Hicks held to no-score drawl in latest PR blitz

The 62-year-old Texan continues to look as if he is plotting the downfall of enemies inside and outside the club one minute while shamelessly trying to curry favour with influential circles the next.

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He was at it again on Thursday in a TV interview in which he aimed a potent mix of anger and scorn at Liverpool chief executive Rick Parry and would-be owners Dubai International Capital and tried to appease sceptical supporters by once more endorsing the ever-popular Rafa Benitez's style of management.

The southern drawl was in full flow as he dismissed Parry's Anfield tenure, rather tastelessly, as 'a disaster', claimed DIC had no intention of freeing funds for Benitez should they win power and boasted there could only be one winner in the tussle for control. No prizes for guessing who.

But the feedback from several protagonists suggests Hicks may well lose. Behind all the bluster and bravado, he appears to be struggling to deliver his promise of raising enough capital to buy out co-owner George Gillett and press ahead with ambitious plans for a new stadium, as well as new signings.

Never mind Gillett's marked reluctance to do business with his estranged partner, Hicks is in no position even to start the ball rolling by lodging a bid. He has apparently scoured all the likely venues for prospective investors in London and New York and so far drawn a blank. According to one observer, he has had 'at least half-adozen knockbacks' from banks and other institutions.

DIC, meanwhile, are happily keeping their powder dry. There has been no contact with Hicks since March 11 but they remain supremely confident the odds are stacked in their favour.

There has been some disquiet over whether they would be model guardians of Liverpool's fortunes, and being venture capitalists does little to dispel the thought that they would look out for themselves as much as the club.

Even so, they far out-muscle Hicks in financial terms and have an enviable track record of succeeding at anything to which they turn their hand. Significantly, they also believe Hicks is rapidly running out of time to repay loans and may be forced to accept their offer for his 50 per cent stake.

Several debts have to be settled by next month and there is a feeling Hicks' bank may lean on him to take DIC's cash as his only means of squaring up. With Gillett and his family ready to bail out, DIC insiders believe they may be ready to launch a new Anfield era soon after the season finishes.

If they do, Hicks can expect few tearful farewell from Liverpool followers, who have grown tired of his heavy-handed approach and are unlikely to have been taken in by his transparent attempts to win them over.

The pro-Benitez stance of late has been influenced by the Spaniard's standing among fans, while the sight of a Liverpool beaker in Hicks' hand as he spoke to Sky Sports News was fooling no one.

This from a man who had to look up Jurgen Klinsmann on Google when the Germany legend was mooted as replacement for Benitez and who, apparently, had never heard of the Champions League when first approached about an ownership role at Anfield.

While Hicks desperately tries to keep DIC from the door, Benitez and Parry must be looking on with some apprehension. Benitez may appear safe with Hicks, who promised him a contract extension in the event of winning overall control, but DIC are thought to favour bringing in a new face.

Parry would be doomed under Hicks, needless to say. But he has attempted to broker a deal for DIC in recent weeks and can only hope that, should they prevail, he has done enough to be kept on.

Hicks was at his most abrasive as he sought to absolve himself of blame over the clandestine meetings with Klinsmann and piled further pressure on Parry. Benitez had already demanded answers from Parry after learning the embattled Anfield chief had attended one of the get-togethers with Klinsmann without informing him.

The pair's uneasy relationship may well now be at breaking point after Hicks made it known that Parry had been at Klinsmann's side for 'at least two hours' before anyone else arrived to join the talks.

Benitez is bound to wonder about the contents of such a long discussion and conclude that it may have covered topics such as personal terms and potential new signings.

Hicks said: 'I got this call from George out of the blue, in which he says: "Have your people do their research on Klinsmann". He and Rick set up the meeting in New York and I went to it with my son Tom. Rick had already met Jurgen alone for a couple of hours when we arrived. We all then spoke to him for another four hours.

'Afterwards, I told the truth to a reporter who asked the question, and suddenly it's "Tom Hicks tried to get Klinsmann." George was the one who initiated it, though we all participated.'

Switching his line of attack to DIC, he added: 'It is thought they must have a lot of money and that, if they came in, we would buy all these players. Well, I know for a fact, after talking to them, that is not how they would approach any potential investment in Liverpool. They want to stir the pot of Liverpool to cause dissent.'