Is it time to get on board with FSG?

[snez1]

I've not liked a lot of shit that they have done recently, (the way they sacked Kenny pissed me off no end) but the amount of people who were going crazy at the idea of Martinez (and a good few aren't happy about Rodgers) and writing hysterical stuff on Henry's twitter and forums etc seemed excessive to me.

 

I think it's time some people cut them a bit of slack, they have a plan and the goal is to get us back into the Champions League and beyond. There is obviously nothing wrong with disagreeing with decisions they take but the vitriol and hate aimed at them has been a bit much over the past week or two. I know we've been been caught with our pants down by H&G before but FSG saved us from God knows what not that long ago. Anyway, Rodgers wasn't on my list of favoured candidates but I hope he has massive success here and everyone gets behind him from day one.

 

What I'm saying here is in more detail in a blog I wrote about FSG, Rodgers etc. I'll post it below in full.

 

One Man & His Blog: Fans must support Rodgers and FSG

 

Fenway Sports Group are altering the landscape at Anfield and while change is always daunting, hope abounds.

 

FSG have been extremely busy over the past couple of months. Liverpool and it's owners have been in the headlines day in day out as the foundations of the club have been been uprooted. FSG have recently sacked the long serving communications director (Ian Cotton), the Director of Football that they appointed themselves just 18 months ago (Damien Comolli), the head of Sports Science (Peter Bruckner) and removed the beloved figure of Kenny Dalglish in a flurry of cold, calculated activity that has resembled the Corleone family's killing spree at the climax of the Godfather. For Michael Corleone and Tom Hagen read John W. Henry and Tom Werner.

 

All this change and the time that FSG are taking to amend the situation has left many Liverpool fans suspicious, angry and sceptical of their owners. The supporters did not appreciate the way that their eternal idol Kenny Dalglish was made to fly to the other side of the globe and back for a meeting before being relieved of his duties just hours later. They do not like not knowing what the desired managerial structure of the club is and they haven't enjoyed the two week merry go round of managerial interviews to replace Dalglish. However, for FSG, as the saying goes 'it's nothing personal, just business'.

 

The imminent arrival of Brendan Rodgers to Anfield shows one thing in particular: FSG have balls. To replace an Anfield God like Dalglish with a young manager whose C.V pales in comparison and who has never once been charged with such a high pressured situation as the one he is about to enter into on Merseyside is extremely risky. Not only have FSG annoyed a huge section of the Anfield faithful with the decision to sack Dalglish as well as the manner in which they chose to do so, they have also inflamed the anger of a portion of the Kop who have been longing for the return of former manager Rafael Benitez by ignoring the Spaniard when seeking Dalglish's successor. They have even managed to alienate some of the fans who didn't relish the idea of rehiring Benitez as those people are upset at the lack of the arrival of a new messianic figure of worldwide repute such as Pep Guardiola or Jurgen Klopp. In short, Liverpool fans wanted Dalglish's replacement to be a sure thing; a manager with a glowing C.V filled with experience who has succeeded in similar circumstances as those at Anfield. Instead, they are about to receive a young, relatively unproven manager who was sacked by Reading less than three years ago.

 

If FSG wanted to get the Kop on their side and pander to the masses then they have gone about it in totally the wrong way. However, a crumb of comfort remains with the very fact that this is not what they have tried to do. Popular or not, Henry, Werner et al are doing things that they believe are in the best interests of the club. That is all anyone can really ask for. They will stand or fall on their own decisions and will not simply meander along taking the easy way out at every turn. That is encouraging.

 

For all their unpopular decisions over the past few months, FSG have proven that they mean business. They have ignored the clamour for Benitez and are willing to pay Swansea a hefty amount of compensation for the manager that they deem the best fit for their club. And therein lies the salient point that all Liverpool fans must now accept. This is FSG's football club. They will run it how they see fit. If they decide they need to bring in a director or football and managerial candidates don't approve (as has been suggested was the case with Roberto Martinez, the man who was initially expected to replace Dalglish) then they will find another man who does. If the supporters long for the return of an icon like Benitez but they don't see themselves being able to work with the Spaniard then they won't even make contact with him to discuss the situation. If they want to spend weeks interviewing managers who are deemed too inexperienced by many people to manage Liverpool Football Club then they will. If they want to sack Kenny Dalglish when most supporters would like to see him get another shot at the job then Dalglish is history. If Damien Comolli isn't doing his job well enough in their estimation then they will get rid of him. It may seem callous and hard-headed to Liverpool fans who exhibit unparalleled levels of sentimentality when it comes to their club but for FSG this is just about getting things done and dragging Liverpool out of their current malaise. They wanted a young, dynamic and progressive manager and they have seemingly got the one they most desire much to the disappointment of Swansea City and some Liverpool fans.

