There is a misconception regarding our owners, which many of LFC’s (and other clubs’) supporters cannot seem to shake off. Is the distaste for them the leftovers from the previous Yankee regime?
“Oh, these Americans have no clue about football, they should pack up and stick to bloody baseball!”
“Why the hell would they not give the manager total control over transfers? What is this Moneyball? I swear if Klopp doesn’t get complete power to buy players, FSG can do one!”
“Rodgers failed because of the transfer committee! A manager should always buy players, not someone sitting in air-conditioned rooms, glued to their laptop screens!” (*cough* Neil Ashton *cough*)
These are some of the quotes you read often, either on your Twitter timeline or in an article. There are people who claim that they have no interest in Liverpool, that they are just looking to make money. Some even go as far as to say that they have destroyed the club by meddling in the transfers. Many blame FSG for Rodgers’ failure, especially the rival supporters. Pundits and even ex-Liverpool players demand that the committee be scrapped altogether and that Klopp be given total power. The ignorance of the rival supporters regarding this matter could be forgiven but that of our own fellow supporters and professionals who’re paid to talk about football? It’s ridiculous and almost laughable.
When John Henry and Tom Werner decided to buy Liverpool, we were not in a very favourable position, financially as well as in footballing terms. Our previous owners made a series of errors which left the club on the brink of administration. They sacked the man who had brought us so much success, both on and off the field (revamping the Academy and bringing Kenny back), simply because he stood up to them. Yes, Rafa’s last season was a disaster, but it was not a wise decision to let go of one of the top managers the game had to offer without lining up a proper replacement. The whole saga was not well handled and it was the club which suffered the most. Moreover, as a parting gift, H&G appointed Roy Hodgson of all people to try and get us out of the mess we were in. The man did not even have a CV which could inspire confidence. He did not have an aura or even a personality to speak of. Even if we ignored that (which is very hard to do) and tried to look at the new ideas or a system he could bring in, we would be left with nothing to discuss because it never looked like he had a plan in the first place.
In the midst of that dark season, after months of protests by the supporters, after weeks of courtroom battles, H&G had to sell the club to NESV (now renamed FSG). This sale meant that the club could pay off Royal Bank of Scotland and also ruled out the threat of administration. Liverpool were still not out of it completely and it would be years before we made any feasible profits, but the timely intervention by the new American owners was vital for the club. The owners of the Red Sox did not know much about football, as Ian Ayre admitted in one of his interviews. It was a new project for them, but one that they were willing to undertake.
Their first major decision was to sack Hodgson and bring in Kenny. January of 2011 was an emotional period for all Liverpool supporters, with the return of the King and the departure of one of the Kop favourites to Chelsea. FSG didn’t wait long to spend the money the Torres sale left us with and in came Andy Carroll. A shocking decision, to break the transfer record on such a raw and unproven player. They employed Damien Comolli as the Director of Football, thus handing him the power to sign players. The trend of overpaying continued even in the summer window. FSG sanctioned the moves of various ‘PL proven players’ and shelled out insane amounts of cash. While the intent was good and clear, the implementation was not feasible at all. Millions were wasted and Liverpool had not progressed. This may be the reason why FSG don’t believe in the role of DoF anymore.
This role has not been viewed positively by the supporters in England too; Comolli was not exactly a fan favorite. They see that designation as a hindrance to the manager and for English fans, the manager has to have total power to buy players without any interference from others. However, this is not the case with the majority of elite managers and every big club works with a DoF. Sure, the manager does have the final say, but he never participates in the entire process. If we look at the elite clubs in Europe, the system remains the same; the DoF and the manager working together to achieve the same target. Even in England, managers like Mourinho, Van Gaal, Pellegrini work with their club’s respective DoF. Only Wenger buys players without a DoF at Arsenal. The conclusion is clear to see; most of the top end managers have help in the recruitment of players.
After watching most of their money go up in flames, they sacked Comolli in the same season and formed a team to handle the player transfers. It consisted of the manager, Ian Ayre (the Chief Executive), Dave Fallows (Head of Recruitment), Barry Hunter (Head Scout) and Michael Edwards (Director of Technical Performance). It also got the infamous title of ‘transfer committee’. So, when Kenny was sacked in the summer of 2012, the new manager Brendan Rodgers was asked to work with that committee to identify new players. Rodgers had a problem with that from day one and never wanted to work with a DoF. He had always signed his own players and didn’t appreciate the fact that there were four other people who could sign players irrespective of his choice. Over the next three years, there were many reports of disagreements between Rodgers and the committee over player transfers and most of the LFC supporters saw that as a power struggle between those two entities, which was interpreted as being detrimental to the club. The transfer committee was slammed by the media all over and many demanded that it be dissolved.
