I'm not a massive fan of FSG but we, as a group, need to face up to a few facts. Football is a business in this day and age. If the club ignores this and spends money it hasn't got then there is a real risk we'll end up like Leeds. They gambled when they got to the CL and went out and signed lots of 'marquee' players; look where it got them.
To compete with the elite clubs, we need to pursue other sources of revenue. This article makes interesting (and slightly depressing) reading:
http://www.scmp.com/sport/soccer/article/2073764/how-liverpool-fcs-new-md-billy-hogan-plans-expand-clubs-reach-china-andWe have First team players recording Chinese New Year messages in Mandarin to be played in China, Jürgen Klopp 'ringing' Chinese table-tennis great Deng Yaping to ask for tips on how to beat Coutinho and Firmino at table tennis! Quite honestly, it sickens me that we do this stuff ... it's so false and disingenuous but it is part of 'the game' and, if we want to get ourselves back at the top table again, then we need to be playing it.
We're still behind the likes of Real Madrid, Barcelona, Man Utd etc by approx £200m per year in terms of our revenue. However, we're closing the gap ... which says to me that FSG are doing the right things, but it isn't a gap that we're going to close in a few weeks or months - it will take time because this is stuff they all started doing years before we did.
We have just spent circa £115m increasing the capacity of the main stand which will mean additional revenue for the club over many years to come. This is long-term sustainable revenue as a direct result of investment from FSG.
As I say, I'm not necessarily pro-FSG ... we are just an investment to them. They looked at how things were run previously and saw financial potential. There is no emotional attachment from them in the same way that we are attached to LFC - they are cold-hearted business people. But then so are the owners of Man Utd and other elite clubs.
I sense that they are good at what they do and that they will get it right eventually. This will translate to on-field success because, as our revenue goes up, we will be able to afford to play players better wages (wages are more significant than transfer fees and eat up much more of our overall budget) and attract better players.
« Last Edit: Aug 27, 2017 03:10:48 pm by ed603em »
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