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Don't worry Growls Ive got enough celebrations for the both of us! Its going one huge come down if it turns out to be a false dawn

John W Henry: a profile of Liverpool's prospective new owner

• Took Boston Red Sox to first World Series in 86 years
• 61-year-old Henry made his fortune in hedge funds




Supporters of Liverpool may be wary of another American owner, but in John W Henry they have a very different breed to Tom Hicks and George Gillett.

The quiet, reserved 61-year-old made his fortune in hedge funds, but has used it to indulge his sporting interests, most famously with the Boston Red Sox baseball team, but also in the NASCAR motorsport series.

The self-made multi-millionaire does not have the serious money of the Premier League's wealthiest owners, with his fortune rated at $860m (£540m) before dipping in the credit crunch, but he does have an excellent track record of success with his teams.

After owning a number of minor league teams, and briefly controlling the Florida Marlins, Henry and his partners in New England Sports Ventures, Tom Werner and the New York Times Company, bought the Red Sox in 2002.

In doing so, they acquired one of the game's most famous names but a team who could not translate their wealth and prominence into championships thanks to one of baseball's most endearing tales - 'the curse of the Bambino'.

The Red Sox won the World Series in 1918, but immediately afterwards sold emerging star Babe Ruth to their arch rivals, the New York Yankees.

While Ruth smashed baseball's records to establish the Yankees as the pre-eminent franchise in the game, the Red Sox suffered calamity after calamity as they bid to end their curse and win another title.

As entire generations of Red Sox fans passed without ever seeing their team win, many wondered if the curse was here to stay. But within two years of Henry's acquisition the drought came to an end as they won their first World Series title in 86 years. Three years later, they won the title again.

Henry has achieved this success while staying true to the rich traditions of the Red Sox.

Any temptation to move out of historic but restrictive Fenway Park, baseball's oldest ballpark, has been resisted, with the club instead finding inventive ways to maximise revenues in order to remain competitive with the Yankees.

The fortunes of the Roush Fenway Racing team have likewise risen since Henry bought into the NASCAR team in 2007, with the team winning their first Daytona 500 in 2009 with Matt Kenseth.

But it is the Red Sox model that Liverpool fans will be most keen to replicate.

If Henry can show the same respect for history in handling the stadium issue, and more importantly find a way to end the club's long title drought, Americans will suddenly become very welcome at Anfield once again.

^^ just what i said earlier, this guy knows his business but whether he knows the football business time will only tell.

one thing i do hope is that he employs the red sox's marketing strategy, till date that's where the red sox get most of their money from, a strategy that has made real madrid the richest club in the world.

Did he resist moving the club or did the club resist moving? Cos if he resisted, then we're staying at Anfield for certain. Not being a Liverpool resident I can't say whether this is good or bad, but I do like how they have used other means of growing the brand to bring in capital. Sounds like a bright man, though part of me did shudder when I read "hedge fund".

I guess the primary difference between Henry and Hicks is that Henry supports teams that become successful, while Hicks murders his clubs. I think that's an important thing to consider.

yes you have. Sam Malone in Cheers used to play for them.

It doesn't mention anything which was posted on him last night by some dude, I'm not sure if it was on here or when I was looking at rawk.

Anyway, apparently he put ticket prices up by 200% tried to change the teams colour to blue! The same poster said that he has also not bought a top notch player for the red sox and that they've bot qualified for the world series quite a few times.

I'm sceptical very sceptical. And to be honest, I can't trust the yanks full stop. If he's only worth $800 mill then is he really prepared to use close to £300 mill pounds to buy us? Is there other investors?

I really do think the club should be at least talking with the likes of SOS and share Liverpool

The self-made multi-millionaire does not have the serious money of the Premier League's wealthiest owners, with his fortune rated at $860m [b](£540m)[/b]

How little has he/is he proposing to pay for the club then?
How much change will be left to fund a new stadium and re-build a decent team?

I'm no mathmatical expert, but I'd take a guess and answer, "not a lot"

I hope that prooves Broughton's, Ayre's and Purslow's proffesionalism!!! No one can tell now they are in H&G's pockets!!! Well done guy's - YNWA. I know that it will be legall chalange and it's still some bumpy road to go through, but I'm very optimistic :)I belive now that they did everything they could to do good thing to our club - and I want already say THANK YOU To Martin, Ian and Christian!!!

I'm going to put my neck on the line, I don't want them. I can't see how anybody would want to throw half of there money away on a huge investment without looking to make a return down the line. What's he in it for is my question? Glory? To have hero status? To sell at a higher price in five years?