Liverpool set for war with council over Anfield

Liverpool's owners, Fenway Sports Group, are currently studying two methods of increasing capacity: either re-develop Anfield or build a new stadium on Stanley Park, which lies between their ground and Everton's Goodison Park stadium.

They face a looming deadline, however, over a lease for the parkland, and have been threatened by the City Council with the removal of that lease if they don't make their mind up by September.

That leaves the club with a massive dilemma that poses a threat to their future.

They know they MUST increase capacity dramatically to stand any chance of competing with the likes of Manchester United and even Arsenal.

Currently, Liverpool's match-day revenue lags at nearly £3million per game behind United, because the Manchester club has a capacity almost double that of Anfield, plus a massively greater corporate capacity.

Liverpool know they have to get the decision over the two ground options right, because of the importance to the future of the club.

But the council's deadline means they don't have the time explore each plan fully.

While building costs are an important element of those deliberations, the onus on regeneration of the area around Anfield is also a huge factor, with the club and council at odds over who must carry the financial burden of those plans.

Liverpool say the council is ultimately responsible for community regeneration, while they are responsible for the club's future and the best interests of their fans.

In what has become a high-stakes showdown with the first side to blink being the loser, the council are forcing the club into a corner, where the losers could be both the fans and the local residents.

Which such massive financial decisions at stake, the deadline for the park lease means LIverpool may be forced to let it pass... which would rule out any chance of building a new stadium.

That would also leave open the danger that redevelopment of Anfield would not be possible.

With the club already adamantly ruling out a move to another site - such as a docklands area identified by the council - it leaves the threat that development plans will collapse completely.

Influential observers point out that would damage the club, but also leave the area a desolate building site with no chance of the regeneration the council are hoping for.

Liverpool were hoping a stadium naming-rights deals would finance the building of a new ground, but there is not enough time left before the lease's deadline to put that into place.

They will plead with the council to extend their deadline and allow the process to exhaust all possibilities, but if that request is ignored, it could spark open political warfare in the city.

Already, one fans' group has started an email petition, demanding that Liverpool City Council drop any idea of a shared stadium with Everton, and also the kind of support for Liverpool Football Club they believe is warranted.

Kopfaithful, a group that played a major role in the departure of Tom Hicks and George Gillett from the club, have set up the campaign.

They are asking all supporters to join them into pressurising the council into backing the club