LIVERPOOL UNITED?

                                          Written By Robert Amanze

Am I the only person who is starting to think that Liverpool are slowly becoming a poor imitation of Newcastle United? Hear me out:

·         A club overly-romantic about past glory.

·         Fanatical supporters who believe they’re entitled to success.

·         A succession of beleaguered managers that have failed to win the title.

·         Fandom overriding rational logic.

·         Disgruntled players who see their future elsewhere.

·         A belief that a messiah in the form of an ex-player/manager will come and save the day.

You see, not such a far-fetched comparison is it? Some similarities are uncanny. The only thing missing is a fat, meddling, buffoon from London! Hold on, isn’t Roy Hodgson from Croydon? (ok, that was a little harsh). As a Liverpool fan I’ve been perturbed and a little surprised about all the column inches Liverpool FC have been consuming over the last few days. There seems to be genuine hysteria emanating from the club.

It was embarrassing to hear cries of “Hodgson for England” and “Dalglish” from the fans during the recent home defeat to Wolves. Alright yes, Roy Hodgson hasn’t done a good job as Liverpool manager. Actually in truth, he hasn’t even done an average one but the level of hostility towards the man is becoming unacceptable. Every interview he has conducted has been brutally assassinated and taken out of context. Even something as banal as Hodgson rubbing his face is now up for discussion on the LFC internet forums. Ex-players who in the summer were praising his appointment have now trickled out of the woodwork to publicly damn him.

Hodgson isn’t the only one to have fallen foul of the Liverpool fans of late. Paul Konchesky, a limited but willing player has become a target of the boo boys in the last few weeks. It would appear that a few disparaging remarks made by Konchesky’s mum about the city of Liverpool and its fans on Facebook (I know.... Facebook???) has done a lot of damage. Didn’t she have anything better to do, like change her profile picture or send a friend request???

Liverpool fans are supposed to be the most knowledge football fans around (truly a self-proclaimed notion). Therefore, can they not see that the club as a whole is going through a rebuilding process and need some patience? A magic wand will not be waved and everything will be rosy again. 

No plaster or band-aid can cover over the mistakes made in the last 18 months. The new owners Fenway Sports Group (FSG or formerly known as NESV) will need time to evaluate the structure and long-term planning of the club. Changes will be made, I’m certain. These changes however, need to be the correct ones for the club. No quick-fixes here please! Whilst I admire and greatly respect Kenny Dalglish (affectionately known as ‘the King’ be many). He is a man who has not managed a football club for 11 years!

I watch with baited breath to see how Liverpool football club conducts itself over the next two transfer windows. Most importantly the current one, which is already four days old. New players are a priority and prudence as well as conscientiousness will have to be exhausted. The question is, will the board back Hodgson and give him the money he desperately needs? It will seem inevitable that there will a parting of the ways between the club and manager at some point in the near future. My only wish is that it’s done at the end of the season in an amicable way. That will allow Hodgson to leave with some dignity instead of with his tail tucked between his legs. The words “You’ll Never Walk Alone” are paramount to the club. Enough of the witch-hunts and agenda’s. It’s time to be united.

Should I Stay Or Should I Go?

                                                    Written By Robert Amanze
                                 

New football stadiums seem to be in vogue these days as every club appears to want one. The benefits for a club when they move to a new stadium are quite clear to see. The prospects of increased attendances, more room for corporate hospitality, better experience for fans, more areas for retail and catering, increased non-match day facilities etc. For example, over the last few weeks, Tottenham and West Ham have been squabbling over the ownership of the Olympic stadium post the 2012 Olympics. Both clubs have been wise and canny enough to see the potential for greater revenue and increased turnover from the move to Stratford. This brings me onto a topic that is quite close to my heart, the future home of Liverpool Football Club.

After a tumultuous battle to become the owners of Liverpool FC, New England Sports Ventures are now faced with their first big challenge (some will argue that it’s the position of Roy Hodgson, but that’s for another discussion). So far, John W. Henry has been very tight-lipped about any plans surrounding the new stadium. Perhaps he is scared to make any broken promises like his native predecessors? This heightens the fact that the eventual decision whatever it may be, cannot be rushed and requires careful strategic planning. At present there would seem to be three options available to NESV.

Option 1: Redevelop Anfield

When NESV acquired the Boston Red Sox in 2002, they were faced with a similar dilemma to the one currently in place at Liverpool i.e. an iconic stadium that was fast becoming a relic. NESV decided to redevelop Fenway Park instead of building a new stadium elsewhere. The idea of redeveloping Anfield has its plus points. It will cost NESV far less to increase the capacity of Anfield (which currently stands at 45,000).

Obviously if money can be saved in the building of a new stadium then it will be done. NESV are business men after all. The romantics will also argue that Anfield holds too many fond memories. 

Why move when you can expand upon history and tradition? 

Option 2: Stanley Park

George Gillett and Tom Hicks got a lot of things wrong during their three year tenure as owners of Liverpool Football Club. One of the most cringe-worthy, was Gillett’s infamous “a spade in the ground within 60 days” statement (not long after their takeover in 2007), referring to the construction of a new stadium on Stanley Park. Three years on and that spade has done nothing but gather dust.

The short move to Stanley Park would do a lot of the things I alluded to in my very first paragraph. Liverpool as a city would be invigorated by the regeneration opportunities a new multi-million pound stadium could provide.

Option 3: Ground Share

It might not be the most popular decision with the fans but there is a mounting possibility that Merseyside rivals Liverpool and Everton may consider a ground share. From NESV’s perspective it provides the best of both worlds. The luxury of a new stadium constructed with only half the additional costs. Kopites and Toffees would find the notion of sharing a stadium difficult to comprehend but other major European clubs such as AC Milan and Inter Milan, as well as Roma and Lazio have ground shared for well over 60 years. However a loss of individual pride and identity may prove to be problematic.

Personally, I cannot see anything other than a move to Stanley Park for Liverpool. Staying at Anfield is not viable in the long-term as capacity and future re-development will be severely restricted. Why expand Anfield to cater 60,000 people (its proposed maximum capacity) when the club could possibly sell-out 70,000? Quite simply, staying at Anfield limits any future growth. The thought of Liverpool sharing a stadium with bitter rivals Everton is even more irrational. One of the primary contributors to a football clubs wealth is its assets, such as a stadium. It is estimated Milan council, take five million Euro’s in rent from AC and Inter each year. Also, non-ownership of the San Siro means each club is restricted in what it can generate or do on non-match days. Nor can either club undertake re-structuring without the other clubs consent.

These are just some of the factors John W. Henry and co, will have to consider when deciding the future home of Liverpool Football Club. As the new custodians of the club, it is a decision they cannot take lightly. NESV will be wise to not raise the ire of Liverpudlians. We all know what happened to the last group of Americans who dared to do that.