American Owners of Liverpool FC should be ashamed of themselves

I question the American owners of Liverpool F.C., Tom Hicks and George Gillett, if they are truly sincere and just in their efforts to maintain this famous football club for years to come.

Note the statement both Americans made after their joint offer for Liverpool was accepted:

"Liverpool is a fantastic club with a remarkable history and a passionate fan base. We fully acknowledge and appreciate the unique heritage and rich history of Liverpool and intend to respect this heritage in the future. The Hicks family and the Gillett family are extremely excited about continuing the Club's legacy and tradition."

Of course, when they bought the club, they used borrowed money for their 218.9 million pounds takeover in March 2007. According to Forbes Magazine, Tom Hicks' fortune was estimated to have worth $1.3 billion dollars. George Gillett, Jr. has almost $6.0 billion dollars. Does it make financial sense to buy the whole entire club on debt alone? It would make sense to Liverpool fans if the buyers would pitch some of their own money to show how they want to own the club.

Then they got stingy with how much money they would make available for the January transfer window for new players. Of course, this involved arguing with manager, Rafa Benitez about it. Rafa wanted to get new players, the owners wanted Rafa to make do with what he has. They wanted Benitez to concentrate on coaching and training his existing pool of players. The fate of the manager was uncertain during this time despite statements made by the owners that their relationship was in no danger.

Then it turned out this month that Hicks approached former Germany coach Jurgen Klinsman with a view to him taking Rafa Benitez's role at the club. The Liverpool fans were clearly not happy with this.

Now, the American owners are trying to re-finance their existing loan. They want to secure a 350 million pound loan that would pay off the existing debt they used to buy the club, some players that were signed last summer, and funds to start work on a new stadium in Stanley Park.

Again, they are not putting forth any funds from their own personal fortunes. They have also scaled back their grandiose plans on building a new stadium. Plus, they wanted to shift some of the debt onto the club's budget. This would cleary impact on cash flow.

Sources have reported that the Americans may have hit a snag in their re-financing attempts. Now, you got Dubai International Capital (DIC) deciding whether to make an offer to buy out Hicks and co-owner George Gillett. Remember that DIC lost their bid to the Americans last March. Reports say that the DIC may offer 400 million pounds for the team.

Liverpool fans are questioning if the American owners are truthful in keeping their long-term commitment to the club or will they sell to DIC, and take the profit.

You see, if the Americans accept DIC's offer, they would make approximately 50 million pounds in profit. That would be a pretty good return for owning a club for less than a year and for not putting a single dollar of their own money into the club.

One thing for sure, if Hicks and Gillett sell the club, they are definitely not welcome in Liverpool for the foreseeable future.