Archive for Andrew’s Opinion
Moores and Fan Power
 | By Andrew · Comments |
I admire what David Moores did this week. We all know he made a mistake when he sold to the current owners, and ( maybe belatedly ) he has come out and admitted as much. Given that we cannot change the past, we should applaud his entry into the debate and by doing so putting what pressure he can on the current owners to sell.
But consider this. It could have been just as much of a mistake to sell to DIC, given their current financial problems, and of the other offers on the table, the one from Thailand would have been a million times worse.
I’m sure someone will disprove this as soon as it is published, but at the time of the takeover, I don’t remember a single protesting voice amongst fans or ex-players. And yet now we are all busy voicing our anger at Mr Moores for not doing his research. Truth is, we were all taken in by the terrible twosome, and now is the time for moving forward, not apportioning blame.
Which brings me to my point. Back in 2007, we were all desperate for investors so that we could ‘compete’ with the richer clubs in the Premier League. Fast forward to 2010 and we are again all desparate for investors so that we can ‘compete’ with the richer clubs in the Premier League. The only difference is that the number of richer clubs has now grown. How do we make sure that we don’t make the same mistakes again ?
I believe that the answer is fan power. The bald truth is that Martin Broughton and Christian Purslow have been appointed to sell the club. Not to guarantee it’s long term future, nor to make a decision in the best interest of the fans. I’m a fully paid up member of both SOS and Share Liverpool, but in all honesty, both memberships are more in hope rather than inticipation of the desired outcome. Yes, Barcelona is run and owned by the fans – but that was a model of ownership that was built in the past and whilst it survives today, realistically, with the riches in the current game, it’s not something that is likely to happen.
So to balance the money men, I believe it’s time for the club to put a real Fan’s representative in place at board level. This person would be elected but have real voting rights, and be the bridge between the board and the fans. Someone who would, to put it bluntly, ‘do the research’ from the fan’s point of view and make sure that the soul of the club is guarded. Someone who has been in business, knows their way round a Profit and Loss account, and can hold their own. But most importantly, one of us.
Sins of the Father
| By Andrew · Comments |
Let’s get a couple of things out of the way. I’m gutted about being out of the Champions League – but the Europa League is still a trophy, so let’s win it. And I still want Rafa to stay.
But I’ve been thinking about just how abominable our form and also our luck has been this year. Late goals have gone in, in the Champions League especially, Inanimate objects have helped other teams beat us ( and I mean the beach ball, not Darren Bent ), the injury list is truly dreadful, and even those who have been on the pitch have been barely fit.
This isn’t an ordinary run of bad luck. In an ordinary season, even playing badly as we are, we’d have scraped a couple of draws from the defeats, or a win from the Birmingham game. I don’t think even the most hardened anti-Liverpool football fans would begrudge us a little bit of sympathy.
Why is this, do we think ?
Well, here’s a theory. And it really is just that, because I for one don’t believe in fate and the like. But the more this goes on, the more I feel like it’s some sort of payback. Liverpool Football Club hasn’t been well run in a long time. But recently it has become more and more difficult to like the club ( not the fans or the players, but the club. Consider, in the case for the prosecution
1. Not supporting the Royal British Legion on Remembrance Day. Yes, we have a red kit, yes we supported them on other ways. But can someone tell me why we didn’t see fit to support them in the same way that all the other Premier League teams except Man Utd ?
2. The PTS scheme. Now I’m a little bit biased about this, because I was on the PTS scheme. I do appreciate that there is now wider access to tickets and that is a good thing. But whatever way you look at it, the disbanding of that scheme was a shabby way to treat people who had been shelling out £50 for 6 years and buying match tickets.
3. Rafa. I wouldn’t swap him for anyone. But he treated Xabi badly. He isn’t close to the players. And he isn’t friendly with other managers. He is a brilliant manager, but he is also aloof and distant and single-minded.
4. David Moores. He sold out. I understand the reasons why, but it is nevertheless true that we went from being a family run club to a corporate entity, with all the good and bad that entails.
I love the club, and it’s the fans that are at the heart of it – that is something that won’t ever change, we won’t let it. But I really feel that the club as the institution has lost it’s heart of late, lost its joie de vivre. And that we are somehow being punished for that. Odd things are happening – how many teams have turned us round recently so that we attack the Kop End in the 1st half – Everton and Man U aside, I don’t remember that ever happening before. There is dressing room unrest and some pretty lost souls on the pitch. Quiet in the stands.
I understand this isn’t a fully formed argument, but it’s a feeling I’m trying to articulate that maybe we need to be a family again before we can share success.
The Problem
| By Andrew · Comments |
There is one thing, and one thing only, wrong with Liverpool Football Club at the moment.
The debt.
It can be argued that Man Utd, Arsenal, and several other clubs, have more debt on the books than we do at Anfield. The difference between them and us, is that they have sustainable plans, and considerable income streams for paying them off.
Liverpool’s debt, and the way it has been leveraged against the club, has put this great footballing and national institution on the edge of a precipice. Like it or not, the recent financial management of Liverpool has been on a level of football suicide that is consistent with Peter Risdale and Leeds.
