Kenny Dalglish is undoubtedly transforming the fortunes of the team on the pitch at the moment, but he wouldn't be able to do that without an effective management structure chugging away in the background. FSG's priorities seem to be perfectly aligned with the way things should be done at Liverpool, which is why the future is looking very bright.
So - what are FSG's priorities for the club? John Henry has spoken at length about his vision, but the club's goals are also captured in the latest accounts:
As you can see, LFC's number one priority is to 'improve football with a positive playing style'. How fantastic is that?! We're already seeing evidence of that on the field, which is great. You can look through the accounts of all other premier league clubs but you none of them state that playing style is the most important goal.
The most refreshing thing for me is that increasing revenue is only the third most important priority. In an age where football is predominantly about greed, maximising profit and ripping off fans, it's heartening to see that the club is trying to be different in this regard.
At Liverpool, it's all about the football - playing the game the right way and entertaining the fans, which is exactly the way it should be.
Bravo!
Jaimie Kanwar
So - what are FSG's priorities for the club? John Henry has spoken at length about his vision, but the club's goals are also captured in the latest accounts:
As you can see, LFC's number one priority is to 'improve football with a positive playing style'. How fantastic is that?! We're already seeing evidence of that on the field, which is great. You can look through the accounts of all other premier league clubs but you none of them state that playing style is the most important goal.
The most refreshing thing for me is that increasing revenue is only the third most important priority. In an age where football is predominantly about greed, maximising profit and ripping off fans, it's heartening to see that the club is trying to be different in this regard.
At Liverpool, it's all about the football - playing the game the right way and entertaining the fans, which is exactly the way it should be.
Bravo!
Jaimie Kanwar
no controversey so no comments huh jamie ;)
ReplyDeleteFor year ending 31st July 2010 wasn't hicks and gillett in charge of the club??
ReplyDeleteBingo [face palm time] :-[
ReplyDeleteNo. The accounts ending 31 July 2010 were compiled *after* H+G left, and if you read the accounts document itself you will see that this is obvious. The whole document is filled with info about the FSG/NESV takeover, and the comments I highlight are unambiguously from the new owners.
ReplyDeleteAs an example, see the attached snippet.
H+G left on the 15th October 2010 - they would've had no imput into the latest accounts.
Good K**w*r, this is surely progress,and I have a sneaking feeling you may have enjoyed writing a piece without criticism at its heart.Surprised to by your support for the current owners considering your over whelming support for Hicks and Gillett.
ReplyDeleteLike so many others, you twist my views on Hicks and Gillett. I defended them against personal attacks, just like I defended Hodgson against personal ridicule. It doesn't matter what Hicks, Gillett or Hodgson did, attacking them personally is out of order. Criticise as harshly as possible, but do it in the right way.
ReplyDeleteAdditionally, I highlighted that *despite* the negatives of their reign, good things did come out of it, and that is indisputable. I try and be fair at all times and that means looking at both sides. if you look through the history of this site you will see lots of posts roundly condemning Hicks and Gillett too, but people just ignore those as it doesn't fit their agenda.
...but it's fine to publicly ridicule all the fans who supported Benitez, right?
ReplyDeleteI have to say I'm surprised by this article and half-expected it to have been written by someone else. If you write more like this, people may come back to this site.
Again, another misconception. I didn't publicly ridicule benitez fans at all - I criticised the pro-Benitez Cult, a subset of Benitez's fans who claimed he was the messiah. That kind of thinking was dangerous, and they deserved to be ridiculed, especially since they slagged off anyone who had a different view about Benitez.
ReplyDeleteIt's the same re cheating: I criticise fans who condone/rationalise cheating, and it's deserved. However, I don't call them names, I just point out the damage their views are doing.
Re people 'coming back to the site' - the readership have never been bigger than it is now.
Jamie, as someone who thrives (sometimes:) in the role of devils advocat I was hoping at least you would write from an alternative view with a pragmatic eye on the possible long term interests of these new investors.
ReplyDeleteDon't get me wrong I'm buzzing like everyone else in this new investment, playing style (more attributable to KK than anyone else IMO), but let's make no mistake - with regards to FSG we are in the honeymoon period. Heck even the last two Americans spent big and even went one better by wowing fans with their ambitious stadium plans during that honeymoon period. And we all know what happened thereafter.
