By AVI CREDITOR
Williams. Yastrzemski. Ortiz. Gerrahhd?
Liverpool is on the verge of being sold to Boston Red Sox owners John Henry, Tom Werner and Larry Lucchino for a reported $477 million. Liverpool's board has approved the sale, and the Premier League has reportedly released a statement in which it will be ready to approve the sale later this week.
Current co-owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett are apparently opposed to the sale, but Liverpool chairman Martin Broughton is prepared to take legal action to force the owners out while keeping the current board of directors in tact, according to a report by the Associated Press. Hicks and Gillett are attempting to replace two board members to avoid completing the sale.
Henry, Werner and Lucchino have never owned a soccer franchise before, though Fenway Park in Boston did play host to a Celtic FC-Sporting Lisbon friendly over the summer.
Here are a few more stories to get you through the day:
VUCETICH IN LINE FOR MEXICO JOB?
Monterrey coach Victor Manuel Vucetich claims that he has been offered the head coaching job for the Mexican national team.
The Mexico Football Federation has claimed that it will announce the successor for Javier Aguirre, who resigned after the World Cup, on Oct. 18. Efrain Flores is currently the interim head coach of El Tri, which faces Venezuela in a friendly next Tuesday.
Vucetich, 55, currently has Monterrey in first place of its CONCACAF Champions League group and its Mexican Apertura group.
BALLACK'S INJURY WORSENS
Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Michael Ballack's injury situation is worse than originally thought, and he will be out until at least January.
Tests revealed that not only did Ballack fracture his shin, but he also tore ligaments in the same area after being on the wrong end of a challenge by Hannover 96's Sergio Pinto.
Ballack, who was set to reclaim the captaincy for the German national team, will not be available for national team selection until Germany's friendly with Italy in February at the earliest.
TOTTENHAM COULD MOVE TO OLYMPIC STADIUM
Instead of rebuilding White Hart Lane, Tottenham could be moving to the Olympic Stadium in East London after the 2012 Summer Olympics.
West Ham has already submitted a bid to overtake the stadium, which reportedly could have the running track stripped from around the pitch after the Olympics are over. Los Angeles-based sports and entertainment firm AEG has gone in on a joint bid with Tottenham to secure the Olympic Stadium, and its chief executive, David Campbell, has been quoted as saying that he's more confident in Tottenham's fan base filling the stadium as opposed to that of West Ham.
BENAYOUN TEARS ACHILLES
Chelsea summer acquisition Yossi Benayoun has been diagnosed with a ruptured Achilles' tendon and will be sidelined for an indefinite period of time.
The injury is likely more of a blow to Israel's Euro 2012 qualifying hopes than it is to Chelsea, which has the midfield depth to overcome Benayoun's absence. Israel, which is tied with Croatia for the most points in Group F, faces Greece and Croatia in its next two Euro qualifiers. Malta, Georgia and Latvia are the other teams in its group.
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Do you think this potential sale of Liverpool is good for the club? Disappointed that another American owner with baseball ties is stepping in? Think Vucetich is a good fit for Mexico? Do you see Ballack every playing for Germany again? Excited at the prospect of Tottenham moving to the Olympic Stadium, or do you think West Ham deserves the site more? How do you see Benayoun's injury affecting Chelsea?
Share your thoughts below.
I hope they buy the Revs as well.
I think you’re mistaking an understanding and connection with baseball as a respect for English tradition and tradition everywhere else. You’d be sorely mistaken to think an American company is not going to come in there and try to earn some big bucks making it some commercial spectacle that distracts fans from the passion of the game in the hopes of getting more money from their wallets.
Bob. Welcome to real life. Soccer culture in England was nurtured and created from the ground up, primarily by the traditions of drinking songs and chants created by the fans. Baseball is a sport where nothing exciting is happening most of the time so the owners must seek to entertain the fans with contrived songs and video boards that direct them to sing and chant, with all kinds of bells and whistles to try and make the game, boring for most, seem more exciting than it is. I find it hard to believe that these people, who are wealthy Americans living in a bubble, have any sort of real understanding of the culture of soccer in England. And, I do believe that Americans and their corporate, commercial mentality are in danger of stripping from the game what makes it beautiful. The style of English soccer truly relies on the fans, with its constant end-to-end attacking. It’s hard to keep that up in a quiet stadium. And, I do think that American corporate mentality will try to merchandise the hell out of English soccer to the point that it takes away the connection with the players and makes the game about some sort of disconnected spectacle where the only real connection is the fans the impression of a connection through gear and distraction.
Where are you from, Chupacabra? Doesn’t sound to me like you’re an Englishman. And, therefore, how would you rightly know what is consistently the loudest home? Would I be correct in surmising that you haven’t been to many English matches? Smells of it.
Newcastle hasn’t had that problem. St. James is probably the loudest sports venue I’ve ever been to.