Hicks and Gillett do not deserve to own a club like Liverpool
If you chop a bloke's leg off, it's a bit rich to then criticise him for not walking properly.
But that is the policy Geroge Gillett appears to have adopted at Liverpool - and shows why the Yanks need to walk the plank at Anfield.
Gillett's refusal to acknowledge any responsibility for what happens on the pitch and instead blame Rafa Benitez for everything that might go wrong is symptomatic of all that is wrong in the stewardship of the club.
Yes, Benitez is sometimes guilty of being overly cautious and not starting Yossi Benayoun at Chelsea on Sunday was evidence of that fault.
In addition, his intemperate criticisms of the players he needs to rely on after the early defeat against Aston Villa was a mistake.
But the Spaniard remains rightly popular with the Liverpool fans, who truly believe he will be the man to end that title drought now standing at 19 years and counting.
Gillett and his co-owner - but, it would appear, no longer a "partner" in any but the formal sense - Tom Hicks, came in making many promises all of them, seemingly, as false as the ones made by Sulaiman Al-Fahim at Portsmouth .
This should have been the season for Liverpool to make the final push. Manchester United have to cope with life after Cristiano Ronaldo, Chelsea are again under new management, with an ageing squad and now a transfer ban preventing any transfusion of new blood, while Arsenal's fundamental weaknesses remain.
Instead, Benitez was told that he must operate with at least one hand tied behind his back in the transfer market for the next five years , denying him the opportunity to add the two extra players that could have made the difference.
Fernando Torres is outstanding, Steven Gerrard too, while Jamie Carragher, despite his current blip, is part of the fabric of the club.
But there is no back-up for the Spanish striker, nobody to even help him carry the weight of goalscoring expectations and while Alberto Aquilani, set for his debut next week might make a difference in midfield , it is hard to expect the Italian to immediately flower in the physically demanding world of the Premier League.
Gillett and Hicks do not have the decency or the courage to admit their own mistakes. It shows why they do not deserve to own a club like Liverpool. Benitez and his team needs proper owners, and quickly.
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