Take it for what it's worth as it is the telegraph:
Most of it I find as drivel however I will say one thing, just as they do here in Boston FSG tries its best not to meddle with the day to day affairs of the club, they leave that to the people they place in charge and trust them to make the decisions needed. They have always been like that with the RS and I believe were attempting to do the same here.
I do not agree with what they say about Kenny or Rafa, the culture or anything else in this article except for the highlighted parts, I see those as the most realistic of FSG's actions.
This was the most extraordinary 45 minutes in recent Anfield history since the second half in Istanbul. Luis Suarez apologises for refusing to shake Patrice Evraâs hand. Managing Director Ian Ayre condemns Suarezâs behaviour.
No sooner were the repercussions of this digested, manager Kenny Dalglish makes the most startling admission of all.
âI did not conduct myself in a way befitting of a Liverpool manager, and Iâd like to apologise for that,â said Dalglish, referring to his post-match conduct at Old Trafford.
The most significant players in all this â Liverpoolâs American owners â said nothing, and yet their influence was on every utterance. Behind the scenes, the whip was cracked.
Liverpoolâs principal owner John W. Henry and chairman Tom Werner had every right to be furious with Saturdayâs events.
Related Articles
On their recent visit they made their discontent with the clubâs tarnished image known. They held heated meetings, and issued reminders of responsibilities.
One of the owners travelled to London to meet Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore in an attempt to build bridges with the hierarchy of English football.
For a week at the end of January, there was serenity. Henry and Werner then returned to America believing the worst was over after a dismal few months. Not for the first time in their reign, no sooner had they vacated the premises all hell breaks loose.
One is reminded of a scene in a classroom full of rowdy pupils, unwilling to listen to their timid supply teacher. The authoritative Deputy Head briefly enters, the room falls silent and everyone sits meekly back in their seats, fearing the hand of discipline.
Then the imposing figure departs, and the juveniles vacate their desks and start throwing paper planes at each other again.
Every time Henry and Werner return to United States, a crisis follows them. Each phone call and email sent across the Atlantic brings news of woe. The demand, even in the American media, was for them to sort it out.
Show leadership. Take a more proactive, hands-on role. Easy enough, youâd think. They do own the club, after all. If only the political mechanics of Liverpool Football Club allowed leaders to lead.
Fenway Sports Groupâs desire to be more dynamic and authoritative in their approach has been constrained by a flawed ethos at Anfield.
It suggests: âThere is a holy trinity between the players, the manager and the supporters. Directors donât come into it. They are only there to sign the cheques.â
It is over-simplistic, romantic drivel. Anyone who thinks former chairman John Smith, or ex-chief executive Peter Robinson contributed no more than âsigning chequesâ in Liverpoolâs golden era is reading the wrong history books.
Since Robinson left Anfield, the managers have been too powerful. First it was Gerard Houllier in the aftermath of the 2001 treble.
Then Rafa BenĂtez briefly had a contract giving him more power than any coach in Europe. Dalglishâs status eclipses the pair of them.
He is rightly loved for reasons thirty years in their construction, but he is also expected to live up to unattainable ideals of infallibility. It is too much, even for him.
Henry and Werner will never be held in the same regard as Dalglish, so they can never utter a word or issue a statement that may be interpreted as undermining him.
It is a sign of their astute leadership they have allowed both Suarez and Dalglish to admit their own mistakes rather than have to publicly point them out themselves.
The new Americans do not deserve to be spoken about in the same terms as Tom Hicks and George Gillett, but they know what happened to them and are still paying a price for the skewed culture of a club which has lived in fear of another populist uprising for too long.
Elements of Liverpoolâs fan base believe it was they who forced out an unwanted regime and unpopular manager, and they can mobilise again should they believe similar circumstances exist under FSG.
For those who donât trust FSG, thatâs reassuring. For those who believe they deserve the chance to do it their own way and succeed or fail on their own terms, itâs debilitating.
Henry and Werner have assumed the right to exercise full executive control and guide the club in the direction they want.
Amid the squalor of Suarezâs conduct, something positive may have emerged. Over a year after the last takeover, Liverpool may have finally found some leadership again.
« Last Edit: Feb 13, 2012 04:04:09 pm by AZPatriot »
Logged