What do we want from new owners?

On 16th April 2010 Tom Hicks and George Gillett signalled the beginning of the end of their time in charge of Liverpool Football Club. After just over three years of debt, lies and broken promises the American owners had seemingly provided desperate supporters with a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel, by announcing that the club was up for sale.

Hicks and Gillett were finally selling up, and that was, and remains a reason to stay positive despite of the turmoil that currently engulfs Anfield.

Although it feels like the club will never be sold (after all, according to Martin Broughton the club hasn't received any official offers yet), eventually Hicks and Gillett will have to depart Anfield. There is no future for them on Merseyside.

The important part now is ensuring that suitable owners arrive as soon as possible.

Any new owner must start off by providing long-term financial stability, in stark contrast to the Yanks, who began by risking the very existence of the football club by loading us with massive amounts of debt.

With Liverpool's debts presently standing at an unbelievable £351.4 million the club is in severe danger of doing "a Leeds" and plummeting down the football pyramid as top stars are sold to appease the banks.

All senior officials at the club continually state that the star players will not have to be sold to service the debt, however, can we really trust anyone of those liars at the club right now?

Any new owners must have the financial clout to be able to wipe the club's debt clear, or at least significantly remove the threat of excessive debt ruining the club we all love.

After financial stability has been achieved the new owner, whoever that may be, must invest in building up the squad. Liverpool have a strong spine, with a world-class goalkeeper, three very good centre backs, a strong midfield and a sensational striker in the form of Fernando Torres.

However, the squad needs deepening and improving if we are to compete at the highest level for the foreseeable future. The difference between Liverpool and the other top sides over recent season's is that the likes of Chelsea and Manchester United can afford to keep world class players on the bench, whereas we can barely afford to have world class players out on the pitch.

Although we undoubtedly have several world-class players, and many other talented performers, we still need investment in the side, and that must remain a high priority for any new owner.

To provide the manager with resources to buy new players the new owner must increase revenue streams. Admittedly, the people who Hicks and Gillett employed, namely Christian Purslow and Ian Ayre, have done quite well in this area, with their main success seeing them seal a much-improved shirt sponsorship deal with Standard Chartered.

However, they failed to build a new stadium, something that is crucial to increasing income, and therefore providing additional funds for the manager to spend. Liverpool are generating less income in comparison to our main rivals due to our much smaller stadium size and slightly cheaper ticket prices. Whilst any new owner should endeavour to keep ticket prices at a reasonable level, they must also seek to get started on building a new stadium.

Most importantly, the new owner must respect the traditions of our great club, and uphold the Liverpool Way. They must be respectful and honest to the supporters, they must back the manager and they must not deal with private spats in public, giving the media material to criticise the club.

Bill Shankly put it perfectly. He said, "At a football club, there's a holy trinity- the players, the manager and the supporters. Directors don't come into it. They are only there to sign the cheques."

That's what supporters must be looking for from new owners. Someone to sign the cheques and then let the manager get on with his job.

YNWA