Ultimately, the team is considered one of the "products" by the hedge funders that own our LFC Ltd
A fundamental of business is being careful not to "over-engineer" a product or make it "too good".
But a fundamental of football is to actually ensure the product is "too good" ie for the opposition.
So they're at complete odds to begin with.
Its interesting to note what happened after we last finished second. That ofcourse was that we BECAME sh*te.
The owners broke up the team - Alonso and then Masch. And even all these yrs later, the midfield hasn't recovered. And its pretty much a carbon copy this time as we finished second THIS year.
What are big issues to us, what are big mysteries, aren't remotely important to the board when it meets over in Boston or wherever. They don't give a sh*t. Football success is IRRELEVANT.
Our objective is to "plausibly challenge for 4th", probably even FIFTH! Their objective is to lower expectation. Because expectation demands investment, and certainly precludes asset stripping of the top players.
The promises that they'd compete with everyone have melted away. The promises too, that they'd compete with everyone AFTER FFP is instated... they've melted away. Werner's claims they are "fervent, fervent fans"... well.. they've melted away.
All they want to do is fill the ground, sell a lot of merchandise (based around the "storied Liverpool soccer brand" routine) and keep pulling in the deals - albeit at a rate substantially below what the top English teams are getting.
People think you need to compete to succeed in business. Yes, compete in squeezing every last penny of revenue. But all they want to do is make it LOOK like we are competing on the pitch.
All they're doing is riding the wave that is the Premier League's popularity in Asia etc. Our (former) rivals - Man C and U, Chelsea etc are doing much better than us. But our current rivals are actually Spurs, Everton, Villa etc. We've sold two players alone for 125m. The club was bought for somewhere very roughly around 300m, with only 60m or so risked - the rest coming from the banks. PLUS there is turnover running into the 100s of millions. With the option to asset strip a squad including Sturridge,Sterling and lots more, its clear what the y are about. Even if we're mid table, they'll have some canned bullshit public relations at the ready to see the ground is full.
Last Summer's window wasn't an "accident". It was completely deliberate. They sold a "mature asset" in Suarez. They slashed running costs of stars like Pepe, Dagger and Luis. And they bought cheaper waged assets that they think will appreciatein value. Ofcourse, if any of these new assets become enviable, they'll pick up the phone to their mates in Madrid, Chelsea and Barcelona - the only customers that REALLY matter to them.
They think they can sell us a worse product this year to get more money from us. Simple market forces.. in business. Simple greed tho, in football.
It won't change until WE the fans change.
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