 

While many supporters of the club may disagree with some or all of the key decisions that FSG have taken recently, they must acknowledge that the American owners are doing what they truly believe to be the best thing for everyone concerned with Liverpool Football Club. Time will tell on whether Rodgers will be a success at Anfield and whether or not a new director of football will be working above him. Time will also tell on whether Anfield is to be redeveloped or pastures new are required. But while Liverpool fans are waiting for the answers they must do so while supporting the club, it's owners and it's new manager unequivocally. Liverpool need to become a force again and the chances of that happening are greatly diminished if the clubs fan base are pulling in several different directions against those at the helm. Benitez is not coming back, Dalglish is gone and FSG are here to stay. It's time for Liverpool Football Club to get back on track and showing some faith in the group who saved it from the brink of oblivion back in October 2010 is the least it's supporters can do.

 

For too long Liverpool have lived in the shadows of the past, trying endlessly to recapture former glories with the same old methods that succeeded in times now long gone. The club has needed to be altered for a long time and now, finally, it has owners that wish to implement such change. A new hierarchy with new ideas and a new manager completely detached from the past are now taking charge at Anfield. It's time for the fans to get on board and embrace the new culture that is upon them. Liverpool Football Club isn't where it used to be but with the right leadership and unity it might just get back there even if the ride is going to be bumpy and the route ahead is unfamiliar.

[WaltonRed]

agree with you, read it before on twitter

 

also if you tweeted John Henry you're a utter blert who should be embarrased

[snez1]

also if you tweeted John Henry you're a utter blert who should be embarrased

 

It was truly ridiculous that people were sending him abuse. Cringeworthy.

[njackets]

They can go and fuck themselves! They're only in it for the money anyway don't kid yourself into thinking they're one of us.

[snez1]

They can go and fuck themselves! They're only in it for the money anyway don't kid yourself into thinking they're one of us.

 

I never suggested they were one of us. They are emotionally detached from us by and large but they want success. It's the way football is these days. The days of a David Moores or a Jack Walker taking his team to the top are long gone. FSG want us to do well and i just think some of the criticism has been over the top. Of course they are in it for the money but what owner isn't these days? My point is we need to now get on board with their restructuring of the club and get behind the new manager. They are all working to get us back to where we should be and while we may not approve of everything they do and the methods they use to get us there that doesn't mean they don't give a shit if we remain a mid table side. Their reasons may not be love or devotion to Liverpool like supporters but ultimately they want the same thing: A successful Liverpool.

[lifetime fan]

Henry should fuck twatter off.

[ternando_forres]

I won't be getting onboard just yet. I want to know how well Rodgers will be backed in the transfer market and hear definitive stadium news first. I am just keeping an open mind and seeing what happens.

[Coro]

I think it's time some people cut them a bit of slack

 

Oh, good golly.

 

Make business decisions, dress them up as footballing decisions whilst understanding any new appointment brings with it a sense of optimism. Those still cynical and not capable of buying into this new found optimism will be marginalised as doom mongers, fans will continue to bicker between themselves as the businessmen continue to broaden revenue streams.

 

It's groundhog day.

 

New kit launched on Friday, though.

[Geraghty]

Rumours flying about Air China being the new naming rights partner,if they get that right they've played a fucking screamer.A new stadium would be outstanding work as its the most depressing issue at the club right now.

 

No positive news on a new stadium by the end of the year I don't care how successful we are on the pitch they will have failed.

[lifetime fan]

Rumours flying about Air China being the new naming rights partner,if they get that right they've played a fucking screamer. A new stadium would be outstanding work as its the most depressing issue at the club right now.

 

No positive news on a new stadium by the end of the year I don't care how successful we are on the pitch they will have failed.

 

 

As long as it isn't Parrybowl Mark I.

[The Big Step]

They have fucked off Kenny and replaced him with Rodgers. So, no, I am not on board. I won't be sending them any abuse or anything but they have shown they are going to take a gamble we don't need right now. I have been supportive till now but now it's up to them too prove this is right for the club. Right now there is very little evidence that it is. If that changes then fair play to them...but that's a huge "if" at the moment.

[Guest ShoePiss]

Yeah I think the 'vitriol and hate' can be done without but give them slack? Not a chance, they'll always be under scrutiny. It's nothing to do with 'how they treated Kenny'. They'll always be under scrutiny from me because they're businessmen who see us as an opportunity to make money and don't understand the game, the city or it's people and while they're sitting in Boston apart from the odd appearance they never will.

 

'They saved us', that's water under the bridge now and I fucking hate seeing it getting wheeled out any time there's something negative directed at them. It was appreciated that they came in for us, that they believed they could make money from us. The end.

