WOLVES and HICKS

There was once a little shepherd boy who took care of his father's sheep every day, and all he did every single day was to watch the sheep graze the green, green fields. But he got bored, so one day he did the unthinkable: he ran down the slopes of the hill to his village, screaming at the top of his voice, "Wolf! Wolf!".

And we know the ending to that story: there wasn't any wolf in that incident, but when the wolves did come eventually no one believed him anymore.

Why in the world am I sharing this, you might ask? A simple story reflects the story of the enigmatic Tom Hicks thus far.

After co-purchasing the club with George Gillett for 218.9 million pounds, he revealed plans for a new stadium, a futuristic, state-of-the-art (and some say unrealistic) plan drawn into place. Did we have enough money for that one, some asked? "Yes," he said.

Well, are Gillett and Hicks going to saddle the club down with debt, like what Malcolm Glazer previously did with Manchester United? "No," they said. "It's all from our pockets."

Is Rafa going to be manager as long as possible? "Yes," they said, then Tom said that he'd spoken to Jurgen Klinsmann "just in case" Rafa left.

So it's been a rough week for all of us here, especially that the shepherd boys have cried wolf one too many times.

Who do we believe this time? DIC? Rick Parry? George and Tom? Rafa? BBC News? The recent articles suggest that George and Tom have got the refinancing plans all fixed up, 350 million quid in total of burdens to saddle us with.

What's most interesting is that another stadium plan has been done up. Tom Hicks is your spokesman.

"This new financing package is a strong vote of confidence in the club's financial strength and a recognition of the exceptional opportunity represented by the construction of the club's new state-of-the-art stadium at Stanley Park," said Hicks.

"The successful completion of this financing package is particularly significant in light of the currently challenging credit-market environment.

"With the refinancing process now done, club supporters can look forward to the timely commencement of construction work on the new stadium and renew their focus on actions on the pitch." (BBC Sport, 25 January 2008)

Well, let's hope this is the final design. For real.

"Rafa is under contract for two more seasons following this season. I am solidly behind Rafa and am confident of the team's competitive prospects under his continuing leadership." (still BBC Sport)

Klinsmann, however, is "just an insurance policy".

Being Liverpool fans, however, we tend to forgive and forget where our internal club matters are concerned.

I pray that the little shepherd boy in Hicks has decided to keep to his promises.