£30 million pounds a year to pay in interest, or £1 million every 9 days – whatever the figure really is, it means that the club basically has to qualify for the latter stages of the Champions League every year, just to stay still. Not to progress, not to bring more, better players in. Not even to pay off some of the debt – just to stay still.
And what’s the result of that ?
Poor players who should not be wearing the red shirt starting Premier League games – because we cannot afford to move them on ( for a profit – you know who I mean ) because the money will not be invested in the squad to replace them
Critical Substitutions – Torres and Benayoun were taken off yesterday because we need them to play in mid-week. Make no mistake about it, Rafa has been told that he has two priorities this year – Stay in the Champions League as long as possible this year, and qualify for it next year. The financial rewards of the Champions League make it a much bigger priority than the Premier League in our current financial state – the league is not a priority for the owners – and Rafa is doing what he has to and what he has been told to, to safeguard the future of the club as he sees it.
A guaranteed income stream for future years has been ignored and the mythical ‘spade in the ground’ is still a pipe dream, whilst Spurs ( for god’s sake ) are busy building theirs.
Decent Squad Players ( Crouch, Riise, Bellamy etc etc ) are sold on because we need to trade up. We are reduced to wheeling and dealing in the transfer market to compete ( Does that mean Harry Redknapp is the best manager for us at the moment ?! ). And then our squad becomes too thin.
Our best players are long term injured because we rush them back to quickly – Gerrard may have gone this way already, Torres I would put mpney on this happening.
Our best players leave in the Summer because they see no way in which we can challenge next year ( Reina, Gerrard, Torres, Mascherano, Agger ) as there is no investment in the team ( Sell Babel to pay for Reina’s contract – dear god )
Now ok, the last 2 are more predictions than truths. But consider – we have gone from selling players to buy better ones, to selling players to pay for contracts – how long is it before we sell players to pay off a rising debt ?
Rafa is doing the best he can. Whatever people may think about him, one thing is indisputable – he has the heart and soul of LFC within him – think of your own hurt recently and then imagine you are putting your entire life in to making the club successful only to have the rug constantly pulled from under your feet. Just for one minute, imagine Jose M at the club at the moment – he managed to talk himself out of a job when he was being given hundreds of millions to spend ever year – he would tear our club apart right now.
There is a reason that the kind of leveraged buy out is illegal in America. It is a gamble with a business, with people’s lives and jobs, and our heritage. The debt is the problem.
What can we do about it ? I honestly don’t know whether Share Liverpool, a Sheikh, or some serious, prolonged protest is the answer. But those of us who have quietly or even financially supported SOS and the like whilst not taking any serious action – the club as we know it will DIE if we don’t do something. Soon.
Progress ?
| By Andrew · Comments |
I’ve left it 24 hours since the end of the game to try and be objective ( at least in my first post ! ) Like all of you, I’m still feeling a nasty sense of disappointment bordering on resignation at an average performance and a beating by a solid if unspectacular Chelsea. For what it’s worth, I don’t belive the title’s gone yet – there’ll be a lot of dropped points yet to come.
But rather than try and work out which the next must-win game is ( after all, isn’t it always the next game ? ), I thought I’d try and take a bit of an overview. At the start of every season, the comment you read most is that we want the team ( and the club ) to make progress. So, what progress have we made, and where have we gone backwards ?
Good
Glen Johnson – a definite plus point. A revelation going forward and will weigh in with a goal or two, which to be honest, we haven’t had since Riise. Has already turned some of those draws in to wins against the lower lights at home. Whatever you say about the balance of the side at the back now, individually, he is a plus
Lucas – Is he worth a place in the team ? Right now, probably, but in the main I’d hope to have a first XI with enough quality for him not to be. But – he is much improved
Insua – Tricky this one. Playing it safe, I’d much rather Aurelio plays, especially in games like yesterday. That said – by giving youth it’s chance to gain experience, I think it will only be of benefit to the club
Bad
Tactics – where Rafa has mystified me the most this season. He stumbled rather on the Torres/Gerrard combo and we had the personnel to back it up. But Alonso’s departure has changed the balance of the side, and rather than change his tactics to suit the best 11 players, he seems wedded to this system, even if it means playing Aurelio and Lucas in the middle, and usually Mascherano and Riera in a workmanlike but not creative midfield. I hope Aquilani is going to be a great signing, but he’s already 3 losses too late ( and nor for that matter is he a like for like replacement )
Confidence – Is it just me, or has something happened to our boys ? Carra out of sorts, Stevie G a shadow of the player we know, Torres in a permanent grump. Last season ended on a high and I expected us to come out all guns blazing this year – but the spirit and the fight is just not there. Zonal Marking ( and I’m a fan ) works when everyone knows what they are doing, but they seem to have no idea. Has Rafa lost the dressing room ?
Ownership – The big one, this. But if it’s affecting the players then someone ought to tell them that the best way to secure the future of the club is to win. Whoever is in charge.
I’m not sure what the answer is, but right now my fear is that we are not as good a team as we were last year. 30 games to prove me wrong though.
