FSG need to splash the cash

Last updated : 18 February 2023 By Mark Devey

I posted the piece last week on Jürgen possibly being under pressure and did so to understand what people were thinking and saying as we start this important new season with (hopefully) CL football and from what was perceived to be a position of strength as the last season drew to a close. 

It’s the day before the Hoffenheim first leg and opinions and anger are (again) being aimed at our Boston-based owners. Given we are still in the transfer window and things can change quickly (or slowly in our case), I’m posting this knowing it might look foolish quite quickly but I wanted to share some of my observations and thoughts about FSG – and happy to hear yours too.

For quite some time, FSG (led by John Henry) have faced nothing more than mild scepticism and frustration from our fan base and this appears to because they are not as bad “as the other America lot”. Damned by faint praise or let off lightly?  Looking back, this summer was the great opportunity for them to put to bed any lingering doubts, buy the good players the manager craved, buy them early and appear decisive in their dealings. Let’s come back to this.

In one corner of our support, there are those who point to just one trophy won during their seven years of ownership – and that a league cup final against Cardiff. Another view is that it wasn’t  John Henry, Mike Gordon or Tom Werner or any of the other owners  who missed penalties at Wembley against Man City or froze so badly against Seville.

As with most things in life, the truth is probably somewhere in between. Plenty of right things and plenty of wrong things have happened under their stewardship.

We enter this season with their second foray into the Champions League and in their seventh summer in charge. You may recall the last CL campaign (in 2014) when we replaced our totemic number 7 with a group that included Rickie Lambert, Manquillo, Markovic, Moreno, Adam Lallana, Dejan Lovren and a quiet chap, called Mario something or other. Wow – we got that right, eh?

This summer began with a confident Klopp supported by new sporting director, Michael Edwards, together with a different approach to the transfer window than that of three years ago - quality being sought over quantity. 

It appeared the right approach as we wanted players better than what we had, able to go straight into the first team and be effective from day one. We all know the names being mentioned – van Dijk, Keita as well as Salah and to bolster the squad with experience, Oxlade-Chamberlain. A huge overhaul wasn’t  required, (though I wanted a better goalkeeper and left back too!).  

But following the tortuous but eventually successful acquisition of Salah, the Van Dijk fiasco, and the Keita ignominy,  FSG are under the spotlight and in my opinion, it is about time. They have used our “brand to leverage their own standing and finances” – (too business speak? Tough, that is what we are to them). We have stood by and watched from the sides for a number of years and these guys have gone for different models to acquire talent, different individuals to act as transfer negotiators, provided different briefings to favoured journalists as to why it is hard to get your targets to join (“London”; “tough market”; “dastardly owners and agents”).  But still they escape true analysis and evaluation from the wider fan base.

Replacing FSG can and will only happen when they sell us – they were close last year to doing so to a Chinese group - but in the meantime, they remain,  so the question is: How can they win over their sceptics?

Firstly, they must ensure that quality additions arrive. Rivals are making that happen, and they must do whatever is required to ensure the remainder of August is used to bolster the first team. It is very late and we are starting from a poor position but it must happen. This does not mean Balotelli-style panic buying at the end of the window – but a strategic plan to deliver the best we can get as soon as we can.

Landing Van Dijk, which by all accounts still seems very possible, would be a major step forward and mean the Reds’ transfer record being broken for a second time this summer. It won't fix all the defensive frailties but it might go some way to helping supporters' hearts. 

We need to hire somebody with “real football experience” to work with them (or real decisive leadership) in the recruitment department. Michael Edwards might be a great guy on Championship Manager and at reading spreadsheets but the process of identifying and acquiring continually breaks down – this needs fixing now. Edwards internal promotion has not been based on delivery or experience just on expediency. 

Whist they can point at the new Main Stand and investment being made at Kirby as being a part of their legacy and examples of their commitment, it’s on the pitch that any football club is ultimately judged, and that’s why the money must be spent this summer and capitalise on the opportunity of, hopefully, a return to Europe’s top table. If not, we need a Springvale like uprising with pitch forks at the ready – because it will be the manager who carries the can for failure and again we have to start again but with the same owners doing the same things. Plus ca change.

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