Director's Son Abuses Fans (Non-QPR Of Course)

And an apology!

Liverpool Echo

Owner's son Tom Hicks Junior apologises to Liverpool FC fan for sending abusive email
Jan 10 2010 Dominic King

* READ the original Blood Red column that sparked the exchange here

TOM HICKS JR has apologised to a Liverpool supporter after he was accused of sending an abusive email.

The Dallas based Liverpool director and son of co-owner Tom Hicks Senior was contacted by Stephen Horner, a concerned fan, who emailed him an extract of a Liverpool Echo article published this weekend.

The extract contained a series of points raised in the Football Echo's Blood Red Column this weekend. The article analysed and explored the challenges facing Rafa Benitez.

But just before 4am in Texas yesterday (10am in England), Hicks Jr sent one reply calling Mr Horner “an idiot”.

He then sent another email – this time with Liverpool’s financial and commercial directors Philip Nash and Ian Ayre copied in – which told Horner: “Blow me f*** face. Go to Hell. I’m sick of you.”

Mr Horner says he was shocked by the outburst but late last night, he was again contacted by Hicks Jr, this time to say sorry for the incident.

The email read: “Stephen, I apologize for losing my temper and using bad language with you. It was a kneejerk reaction. Tommy”

Liverpool – who have sold Andriy Voronin and Andrea Dossena this weekend to Dinamo Moscow and Napoli respectively – were not making any comment today on the incident but the club insist neither Mr Nash or Mr Ayre received the original email.

This is not the first time that Hicks Jr has clashed with Liverpool supporters.

He was at the centre of a heated row in the Sandon Pub, near Anfield, in February 2008 after the Reds had beaten Middlesbrough 3-2 - read here.


Tom Hicks Jnr: How visit to the Sandon turned nasty

Feb 25 2008 by Tony Barrett, Liverpool Echo
Tom Hicks / Sandon pub

Liverpool FC reporter Tony Barrett was in the Sandon when Tom Hicks Jr dropped in. This is what he witnessed ...

UNLESS Birmingham City’s Martin Taylor decides to pop into Eduardo’s north London local for a swift half, it would be hard to imagine a more ill-judged pub visit than the one which took place in Anfield on Saturday evening.

Rumours of Tom Hicks junior going for a pint at the Sandon – the very place where Liverpool’s most hardcore support congregates before and after matches – would have been almost impossible to believe had I not seen it with my own eyes.

In a display of bravery beyond the call of family duty or crass stupidity and insensitivity, depending on your point of view, Tommy waltzed into the packed watering hole without a care in the world.

Well, he was surrounded by a team of burly minders, so what is there to care about?

Hicks arrived outside the Sandon an hour after he watched the team his dad so controversially owns beat Middlesbrough 3-2.

Emerging from a silver people carrier, he enjoyed a cigarette outside before pulling out a camera and taking pictures of the exterior of the pub, the birthplace of Liverpool FC.

Even while he was puffing and snapping away, his security were never too far away from him.

Someone had clearly warned them young Tommy may not be too popular in L4 given the way his father is viewed by the vast majority of Liverpool’s fans.

As supporters looked on, some oblivious to who this well protected individual was and others all too well aware, Hicks junior then told his bodyguards he fancied a drink and walked into the pub.

The Sandon may not be a coliseum and it may not have contained any lions but there was an inescapable feeling Roman-style blood sports were about to take place.

Having avoided the main bar, Hicks junior went to the slightly less crowded middle bar and ordered a pint of lager for himself and soft drinks for his always on-duty security guards.

As soon as he spoke, ears began pricking up and people quickly realised the identity of Texan in their midst.

It isn’t exactly difficult to spot a sharp-suited American in a pub full of Adidas Samba wearing locals after all – and word spread around the boozer quicker than news of a goal against Man United.

All of a sudden, the bar was packed as fans flocked from all corners of the Sandon to see if the seemingly unbelievable rumour sweeping the pub was true. And it was.

At first, Hicks junior had nothing more troublesome to cope with than a few direct questions as to why he was there, what his dad was doing with the club and whether or not they were about to sell out to DIC.

Such polite questioning reflected the shock that someone so closely connected with the least popular man at Anfield – apart from Gary Neville – would have the chutzpah to turn up in their midst.

One fan took it upon himself to press Hicks junior on what was going on and interrogated him Paxman-style for a full five minutes.

