KopTalk.com Forums Football Liverpool FC Forum No new Liverpool stadium until recession ends

LONDON (AP) - Liverpool's new stadium will not be built until the global recession is over and credit becomes available to finance the $800 million project.

The 60,000-seat replacement for Liverpool's historic but crumbling Anfield ground was due to have opened next year, but the economic downturn forced co-owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett Jr. to halt building work last August.

The American owners had said it would be a "short-term delay," but they are still not able to put a date on building work resuming.

"Construction on the stadium will begin when the current contraction in the banking industry ends and the global financial markets re-establish their equilibrium," Liverpool's new managing director Christian Purslow said.

Purslow hopes the stadium on the adjacent Stanley Park will be ready in time for 2018 to stage World Cup matches should England's bid to stage the showcase event prove successful.

"The centerpiece is to deliver a world-class football ground that everyone can be proud of, a new home for the club with a stadium of at least 60,000 seats, giving the best possible match experience," Purslow said.

Liverpool has been financially hamstrung by the economics of 45,000-capacity Anfield, where there are just 34 luxury suites and few amenities to generate extra funding to enhance the squad.

Manchester United's Old Trafford can welcome 76,000 fans and Arsenal moved from 38,000-seat Highbury into 60,000-seat Emirates Stadium in July 2006.

Liverpool vice-captain Jamie Carragher has said he is embarrassed and irritated by the delays in replacing the stadium.

Millions of pounds were written-off when existing plans to replace Anfield were ditched after Liverpool was bought by the Hicks and Gillett in 2007 so architects from Hicks' native Texas could design a more spectacular stadium.

nothing new really, but a couple of newspapers reports on this one today...

I'd be very surprised if anything started before Xmas.

I'd be very surprised if anything started at all.

the sad thing is that carra and stevie probably never will play at the new stadium

exactly

dont know what are we waiting for .just discussions????????

Just think if a Dubai Consortium had bought us, specially with the type of state of the art structures that r u in Dubai. Anfield would've been the most beautiful soffisticated stadium in Europe i think.

Yes, but we aint have the luxury of DIC.

To me, it is Moores, he was milking the club as much as he could, it was with minimal investment, only refunding players, he didnt keep his eye on what was going on in Manchester, those mancs were building and growing.

This stadium will not even start within the next 3 years, if it does start at all, they will milk the club of all it profits, and they will pay off their debt with the profits generated by Stevie and Fernando.

After they own the club and the debt is settled, they credit market should be opened up, then they will load massive debt again to fund the stadium.

The critical thing at the point of financing the stadium is, if we dont perform on the pitch... we will slump back to mid table mediocrity.

1stly becasue we will not be able to compete with other top teams for players, we will not be the team with the flavour...

Risky businesss this building of stadiums, cos it can set you back for a decade.

It all starts with Moores and mismanagement, lack of forsight..

moores is at fault as i know for a fact that he was told on a number of occasions that he should stop waiting to buy up the streets around anfield and to look elsewhere ...... he refused because he is a short sighted tit and was happy collecting his huge salary without seeing any need for changes ........ look at him now - in the deal to sell the club he got an agreement to have his travel expenses to follow the club paid for by the club!! ffs he just sold it for millions and millions of pounds! does the man's greed know no bounds??