It wasn’t so long ago that Liverpool were struggling in a similar manner to Manchester United whilst still in the hands of toxic American duo Tom Hicks and George Gillett.
The landscape has considerably changed since that point and the Reds are a far cry from Roy Hodgson’s horror-inducing claim that his old outfit wasn’t too big for a relegation fight.
Now the Red Devils have taken up the mantle of the Premier League’s ‘laughing stock’, as Jamie Carragher notes, as the Glazer ownership continues to attract criticism for its handling of the Manchester-based side.
“Under this ownership, United have become a laughing stock. Not just in England but around the world, with Elon Musk joking about buying the club,” the former Reds defender wrote in his column for the Sunday World.
“They are a mess, on and off the pitch, and this runs far deeper than the current group of players or the current management.
“If a club is not being run properly from the top, then the problems will inevitably trickle down.”
VOTE for Empire of the Kop as Best Club Content Creator (Premier League) here: Football Content Awards
OR on Twitter with the FCA’s one-click Twitter link with: I am voting for @Empireofthekop in @The_FCAs for #BestClubContentCreator (Premier League)
Erik ten Hag’s men’s struggles on the pitch can only be matched by their struggles off it as the club can be seen desperately scrambling for signings in such a manner that is ill-befitting of its former stature in the game.
“If you are a club like United, you should not be pulling out of transfers – after agreeing a fee with the selling team – due to wage demands. Someone at the club should already know what sort of salary the player wants, long before it reaches this point,” Carragher continued
“They have also spent weeks chasing Barcelona’s Frenkie de Jong, and now they are running around trying to sign Casemiro from Real Madrid.
“From De Jong, to Rabiot, to Casemiro. They are all different players with different styles and ages. What is the plan here? Where is the strategy? It is embarrassing.”
As Liverpool fans, it’s fascinating to observe how our respective places in the football hierarchy have changed following FSG’s takeover.
That’s not to say our latest owners are beyond criticism, though few can contest the fact that the structure of the club from top to bottom has been completely transformed for the better, handing us a model that can effectively compete with the financial juggernaut that is Manchester City.