Souness: Relationship between Liverpool fans and owners is irreparably damaged

[TLW]

Graeme Souness believes there is no coming back for John Henry in the hearts and minds of Liverpool fans across the globe.

 

The plans for a European Super League which was set to send the world of Football into turmoil was in tatters on Wednesday evening as all six Premier League clubs pulled out almost as quickly as they had signed up to the proposed league.

 

The backlash to the plan was ferocious and passionate as Football fans across the land who are undoubtedly the heart of the game bonded as one to send a clear message that this was certainly not the best way forward for the game.

 

While the fans made their thoughts known in the best way possible, a cavalcade of former players turned pundits were also extremely quick to condemn the plan

 

With the anger being palpable, the big question is when the dust settles what will the landscape look like for these six clubs.

 

Some will undoubtedly look to go on a PR campaign of mammoth proportions and aim to win back the high level of disaffected fans.

 

But according to the club legend turned pundit, that will be a incredibly tall ask for Henry and his colleagues who he said had a clear method that blew up in their faces.

 

The Mirror reported Souness as saying:

 

“When people go into business at this level they've got an exit strategy.

 

“You can bet certain Americans were looking at this, [thinking] we'll remain in this new league for two years, our assets will double in value and we'll get out and we'll move onto something else.

 

“They've been found out. And we know as well as anyone, how will the scousers take to John Henry after this? I don't know how he comes back from this."

 

One of the worst things about this whole process was how everyone other than the architects of the plan were kept in the dark with Jurgen Klopp confirming on Monday that he only knew about it a few hours before it came to light.

 

Souness said that lack of accountability and honesty will be extremely difficult to forget.

 

 

 

“This wasn't an idea someone had a fortnight ago, this has obviously been on the go for months and months and months.

 

"So these chairmen have been going to Premier League meetings, albeit via Zoom no doubt, knowing that their intention was in a few months to pull out of the Champions League.

 

"So they've been so under-handed - these are relationships that will take some mending.

 

"And the biggest one is not chairman to chairman, it's chairman to supporters, which is very important.”

 

Souness believes the fact that FSG along with their Man United colleagues were at the heart of this sorry affair, will be an extra kick in the guts for supporters. Liverpool and Manchester United fans rarely agree on anything, but both were on the same page with regards to the conduct of their owners this week.

 

Souness continued, “I know the scousers, they will not forgive John Henry for this. I can't see how he gets back from this, I honestly can't.

 

"I think it's different for [Chelsea owner] Roman Abramovich. I think he's been dragged in, and City have been dragged in. 

 

“I imagine the catalysts for this would have been the Americans at Liverpool and Man United, along with the two big clubs in Spain who by all accounts are absolutely skint.

 

"How you recover from this I'm not quite sure, because the relationship between the supporters and the board in some cases will be damaged forever."

[Lee909]

36 minutes ago, TLW said:

:

 

 

 

"So these chairmen have been going to Premier League meetings, albeit via Zoom no doubt, knowing that their intention was in a few months to pull out of the Premier League.

 .

 

 

 

"I think it's different for [Chelsea owner] Roman Abramovich. I think he's been dragged in, and City have been dragged in. 

 

 

 

Were has he got the first part from. 

Nothing was said about pulling out of the Premier league

 

And nice to see the pundits diving in to save poor Chelsea and City rep. The poor lads just got dragged into it, no fault of their own 

[Iceman]

citeh and chelski dragged in? What the absolute fuck is he saying here? These are hard nosed corporate organizations not some easily led wet behind the ears novices. FFS. 

 

This is utterly ridiculous. Are we supposed to somehow feel sorry for mega rich club owners? They were just as much a part of it as we were, this thing took a large amount of planning and discussions.

 

Pundits jut creating narratives out of thin air. 

[Carvalho Diablo]

Souness knows 1st hand what it's like to irreparably burn his bridges with our fans, for as great a player that he was, many have still never forgiven him for selling his heart attack story to the rag.

[halewood pete]

My heart bleeds for poor city and chelsea.Do fuck off .

[Bobby Hundreds]

City fans saying this was all a big ploy by their owners. How fucking deluded are their fanbase. They literally witnessed the backlash and pulled out because finances are irrelevant to them, the same for Chelsea. What the City group have been doing compared to the PR they get must be the clearest example of sportwashing there can be and how a media bought and paid for enables it. 

[Halcyon Days]

So here’s the media narrative then from Souness and Carragher who I wish was this vocal when we were actually going to the wall, what a phoney Sky cunt he is. Apparently our owners have to leave but not a peep about the other 5 clubs? They’ll use this mythical Uber Scouse footy passion to beat us with and a large portion of our own will play along.

 

All while Arsenal, Spurs, Chelsea, City and the Mancs whistle to themselves in the background.