 

Fully behind Rodgers though, no doubt about that.

[Unrighteous]

Rumours flying about Air China being the new naming rights partner,if they get that right they've played a fucking screamer.A new stadium would be outstanding work as its the most depressing issue at the club right now.

 

No positive news on a new stadium by the end of the year I don't care how successful we are on the pitch they will have failed.

 

Oh please let this be true...

[Kevin D]

All any of us can do is call it as we see it.

[mypost]

Yanks can't run English football clubs. They've shown that here and elsewhere.

 

Over here we're a football club, over there we're a "franchise", which the last owners compared to Weetabix.

 

When we get fan ownership, we'll get our club back to how it should be run.

[xerxes]

I've not liked a lot of shit that they have done recently, (the way they sacked Kenny pissed me off no end) but the amount of people who were going crazy at the idea of Martinez (and a good few aren't happy about Rodgers) and writing hysterical stuff on Henry's twitter and forums etc seemed excessive to me.

 

What “pissed you off no end about the way that Kenny was sacked” ? It was the end of the season, it was a terrible league campaign in which £100m worth of talent had failed to perform. Now I, like many, thought that there was a case for him being retained, but there was also a strong case for him to go too.

 

Does Rodger’s appointment indicate they have balls? Or that they are taking a risk they don’t understand?

 

Your claim that they are, “doing what they truly believe to be the best thing for everyone concerned with Liverpool Football Club” is a bold one. They are doing what is best to protect their investment. Therein lies the fundamental conflict.

 

I agree that the club requires modernisation across the board, a task that Rafa attempted at the wrong time. Whether an absentee Board, non-domicile Directors and an inexperienced MD provides the right platform for that is open to question.

 

Maybe Rodger’s appointment will work, maybe it won’t. But it doesn’t look like a grand master plan to me at the moment. If a Van Gaal quality Sporting Director, and a Dein calibre CEO came in- it would.

[RedPaul]

Not getting on board. They basically lied late last season when they said Kenny had their full support after sacking Comoli, yet Ian Ayre then admitted an FA Cup win wouldn't have saved him, which to me suggests it was always their intention to sack him if they could justify it. They probably didn't want to appoint him in the first place, in which case they shouldn't have. Anyone who understands anything about football realises that he should have got a second full season to improve our league performance. It takes time to build a time. The irony is Rodgers will probably get that time. I feel they were weak appointing Kenny in the first place if it was never their intention to do so and the lack of patience with him suggests that was the case. It's not just the fact it was Kenny, it was how they managed the whole situation.

 

I don't trust the techniques they use to manipulate supporters. I feel they've managed our expectations (successfully in many cases) with respect to who now manages us and what we can expect in terms of what are acceptable results on the pitch. I feel like we are being treated as idiots with marketing techniques used to manage our understanding, yet no clear statements from them. The whole courting and photo opportunity with Martinez was bizarre in the least, still don't get what that was about.

 

The stadium issue still remains unresolved and it is affecting the future of the club. We need to make a decision, we need a bigger stadium to increase revenues and compete with other clubs who are moving further ahead. They clearly do not want to spend a lot of money and it's all about making money. Or so it appears to me. They're not football lovers so they're not in it for that. Therefore, I find it hard to "get on board" with a group whose motives for me are still unclear.

 

The positive things they have done for me is remove the debt that was like a noose around the club's neck, and the kit sponsorship deal was certainly impressive, but that is what they're good at, that's their comfort zone. It is the footballing decisions for me which cause me the greatest worry, but time will tell I suppose.

[Dicko]

Dalglish sacked.

Ayre given a new contract.

No sign of sorting out the stadium.

Appointing a manager when better options are available.

 

No I'm not on board with them whatsoever.

[RedPaul]

Maybe Rodger’s appointment will work, maybe it won’t. But it doesn’t look like a grand master plan to me at the moment. If a Van Gaal quality Sporting Director, and a Dein calibre CEO came in- it would.

 

I agree, the plan remains unclear and the appointment of Rodgers, based on a promising footballing philosophy and one decent Premier League campaign, a rather huge gamble without any top level footballing director to support him.

[Moo]

I won't be getting onboard just yet. I want to know how well Rodgers will be backed in the transfer market and hear definitive stadium news first. I am just keeping an open mind and seeing what happens.

 

This.

 

I mean, what's the point in jumping on board now only to jump off again in September if/when they've not backed their own man in the transfer market?

I'll wait and see thanks.