Let’s look at the entire scenario. The owners wanted a system in place which would be suitable for buying players that were necessary and economically viable. They wanted to stop the negative trend of over-paying and identify players who were relatively young and would have a resale value. The main aim of the transfer committee was to avoid mistakes like Carroll, Downing, Adam in the future. There weren’t many good players who’d join Liverpool because of the lack of CL, so we needed to be smart. We couldn’t afford to splash cash and pay exorbitant wages to lure those top end players. That is the main reason why the committee was set up in the first place. It wasn’t to diminish the authority of Rodgers, but to help him.
The notion that Rodgers was completely powerless during transfer windows and that he had players forced upon him is ridiculous. Rodgers was involved in the process and did have a say. It was only when Rodgers demanded certain players be signed over others that problems arose. He wanted a number of players who didn’t fit the FSG profile and would not have been worth the money. Well known examples are Ashley Williams and Ryan Bertrand, whom Rodgers preferred over Mamadou Sakho and Alberto Moreno, despite the fact that the former two would have cost a lot more and were not as good as the latter duo. Rodgers also wanted Henderson to move to Fulham in an exchange deal for Dempsey and said no to Sturridge when the committee offered him. He did get to sign his choice of players and it was evident most of them would not make it at Liverpool. Players like Borini, Lambert and Lovren could not make any impression and even others like Allen, Lallana, and Milner are yet to really showcase their full potential here. Contrary to the popular belief that Balotelli was a committee signing, it was in fact Rodgers’ decision to bring him in. It’s easy to notice that the ones Rodgers wanted were not really worth the fortune LFC paid and that there were others who’d have been a better value for that money.
This is not to say that the committee always got every transfer right. The likes of Assaidi and Aspas were inexplicable deals and the failure to acquire Mkhitaryan and Willian over a few million quid was utter incompetence. But our squad does have players who are capable of challenging for the top four because they got most of their signings right. Coutinho, Sturridge, Sakho, Can, Moreno and Firmino are starters for us. Even the likes of Ilori, Markovic and Origi could prove themselves useful in the future, especially Lazar. They have not been given enough chances and it’s unfair to label them as flops now. LFC supporters have been criticising the committee for a long time now, but do most of them really know why exactly? The issue with the English media is that they distort facts so much that most of the reported news are actually fiction. Like, for example, the various articles that claimed that ‘Rodgers was forced to work with certain players and that’s why he failed’. When the media repeats these over and over again, people tend to side with them and ignore the actual facts. Is the committee really so different from the methods that other clubs employ? Even they have people from all departments reporting to the manager every month or so. The fancy title does not make the system any less effective. FSG’s philosophy has not failed.
Another factor which has been under fire for some time is the use of analytics in FSG’s policy of recruitment. Common sense dictates that use of data in evaluating the player often helps in making vital decisions. Gone are the days when players were judged after watching hours of footage on tapes. In this modern era, analytics and data interpretation is the next big step. Data is never wrong, only the interpretation is. If that’s done correctly more often, it’s easier to judge players and that directly means better decision could be made. Michael Edwards has hung out to dry by a lot of supporters and journalists without them realising that every big club has an analytical team working alongside the scouts to identify suitable players. It’s not a new concept, even teams like Southampton have caught up and have started using analytics and they have done quite well every summer, despite losing their best players. This is a field with so much potential and offers valuable input during the scouting process. One of the reasons why the committee signings actually fit Rodgers’ style of play more than his choice of players. Ironic.
Our financial situation has also improved drastically over the years since FSG took over. Countless deals have been signed and to top that, our debts have reduced considerably. Financially speaking, we have never been healthier. Moreover, we are getting a redeveloped Anfield in a couple of years, which has already been paid for and would seat almost the same number as the Emirates. Once it’s complete, the additional matchday revenues coupled with the new TV deal money would make us one of the top earners in Europe. But the biggest step the owners have taken to ensure that we succeed is the appointment of Jurgen Klopp. While Rodgers should’ve been sacked in the summer itself, FSG’s timely intervention now means that the season is still in our hands. This appointment has changed the entire mindset of LFC supporters and has united them. For the first time in a long time, many are happy about being a LFC supporter and are looking forward to watching the new team and style. Who would’ve thought our new manager would be a man like Klopp?
Considering all these factors, is there really a basis for hating the American owners? They have done what’s best for us ever since they took over. To constantly chant ‘FSG out’ merely because they have a committee in place, without even analysing the situation is illogical. Does it matter that they didn’t attend Gerrard’s final game at Anfield? Do they really have to ‘care’ about the club to make the right decisions? No, they don’t. They have got most of their decisions correct. This latest appointment is one of the biggest moves the club has made in its history. If there was anyone who could bring us back where we belong, it is Jurgen. He fits the FSG profile but most importantly, he understands Liverpool, the supporters and the city; a quality not to be underestimated. Also, the man never signed any player during his time at Dortmund and has admitted that he has no problem working with the committee. So it does not make sense for people clamoring for the committee to be binned. The future is bright; we have a world class manager, we have got good players in our squad who suit his style, the Academy has a lot of potential first team players within their ranks, the German market will be explored for new recruits and we shall have the new stadium ready. Kudos, FSG.
