Hodgson relief at takeover progress

15 October 2010 16:00
Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson has welcomed the expected takeover by New England Sports Ventures, admitting it is a relief a "bad time" appears to be coming to the end. The club are to set to confirm they have been bought by NESV, owners of the Boston Red Sox, after Tom Hicks and George Gillett were defeated in their legal battle to stop the takeover. Hicks and Gillet have, however, claimed they will sue for £1billion in damages because, they believe, the sale to NESV is "illegal" and have threatened to launch another destabilising legal action. But having seen his two-and-a-half-month reign dominated by takeover talk Hodgson is pleased there is light at the end of the tunnel. "It is a very positive situation, if that is the case, and a very good day for the club - a day everyone at the club will welcome and the new owners will welcome," said the Liverpool manager ahead of Sunday's derby at Everton. "It is a relief. It has been a very difficult couple of weeks. "For this long drawn-out court battle to take place and Liverpool's name to be on the television screens and in the newspapers every day for anything other than positive reasons has been a bad time. "We've had to live through that bad time but hopefully now, if NESV are going to take over, that would be very good news for us going into the important match at the weekend."

Source: PA