John W Henry

[Numero Veinticinco]

The way they have done it has been to use smart practice to counter the very biggest spenders and to hire quality employees, like Klopp and Edwards to run their business. 
 

I’m not really sure what relevance saying ‘it could be different’ is, because it isn’t different. If United didn’t get Ferguson... it could all be different, so really United were shit during the 90s. If we didn’t get Shanks... so we are really a Championship side with no history. If FSG didn’t get Klopp... so really they’re just shit owners. 
 

They made some mistakes early on, learned from them and aside from a few things that leave a sour taste, they’ve been as good as we can reasonably expect. Now that we have trophies to back up the improvements, and stadium work finished and planned, and new training complex almost done, and the best side in the world, it’s much harder to paint them as a group of leeches who don’t know what they’re doing. 

[Grinch]

Klopps the reason for why we are where we are.   They should stay across the pond cause they deserve fuck all credit. 

[Numero Veinticinco]

Just now, Grinch said:

Klopps the reason for why we are where we are.   They should stay across the pond cause they deserve fuck all credit. 

My mistake. It still seems really easy to claim that. 

[dockers_strike]

1 hour ago, Numero Veinticinco said:

The way they have done it has been to use smart practice to counter the very biggest spenders and to hire quality employees, like Klopp and Edwards to run their business. 
 

I’m not really sure what relevance saying ‘it could be different’ is, because it isn’t different. If United didn’t get Ferguson... it could all be different, so really United were shit during the 90s. If we didn’t get Shanks... so we are really a Championship side with no history. If FSG didn’t get Klopp... so really they’re just shit owners. 
 

They made some mistakes early on, learned from them and aside from a few things that leave a sour taste, they’ve been as good as we can reasonably expect. Now that we have trophies to back up the improvements, and stadium work finished and planned, and new training complex almost done, and the best side in the world, it’s much harder to paint them as a group of leeches who don’t know what they’re doing. 

Correct, haters just gonna hate. I dont know where some fans think this mega rich, altruistic Liverpool mad owner they want is going to come from.

 

Fans should worry a little less about the current owners and instead be very cautious about who any future owner or owners are like.

[RedKnight]

Trading Mookie Betts might be the most skewed-logic decision I've seen in years. Trading away your best player, who you've brought up through the farm system, to get under the luxury tax so that you can release payroll to sign a free agent, who won't be as good as Mookie, next winter is idiotic.

 

They've wound up a lot of the Red Sox fanbase by doing this and claiming poverty. The Red Sox are a licence to print money and they've traded away their best player. So infuriating I might not bother subscribing to MLB.tv this season.

[dockers_strike]

23 minutes ago, RedKnight said:

Trading Mookie Betts might be the most skewed-logic decision I've seen in years. Trading away your best player, who you've brought up through the farm system, to get under the luxury tax so that you can release payroll to sign a free agent, who won't be as good as Mookie, next winter is idiotic.

 

They've wound up a lot of the Red Sox fanbase by doing this and claiming poverty. The Red Sox are a licence to print money and they've traded away their best player. So infuriating I might not bother subscribing to MLB.tv this season.

Well, I dont know the ins and outs of baseball nor the tax regime. But, in some ways it is similar to selling Coutinho. Loads of our fans questioned FSG over it but it's worked out well.

[El Rojo]

6 minutes ago, RedKnight said:

Trading Mookie Betts might be the most skewed-logic decision I've seen in years. Trading away your best player, who you've brought up through the farm system, to get under the luxury tax so that you can release payroll to sign a free agent, who won't be as good as Mookie, next winter is idiotic.

 

They've wound up a lot of the Red Sox fanbase by doing this and claiming poverty. The Red Sox are a licence to print money and they've traded away their best player. So infuriating I might not bother subscribing to MLB.tv this season.

I support Liverpool Soccer Franchise, not The Red Sox. 

[TheHowieLama]

15 minutes ago, RedKnight said:

Trading Mookie Betts might be the most skewed-logic decision I've seen in years. Trading away your best player, who you've brought up through the farm system, to get under the luxury tax so that you can release payroll to sign a free agent, who won't be as good as Mookie, next winter is idiotic.

 

They've wound up a lot of the Red Sox fanbase by doing this and claiming poverty. The Red Sox are a licence to print money and they've traded away their best player. So infuriating I might not bother subscribing to MLB.tv this season.

Betts wanted out.

