Or ten thousand midfielders when all you need is a centre back?
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Love it!!
Well, 9,999. Keita…
Cheers! Appreciate that.
The apology does change things, at least for me. Lets not forget that it was difficult to stay out, like what Bayern did, even if it was the right thing to do. Being on the outside of it would have been seen like condemning the club to financial ruin in the future. It seems to me that the thing is being driven more by the Spanish and Italian clubs who maybe, have more to gain financially from the project than the PL clubs who are already rich and getting rich in comparison. This especially applies to the Italian clubs. Anyway, he said sorry. We move on. They have been very good owners, this and the sacking of Kenny aside.
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Bayern, PSG are hypocrites. They would have joined if it went through. I’m sure they will rinse UEFA for their loyalty.
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You know, it’s a real shame that the Owners didn’t take the opportunity to do the Anfield Road refurbishment this year. I know it’s a huge dose of hindsight but in the absence of fans they could have completed that this season ready to go for the start of 21/22.
Imagine the position the club would be in then? The increased matchday revenue would be accelerated by at least two years which would have mitigated the financial impact of the pandemic. Sure they couldn’t have begun it in July/August as much was still unknown but by December it was obvious that fans were not going to be returning to stadiums in significant numbers probably until next season at the earliest. Ah well.
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Most of the polls I’ve seen over the last few days, ca 40% say they’d walk from the club if this project had been realised. Are there worse than FSG? Probably, but I don’t see how they can stay when their ambition is in direct opposition to such a significant amount of (‘legacy’) fans, and if we swallow this, I fear we’ll be right back here in a few seasons.
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And so be it, we just tried it ourselves? We just lost and they won big time.
Also if agnelli the others were really interested in reforming European football they were in the prime positions to do so, let’s not kid ourselves they haven’t had the chance to do so, Agnelli wanted more money and more power.
Henry fucked up thinking these people were a good idea, one conversation with our manager would have told him that, Perez and Agnelli have had the power they now have none because they gambled on their own egos.
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That’s a good point. A pity they didn’t take the bull by the horns and did it…
But they are a prudent bunch as we know (apart from when they provoke a PR disaster haha!) and will only push on when they have 100% security.
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In comparison to that
You do wonder if the renovation of the Berenbeu is basically funded by this.
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And the debt on the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
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Yeah that’s why I don’t buy Spurs being innocent explorers in this idea.
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Obviously this fiasco was a total farce and handled really badly.
But I for one understood why FSG considered a ESL.
They’re dealing with covid, we are not a benefactor club, yet are competing with benefactor clubs who are now unrestrained spenders due to FFP’s demise. This isn’t just the likes of PSG, Chelsea and City, other clubs like Leicester and Everton have spent way more than their operating finances support due to benefactors.
On top of that, the governing bodies are clearly self serving, inept, arguably corrupt, and allow unaccountable result influencing refereeing, which in itself can cause a club like ourselves to miss out on the CL.
Other PL clubs are equally self-serving, they showed that with the blocking of the five subs rule because they knew it would hurt top clubs with more matches to play. They did so despite the risk to player health.
Revenues we get from TV deals are not what we should make given our size and scale.
All told, LFC is both competitively disadvantaged versus benefactors, and held back by smaller clubs and inept/corrupt authorities.
Whilst I am happy to pay taxes to support people in need, in football terms all I care about is LFC prospering. I don’t care if smaller clubs go bust, they mean nothing to me, and their supporters are the same sort of people who mock our city and wanted to believe the lies about Hillsborough.
I do not care about the national side, I feel nothing for England as a country, and have zero time for English football. I’d have been happy if our players couldn’t play for England.
This project would never have got anywhere given the self interest of others. Sky and their loud mouth pundits like Carra and Neville went ballistic because the ESL was a threat to their profits. Smaller clubs likewise.
Yes it would have been another step on the road away from what LFC and football originally was, fans probably would have found it harder to afford to follow the club.
But what we’re likely to see going forward, is a LFC living within its means that cannot compete with the benefactors, and facing a hostile PL, referees and smaller clubs.
There is no football family, all we saw this week was self interest from all sides.
One thing is sure, of the six PL clubs involved, going forward two will prosper due to their benefactors (City and Chelsea), one is too big to be hindered (United), Arsenal and Spurs will be no worse off.
It is LFC who will suffer most in my view.
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I’m actually not against a European League as such in place of the existing cup competitions. However, this must include some form of promotion and relegation and a method for new teams to gain access to it.
For all the wailing, people forget that the Football League used to be a closed shop. Up until the late 80s there was no promotion and relegation with the rest of the football pyramid. the team that finished bottom of Division 4 would be be put into a ballot with the team finishing top of the Alliance Premier. The ballot would be amongst Football League chairmen and, lo and behold, they always re-elected the League team over the AP champions - unless they wanted to get shot of one of the Northern teams which is how Southport and Workington both got kicked out of the league.
I want to see reform of the whole football business as we, the fans, are the ones that ultimately pay the price of billionaire inflation. However, this needs to be based on footballing merit, not the power games of rich individuals.
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While I agree that it is a missed opportunity, I doubt that the funds were available to do it.
The redevelopment of the Main Stand was funded using borrowed money that is being repaid by the club out the revenues generated from the increased number of corporate seats.
Taking on additional debt to remodel the Anfield Road end, whilst having to finalise payments for the new training facility, but lacking the matchday revenues to service the existing debts was probably not a viable financial proposition.
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We need to be careful. Who can buy us? £2B???
Chinese or Arab? Not racist but are we sure on human rights.
Anyone else would finance and leverage. I shudder at the term “consortium”.
FSG have been good. Made mistakes for sure. Do not have deep pockets as they run that we spend what we earn. I get that.
FFP and the corrupt regimes of UEFA and FIFA need to be sorted. Football is not the romantic game it was from 50 years ago. Too many parties wanting their piece of the pie.
The next move has to be right… remember Hicks and Gillette.
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FSG have messed up again but trying to force them out without a good alternative already on the table is a dangerous game to play, one our fans in particular should be wary of.
There’s much worse out there, and sometimes it’s better the devil you know.
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Not only that but who would be able to buy us that also wouldn’t have jumped at the Super League idea?