, Rick Parry probably won't be in a job any more."

Les Lawson, spokesman for the Liverpool supporters' club, believes that nothing

Hicks has said will change the view the fans have of him.

He said: "We've seen what Hicks has said and we still want him out. For all

this to come out again as we are about to play Chelsea in the Champions League

semi-final has angered the fans more."

DIC believe Hicks is running into a financial brick wall in the knowledge there

is "no appetite" in the City of London for his plans.

A source said: "DIC will not rest until they own Liverpool Football Club.

However long it takes."

DIC also made it clear that Benitez's position - he has two years of his

contract still to run - is safe if they do eventually take over, and that he

will be given funds to spend in the transfer market.