Let's all kick the American cowboys back to Brokeback Mountain where they belong.;(
basket brokeback cowboys.
no $$ still talk big.
Liverpool duo bank on £350m loan
By Phil McNulty
Chief football writer
Liverpool owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett believe they can complete a £350m refinancing deal by Thursday to secure their immediate Anfield future.
City observers said on Wednesday the package was under threat, with Dubai International Capital (DIC) waiting in the wings for a possible takeover.
But BBC Sport has learned the pair are convinced the deal is imminent.
The package is expected to help the American duo repay money borrowed for their £218.9m takeover in March 2007.
It was also used to sign players last summer, and will help finance work on a redesigned new stadium in Stanley Park.
Hicks and Gillett were the target of crowd demonstrations from Liverpool supporters unhappy with their regime during Monday's televised game against Aston Villa, with banners calling for DIC to mount a bid for control.
But Hicks, in particular, has remained defiant in the face of protests and insisted he had no intention of selling his 50% share in the club.
"I've not received any offer to purchase the club from DIC or anyone else, much less accepted any such offer," Hicks said on Monday.
It remains to be seen whether DIC, the investment arm of the Dubai government, will now pull out of a proposed bid to take control at Anfield, with the refinancing package unlikely to clear all the clouds of uncertainty over the club.
Some City sources believe the new deal, and its interest payments, will only be a financial "sticking plaster" and DIC will wait to see if there are further problems for Hicks and Gillett while maintaining an interest in buying Liverpool.
Liverpool decided to sell to Hicks and Gillett instead of DIC in March 2007 but the American businessmen in particular Hicks, have been criticised for the way they have run the club.
Hicks admitted to talks last November with Jurgen Klinsmann about the German taking over from Rafael Benitez as manager.
The owners and Benitez have also had a very public spat after the Spaniard criticised their transfer policy.
If Hicks has cemented his position via the loan, Benitez's long-term prospects look bleak.
And Liverpool fans will be even more critical after an interview, first broadcast on the Major League Baseball website six months ago, was publicised by the British press on Wednesday.
"People are worried that I might take money away from the Texas Rangers [Hicks' baseball franchise] to go to Liverpool," Hicks said.
"But it is just the reverse. Liverpool is going to throw off lots of extra money which, if I choose to, I can use for the Rangers or the Dallas Stars ice hockey team."