LeBron James: Spirit of Shankly has a cheek!

Spirit of Shankly has got on its high horse again after hearing about the Fenway partnership with basketball star, LeBron James, and in particular the fact that he is being paid by way of being made a part-owner with a minority stake in the club.

On Monday 14 April 2011, SOS wrote:

"The news is also somewhat surprising, given that James has been offered a stake in the club on a commercial basis while our proposal regarding the purchase of a supporter stake in the club has yet to yield a response from the club. At the time of our proposal the reason given for the club not being able to respond was that the owners needed time to get acquainted with the task at hand."

Seems SOS is feeling fobbed-off, but then it is deluding itself that the organisation is in any position to be taken seriously on the subject, given its small accounts status and the deficit therein, and the stroppy way that it conducts its business, and the undemocratic actions of its committee...etc, etc.

James may actually be doing Liverpool a favour, if the rumours that Thomas Di Benedetto's stake is what is being sold are true, as Di Benedetto is looking to takeover AS Roma, and a conflict of interest could arise if the two teams were to subsequently meet in European competition. Di Benedetto would have to demonstrate that he is not, "...able to exercise by any means a decisive influence in the decision-making of the club."

SOS goes on to say:

"We therefore urge the club to give our proposal full consideration. After all, if it's "global reach" that FSG are looking for when identifying stakeholders, who is better placed than Liverpool's "Supporters All Over The World"?

What a cheek! This from the organisation that wilfully ignored, until after the opportunity had gone, for it to demonstrate support for the Japanese people, and Japanese Liverpool Supporters, some of whom are known to have been badly affected by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

When asked if it would get involved in doing a banner, this prior to the Silences held at the Braga home game and the Sunderland away game, the correspondence was left aside until hours after the Sunderland game, when the Committee not only rejected the idea, but showed a remarkable lack of awareness of how much the issue had been mentioned on the likes of the official site, official site forums, as well as "The Kop", not to mention unofficial forums (e.g. RAWK), and various blogs.

What made this all the more galling, is that whilst the SOS Committee couldn't or wouldn't involve itself in a demonstrable show of support for actual events that had actually affected Liverpool supporters, it was still intent on going to a TUC Rally and wave the SOS banner, for which SOS had failed to provide a single direct connection to their stated aims.

In short: If it might, possibly affect the Anfield area, regardless of whether it affects Liverpool supporters, they SOS will get up in arms; if it is to do with actual Liverpool Supporters, but who live nowhere near Anfield, or Liverpool, then they cannot be arsed.

The word you are probably thinking of is xenophobia.

"We will report to members further, as and when we have more information."

Could be a long wait for that report...