I'm not saying these guys will turn out the same but at the same time we should be a little prudent. Our 'once bitten twice shy' approach dissipated very, very quickly.
* These are guys who have only been here months.
* The principal owners had no prior knowledge let alone love for football (unlike their baseball club and other ventures).
* By all accounts, relatively limited in their resources (again, thinking long term).
* Repeatedly refuse to answer the question of what's in it for them. Or they simply brush it aside (like G+H did initially) by saying they simply want to win.
Don't get me wrong, they've been perfect owners SO FAR but for me personally, only the test of time will prove whether we are genuinely safe in the hands of FSG.
Can I assume then you will also defend Luis Suarez against "personal"attacks/ridicule ie. questioning his integrity (he's a cheat).As for Rafa Benitez,we wont go there as he's no longer at "OUR GREAT CLUB" ref. your rule No.2 Sniping comments that have nothing to do with LFC.
ReplyDeleteJaimie you did more than," <span>I criticised the pro-Benitez Cult", you set up a campaign to get rid of Benitez as the Liverpool manager.</span>
ReplyDeleteAgain, another misconception. I didn't publicly ridicule benitez fans at all - I criticised the pro-Benitez Cult, a subset of Benitez's fans who claimed he was the messiah. That kind of thinking was dangerous, and they deserved to be ridiculed, especially since they slagged off anyone who had a different view about Benitez.
ReplyDeleteIt's the same re cheating: I criticise fans who condone/rationalise cheating, and it's deserved. However, I don't call them names, I just point out the damage their views are doing.
Re people 'coming back to the site' - the readership have never been bigger than it is now.
In the last few months of Benitez's reign I set up a facebook page calling for Benitez to move on. So what? I never once called for him to be sacked before that time. I didn't personally criticise him at any point - I used facts about his reign, all of which were correct.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree, Saj. If the new owners turn out to be snake oil salesmen I will be the first to highlight it. However, at present, things are looking good.
ReplyDeleteJaimie you need to try and be honest with your comments. I dont think in any of the comments posted on this site does an LFC fan quote Benitez as the messiah. But the pro Benitez group were wary of losing Benitez and getting an inferior manager.
ReplyDeleteAs it turned out this is exactly what happened. Roy Hodgson turned out to be the worst Liverpool manager in over 60 years. Sorry let me qualify that statement, his win, loss and draw record is the worst in over 60 years. Roy Hodgson himself said let me be judged after 10 games. Well Liverpool fans gave him exactly what he asked for, they gave him more than 10 games. After which he was rightly criticised for his record.
Jaimie, I just can't get enough :-D
ReplyDeleteRafa apologists are still sour because their messiah is no longer at the helm...
This is where my issue is - 'at present'.
ReplyDeleteSimple question Jamie - what do you think are FSG's long term goals with LFC?
Cos these Americans sure as hell didnt part with hundreds of millions to see an 'improved playing style' in a sport they knew nothing about just a mere few months ago.
I agree these owners are astute and understand that the only way to make money out of sports is to be an attraction for fans and sponsors. How do you do this; by simply being good at what you do. If they maintain this ethos then liverpool will never need to worry, as for them to get thier deserved slice of the pie, then liverpool will have to be successfull and run well. I do think in the future we will go in debt but this will only be to buy a new stadium and the extra seating and stadium sponsorship will pay for it. As kenny said in his press conference; it is not just the players that have to stick together to be successfull it is the owners, the fans, the players and every single person involved in the club; moving forward together to ensure success. These owners may not have know anything about liverpool or football when they arrived at liverpool but when you have kenny Dalglish at the helm, who else can give them the information they need to ensure that the liverpool way is adopted throughout.
ReplyDeleteFSG are very different to H&G and they will be here for the long haul. If ever they did sell liverpool, you can bet it will be in a 100% better shape than when they bought it.
Hi Jamie -
ReplyDeleteJust wondering - where do you get access to the liverpool/other clubs accounts?
is this site purely all handbags an lipstick.
ReplyDeletejust lol
ReplyDeleteHi Red,
ReplyDeleteYou can buy most account information on the Companies House website.
I can remember the time when FSG (NESV back then) took ownership of the club and I gave them the green light for starting the rebuilding process of years of mismanagement and all those naysayers who were lambasting them as yet another pair of yanks. Were are all these fools now? Shame on them...