[WhiskeyJar]

3 hours ago, Salou said:

FSG have been great on the business side but the stars really aligned for them on the footballing side with two major things that changed the course of the club -

 

1. Obviously the biggest one, Klopp being available at the right time and coming in and buying into the structure with Edwards and Gordon

 

2. the Neymar transfer changing the game and subsequently the price we received for Coutinho - without this fee I honestly don't think our Squad looks like it does today

 

 

this isn't me saying it's all down to luck - it takes a lot of skill to execute what you're given correctly and they've done that - but those two things had to have happened for them to have made a success of this ownership on the footballing side

We have earned all of our good luck.

[RedKnight]

34 minutes ago, dockers_strike said:

Well, I dont know the ins and outs of baseball nor the tax regime. But, in some ways it is similar to selling Coutinho. Loads of our fans questioned FSG over it but it's worked out well.

 

It's not like that at all. Betts is the best outfielder, after Mike Trout, in all of baseball. It's a backwards step.

 

24 minutes ago, TheHowieLama said:

Betts wanted out.

I'm sure they'll get that story out via the Globe like they usually do. "He didn't want to stay", "Francona was popping pills" - they do it all the time.

[TheHowieLama]

2 minutes ago, RedKnight said:

 

I'm sure they'll get that story out via the Globe like they usually do. "He didn't want to stay", "Francona was popping pills" - they do it all the time.

He has said publicly for over a year that he was going to run the contract out so he can negotiate his next contract as a free agent. The club has made multiple offers at a new contract.

[3 Stacks]

1 hour ago, RedKnight said:

Trading Mookie Betts might be the most skewed-logic decision I've seen in years. Trading away your best player, who you've brought up through the farm system, to get under the luxury tax so that you can release payroll to sign a free agent, who won't be as good as Mookie, next winter is idiotic.

 

They've wound up a lot of the Red Sox fanbase by doing this and claiming poverty. The Red Sox are a licence to print money and they've traded away their best player. So infuriating I might not bother subscribing to MLB.tv this season.

The thing that is terrible about it is that Betts is a great player and the whole point of sport is for the fans to be able to watch and cheer for great players. They've let down Sox fans on that end.

 

There is a rational explanation for it, though. Almost every single 200+ million$ contract for position players in baseball has failed and if Betts wasn't thrilled to be in Boston, that probably sealed it for FSG; had to go. 

[3 Stacks]

4 hours ago, Numero Veinticinco said:

The way they have done it has been to use smart practice to counter the very biggest spenders and to hire quality employees, like Klopp and Edwards to run their business. 
 

I’m not really sure what relevance saying ‘it could be different’ is, because it isn’t different. If United didn’t get Ferguson... it could all be different, so really United were shit during the 90s. If we didn’t get Shanks... so we are really a Championship side with no history. If FSG didn’t get Klopp... so really they’re just shit owners. 
 

They made some mistakes early on, learned from them and aside from a few things that leave a sour taste, they’ve been as good as we can reasonably expect. Now that we have trophies to back up the improvements, and stadium work finished and planned, and new training complex almost done, and the best side in the world, it’s much harder to paint them as a group of leeches who don’t know what they’re doing. 

Things may have fallen into place for them better than anyone could have hoped, but you make your own luck. Their philosophy was always the right one. Get a progressive offensive-minded coach and sign players with potential/on the verge of stardom with the help of data. Those are the right ideas, they just needed to hit on the right manager and they did. Now here we are. 

[Mcfaggen]

9 hours ago, Salou said:

FSG have been great on the business side but the stars really aligned for them on the footballing side with two major things that changed the course of the club -

 

1. Obviously the biggest one, Klopp being available at the right time and coming in and buying into the structure with Edwards and Gordon

 

2. the Neymar transfer changing the game and subsequently the price we received for Coutinho - without this fee I honestly don't think our Squad looks like it does today

 

 

this isn't me saying it's all down to luck - it takes a lot of skill to execute what you're given correctly and they've done that - but those two things had to have happened for them to have made a success of this ownership on the footballing side

I see what you're saying re: the Neymar fee, but equally, the cost of VVD & Becker wouldn't have been as extortionate, so relatively it may all have worked out. 

 

Klopp, Edwards & Gordon is why we are where we are, and FSG put those in place. Credit where it's due. 

[TheHowieLama]

Spot on about fees.

[VladimirIlyich]

7 hours ago, RedKnight said:

Trading Mookie Betts might be the most skewed-logic decision I've seen in years. Trading away your best player, who you've brought up through the farm system, to get under the luxury tax so that you can release payroll to sign a free agent, who won't be as good as Mookie, next winter is idiotic.

