If FSG cannot deliver a strategy that would allow us to compete for some of the better players available and a subsequent top four/title push, should they sell us to somebody prepared to do so? I fear that unless we are prepared to step up our ambitions, we will be left floundering as the rise and rise of the superclubs continues. Even Arsenal have realised that buying potential is only half a strategy. Football is changing at an incredibly fast rate. We are in a unique position whereby we have one of the best players in the world in our ranks but to keep him we need a top four finish. Now is the time to invest and invest BIG. Gamble everything. Spend the entire £70, 80, 90m or whatever it is that we'd get for Suarez NOW. Buying a kid or two for 'next year', finishing 5th, 6th, or 7th and losing Suarez is not an option. So my view is clear. No investment = no top 4 finish = no suarez = no chance next year....so FSG, please duly grow a set, INVEST NOW and prove me wrong OR find a suitable buyer for the club who is prepared to do so.
So you would like FSG to leave if they don't bust at least £70m right now? What if Suarez bites someone again in a fortnight and is banned for a season this time?
KKK, be careful who you wish for.. I'd rather have a frugal owner that isn't gonna gamble the clubs future on a quick fix than have someone come in, blow loads of cash, not get what we want/need, get bored and leave us in dire financial circumstances..
I couldn't disagree more. When H&G where here, all I wanted was new owners that allowed us to live off our own means. FSG have done that and therefore I am happy. Remember where we were!
catch 22. we have a thing squad, we need players we all agree, but is there value there in this window? not making excuses for the owners as this is doing my head in as well, but maybe they could be banking on us getting top 4 with what we have, then summer, we will have a huge budget to get the quality required in. is a huge gamble with maybe losing luis if we dont make top 4, but if we cant get the players in now just have to hope the squad is good enough to get us top 4, and lets be honest if it wasn't for injuries it would be anyway, which is why i personally want out asap out the ****ing cup! (personnel opinion!) bit odd why we are being linked to attacking players though and not much talk of dm, as we could if we got cl football get better in then anyway, so long term waste of money!
Not a quick fix. Few could argue that either Chelsea or City have been a quick fix. So sure, we need to mortgage tomorrow for today/tomorrow if we WANT top 4. It's that or perpetual disappointment i'm afraid
Nobody wants a return to H&G. And I stress that if they sold it would be to a SUITABLE party. No leveraged debt etc, etc....
If we miss out then we try again next year and should at least make Europa which gets entry in the CL if you win it from next year too - it's not just the end of football if we don't get it this year - we look to improve year on year and not many of us thought we'd be sitting 4th by the end of Jan at the start of the season so we are getting there. It's all well and good saying spend spend spend but on who? I don't think we are just pottering about not arsed - we will be trying to bring the right players to improve us but sometimes it doesn't work out.
It's been 24 years since we last won, it'll take a few more, however I want to give Rodgers "project" a bit more time, I like the football we're trying to play, at times he's still shown some tactical naiveness, hopefully that'll be fewer and far between going forward. Yes, losing Suarez would be a major blow, but during his 10 game absence, we lost only once, proving we ain't a one man team. I'd rather have a team with 5/6 very good players and the rest of a good standard than 1 world class player and these rest average. T'is a gamble, but what "IF" the likes of Suso, Ford, Sterling, Allen, Hendo, Sakho, Ming, Sturridge "click" next year, that's a very young team still that will be the spine for years to come.. Grass maybe greener on the other side but I quite like our lawn!
Big players come to clubs with big ambitions. We don't appear to have ambition. I hear what you are saying about improve year on year. I understand your argument and empathise with it. Reality is, if we improve by 5% y-o-y, the top 4 will improve by 10%. Take Suarez out of the team and we will go backwards. And it is because we are where we are that I am totally convinced that we should take a gamble now. If we'd been off the pace, I'd be speculating on how to sell the Suarez money with the rest of you......but that may not be necessary!!
It will always be my lawn too. We've been seeding it for a couple of years under BR. maybe time to add some water
FSG have been very good IMO - they brought stability to this club and have done a lot of work in the background re. stadium and commercial activities. The fact we have generated the most revenue for a team without CL football speaks volumes. We have some seriously large commercial deals in the pipeline - Dunkin Donuts, Vauxhall and apparently Garuda Airlines will be sponsoring our kit. They also invested quite a bit of money into the playing staff - a lot of it was wasted. We sold a lot of crap this summer but it was all reinvested. I'm not sure what else they can do. I think they're taking a lot of flak over the lack of signings this summer but I don't think it's them. Who knows ...
the original question in the title can be answered.... BUT the article is predicated on a big assumption.. they FSG cannot deliver a competitive strategy. One could say that you are right and the time is now.. but an FSG defender might debate with you by pointing out that FSG do have a strategy and that strategy is predicated on long term thinking in that driving revenue is the only way to compete AND that LFC have seemingly provided or the club provided 20-25 million of funds per window.. which is in no way small. you are right things change rapidly, not progressing/adding is regressing. that is a separate issue from the overarching strategy. this is rodger's tactics. In short, If FSG are providing 20-25million per window... if that is true (some would deny it) Jan 2011 was a wash due to torres. 2011/12 had a total spend of 38.5mil (downing and ****e)... between summer 2012 and jan 2013 about 40 million net. summer 2013 netted 25mil spend. I hope this shows that we don't spend small... we are TRYING to get a lot for the same as some clubs buy one guy for. IF we are investing 20-25mil per window net.... then this means we are seeing a strategy. If there is another 20mil this january... but rodgers tactically cannot find someone and ayre can't bring it home... then this is a tactical issue. ................. now... if FSG cannot afford to build the stadium they talk of, and they can't afford in the long term to allow the club to spend 20-25mil per window then frankly they should sell... the reality is they have loaned at zero interest to prop up the club and spending. we should be grateful.
Found this article from November last year, more or less backs up mito on the net spend point. http://hereisthecity.com/en-gb/2013...-fsg-holding-back-miracle-worker-rodgers-hol/
