FSG – They’d have more support if they showed they care more
A January that consisted of terrible on field performances, added to the fact that Liverpool went through a transfer window without purchasing a player, has once again led to more focus and scrutiny falling on the club’s owners, FSG.
The recent cycle of ‘leaked’ emails – they weren’t leaked, they have always been readily available – on social media have helped whip up a storm even though they don’t really say anything too bad, and when added to the poor form of the team, we’ve ended up with more criticism of the owners.
Some of it is baseless and stupid; saying they use money earned from Liverpool to fund the Boston Red Sox for example, that’s nonsense. However, a lot of the criticism is fair. Liverpool Football Club exists to win trophies and they have only won one under the owners, although there have been some very near-misses in that time period too.
The transfer policy also irks people and that makes sense. It’s hard not to be jealous when other clubs are buying the best players whilst Liverpool look to get the next best and develop them.
There are numerous things that FSG have done well and loads that they’ve got wrong too but, and this might only seem like a small issue but it’s significant, the fact is a lot of fans simply don’t think they care enough and that does them no favours at all.
There are too many faceless names with major roles at Liverpool so fans find it difficult to relate to them. The fact John W. Henry, Tom Werner etc. only attend a few games a year makes it look like they aren’t bothered and worst of all, in my opinion, the fact that there is a Liverpool F.C office in London makes it seem like there are men in suits who’d rather not be in our city at all.
Liverpool, and Everton for that matter, are the main focuses of our city. Everything seems to be about the football teams. Of course, plenty of people couldn’t give a toss about them but by and large, the two teams are the heart and soul of scousers.
So, if we care so much, it’d be nice to think the owners did too, not just about the club, but about the city too.
I wouldn’t expect Henry to be at every game, he has other interests and other teams to run, but we’d like to be able to put more names to faces. How many people could bump into Billy Hogan or Mike Edwards in the street and have no idea who they are? We all knew Ian Ayre but he’s leaving now and even then, the general opinion of him wasn’t glowing, although I personally felt that was a bit harsh.
It’s not the major issue about the owners, there are far ‘bigger’ questions that are, rightly or wrongly, being asked of the club’s owners.
However, the owners might get more support and face less anger and, for lack of a better word, snideness, if everyone simply thought that they cared more.
The opinion of the fans might not matter to them, they might not care how supporters feel about them. But they should. Therefore, by simply looking like they gave more of a toss, they’d be helping themselves and in turn, they’d help lift some of the doom and gloom that has engulfed the club in the past month.
It’s such an easy win, it’s difficult to know why FSG haven’t taken it.