Is it a deal or no deal?

Let’s not beat around the bush: Liverpool Football Club will be in a much healthier position as soon as the two cowboys currently masquerading as owners are out of the picture.

The Amercians have done nothing of note during their time in charge other than to transform a once proud club into an underachieving, debt-ridden, laughing stock.

However, those suggesting that Tom Hicks and George Gillett should walk away now, accept the deal the board has done with New England Sports Ventures and draw a line under the whole thing are being utterly unrealistic.

One comment I have heard repeatedly from fans and media alike over the past few days is that the Americans, by fighting the deal, have missed their final opportunity to walk away from Anfield with dignity.

While that may be the case, does anyone really blame them for trying to fight a deal that will personally cost them £140 million? I mean, that’s one hell of a price to pay for dignity.

The summary of the story is that Liverpool’s board has negotiated a sale to the American consortium which also owns the Boston Red Sox and is led by millionaire John Henry.

But current owners Gillett and Hicks are going to fight the sale in the courts this week. The reason: the price of £300 million means they will not see a penny back of the £140 million they personally invested.

I am not going into the legal ins and outs of the case – there are plenty of other people vastly more qualified out there to do that – but I am instead going to focus on the human aspect.

Anyone who thinks Gillett and Hicks are wrong to try and block this sale are a few sandwiches short of a picnic. I am not saying the owners’ valuation of £600 million is right. And I certainly don’t believe they deserve to make a penny in profit.

But when you make an investment of the magnitude they did, the very least you would expect is not to come out of the whole thing £140 million worse off. And that’s why I don’t blame them for going to the high court to at least try and salvage something.

Regular readers know that I don’t think much of the American pair. In fact, I try not to think about them at all because their incompetence at running a football club makes me queasy.

But I still can’t blame them for not wanting to chuck away such a huge sum of money. It’s human nature.

Whatever happens in the courts, the sale to New England Sport Ventures (NESV) is all but inevitable. If they lose the case then obviously the sale will go through without the bank needing to get involved.

If Hicks and Gillett win the case, then the chances are Royal Bank of Scotland will probably force the sale through anyway when they effectively take control of the club on Friday. And that will probably mean the bank will put the club into administration.

Although the nine-point deduction that goes with administration would be depressing, whichever way the deal goes will be a relief for the long-suffering Liverpool fans. Because NESV in general, and John Henry in particular know a thing or two about running sporting enterprises.

When they took over the Red Sox they hadn’t won anything for decades. Since then, however, they have won two World Series, with Henry well aware that success on the field of play brings success off it.

As part of the deal, all of Liverpool’s unmanageable debt will be removed and there will even be some cash for players. It could be just what the Anfield doctors ordered.

Then again, isn’t that what was said about Hicks and Gillett when they rode into town…?

Told you so

What did I tell you? Just because he made a complete hash of it the first time round doesn’t mean Steve McClaren won’t be making an astonishing return as England manager.

Last week, Trevor Brooking, the FA’s director of football development, claimed that McClaren is a contender for the top job despite his previous failings.

“Could Steve do the England job again? I am sure if he continues to be a success his name will be in the frame again. If you think he will be a lot more experienced this time around and he has learnt his lesson, then why not? I wouldn’t rule out anyone. I think it would be very unfair to do that,” he said.

As I wrote a few months ago, it may have once seemed unthinkable that the Wally with the Brolly could one day return to the top English job. But if he continues to do well abroad that is exactly what I think will happen.

I won’t say it will be when Fabio Capello walks away after Euro 2012. That’s too soon, and McClaren’s reputation still needs repairing. A lot of repairing.

But when Capello’s successor fails, as he probably will, it may be time for McClaren to come running home with a stash of European trophies under his arm.

When your countries call

All football players – at least the patriotically motivated ones who don’t only care about money – dream of playing for their country.

But for Aston Villa defender Eric Lichaj, that dream came true with a few added complications last week when he was called up by two different countries.

And to make it more intriguing, the two teams in question – Poland and the US – called him up for the same match as they play each other in this week’s international slot.

Lichaj has Polish parents but was born in the US, meaning he could have swung in either direction.

Obviously, short of some rapid developments in cloning technology, there was no way he was going to be able to turn out for both, and he ultimately opted to go with the US.

I can’t help but think he should have asked for a half with each team and then made his mind up after the game…

Don’t answer your phone!

We often talk about how unfair life can be for a football manager as they battle to get results while the club directors hover, waiting to wield the axe.

It certainly can’t be easy trying to do your job when you know at any moment you could be clearing your desk and packing up your ‘best manager in the world’ mug.

But I imagine there is one point of your working week when a manager feels relatively safe – during the match.

Well, not any more apparently.

Little Chichester City, a non-league club that plays in Sussex County League One, actually gave their manager the sack in the middle of a match.

Mark Poulton was standing by his dug out marshalling his troops when his mobile rang. It was one of the club’s directors who informed him, in no uncertain terms, that he was fired with immediate effect.

Ironically, Chichester were leading 2-1 at the time of the phone call ,although they went on to lose the match 4-2.

Poulton had not been in charge of the club for long and was doing a pretty good job, leading them to mid-table and stringing some decent results together.

But the board of directors had just changed and the new men wanted to put the club’s previous manager back in charge of the team.

“I couldn’t believe it. The club are a complete mess and a shambles. I am better off out of it,” explained Poulton, who runs his own security company.

You have to wonder if Chichester have not set a scary precedent.

I’ll bet you Roy Hodgson won’t be answering his phone if it rings during next weekend’s Merseyside derby…

sportscolumnist@timesofmalta.com