The Seven Year Itch | FSG - A Review
In October of 2010, Fenway Sports Group purchased Liverpool FC for £300 million. In his first statement as owner, John Henry claimed,
'We're here to win and we'll do whatever is necessary.'Fast-forward almost seven years later, and fans are still divided as to whether FSG have been good owners for the club, and whether the club has progressed, regressed, or simply remained stationary for this period. Under FSG, Liverpool FC have had four managers: Roy Hodgson (sacked January 2011), Kenny …
Stand And Deliver: Coutinho Back For Final Push
Following the announcement yesterday that the Centenary Stand will soon bear the exalted name of Kenny Dalglish, it was interesting to note the response from some fans. For many of an older vintage, like your columnist, there was an understandably emotional reaction to the honouring of a man we had worshipped on the field and in the dugout, a man as vital to our identification with Liverpool Football Club as Bill Shankly would have been for the generation before us.
I …
Klopp Says The Reds Will Get What They Deserve
With exam season almost upon us, I was reminded of an old teacher of mine who, when presented with a sea of anxious faces, used to say, "pressure is for tyres, lads." Now, plainly, he wasn't the most insightful or sensitive of gents, and no doubt he felt as though he was imparting something of great profundity, but that is the kind of trite guff that actually means nothing and makes people feel worse. Learned critics have maligned me for "verbosity" but …
Fenway Sports Group Have Delivered
Fenway Sports Group completed the takeover of Liverpool Football Club on the 15th of October 2010, after the disastrous ownership and mismanagement from Hicks and Gillett. As my colleague has excellently wrote about Liverpool and its financial stature throughout the FSG era here, our annual net spend had declined from £40M in 2008 to -£8.6M in 2009/10 before FSG assumed control. It was a disastrous situation for a club/business with a global brand like Liverpool to be in.
Since John W. …
A Comprehensive Analysis of Ian Ayre's Liverpool Legacy
On Monday, Ian Ayre announced that he will step down as Liverpool’s CEO at the end of the 2016/17 season. The reaction amongst Liverpool fans was understandably uncertain: Ian Ayre manages to simultaneously give off the aura of a childish buffoon and a competent professional. Given the announcement and the emotional ambiguity felt towards it, now seems like as good a moment as any to start to excavate and examine the legacy of Ian Ayre at Liverpool.
An embarrassing start
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Patience Can Be a Virtue With FSG
When times are darkest and everything seems hopeless people tend to gravitate towards something to believe in and as Liverpool fans we are no different. Yet at the end of the Hicks and Gillette era at Liverpool there was very little to believe in. The club was at the brink of financial demise and was under the very real threat of administration. In those moments all we craved was salvation and stability for the club we all cherish.
With Forbes …
John Henry - Resurrecting the Rebel Alliances
The closing minutes of Liverpool's last game with West Brom Albion last weekend bore witness to an already emerging bond. It was as apparent as the shape of an X-Wing in Empire Strikes Back, there was an intensity from the Anfield crowd that further soldered this bond with their new Commander in charge, as intense as how the light blue heat of a lightsaber could cut through steel doors. Yes, even Klopp recognised this intensity and he embraced it like …
Director of Football: The Case Against Disrupted Continuity at Liverpool
FSG and John Henry wanted to learn about the business of soccer in an alien region. Well, it is alien compared to the sporting industry in the United States, and a basic part of this learning process was to quickly identify their mistakes and learn from them. One key mistake that was still fresh a few months prior to the hiring of Brendan Rodgers, was affording the total accountability of the role of coach and manager on the long term …
Liverpool's Owners Hold All The Cards Over Suarez
And so it happened. Sanchez said no.
As ever in transfer windows, it’s not over until Sky Sources tell you. But it’s gone. As hard a pill as that is to swallow, Liverpool do seemed to have moved on.
So what now? Where do Liverpool turn next? Well, maybe that’s the wrong question.
At this moment, as of 6pm on Tuesday the 8th of July to be precise, Suarez still plays for Liverpool. Do I expect him to be around at …