ReplyDeleteI loved Rafa. He's a total gent who tried hard to compete with mega spending teams
ReplyDeleteBut ultimately his overly cautious approach at home to teams like Stoke just wore me out
Made a good bit of cash betting on 0-0 in running though ;)
He had his time, did ok and now he's gone
Let's just hope we can play like Saturday more often now
Thanks!
ReplyDeleteGood thing is that we have seen improvement from our players in each match we have played so far and we will just get better and better.
ReplyDeleteThe great thing about our squad this season is that Dalglish has bought players to improve the squad, not make up numbers which was the case in previous transfer windows. Quality over quantity was the name of the game since Dalglish arrived.
We still have time left and with Sebastian Coates at the match yesterday it seems likely that he will be announced soon. I also have a feeling that we are going to see a surprise signing on deadline day and reckon up to 4 players still to be moved on.
Happy days ahead...
You called them a necessary evil and posted up an email of thanks from the spawn of Hicks. You SUPPORTED them Kanwar and your revisionist history.
ReplyDeleteFSG seem like very genuine guys, who are following through on their word and backing the manager
ReplyDeleteGreat interview with John W Henry in Telegraph
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/liverpool/8725444/Liverpool-owner-John-W-Henry-admits-top-players-wanted-to-leave-the-club-before-his-overhaul-at-Anfield.html
Firstly, I do not think I am a Benitez cult member, had my doubts about him in the last season or two and still think that we'd have won the title if he had been a bit more attacking during his penultimate season. But, knowing what we do about Hicks, did he really do that badly given the finances? He brought in three players that we made profits on, Torres, Mascherano and Alonso. Two of them, we doubled our money. Not to mention Reina, who we would double our money on. If he'd had the finances that Kenny has had this summer (partly funded by selling his players) would our team be much worse? Has anyone else got a performance out of Torres in England?
ReplyDeleteHenry has been positive in his backing of Kenny but I still think we have made mistakes in the transfer market and I think that his company's priority, wherever they put it on the list, will always be revenue firstly, which is fair enough by me. Football is a business and supporters should get over this romantic sentimentality that they have. Would grown men be so naive about anything else?
It is good to see us playing good football however and, granted, we have brought in a lot of creativity to the side, which we have been lacking for years. There are about 10 teams in the premier league that you only need to attack them with intent and they will fold like a pack of cards. Too many seasons have we had boring 0-0 draws against teams who came to Anfield to defend and then we have found that we did not have the players to open them up. I think that will change this season and we will turn a lot of those draws into wins now, which is what any top 3 side who wants to challenge needs to do. Outside Man Utd and Man City, I think we are the best team in the league now.
Hey Red 4 Life
ReplyDeletewe've spent approximately, 50 million this summer and we broke even in January. You are definitely right about the spending and I definitely had my doubts about their intentions when they broke even on the transfers fees (but profited on the wages) of the players we signed and sold in January.
However, the idea of buying players with a resale value assumes that there is the intention that anything spent now can be recouped and the company's assets are not depreciating in the way that owning someone like Scott Parker would see his value dropping. However, I still say that there are times when the club has to bring in decent player for the short term and I really hope that we are not going to miss players going for bargains simply because they do not fit the FSG model. It also concerns me to see owners talking about financial fair play when we sell Torres when the rules were not in force yet. It may have changed now, but their lack of understanding regarding European football and the reluctance to sack Hodgson (remember that during the time you were backing FSG you were also backing Hodgson) was a mistake that led to us missing out on European football, maybe even Champions League football, considering how Arsenal fell apart.
Gab, I think many people misunderstand FSG.
ReplyDeleteWould you rather spend 20mil on a injured player (Aquilani) or +-16mil on a young player (Henderson) which can be moulded into a great for years to come?
I doubt we have signed Henderson to sell him in the next couple of years for a profit, what would be the point in the first place of paying 16mil for a youngster? Fact is that FSG want a squad that presents value. Look at our last season Rafa was in charge. I have read that we had the 3rd largest wage bill in 2009/2010 but we finished 7th. That is not what FSG would call value. In FSG's eyes, if we have a squad that has the 3rd largest wage bill in the EPL then they would expect that squad to finish 3rd or higher. Here is the thing, Henderson and Carrol combined cost in the region of 51mil but both these players are not eating up our wage bill. That presents VALUE. Buying an injured player with a large price tag and then having to pay large wages does not present value...
