NESV pledges to take Liverpool back to the top

The American consortium hoping to buy Liverpool football club has issued a statement to the Anfield faithful in a bid to ease the concerns of fans after a dramatic day on Merseyside. New England Sports Ventures (NESV)'s offer for Liverpool – believed to be half of the £600m asked by existing owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett – was accepted by the club's board on Wednesday, though Hicks and Gillett still hope to block the sale because they believe it undervalues the club.

But NESV has appealed directly to Liverpool's fans to put their faith in them to restore the glory years to the ailing club. "NESV wants to create a long-term financially solid foundation for Liverpool FC and is dedicated to ensuring that the club has the resources to build for the future, including the removal of all acquisition debt," began the statement, continuing: "Our objective is to stabilise the club and ultimately return Liverpool FC to its rightful place in English and European football, successfully competing for and winning trophies.

"Since 2001, New England Sports Ventures has made successful investments in sports and entertainment properties. Our portfolio of companies - including the Boston Red Sox and Fenway Park, New England Sports Network, Fenway Sports Group and Roush Fenway Racing - are all committed to one common goal: winning. NESV wants to help bring back the culture of winning to Liverpool FC.

"We have a proven track record, shown clearly with the Boston Red Sox. The team has won two World Series championships over the past six years. We will bring the same kind of openness, passion, dedication and professionalism to Liverpool FC."

If the sale goes through Hicks and Gillett will lose around £140m, and that is the reason why they attempted to sack Liverpool's managing director Christian Purslow and commercial director Ian Ayre on Wednesday, and replace them with their own people, including Hicks' son Mack.

Purslow and Ayre, in alliance with club Martin Broughton, are taking legal advice as to their position and Thursday promises to be another day of high drama for the club, which currently lies third from bottom in the Premier League.

Broughton also appealed to the fans to have faith in the prospective new owners, while also calling on Hicks and Gillett step aside. "I can understand why there might be an instant reaction about them being American," said Broughton on Wednesday evening, "but being American is not a problem, leveraged ownership of a football club is the problem.... we have found the right owners. There will be money to invest in the squad. It is all about winning, that is their philosophy."

And Broughton's message to Hicks and Gillett was simple: depart with dignity. "It is a great pity they are not going to take the opportunity to be the good guys and pass over Liverpool to the right owners. That is what they promised to do, what they said all along they wanted to do, and at the last minute when it does not pay them what they see as enough they have chosen to fight it.

"I can understand their disappointment that they are not going to get their money back, but this has been a full and exhaustive process. One last throw of the dice just to go down in leaving an ever-more negative legacy, I am disappointed because they won't achieve it and they will lose the same amount of money and leave a very bad taste." ·