 

They've wound up a lot of the Red Sox fanbase by doing this and claiming poverty. The Red Sox are a licence to print money and they've traded away their best player. So infuriating I might not bother subscribing to MLB.tv this season.

In English please?

[andyj]

people need to get over this whole FSG is shit bollocks!! people have short memories of how close we came to going into administration and christ knows how bad things could have got if that happened.Yeah they fucked up abit along the way but show me a club where the owners have been 100% perfect.As far as im concerned they saved the club ive supported for the last 40 years and have returned it back to successful club on and off the pitch i really don't know what else they can do to please some people  

[dockers_strike]

1 hour ago, andyj said:

people need to get over this whole FSG is shit bollocks!! people have short memories of how close we came to going into administration and christ knows how bad things could have got if that happened.Yeah they fucked up abit along the way but show me a club where the owners have been 100% perfect.As far as im concerned they saved the club ive supported for the last 40 years and have returned it back to successful club on and off the pitch i really don't know what else they can do to please some people  

Cue they bought the club for a song and, well, Peter Lim or Gillett's creditors would have bought the club and we'd still be are today. Erm!

 

The way I see it is, no owners run a club in the fans' interest. They run a club for their own ego and finances amongst other things Ive no doubt FSG or Henry are any different in that respect.

 

But they dont strike me as a mansour, abramovic or sullivan and gold ownership either. Yeah, they've made mistakes on and off the field, some of the off field stuff was frankly embarassing with that guy who struck lucky reporting Liverpool transfer targets or whatever. Same with tickets.

 

The acid test for me is whether people learn from their mistakes or keep repeating them. They dont seem to be repeating the same mistakes to me. I really am not bothered whether they are 'absent' owners or not. They've got subordinates with authority to run the club's off field direction. Depending on your view of them, they tell Jurgen who to sell and how much he can spend. I think the truth is like any manager, he has a budget but they'll let him exceed it if it's for a player or players he wants to improve the squad.

 

Anyway, doesnt really matter, haters are going to hate and not give due recognition so it's a circular argument all the time. The real consternation will be if \ when they decide to sell up and who the new owners are. Until then, buckle up and enjoy the ride.

[Dr Nowt]

On 08/02/2020 at 12:40, Grinch said:

Klopps the reason for why we are where we are.   They should stay across the pond cause they deserve fuck all credit. 

According to you it was entirely on them that we didn’t buy any senior outfield players last summer, especially a striker. Turns out it was a masterstroke not upsetting the squad balance, so they deserve all the credit for that.

 

Thank fuck they overruled the imbecile in charge who was adamant about signing new players for a squad which clearly didn’t need them, until they laid down the law and forbid him from doing so.

[Trumo]

On 08/02/2020 at 22:22, VladimirIlyich said:

In English please?

 

Letting Mookie Betts leave is bad.

 

[Grinch]

2 minutes ago, Lizzie Birdsworths Wrinkled Chopper said:

According to you it was entirely on them that we didn’t buy any senior outfield players last summer, especially a striker. Turns out to it was a masterstroke not upsetting the squad balance, so they deserve all the credit for that.

 

Thank fuck they overruled the imbecile in charge who was adamant about signing new players for a squad which clearly didn’t need them, until they laid down the law and forbid him from doing so.

 

It's since become clear that any transfer budget disappeared on Anfield getting extra seats again. 

[Dr Nowt]

Just now, Grinch said:

It's since become clear that any transfer budget disappeared on Anfield getting extra seats again. 

 

[VladimirIlyich]

10 hours ago, Trumo said:

 

Letting Mookie Betts leave is bad.

 

Who?

[Baltar]

While I don't mind them as much anymore I'm not joining the FSG fanclub just yet. We are where we are because of Klopp, not because of Henry. Yes FSG have backed him in the market but considering how much money they've been making from the club, that's the least they could have done. 

[dockers_strike]

1 hour ago, Baltar said:

While I don't mind them as much anymore I'm not joining the FSG fanclub just yet. We are where we are because of Klopp, not because of Henry. Yes FSG have backed him in the market but considering how much money they've been making from the club, that's the least they could have done. 

Jesus, not this old chestnut again. They arent making any money from the club, look at the audited accounts if you wont take my word.

 

Yes, the value of the club has sky rocketed and when they sell, they'll make a huge profit. Of course we could have been saved by Peter Lim or some hedge fund looking to get back the money gillet owed them so I guess things could have been even rosier.