Billionaire Robert Kraft: We came very very close to buying Liverpool

[the dude abides]

Yesterday, American billionaire Robert Kraft, owner of American Football franchise New England Patriots and MLS side New England Revolution, admitted he was very close to buying Liverpool before Hicks and Gillett became involved.

"I met with [the then chairman] David Moores, who is a fine gentleman, and we came very close to buying it, very close," he said.

"But in the end my instinct was - without a salary cap, or a stadium... I wasn't sure how we'd get a stadium built quickly and efficiently.

"If the salary cap was there, we would have done it."

[Tes]

Shame Kraft didn't get involved but when you see how the transfer market has gone crazy again with the introduction of 'non budgeted' income, City and Madrid, you could see why it was unappealing to him. He also had some nice things to say about the fans, and with a sports 'business' (I've paraphrased there) winning was the most important thing.

BTW, with all the rumours that Chelsea are going to be spending £50M here and £40 there, whatever happened to Abramovich tightening the financial reins and Kenyan's much vaunted talk about Chelsea being 'self sustaining' in 2010, 2011, 2012 or whenever they settled on the target year for it to happen? 

[wittsy]

BTW, with all the rumours that Chelsea are going to be spending £50M here and £40 there, whatever happened to Abramovich tightening the financial reins and Kenyan's much vaunted talk about Chelsea being 'self sustaining' in 2010, 2011, 2012 or whenever they settled on the target year for it to happen? 

That went down the pan when they came in 3rd in the Prem and no CL final. : )

[the dude abides]

Shame Kraft didn't get involved but when you see how the transfer market has gone crazy again with the introduction of 'non budgeted' income, City and Madrid, you could see why it was unappealing to him. He also had some nice things to say about the fans, and with a sports 'business' (I've paraphrased there) winning was the most important thing.

BTW, with all the rumours that Chelsea are going to be spending £50M here and £40 there, whatever happened to Abramovich tightening the financial reins and Kenyan's much vaunted talk about Chelsea being 'self sustaining' in 2010, 2011, 2012 or whenever they settled on the target year for it to happen? 

Yes, Kraft had his analysis spot on.

And the proof is in the pudding.  Here we are with two carpetbaggers, who will fight to the last drop of the club's blood, to maximise their final cut.  We are paying over 30 million quid interest annually, merely to enable them to buy our club.  And we still haven't paid for a stadium as yet.

Despite what the sheep say, we do need Platini and Blatter to step in and bring some sense to the financing of football. 

With the world in economic turmoil, I find the antics of Real Madrid (and other top clubs and players) to be frankly quite sickening.

Enough is enough.

[Juan]

Yes, Kraft had his analysis spot on.

And the proof is in the pudding.  Here we are with two carpetbaggers, who will fight to the last drop of the club's blood, to maximise their final cut.  We are paying over 30 million quid interest annually, merely to enable them to buy our club.  And we still haven't paid for a stadium as yet.

Despite what the sheep say, we do need Platini and Blatter to step in and bring some sense to the financing of football. 

With the world in economic turmoil, I find the antics of Real Madrid (and other top clubs and players) to be frankly quite sickening.

Enough is enough.

There is something seriously wrong with the game in general when David Beckham aged 34 makes 498k a week.

[the dude abides]

There is something seriously wrong with the game in general when David Beckham aged 34 makes 498k a week.

I agree, Juan.

The numbers I hear re Ronaldo's final years of his contract at Real Madrid are similarly nauseating.

As I've said here a few times, I cancelled my entire Sky subscription some 5 years ago.  I lost my lifelong interest in the game.  Players and clubs were no longer on the same planet as me. 

I'd far rather fund a school or poor people in the third world, than add to the wages of premiership footballers.

[Texas_Dawg]

"But in the end my instinct was - without a salary cap, or a stadium... I wasn't sure how we'd get a stadium built quickly and efficiently.

"If the salary cap was there, we would have done it."

LOL!  So you were as "close" as a salary cap in English football to buying the team, Bob?

I guess we were all pretty close to buying LFC then.

Funny stuff.

[the dude abides]

LOL!  So you were as "close" as a salary cap in English football to buying the team, Bob?

I guess we were all pretty close to buying LFC then.

Funny stuff.

Texas Dawg - I wish you'd come out and reveal your linkage to Hicks and Gillett.

Your repeated posts, in the defence of the pair, make absolutely no sense.

[Tes]

Dude, let Tom Hicks Jr have his fun. Afterall with a Dad like he's got he needs all the distractions he can get.

[buck]

Am I the only one who is bored with TD's comments?

[Tes]

Am I the only one who is bored with TD's comments?

The Dawg has his viewpoint just as we all have our personal opinions. We may not agree with him but his contribution is as valid as any one else's. Though I agree in so much as he does sometimes dodge pointed questions but apart from that.

[Texas_Dawg]

Texas Dawg - I wish you'd come out and reveal your linkage to Hicks and Gillett.

I've done that many times, fwiw.  I've been very open about the fact that I'm just a friend of the Hicks family.

[Texas_Dawg]

The Dawg has his viewpoint just as we all have our personal opinions. We may not agree with him but his contribution is as valid as any one else's. Though I agree in so much as he does sometimes dodge pointed questions but apart from that.

I understand that most are going to instinctively disagree with me because I support the Hickses.

But step back for a second and consider the silliness of what Kraft is saying here.  He is saying that he was close to buying LFC... but the main sticking point was no salary cap in the EPL.  As if a salary cap is something that was ever going to happen in the EPL.

This is like me saying that I was close to traveling to Mars yesterday... but I dind't have a spaceship.

[the dude abides]

I've done that many times, fwiw.  I've been very open about the fact that I'm just a friend of the Hicks family.

would it be correct to say that your friends, i.e. Tom Hickz and his people, 'encourage' you to post in forum/s?

[the dude abides]

But step back for a second and consider the silliness of what Kraft is saying here.  He is saying that he was close to buying LFC... but the main sticking point was no salary cap in the EPL.  As if a salary cap is something that was ever going to happen in the EPL.

This is like me saying that I was close to traveling to Mars yesterday... but I dind't have a spaceship.

how do you know it's (i.e. a salary cap) a ridiculous notion?

How many decades have you been following football in England?  What is your experience of the workings of the English football authorities?  What is your experience of EU labour and wage related laws?

Many said decades ago that the maximum wage was here to stay.....and then, lo and behold, Jimmy Hill helped get it abandoned. 

But beyond doing a google search right now, on such an issue as Jimmy Hill and the maximum wage, I strongly suspect that you know very very little about English football before your friend Oliver Hardy bought Liverpool FC.