My idea was to build Liverpool into a bastion of invincibility. Had Napoleon had that idea he would have conquered the bloody world. I wanted Liverpool to be untouchable. My idea was to build Liverpool up and up until eventually everyone would have to submit and give in
These words were spoken by the late great Bill Shankly many many moons ago, but they now once again ring true. Shankly started something at Liverpool that did indeed make every other team submit,but like all great empires eventually it was surpassed and in Liverpool's case crumbled to nothing and that is where Liverpool football club find themselves right now, we are in the relegation zone, with a very lightweight squad of unmotivated players and a manager who has made us the new Fulham, ie a team who will use the second half of the season to drag ourselves up the table and may even shoot for the stars and get ourselves a uefa spot next season.
How Liverpool Fc came to this point has been a nightmare for all Liverpool fans. Under David Moores we have seen Manchester United surpass us on and off the field in the 90`s, and then when Moores did eventually sell us he made the worst decision of his life in selling us to messrs Hicks and Gillet. How badly we were run under Moores and Parry was illustrated by the fact that even Hicks and Gillet off field merchandise sales trebled and they managed to get 80 million pounds for our shirt deal which was more than double the earlier deals negotiated by Parry. There is huge worldwide interest in Liverpool Football Club but it has never been fully maximised.
So now New England Sports Ventures have after a long protracted battle won the right to buy Liverpool Fc. I for one am very happy with our new owners but i have spoken to some Liverpool faithful who would have preferred non-Americans or Man City- Chelsea type sugar daddy owners, but i really believe John W Henry is the perfect fit for Liverpool. During Liverpool's nightmare years i have looked at other clubs financial situation with envy and one in particular, and this club is not Chelsea with Romans Rubles or Man City with there oil rich patron, but the club i look at with envy is Arsenal. Super stadium, soon to be paid off and will be able to invest in players for years to come on there own without having to rely on the whim of a rich sugar daddy whose sports interest may change to synchronised swiming in the morning.
That is real financial security is and it is what Liverpool need to aspire to and that is what i hope NESV will bring to Anfield. Their track record is amazing and i love that in the initial interviews there was no outlandish promises made and that they are looking at every option, because that needs to be done.Whether we build a new stadium or refurbish Anfield getting more people in to watch Liverpool play is a priority and is the cornerstone of a bright future for Liverpool Fc. I have to confess that in the past i have been a stadium snob whenever a ground share idea with Everton was mentioned i always thought that we would be helping them too much, but after fully realising how bad Liverpool finances are its all about surviving and thriving now and playing catch up and any bad medicine that John Henry says we must take to catch up to the rest of the pack then so be it, i accept because i have had enough of disappointment and really want to enjoy watching Liverppol Fc again because it has been not easy being a Liverpool fan for a long time now, but i do believe we now have the right owners in place to once again make Liverpool a true superpower in not just English football but one of the elite of Europe.
On the field i think nobody will disagree that our squad is threadbare, David Ngog sums up the Liverpool of today for me. He is the only out and out striker behind Fernando Torres. Most clubs have 4 strikers and none of the top clubs would include Ngog in that four but we are been forced to use him sometimes as our first striker when Torres is injured. Every Liverpool supporter knew we were desperately short of striking options in the summer so it raises the question, why did our manager Roy Hodgson spend our limited funds on a few central midfielders and defenders.
There is a great tradition at Liverpool for always sticking by our managers when things get tough, but i have to break from that tradition. Roy Hodgson was a good manager at Fulham but that's what he is, a manager that can get good results by playing all out defence against teams and soaks up attacks and playing on the counter attack but that will not get us into the top four, all that will do is make us the new Fulham. I hope NESV relise this and somehow find us a forward thinking positive good manager soon. This January transfer window is going to be NESV`s first opportunity to show us what they can give us and i really don't want Hogdson to be the one deciding who we buy with that money, one Poulsen is enough for any team.
So please John Henry give all hard suffering Liverpool fans a great xmas and go out and find the greatest semi retired football manager out there and convince Guus Hiddink to come and be the new Shankly and maybe he will one day be revered and shown the loyalty that Liverpool fans show all great Liverpool managers.
Finally light at the end of the tunnel and maybe just maybe we can stop the great Bill Shankly turning in his grave, we at least owe him that.
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