Kop is Anfield's heart and soul

Last updated : 31 March 2007 By Chris Bascombe, Liverpool Echo

As Tom Hicks and George Gillett take their place for the first time as co-chairmen in the Directors' Box today, they're ready to hit the ground running in the process of making Liverpool an even more astute purchase.

Hicks and his family prepared for this afternoon's clash with Arsenal in the luxurious 62 Castle Street Hotel, a prime location from which to assess the renaissance of our city which they intend to replicate in Anfield.

Since their first trip to Merseyside, Hicks and Gillett have shown their determination to absorb as much information about the club, the fans and the city as possible.

Last week's fans survey, in which a cross section of 40,000 Liverpool supporters were quizzed on their hopes for the new stadium, was the tip of the iceberg.

Plans are afoot to hold a supporters' forum to hear the grassroots views on the way forward.

And last night, Hicks' sons, Tommy and Alex, armed with their impressive new cowboy boots with the club badge stitched on, took in the sights and sounds of Mathew Street's pubs on a mission to hear what supporters really felt about their family's involvement.

The early stages of their takeover appear to be a combination of discovery, reassessment and, ultimately, the speedy application of a strategy which unashamedly aims to, for want of a better phrase, knock Manchester United 'off their perch'.

Another hectic 48 hours on Merseyside beckons, with the much publicised meeting with Rafa Benitez preceding key meetings with planners which will ultimately decide the fate of the Stanley Park Stadium.

"We're meeting after today's game with planners. We hope we can reach agreement so that we can start work in the park by June," explained Hicks.

"We are working very hard with a great team of architects to come up with a new design which is consistent with the approved plan. We hope there won't be a significant delay.

"We recognise the Kop is the heart of the stadium, and the new design will reflect this.

"The Kop will be larger than it would have been in the old plans. We hope to build the stadium in such a way that it will be possible to expand at a later time, so far as the plans will allow. It's going to be more expensive than the previous design, but our priority is to make this stadium the best in the world.

"We've one opportunity to ensure Liverpool continues it's tradition for being the best football club in the world, not just for now, but for the next 50 years.

If finalising the stadium plans is top of the agenda, reassuring Rafa Benitez is by no means a secondary concern.

Recent speculation regarding Real Madrid was valid but, thankfully, fended off thanks to a series of e-mails and phone calls.

But the face-to-face meeting will be welcomed by everyone.

"We had a good meeting with Rafa the first time we came over," said Hicks.

"I got the sense he wants to change many things here. He has fresh ideas on a variety of subjects. We'll talk about the money he has for transfers and I know he wants to talk about how we develop young players and also about extending the contracts of players such as Steven Gerrard.

"I was a little surprised to hear some of the stories back in England recently because we really wanted to meet Rafa at the Barcelona game, but we thought it would be inappropriate because we didn't own the club at that stage. We decided it would be better to wait until we had unconditional control.

"I think Rafa wondered why we didn't see him then, but it was just a bit of confusion.

"Much of what we discuss will remain private. I'm always asked by reporters 'what's the budget for the team this year' and I always say it's player specific. If we sign a player of a certain value it's one thing, but it doesn't mean if you're not successful with that deal you're prepared to spend the same amount for a bunch of crummy players."

The new owners are also planning to significantly expand Liverpool's commercial activities (the Liverpool FC cowboy boots could be a big seller), and intend using the expertise of their American sports clubs to assist.

"We know there's a lot of work we can do to develop the global brand, but we've only scratched the surface of what's possible at this stage," says Hicks.

"We've brought the president of the Dallas Stars and Montreal Canadians over to meet Rick Parry and there'll be a lot of brainstorming sessions to see what can be done.

"When you look at Manchester United and Real Madrid, you can see they've done a better job in this area and there's no particular reason why that should be the case."

Prior to the takeover, Liverpool agreed a new £21m deal with Carlsberg.

While that remains intact, somewhat cryptically, Hicks admitted there would be further discussions regarding the true value of that shirt sponsorship.

He said, rather carefully: "The Carlsberg deal is still in place, but we've had a meeting with them and told them we want to work together to see how we can make the partnership even more valuable for both of us, globally."

As Liverpool enter an exciting new era, clearly many questions regarding the stadium and development of the team will remain unanswered until visions for the future can be translated into reality.

But there's no doubt the immediate plans of the new owners, if realised, will put the club in a strong position to reclaim its position at the top of English football.

"Our families are very excited about this and for Alex it will be his first game at Anfield today. The new board is now in place, and today we'll be at the chairman's dining table as owners of the club, with our good friend, David Moores, with us. The Arsenal match will be a very special game for all of us."