Now take Aquialni, signed for +- 20mil and on 70-100k a week and he was injured. Did that add value to our squad? The answer is a plain and simple no and it has been proven. We have lost big time on Aquilani, he will eventually go for about 6mil. This is why people need to wake up and see that Rafa was part of the problem even if H & G were the main culprits. If all those who are praising Rafa could just look further than their noses they will realise that Rafa was a integral part of us falling behind in his six year reign. Another player signed by Rafa even if he was for free is Jovanovic, his waged were astronomical. Does that add value to our squad? Voronin for free, did he add valuer to our squad? Both these players did not make it and both were rewarded for having a holiday at Anfield. Rafa wasted shedloads of money. FSG are not here to do the same thing, that I can assure everyone and that is why they will not appoint someone like Rafa to manage the team under their ownership.
Gab, I think many people misunderstand FSG.
ReplyDeleteWould you rather spend 20mil on a injured player (Aquilani) or +-16mil on a young player (Henderson) which can be moulded into a great for years to come?
I doubt we have signed Henderson to sell him in the next couple of years for a profit, what would be the point in the first place of paying 16mil for a youngster? Fact is that FSG want a squad that presents value. Look at our last season Rafa was in charge. I have read that we had the 3rd largest wage bill in 2009/2010 but we finished 7th. That is not what FSG would call value. In FSG's eyes, if we have a squad that has the 3rd largest wage bill in the EPL then they would expect that squad to finish 3rd or higher. Here is the thing, Henderson and Carrol combined cost in the region of 51mil but both these players are not eating up our wage bill. That presents VALUE. Buying an injured player with a large price tag and then having to pay large wages does not present value...
Now take Aquialni, signed for +- 20mil and on 70-100k a week and he was injured. Did that add value to our squad? The answer is a plain and simple no and it has been proven. We have lost big time on Aquilani, he will eventually go for about 6mil. This is why people need to wake up and see that Rafa was part of the problem even if H & G were the main culprits. If all those who are praising Rafa could just look further than their noses they will realise that Rafa was a integral part of us falling behind in his six year reign. Another player signed by Rafa even if he was for free is Jovanovic, his waged were astronomical. Does that add value to our squad? Voronin for free, did he add valuer to our squad? Both these players did not make it and both were rewarded for having a holiday at Anfield. Rafa wasted shedloads of money. FSG are not here to do the same thing, that I can assure everyone and that is why they will not appoint someone like Rafa to manage the team under their ownership.
What gets to me is the fact that people still think that Rafa was not backed financially? His TOTAL spend figure over six seasons is almost double that of Houlliers who was here for the same period. Another thing is that I can guarentee that Dalglish's NET figure will be lower than that of Rafa's to come over the years which sends NET SPEND down the drain which was one of the main excuses that was made for Rafa in his six year reign. According to NET SPEND activists a managers NET figure has to be high in order to make it as a manager ONLY in Rafa's case obviously...
ReplyDeleteThe fact that Dalglish sold +-58mil and signed +-58mil in January would suggest that Dalglish has had it no different to what Rafa had. Dalglish's NET figure is already lower that that of Rafa's. That would suggest according to NET SPEND that Dalglish has not been backed financially. Go figure...
Hi Red 4 Life
ReplyDeleteAgree that many of Benitez's cheap signings were very poor, however, his big money signings have been reasonable. Johnson was an exceptional case, due to Pompey's finances, and Aquilani was the deal that killed Benitez, not being able to play when we needed him. Yet, he has done well for Juventus since and is now playing for the Italian champions. Many people think he could have done a job for us. He just scored the winner for Italy against the World Champions the other week.
And, I wonder, if FSG's policy on contracts for older players is what led Meireles to leave the club. Not the best piece of business I've ever seen and he surely he is not 4 million inferior to Henderson, particularly when he is going to Chelsea? And if we were going to get Bellamy, who I think can do a job up front, why did we not ask for 5 million plus Sturridge instead? Surely that is more in keeping with our policy with regard to bringing in young, promising players? I think Sturridge has at least as much potential as Henderson.