Firstly Jurgen Klopp has joined a number of his players in the doctor’s lounge before being rushed to hospital due to a diagnostic of appendicitis. In typical Klopp fashion, he missed the Sunderland game but discharged himself very quickly after his operation so as not to miss anything!
There have been rumours of Daniel Sturridge wanting to leave after apparently being tired of having his injuries and lacking commitment to the club. However there is no substance to any of this and despite only warming up for the Sunderland game, Daniel did make a return during Tuesday’s second FA Cup clash with the Hammers and showed fans again why he is greatly missed. Meanwhile he has been busy on social media promoting his new clothing line with team mates Henderson and Skrtel also posting their support on Instagram.
After a pretty quiet January transfer window, the owners further annoyed fans with announcing a new plan for the ticket prices for the 2016/17 season. With the attraction of the extension of the Main Stand offering an additional 13,000 seats, fans were outraged to hear of the new £77 price per seat. The Sunderland game saw many fans leaving at the 77th minute in protest and the owners…listened!
With a message being released to fans on Wednesday 10th February, owners John W Henry, Tom Werner and Mike Gordon informed fans that they aim to listen to fans and take on board what they feel, as they are the heart and soul of the club. They are planning on freezing ticket prices for another 2 seasons with the highest general ticket remaining at £59 along with freezing season ticket costs.
The £260m scheme which the owners have placed into the pot themselves is to become the biggest stand within a European stadium and the owners admitted they hope this will help them to remain a competitive threat to other clubs such as Manchester City and Arsenal who can be seen to redevelop and grow as a business. Whilst it is disappointing that it had to come to protests from fans, it is fantastic to know that Liverpool as a club bases decisions upon and around fans and views these as such a highly important asset to the club and not just as customers.
After disappointing matches against Sunderland and West Ham, the Reds go on to face Aston Villa on Valentine’s Day. The Midlands club has also faced defeats to West Ham recently and despite beating Norwich last weekend, remain 20th in the Premier League, giving Liverpool a statistical advantage but we will have to await with bated breath!