The word administration will universally strike fear in football fans. Points deductions and a mass exodus of players is something that will normally follow after a club slips in to administration, however I am certain Liverpool won’t have to suffer the costs of the dreaded A word.
British newspapers are today reporting that Liverpool slipping in to administration will mean the collapse of the NESV takeover. However I can’t see why Liverpool’s finances will collapse in that way.
If the High Court rules that the NESV takeover cannot be completed, then it will be down to the Royal Bank of Scotland to decide the clubs fate. Their options would then be, to call in the massive debt, and effectively repossess the club, or to extend the time given to Tom Hicks and George Gillett to repay the loans.
The later of the two options seems highly unlikely given the duos past record of paying their debts. So what would happen if the club was to be repossessed?
In this case the Bank of Scotland could appoint an administrator, however it would seem pure madness to do so when there is a party who is actively looking to buy the club. The most sensible solution would appear to be for NESV to simply clear the clubs debt with RBS and therefore takeover the club.
So Liverpool fans shouldn’t be alarmed by the murmurs of administration because it would be a move that wouldn’t suit any party. As long as there is interest in the club, Liverpool will not be going in to administration. With a club of Liverpool’s history and prowess, there will always be interest.
Yes this is all speculation, and with the strange dealings that have gone at Liverpool during the past few weeks and months maybe we should expect the bizarre, but you have to feel that Anfield will be free of the burden of Hicks and Gillett in the not so distant future.
On a side note, Tom Hicks summed up his relationship with Liverpool fans by saying they “are a noise we are dealing with.” I think that says it all about this regime and the desperate need for change on Merseyside.
