He May Never Walk Alone, but Can New Liverpool Chairman Save the Day?

For those Liverpool fans that watched new Chairman Martin Broughton's slick inauguration speech last Friday with renewed optimism concerning their beloved club, it may be pertinent to question the new boy's claims.

As an adopted scouser myself, I feel the optimistic side of me pulling my heart strings to Mr Broughton's tune. My pessimistic rationale, however, worked overtime to scrutinise his attempts at adding vigour to this ailing club during his live broadcast for BBC Sport. (Which can be seen below)

His biggest claim for fan support was his insistence that current Liverpool owners Hicks and Gillett will at last sell up, to the euphoria of the vast majority of Reds fans, and that Mr Broughton will only seek to sell to the "right new owners".

This earnest statement seemed only to raise more questions than it answered. The "right new owners" for who? Broughton now heads a 5-man board at Anfield that includes Hicks and Gillett, but when the decision of selling is to be made, I doubt the "independent" chairman's influence.

Broughton insists that he will "make it very clear what the buyer needs to do from the point of view of the supporters", but what obligation do the American duo owe to the fans that have been so hostile?

Imagine a £400m offer arrives on Broughton's desk from a deep-pocketed life-long Liverpool fan who insists a new stadium will be up before the next solar eclipse and that Fernando Torres will have a new strike partner before David N'Gog has to return to his real day job. Meanwhile, Hicks' and Gillett's valuation of £600m+ is met by a consortium that will borrow against the established name of LFC and will issue promises to raise the cash for the stadium. Which one would be accepted, really?

Why should Hicks and Gillett take a £200m pay cut to enhance the lives of the fans that have effectively forced them out? I very much doubt Broughton's influence on the men when dollar signs can be seen on the horizon.

And lets not forget that Broughton comes to us as Chairman of a British Airways organisation that is notoriously unpopular with its workforce. Hope, however, lies with the fact that Broughton, as British American Tobacco Chairman, alienated himself from the tobacco industry by striking an internal blow , declaring: "I want never to see my own children smoke". Costing companies millions and disregarding his own name to potentially save lives, not bad.

Is he prepared to take this mutinous stance at Liverpool, and if so would Hicks and Gillett allow him to spoil their pay day?

The American Dream, or Scouse Nightmare?

They arrived in 2007 with tales of a gleaming new stadium, increased funds for the purchase of players to take Liverpool to that elusive Premier League title, and assurances that they would not 'do a Glazer'.

Liverpool's American owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett promised Reds fans the world, and now - three years on - we can all see the emptiness in their fatuous pledges.

So, is the latest news that a new group of American businessmen looking to invest in Liverpool a relief, or more agony?

The New York based Rhône Group have 'offered' £110m for a 40% stake in the Merseyside club, deftly highlighting the financial peril that Liverpool are currently in.

As football lovers, we can generally not profess to have the greatest grasp on the intricacies of global economics, with our average vocabulary on the subject consisting mainly of; 'credit crunch' or 'administration'. But the terms of this offer would baffle even the most weathered financial guru.

The main point is that none of this proposed £110m would go into Hicks' or Gillett's pocket, but instead, would serve to reduce Liverpool's £237m debts owed to The Royal Bank of Scotland and American bank Wachovia.

This debt has accumulated only because Hicks and Gillett borrowed money to take over, and burdened Liverpool FC with the responsibility of repaying it. Sounds very Glazer-ish to me.

Rhône's bid, the only firm investment offer Liverpool have received recently, would reduce the American duo to a 30% stake each, with Hicks and Gillett effectively receiving nothing for relinquishing a controlling stake in the club.

This offer has predictably been termed as "not lucrative enough" by Hicks, but these intimations are unlikely to stick if Rhône's offer remains the only tangible bid. This is because they are pinned by a deadline imposed by RBS, who insist that Liverpool's £110m debt to them be reduced by July.

Unless an Arab multi-millionaire swoops to save the day, the likelihood is that Liverpool will have a new group of American NFL fans to contend with in the director's seats, and with the irregularities of this ambiguous deal - how can it fill the fans of England's most decorated club with confidence?

And running the risk of sounding a little xenophobic; it seems that one example of acerbic Scouse humour, immortalised by the traditional Kop flag, is unfortunately ringing true:

Liverpool FC - Built by Shanks - Broke by Yanks.

Here's a quick video showing a passionate group of Liverpool fans protesting against their American owners outside Anfield prior to the Premier League fixture against Hull last September: