Board battles blight Anfield.

LIVERPOOL chief executive Rick Parry has described working under the co-ownership of Tom Hicks as a "nightmare" and said he has feared the sack for months.

Parry believes his role in ensuring that most of the refinanced loans taken out for the purchase of the club by Hicks and George Gillett were secured against the Americans' holding company and not the club caused the breakdown in their relationship.

"David (former chairman David Moores) and I thought we would be out on our ears in December," Parry said. "We thought they might fire us. They didn't, to be fair, though what we did has not been forgotten.

"It's been a nightmare - a dreadful year."

Hicks wrote to Parry this week to demand his resignation, but Gillett has underlined his support for the chief executive.

"Rick Parry retains our full support," Gillett said yesterday.

"Any decision to remove him would need the approval of the full Liverpool board which, it should be remembered, consists of six people - myself, Foster (Gillett's son), David Moores, Rick himself, Tom Hicks and Tom junior.

"We have not seen the document in question and we were not party to it. We are not able to comment on the detail because we have not seen it.

"But I would reiterate that Rick retains our full support."

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NIGHTMARE: Rick Parry