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Liverpool FC to start work on new stadium before April 2010.

Dec 30 2009 by David Bartlett, Liverpool Echo

LIVERPOOL FC are finally hoping to start work on their new stadium before April, the ECHO can reveal.
Liverpool Council leader Warren Bradley revealed that LFC managing director Christian Purslow had told the council the club hoped to make progress on the new ground in the first quarter of 2010.
Cllr Bradley said it was pleasing to see that LFC was on the brink of making a start with its 60,000 seater ground on Stanley Park.
The lack of progress on the £400m stadium is one of the main sources of discontent among fans with the ownership of Americans Tom Hicks and George Gillett.
Cllr Bradley said: “Liverpool FC’s Christian Purslow has told us that the club in the first quarter of next year should be able to move forward with the stadium.
“We have told them it’s time to move on now, it’s gone on too long.
“I honestly believe Christian Purslow has been open and honest with us. Hopefully in the first quarter of next year we will see some movement. Without doubt it’s not before time.”
Earlier this month the ECHO revealed how Mr Purslow was forced to open up the club’s finances to the England 2018 team in order to persuade officials to include Liverpool as a host city for the country’s bid to host the World Cup.
The Reds had to prove to FA bid bosses that it could deliver a new stadium and would be able to raise the cash.
Mr Purslow was forced to make the disclosures in front of Everton chief executive Robert Elstone as they made the final case for Liver-pool to be included in England’s World Cup bid.
Today a spokesman for Liverpool FC said: “Construction of the stadium will begin when the current contraction in the banking industry ends and the global financial markets re-establish their equilibrium.”

The statements are a bit nebulous there nothing specific there. But it’s good to hear the will is still there. The last sentence though is very open ended.

We need some clear announcements from the club otherwise it’s something will happen one day approach and people are very weary of it now.

The “on field” activities are not helping and we as fans need some optimism to hang onto right now.

Well this is what most of us have wanted to hear for a couple of years including me so I should be happy.

However given how many times we've heard this before, the quality of our owners and given the disasterous finances at the club, how will it be paid for?

It certainly means even more debt piled on top of the club and how much interest will we be paying before the stadium is actually built?

Really should be seen as a good thing but I certainly have more and more doubts although cant really see another way forward for the club.

to be honest, now is a good time to go to a bank with a sound business plan as they will lend you the money if they know it is going to be paid back.

i agree completely rafar - it is just the usual bull about waiting and soon

Rafarendum, the Everton thing was just a previous quote when the World Cup bid was made & they are meeting with the council separately so don't worry about your 2nd point. Also, if i remember rightly i think the planning agreement is 60,000 & can be increased after certain guarantees about traffic congestion are met which included a train station on utting avenue. i think these can be sorted once construction is started. i can't give no guarantees about your 3rd point, but if we did a 25 year loan like the original plan we would get the money tomorrow.

I bought the echo tonight. The only point I could pick up was Liverpool are thought to progress the ground by April. Progress could mean anything from starting the building work to progressing the tendering process or making a cup of tea. To be honest it just looks like the echo was struck for a headline. All the rest of the article is recycled stuff.

Might be some naming rights money coming in. Don't forget thats a big thing with American stadiums.