Moores, who took control in 1991 for £12m and holds 51.6 per cent of the shares, certainly abhors confrontation.He talked about stepping aside himself at the annual meeting in January in which Morgan was an eloquent critic voicing his, and many fans, frustrations. Moores immediately regretted his admission but has since conceded a meeting with Morgan which undoubtedly led to his decision to call in Hawkpoint, a company previously used by Newcastle United and Enicwhen it invested in Spurs.The most obvious solution to Liverpool’s problems is a simple one: a rights issue which would encourage fresh investors. The Italian was prescient, revealing, in a newspaper column yesterday, that he had told the then chief executive Trevor Birch soon after the Russian’s arrival that they were both for the chop. His stay of execution was only lengthened because Eriksson delayed last summer.”Wolves come here the wounded animal,” Ranieri said in his programme notes and he could have been talking about himself. Nevertheless, Jones’ side did indeed limp into town and, inside four minutes, they were behind.
Mario Melchiot played the ball inside to Lampard who quickly ferried it to Joe Cole. A clever pass picked out the full-back in the penalty area, who had continued his run, and he all too easily brushed aside Mark Kennedy to calmly shoot across Paul Jones.Wolves retreated. “There has always been a unity with the players,” insisted Hasselbaink. “I think it [the speculation] is a little bit hyped up in the papers We keep on going.” Indeed they do. For the blunt matter is they are second in the table and six points behind Arsenal. Other landmarks were also reached with the indefatigable Frank Lampard playing his 100th consecutive League game, joining an ?te alongside just eight others, and scoring the goal which dragged his team back into it after a ragged hour.The bare fact that they did so at least confirmed the belief that many are playing for their coach’s future. If they had not lost both their matches against the leaders they would share the summit.It is of no consolation to Ranieri, or Abramovich who had clearly made up his mind about the coach before he bought Chelsea.
He refused to speak after the final whistle – no doubt trying to establish exactly when Sven Goran Eriksson, or whoever, will take occupancy of his office It is all very sad, all very messy. His appearance before the crowd at 2.40pm certainly looked like a farewell and it sparked a rousing crowd response which is exactly what he received, belatedly, from his players when they were frittering the game away after falling behind.Hasselbaink’s goals meant he became only the 12th player to score 100 in the Premiership – he now stands on 102 – and only the third foreigner after Dwight Yorke and Thierry Henry. His team are now six points adrift.
Indeed, in two encounters Chelsea have now knocked 10 past them – with Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink scoring an astonishing hat-trick inside the final 13 minutes after coming on as a second-half substitute. Why he, or the impressive Damien Duff for that matter, did not start is another question and one that confirms the infuriating enigma of Signor Ranieri.
