Ex-Celtic captain on why Parkhead fans won't allow an American buyout

The Herald Scotland

2 days ago

The Scot saw at close quarters how the group - which was fronted by former Syrian internationalist Yahya Kirdi, who is now the owner of Laval United in Dubai - moved to within 'a week' of striking a deal with American co-owners Thomas Hicks and George Gillett.
A purchase price, the repayment of outstanding bank debt to RBS and Wells Fargo and the financing of a new stadium on a site at Stanley Park were all agreed upon following negotiations between the two parties. Proof of funds was also provided to chairman Martin Broughton.
However, one of the four Asian investors who were committed to the project pulled out at the eleventh hour and the agreement to buy Liverpool, who were experiencing serious financial difficulties at the time and were on the brink of bankruptcy, fell through. Lynch was disappointed at the outcome.
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'I got to know one of the potential investors when I was over in America,' he said. 'I played and coached out there for some time and was introduced to him through a mutual acquaintance. I first met him when I was based in Montreal and was playing and coaching in the North American Soccer League.
'He got back in touch when the consortium he was involved with was looking at taking over Liverpool. He flew over to meet me. They were discussing the figures which would be required to buy the club. It was definitely a serious enterprise.
'The discussions went on for several weeks and it did get very close. It fell down at the last minute because the sheikh who was involved was unhappy about one aspect of the deal. But, as I say, it was very close to happening. They had agreed on the fee with Liverpool. It was an incredible thing to be involved in it.'
Lynch continued, 'I was an adviser on the football side. It was just as well I was there to be honest because they didn't have a clue about the game. They may have been billionaires and might have been very successful in their fields, but when it came to football they were clueless. I spent my time saying, 'No, you can't do this, no, you can't do that'.
'I can remember being in the boot room at Anfield when the talks were taking place and speaking to Steven Gerrard. He was interested in what we were doing there and was asking me a lot of questions about it. I told him, 'We're possibly doing a deal'. He said, 'That's great, keep me in mind'.
'It didn't come to anything, but it was definitely quite far down the line. Throughout the whole thing I was very excited by what they were proposing. It would have been unbelievable if it had happened. They wanted me to be their figurehead if it went through. It would have been brilliant to be involved in some capacity. As I say, it got very close.'
Lynch has been unsurprised that so many major clubs in England and Europe have been snapped up by super-rich investors from the Middle East and the United States in the years since.
(Image: SNS Group) Nor was he in the slightest bit taken aback when an American consortium led by Andrew Cavenagh, a healthcare insurance billionaire, and 49ers Enterprises, the business arm of NFL franchise San Francisco 49ers, acquired a 51 per cent stake in Rangers for a cool £75m on Friday.
'The Liverpool takeover bid happened around the time that foreign investors had really started buying into big English football clubs,' he said. 'Just look at the Premier League now. So many of them are owned by overseas businessmen or investment funds. That is even true in the Championship and down the divisions down south. Now it has happened at Rangers with this takeover.'
Followers of the Ibrox institution were ecstatic when that transaction was finally, after weeks of speculation, completed. They are optimistic that far better times lie ahead for them both on and off the park and are counting the days until the 2025/26 campaign gets underway.
However, Lynch remains completely comfortable with how Celtic, whose major shareholder is billionaire Irish financier and lifelong fan Dermot Desmond, are structured and has no desire to see them follow suit. He expressed doubt that their supporters would accept an outsider with no previous affection for or association with their historic club taking over.
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'The way that Celtic go about their business is still preferrable for me,' he said. 'They are self-sufficient, enjoy consistent success, post profits every year and have money in the bank. They aren't reliant on anyone to bankroll them. I don't think Celtic could go down the route that so many other clubs have, I don't think the fans would ever allow it.
'You never know of course. If they were to lose a few titles then anything could theoretically happen. At the end of the day, money talks. If they ever found themselves unable to compete, maybe the outlook would change. But I do think Celtic supporters would always be eager for a Celtic fan or fans to remain as the major powerbrokers.'
Lynch, who scored the winner for Celtic against Rangers in the Scottish Cup final in 1977, was devastated when his old club lost to Aberdeen at Hampden in the denouement of that competition last month and failed to complete a world record ninth domestic treble.
(Image: SNS Group) However, he believes the Pittodrie club prevailing is healthy for the national game. He would like to see Brendan Rodgers' men face a far sterner challenge next season than they have in the past few years and is convinced it will help them to excel in Europe if they do.
'The game in this country badly needs somebody to come forward and vie with Celtic for major honours,' he said.
'When I played, we would always get a hard game against the likes of St Mirren, Kilmarnock, Motherwell, whoever. It wasn't just Aberdeen, Hearts and Hibs who were difficult to beat. It wasn't like today when Celtic go out and dominate most games. The majority of teams we faced could compete with us and we always had to play at our best.
'I am a Celtic man and I always want them to win. But for me it has become a little bit too easy in recent years. I think having a greater challenge will be good for them and will ultimately help them when they play in Europe. For me, they should always be looking to compete at the highest level, in the very top bracket, on the continent.
'Rangers really need to get their act together. They are in the throes of bringing in another new manager and they have to get their next appointment right. Other clubs need to improve.'