KopTalk.com Forums Football Liverpool FC Forum Could you please explain?

No one and no one ever will.

The Liverpool of old did bring young players and good buys from the lower divisions but they also bought big right back to shanklys day.

i pretty much agree with you. The problem is FSG have come after two clowns and previous to that the dithering board of Parry and Moores. We watched as UTD over a 15yr period built up a marketing empire, this was as criminal as watching Hick/Gillete fiasco.

FSG have taken nearly 3yrs getting us back to where we were under Moores, averaging 20mil spend a season and having some really good players but without really challenging. If you think 10yrs ago there were no big bucks chelsea, city or Spurs. which means we hovered around 3rd/4th. we have not really moved. 56points would get you 4th.

therefore i now wait and see what the next 12mths bring, can they now deliver. The competitive landscape has now changed but to be fair we have put together some good commercial deals.

I was told in 2004 that a new stadium was pie in the sky, purely because steel prices had quadrupled due to China buying all the worlds steel. the 150/200mil stadium would have had us at our limit for borrowing, even the redrow builder guy(local lad) said the same thing when he tried to buy a share.Why we ever persisted with it is shocking management by Moores , Parry, then Hicks, gillete.
At least FSG spotted this and looked at redeveloping Anfield instead. Some common sense has prevailed, problem is as a fan base we are tired of false dawns

The way we are heading there is some logic in keeping Anfield 45k and just renovating it. Just keep us mid table or upper mid and keep the marketing going and fool the idiots such as me who keep paying.

Seriously if I was a remote owner with no interest that would make a lot of sense to me.

Dont bet against it either.

Still waiting for this model of how we are going to overtake city, utd, chelsea, aresnal. ?

When did you prove that they don't take money out of their ventures, you said if I remember, that they recently forked out some dividends after a number of years. There are other ways to make money from your ventures, like management fees, marketing fees, franchise fee to name a few.

You say sports businessmen are different to 'usual' businessman, so please explain to me how they will be paying the interest or returns to their providers of funds (either investors or banks or other financial institutions) as it is not only Mr Henry's own money that is used to buy franchises, but other providers of capital.

I don't think it is possible without giving you a manifesto to challenge BRs...

I suppose it all comes down to being or having one of the best almost everywhere within the club. When you have the best complimentary collective group, then that is a stable postition to work from...

Firstly you're looking for revenue opportunities, because ultimately they allow you to spend more in the market, increase salary expenditure annually, be able to offer better incentives to existing performers. This is a process that takes time, but experience in doing it previously is invaluable, and that is something FSG have been able to do successfully at every one of their sports ventures.

While you are looking at increasing revenue, it is important to still be looking to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the money you are already spending. FSGs biggest problem, was giving manoevrability to Comolli to spend on exactly who Dalglish wanted, and ultimately that has taken nearly two years to fix. Yes they were to blame for investing in the wrong collaboration, but they have a much better understanding of the market now than they did before, hence why they not have transfer committees and people they trust running the club while they are away in America. I am sure communicating with Arsenal and United have quickened the learning curve.

Then, and I think this was a key issue, we have to focus on our transfers, and in particular our scouting. Many people have proclaimed Benitez for his work putting together an effective scouting department in the past, but guess what happens when he leaves! The only reason we needed a guy like Comolli was because the owners were unsure how to act. As a result, they hired a guy with the best pedigree they could. In this case, it didn't work. The overhaul done under Rodgers' tenure is incredible. They began collecting new staff because of Citys money!

A lot of Citys success before they got money, was because of their scouting department. Very good at picking out local talent, and bringing through cheaper options, they helped take City a long way. Under FSG, their input is invaluable. The committee is very easy to work under from what I know, albeit the integration of it was only implemented post-Dempsey saga. Names being discussed around the table, and organised and analysed before deciding. Much the same as every teams process in the draft for the NFL. For all of the insults on FSG, if you take into account all the transfers they have been part of, then the only two you can analyse are Sturridge and Coutinho. Both turned out terrificly for half of last season. Time will tell, but since its integration, the results have bore good fruit.

The transfers previous to this are of Ayres and Rodgers' doing. And I suppose this is a good time to discuss what they think of him. Personally, I don't know how long term the appointment will prove. Only that I think he deserves the chance given to him.

What speaks to them in Rodgers comes down to coaching, and motivation. If there is one thing that they appreciate in a coach is clear direction, ability to handle the training field, and implement ideas successfully. For all of the questions over his experience as a manager, his coaching history is long and successful. Even Mourinho speaks highly of the guy.

What he brings is a manifesto on a style of play that is both effective and entertaining, and that is something they have demanded from previous coaches in sports ventures. Branding is as important as the entertainment, and his clear direction on how he wants to play, and his analysis of how it works was clearly a deciding factor in choosing him.

He is getting time because they understand for a manager without being in charge of a huge club, most of the pressures and responsibilities were new to him. It was always going to be hard to demand instant success. I think they're given him ample opportunity to put his stamp on the team.

Haven't their ventures been in the US where they know the whole environment very well? Do you think it works the same way in sport they hardly understand in a different country? Are you confident with what you have seen at LFC in the last 3 years with all that trial and error? Btw, saying that we were less successful between 1996-2000 is highly debatable, we finished 4th, 3rd, 7th and 4th v/s 7th, 6th, 8th, 7th. Now if you mention the cups under Kenny as FSG's best season so far,I wonder why they would sack their most successful manager after 1 season, the season they were the most successful.

The team he is building is about a collective of determined, driven, hard-working yet talented players that fit inside the constraints of his philosophy. Something I think we can begin to make comparison to is Ferguson. He has a brand of football that United have retained for a long time. It took time to be a success, but United allowed him to sign varieties of players that fitted his system, and I think FSG are trying to follow suit.

Rodgers' tactic is very dependent on "talented" players, and by that, I mean it is very singular without good enough players, and very effective when the players have the right mentality and attributes. It is very clear that all players have to be comfortable on the ball, but each role is very different, and he even has options for alternate players. First-touch is imperative for everyone, and it is the cohesion between players that will ultimately bring better consistency. Something that started to look good towards the end of last season.

Basically, because his tactic demands a lot from players, and only progresses with better attributed players, the key now is gradually improving options window by window.

Don't misconstrue this to mean, we need all the best players to win. Balance is key, mentality is key, versatility of positions is key. It is a lot of factors that I don't think are summarised easily.

So basically, coming to your idealised 5 year plan for the title...

At the moment, the key in the last season has been strengthening the foundations in the club. Now, it is about building up from there. The tactic is slowly evolving, but to win more of the big games, Rodgers needs better players in the first XI and 18 man squad. The problem is as much down to Rodgers insisting on trying to solve things quickly, as it is on the options available at the prices they are. Because he is assured time, himself in the committee means there is most definitely an element of ensuring he'll continue to have funds, and improve the squad. Where some managers have spent more on targets, I think the reluctance to over-spend is as much down to him, as to the guys who sit beside him.