But while that was going on, the mood was turning increasingly nasty as anger replaced the shock.

A volley of protest songs – aired with increasing regularity on the Kop in recent months – rang out throughout the pub and the venom being directed at Hicks junior was plain for all to see.

All of a sudden, his smile was replaced by a grimace of concern.

And as the volume was cranked up still further by the swollen crowd, Tommy’s facial expression quickly changed.

It appeared to say “Get Me Out Of Here” to his bodyguards.

At least his desire to evacuate showed he had something in common with the fans who, by that stage, had adapted one of their favourite protest songs to inform him, not too politely, that the “lying b******d” should get out of their pub.

Hicks junior has not told any lies of course. And guilt by association is a heavy burden for any son to have to bear.

But as his father’s representative at Anfield on Saturday it borders on the inexplicable that he could have expected anything other than the “welcome” he was given.

As his bodyguards got closer one fan swilled Hicks junior with a pint of lager – and given the price of a pint in the Sandon after the match that’s quite a protest.

Another spat in his direction.

It was ugly and it was nasty. And, perhaps worst of all it was all so avoidable.

As it became increasingly clear things could have been about to go badly wrong, Hicks’ bodyguards decided discretion was indeed the better part of valour. They positioned themselves around him and guided him out of the pub through the hostile crowd and into the people carrier.

His hasty departure was totally at odds with the way he sauntered into the pub.

And yet it is hard to imagine that he expected to get anything other than the reception he got, given the feelings of the fans towards the regime he is a part of.

At best, it was a well meaning attempt to build some bridges on Hicks junior’s part.

At worst, it was yet another failure to understand English football culture and proof of the failure of Liverpool’s owners to grasp just how unpopular they have become.

One thing is for sure – Tom Hicks jnr is unlikely to be going for another pint at the Sandon any time soon.

I wanted to talk to fans, says Tom Hicks’s son

TOM Hicks Jnr today spoke for the first time about being forced to leave an Anfield pub by a group of Liverpool fans.

The son of Liverpool’s co-owner beat a hasty retreat from the Sandon pub after being confronted by supporters angry at the way his father is running the club.

After being swilled with lager and spat at, Hicks Jnr was shepherded to safety by a team of burly bodyguards.

But today he insisted such incidents “come with the territory” and vowed to return to Liverpool in the near future.

He told the ECHO: “I went to Sandon with some friends because I have wanted to go for quite some time to see the birthplace of the club.

“I also wanted the opportunity to have a direct talk with some of the supporters.

“I respect that some patrons have major disagreement with us, but that comes with the territory.

“I did have several constructive conversations in my short visit and look forward to following up with them next time I am in Liverpool.”

Hicks jnr turned up at the Sandon on Saturday evening after Liverpool’s game against Middlesbrough at Anfield.

He took pictures of the exterior of the pub before going inside with the security staff who have shadowed him throughout his stay on Merseyside.

He ordered drinks at the bar and stood chatting with his bodyguards before fans in the packed pub began to recognise him.

At first, the conversations were cordial with one Liverpool supporter approaching him to register his disquiet about the way Liverpool Football Club is being run.

But as an increasing number of fans recognised the 6ft 4ins Texan, the atmosphere soon turned ugly and Mr Hicks and his bodyguards quickly became nervous.

Mr Hicks decided to evacuate, but not before he was spat at by one fan and swilled with lager by another.

He was surrounded by his bodyguards and rushed out of the establishment and into a waiting people carrier which sped away from the scene as angry fans spilled out of the pub.

Reports the vehicle suffered £1,000 worth of damage seemed to be unfounded.

The people carrier had left before any supporters even made it onto the street.

Mr Hicks has not made a complaint to Merseyside police and is looking to play down the incident.

Afterwards he was taken back to the city centre Malmaison hotel where he mixed with tourists and had at least one pre-arranged meeting with one group of Liverpool supporters.

Yesterday he watched the Carling Cup final between Tottenham and Chelsea at Wembley.

www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-fc/liverpool-fc-news/2010/01/10/owner-s-son-tom-hicks-junior-apologises-to-liverpool-fc-fan-for-sending-abusive-email-100252-25566448/
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Part of me thinks fair play to him. I am sure he has been on the receiving end of alot worse than that in the past.

Not the brightest thing to do and say but part of me respects the fact he had the balls to fight back.