[Saintslfc13]

A lot of these media articles I've read since this turn around come across as thinly veiled propaganda pieces to encourage our fans to cut off their noise to spite their face, all whilst blatantly shilling for the sheikh and the russian oligarch. It's nonsense and honestly its upsetting that more can't see through it.

[J-V]

13 minutes ago, Saintslfc13 said:

A lot of these media articles I've read since this turn around come across as thinly veiled propaganda pieces to encourage our fans to cut off their noise to spite their face, all whilst blatantly shilling for the sheikh and the russian oligarch. It's nonsense and honestly its upsetting that more can't see through it.

and the fans a lapping it up.

[Josef Svejk]

3 hours ago, Iceman said:

citeh and chelski dragged in? What the absolute fuck is he saying here? These are hard nosed corporate organizations not some easily led wet behind the ears novices. FFS. 

 

This is utterly ridiculous. Are we supposed to somehow feel sorry for mega rich club owners? They were just as much a part of it as we were, this thing took a large amount of planning and discussions.

 

Pundits jut creating narratives out of thin air. 

That's a widespread view now. Dragged in, poor darlings. But heroically first out. 

[El Rojo]

Lazy analysis from Souness there. 

[Scooby Dudek]

Well he is an expert on putting yourself first and not giving a fuck about the supporters. Also knows a lot about lack of accountability and honesty as well.

 

[Elite]

I like Souness bit he's just Sky shilling here. Embarrassing.

[El Dangerous]

tl;dr- Is it Pogba’s fault?

[Frank Dacey]

I think City and Chelsea of the big 6 were the two who least needed this from the money perspective, arguably United, too. We, Spurs and Arsenal probably do need the money, but the fundamental incompetence of it all (foreshadowed by the fate of Project Big Picture) is breathtaking. It's led to City and Chelsea, the two most classless clubs in the country, being able to claim the moral high ground and us being lectured by the Dildo Brothers, the great null and voiders, on sporting integrity. With such ineptitude on display, it's no wonder Liverpool fans have lost any faith in FSG.

[ben48]

34 minutes ago, Elite said:

I like Souness bit he's just Sky shilling here. Embarrassing.

This,

[johnsusername]

I don't think FSG will give a shit. They didn't make their money by considering the feelings of others. Plus, they're on a different continent.

[Bjornebye]

I'm not really sure what people expect pundits to come out and say. Stay quiet when asked? I think the likes of Neville, Carra and Souness coming out right away blasting it has gone some way to helping it get fucked off. Regardless of our thoughts on them or who pays their wages, they've been spot on about the greed of the owners. 

[stringvest]

2 hours ago, El Rojo said:

Lazy analysis from Souness there. 

Well at least he speaks from experience

[VladimirIlyich]

I think one of the most ironic things that may come from this is that the smaller PL clubs might end up calling the tune when the whole Sky funded idea was for the 'big six' to call the shots. I would chortle if this is a result of the super league incompetence.

[Aventus]

5 hours ago, Bobby Hundreds said:

City fans saying this was all a big ploy by their owners. How fucking deluded are their fanbase. They literally witnessed the backlash and pulled out because finances are irrelevant to them, the same for Chelsea. What the City group have been doing compared to the PR they get must be the clearest example of sportwashing there can be and how a media bought and paid for enables it. 

I briefly went to blue moon to check out their thoughts. 

 

Honestly sickening, most say they're proud of their club for taking a stand, and they only did this as some form of corporate espionage in order to infiltrate the cartel and bring it down from the inside, others saying they were tricked into it. 

 

Meanwhile the media pushes the narrative of us needing to boot our owners out for betraying our trust.

 

What's the fucking point anymore? 

[El Rojo]

21 minutes ago, stringvest said:

Well at least he speaks from experience

Actually, re-reading it it’s fine apart from the ‘City and Chelsea are the innocent good guys’ stuff. If himself and Carragher aren’t going to call this stuff out, I’m not sure too many others will either. 

[fredo49]

Yes, FSG have messed up on this - but remember these are the owners that brought in Klopp, set up an excellent player recruitment scheme, redeveloped the stadium and financed a fancy new training complex. Recall the state we were in before they came. My own impression is that on the whole they have tried to do the best for the club - by their own lights .

 

There always seems to be some 'anti-Yank' sentiment just below the surface in the fan base. Maybe the legacy of Gillett and Hicks. The owners of the Spanish and Italian clubs are not Yanks are they. Nor are the owners of City and Chelsea.......

 

If they are forced to sell up, who do we think will take their place? Some Chinese consortium...

 

 

[bizzle10]

If FSG spend money in the summer and we are back challenging this will be forgot football fans are fickle so forget an apology J Henry buy Haaland

[Mikhail]

"I think it's different for [Chelsea owner] Roman Abramovich. I think he's been dragged in, and City have been dragged in."

 

Yes the two clubs who's owners have been responsible for breaking football and the transfer market via financial doping has been dragged into this.

 

Former Liverpool players doing punditry are not really worth a damn