Henry vows to keep fighting for Liverpool

Boston Red Sox owner John W Henry has pledged to fight Tom Hicks' "last desperate attempt" to hang on to Liverpool. His statement comes with Hicks looking likely to try to enlist Mill Financial - who already own George Gillett's 50% of the club - to pay the £280million debt to the Royal Bank of Scotland by Friday's deadline and thwart the takeover by Henry's New England Sports Ventures (NESV), who Henry claims have a binding agreement to buy the club. Henry said on his Twitter account on Friday morning: "We have a binding contract. Will fight Mill Hicks Gillett attempt to keep club today. Their last desperate attempt to entrench their regime." Time is running out for Hicks with a restraining order on the NESV takeover only in place until lunchtime on Friday. NESV are ready to send the money for their £300million takeover as soon as the restraining order by a Texas court is lifted - Judge Jim Jordan is due to return to the Dallas court at 1pm (BST) on Friday. In London on Saturday a High Court judge imposed a 4pm (BST) deadline for the removal of a temporary restraining order by the Texas court. Saturday is also the nominal date for Royal Bank of Scotland to be repaid a sum of £240m in loans plus a further £40m in fees. After Friday RBS could, if they wanted, put Kop Holdings into administration leaving Liverpool in danger of a nine-point penalty. NESV believe they have the law on their side - their lawyers won a second successive significant victory on Thursday when Mr Justice Floyd granted anti-suit injunctions to nullify decisions taken in the court in Dallas late on Wednesday. The judge said his mandatory orders were not aimed at the Texas court but Hicks and Gillett to stop them taking further action there. He was scathing in his remarks about the American co-owners' conduct, which he described as "unconscionable". Mill Financial, a hedge fund, now represent the only possible hurdle to NESV.

Source: PA