[s(k)aturation]

Not getting on board. They basically lied late last season when they said Kenny had their full support after sacking Comoli, yet Ian Ayre then admitted an FA Cup win wouldn't have saved him, which to me suggests it was always their intention to sack him if they could justify it. They probably didn't want to appoint him in the first place, in which case they shouldn't have. Anyone who understands anything about football realises that he should have got a second full season to improve our league performance. It takes time to build a time. The irony is Rodgers will probably get that time. I feel they were weak appointing Kenny in the first place if it was never their intention to do so and the lack of patience with him suggests that was the case. It's not just the fact it was Kenny, it was how they managed the whole situation.

 

I don't trust the techniques they use to manipulate supporters. I feel they've managed our expectations (successfully in many cases) with respect to who now manages us and what we can expect in terms of what are acceptable results on the pitch. I feel like we are being treated as idiots with marketing techniques used to manage our understanding, yet no clear statements from them. The whole courting and photo opportunity with Martinez was bizarre in the least, still don't get what that was about.

 

The stadium issue still remains unresolved and it is affecting the future of the club. We need to make a decision, we need a bigger stadium to increase revenues and compete with other clubs who are moving further ahead. They clearly do not want to spend a lot of money and it's all about making money. Or so it appears to me. They're not football lovers so they're not in it for that. Therefore, I find it hard to "get on board" with a group whose motives for me are still unclear.

 

The positive things they have done for me is remove the debt that was like a noose around the club's neck, and the kit sponsorship deal was certainly impressive, but that is what they're good at, that's their comfort zone. It is the footballing decisions for me which cause me the greatest worry, but time will tell I suppose.

 

I think this is a fantastic post, Red.

And I won't prattle on too much paraphrasing it to express my almost full agreement.

Support? Yes for now.

On board? Too strong a term for me.

I will need to have seen a significant upward curve in footballing matters at the club by this time next year before I choose to get "on board".

However, I wish Rodgers ever success if he's to be the man.

After all, he will be the manager of the club I am utterly crazy about.

[snez1]

Yeah I think the 'vitriol and hate' can be done without but give them slack? Not a chance, they'll always be under scrutiny. It's nothing to do with 'how they treated Kenny'. They'll always be under scrutiny from me because they're businessmen who see us as an opportunity to make money and don't understand the game, the city or it's people and while they're sitting in Boston apart from the odd appearance they never will.

 

'They saved us', that's water under the bridge now and I fucking hate seeing it getting wheeled out any time there's something negative directed at them. It was appreciated that they came in for us, that they believed they could make money from us. The end.

 

Fully behind Rodgers though, no doubt about that.

 

A fair point, no doubt any owner should be under persistent scrutiny but getting behind Rodgers is the most important thing now. I wasn't suggesting everyone bow down and suck their plumbs as some seen to have taken this as, I was more suggesting that all this shitty bickering that has engulfed the club for years now has to end for us to move forward.

 

From the Rafa, H&G civil war, to the Hodgson debacle to people arguing about Kenny and then the whole desperation of a lot of people to get Rafa back it's just exhausting. I understand and agree with a lot of people who wanted Rafa to be given a second chance but now FSG have decided against it people need to let it go. You can be sure though, that if Rodgers loses a few early on it'll be 'Rodgers out, Rafa in' from a shit load of people. Just think we need to really give this thing (whatever it is, Van Gaal or not) a chance to work because FSG aren't going to disappear any time soon and whether we agree with the way they are changing the club or not, they deserve a chance to bring success here in their own way now.

[TheHitman]

We're all in this together!.

[snez1]

What “pissed you off no end about the way that Kenny was sacked” ? It was the end of the season, it was a terrible league campaign in which £100m worth of talent had failed to perform. Now I, like many, thought that there was a case for him being retained, but there was also a strong case for him to go too.

 

Your claim that they are, “doing what they truly believe to be the best thing for everyone concerned with Liverpool Football Club” is a bold one. They are doing what is best to protect their investment. Therein lies the fundamental conflict.

 

Dragging Kenny around the world for a 'meeting' pissed me off. It was classless and lacking in respect.

 

Surely whatever decisions they are taking are to ultimately (like you say) protect their investment by making it successful again. I appreciate they don't know football well enough to blindly follow them and I'd like to know what the managerial structure is going to be and who is advising them but at the end of the day they are restructuring and bringing in their own people with the idea of succeeding. I don't see a fundamental conflict. Naivety? Lack of knowledge regarding the sport? Lack of understanding of the fan base? Maybe. But a fundamental conflict? Not for me. I think they want us to win and they are going to try and do that using their own methods now.

[Lurtz]

It was truly ridiculous that people were sending him abuse. Cringeworthy.

 

Something I mentioned on the Duncan Jenkins thread is that twitter has repeatedly shown how many utter fucktards class themselves as Liverpool supporters. No wonder so many people have a poor perception of us.