Henry: I bought Liverpool as the city reminds me of Boston

Liverpool's American owner John W Henry says that the striking comparisons he sees between the city and his home town of Boston and are what convinced him to buy the Anfield club in 2010.

In a speech to the Boston Chamber of Commerce, Henry - who also owns the Boston Red Sox - praised the 'toughness, intelligence, creativity' of the city of Liverpool as he explained to his audience the power and potential of the Premier League.


Henry and his Fenway Sports Group rescued Liverpool from the brink of bankruptcy when they bought the club fellow Americans Tom Hicks and George Gillett, and he clearly has no regrets about the decision.

He said in his speech: 'The larger part of the story that struck us when we were considering buying Liverpool out of a bankruptcy situation created by Americans was the similarities of the two cities, the two teams, the two histories, the two stadia.

'Liverpool has a large Irish Catholic population, it's a seaport on a famous river, both cities are about 45 square miles in size, both have around 600,000 people, both are college towns.

'Boston had the first public library, Liverpool had the first lending library. Both cities have pioneered medical advancements during the decades and both have the largest economic powers in the world exactly 213 miles to the south by car.

'Both cities will excoriate me for comparing them, but like it or not they are kindred spirits.

'They play in the most historical cathedrals of sport. Anfield has 7,000 more seats than Fenway [the Red Sox's stadium] but actually you might say its a bit cosier than Fenway.

'It's no coincidence that The Beatles came out of that small town 50 years ago, and that the soccer club there is one of the most successful and biggest sports teams in history despite local economic climate.

'There is a culture of toughness, intelligence, creativity that reminds me of New England. So I am sure I have answered your questions on 'why Liverpool?''.

Henry, who described Reds striker Luis Suarez as 'the most exciting soccer player in the world' in his speech, also discussed the power of Liverpool and the Premier League as global brands to his American audience.


He said: 'What's amazing for an American who is in the middle of the world's most watched sports league, the English Premier League is the scale of it.

'What Americans don't know is that when we play our rivals Manchester United the worldwide audience on television is just about a billion people. And that's for a regular season match, that's about nine times the size for the worldwide viewing audience for the Super Bowl.

'The relationship and rivalry between Liverpool Football Club and Manchester United is very similar to the relationship and rivalry between the Yankees and the Red Sox.

'And just as the Red Sox always seem to play second fiddle to the Yankees, Liverpool has similarly been frustrated by United since the Premier League replaced the Football League 20 years ago.

'So how can a rivalry like this attract a billion viewers? Both Liverpool and United are huge in China, Malaysia, practically every country in the world except the US.'

He also compares Suarez to baseball legend David Ortiz, the home run slugger who helped his team win last year’s World Series.

‘Over there we have a David Ortiz, his name is Luis Suarez,’ Henry said in his speech. ‘He leads the league in goals, he is the most exciting soccer player in the world today.’

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http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/fo...y-I-bought-Liverpool-city-reminds-Boston.html

 

[video=youtube;zdwODgFBkhQ]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdwODgFBkhQ[/video]

Full speech for those that can be arsed!

 

brilliant speech, wish they would stop calling it fecking soccer though.

also get the cheque book out you tight batards

 

What a load of bleeding heart American sentiment and hyperbole.

 

YANKS GET OUT! ..... your chequebook.

 

He's one of the better foreign owners but a bit of a naff speech there

 

I always get the impression he is a bit of a shy person really.

 

Superbole.

 

He needs to know that there are TWO cathedrals in Liverpool

 

Doesn't quite work if you verbalise that the same way you would hyperbole.

 

e needs to open his f'n wallet and pay cash right now for messi and neymar.... stop planking about turdburgler!

 

Reads well, though.



As for him opening his dusty old Dollar-sack, when FSG bought us we commended them for saying they want us to work on a sound business footing, and I think that's all we're going to get, tbh. They're experienced businessmen, not sugar-daddies.

 

Boston reminds me of when I really really need a piss

 

Proddy.

 

Yeah the Anglican and Anfield


#****thepope (just kidding catlick boys)



Edit: having now read the actual article my joke isn't funny

 

Bluff..should have dinner with him.

 

I think he was referring to Anfield and Prenton Park.

 

I bet that's gone down like a sausage at a bar mitzvah on rawk

 

Wicked ashume.

[video=youtube;sf0OFZexRGs]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sf0OFZexRGs[/video]

 

Well it is in the Wirrals top 1000 finest buildings so maybe.....