I suspect FFP wont happen, FSG are starting to realise this, and are in fact looking to sell up, ther have been rumours of this
I can't see the FFP being implemented as intended if at all. however, because it is in the pipeline then it needs to be considered IMO. As for FSG selling up, I believe it when I see Dave Whelan announce it
Then I suggest that you jump on a plane and tell John Henry just how you are going to find the money and have a plan as to how to repay it with interest within a reasonable period of time. Oh and you can add how you propose to do it without hiking ticket prices. 3/4 years ago that may have been possible but I would bet a £ to a penny that you would be very hard pushed to raise the cash in the present global financial market. Therefore I suggest that it is you who should engage in some financial planning.
But they say........................theres interest in building a new stadium, which means to me someone is willing to finance or part finance a new stadium.Therefore why arnt we building one I suspect the reason is either, the people willing to finance it want part of the club too... OR... they are only willing to PART fund it.. Which means FSG would have to either put there hand in there own pocket, JWH would rather give Linda up than do that or it would put us in debt. Basically as I said they want SOMEONE ELSE to pay for something which in the long run THEY WILL OWN Thye are up for any proposals which involve themselves not spending any money
They say something along the lines of 'who wouldn't refuse local help to build a new stadium'. They've got no ****ing chance of LCC giving them money towards a new 'Anfield'. Otherwise the Blueshiete would take over the Town Hall and hold Lord mayor Anderson to ransom until they got the same.
None of us know just how much FSG would be able to raise by selling the naming rights either to a new stadium or a refurbished Anfield. What FSG have done is to identify that however much could be raised, it would be put towards the project itself and that surely is a sign of commitment. What else would you have them do with the income? There is a hell of a difference between interest from potential sponsors and them signing on the dotted line and handing over the cash. What they are saying is that the sums involved in going it alone do not stack-up!
Page, when it comes to LCC, I think Henry is intimating that they believe that LCC should be more proactive in the refurbishing process - especially with reference to the houses behind the main stand. However, he may aslo be trying to fly a kite about the prospect of some sort of joint venture.
Yeah dave.he actually mentions the houses behind the main stand,but the council have already footed the bill to demolish LFC owned derelict houses around the ground because of local tenants worries over rat infestation,child safety etc. The only way there will be a 'joint venture' with LCC is if LFC agree a ground share with EFC,because citizens of Liverpool who support Everton would never agree to it without both clubs benefiting.
I have to say though Dave there IS profit in re-developing the ground OR even building a new ground....but ONLY in the long term. You say "to repay within a reasonable time" but what is a reasonable time if they intend to be LFC's owners for a long time? Surely any good businessman would be interested in getting an extra £200 mill over the next ten years for an investment of half to three quarters of that (obviously bigger investment for new ground but also potentially much bigger returns). Yes if they could find a massive stadium sponsor they probably would do it but this to me is as clear a signal as there has been that they aren't prepared to put the money up themselves as an investment in the club. The main problem for them isn't that it's financially unviable but that there isn't a QUICK buck in investing this money now. It is only in the long term that any of it makes financial sense in terms of a good return so if they don't see themselves in it for the long term then the sums most definitely won't add up for them. Kind of fair enough I guess but gives a fair idea that they quite simply are JUST business men. I would much rather they just came out and said "look, we just cant afford it" rather than "we might do this or we could do that" when basically they probably won't do either Cynical maybe but we've been listening to the same **** for 30 years about new stadiums blah blah blah In fact I'm not even going to discuss it again until there's a spade in the ground somewhere
Spot on Billy,i remember queuing up for the Kop turnstile in Kemlyn Rd in the 80's and we'd already bought all the houses in that street bar one. Its as much Moores fault as FSG,we got left behind when the premier league was formed,and we've been paying for it ever since.
Neil Atkinson off the Anfield Wrap said something similar to this the other week and I agree with him He said the proof will be in the pudding If FSG dont sort out the stadium issue ( newbuild, Anfield increase ) this summer OR invest some of there OWN money which would mean a minimun £50m net spend this summer in the transfer window( improve team), or BOTH, he thought it would mean they arnt the real deal and they arnt in it for the long term. So far they havnt sorted out the stadium issue which we were told was a pre requisite of them buying the club by Broughton/Purslow, and they havnt spent any of there own money on improving the squad they have just spent our operating profit FSG are here to MAKE MONEY, they wont spend ther own cash on players or on the stadium, they are willing to build a new stadium/anfield extension, as long as a sponsor, the council pays for it. Purslow who was a kn*b on most things said the only thing good about this offer is it exists. Henry said the wages were too high, when Chelski and Yernited was much higher, someone not wanting to spend money He said he wouldnt have even been interested in Liverpool if FFP wasnt in the pipeline, it is now starting to look like that FFP may not come in The yanks cant compete, they arent wealthy enough, football winning owners are now billionaires not millionaires, they saw the opportunity to buy LFC for £200m and turn it into an asset that was worth 1 billion, but they dont have the money to do it,they thought FFP would help them do that (FFP would enable thos WITHOUT MONEY a better chance of success )and they dont want to put themselves in debt trying to get there My belief is FSG will sell up within 2 years, and if they wont spend THERE OWN CASH thats almost certainly a good thing
Cant argue with you mate,the only way i'll doubt your post is if FSG show their commitment by either a refurb(pronto)or they attain a partner/name and give us a new build. It's ok reading about them promoting partnerships with hotels and tyre manufacturers etc but its our club we're arsed about. Also would you financial wizards explain how LFC within FSG functions?,i mean do the finances from NESN,the RedSox,LFC,Rouche Racing etc all get audited as one and money made by LFC can be used elsewhere within the group?
I remember a quote from that woman who wouldn't move out and it said (something like) that she was so disgusted that the club was spending thousands on lawyers fees to try and force her out of her home that she would concede to move out if they invested a certain amount in the local area (schools, healthcare etc). The club said no because they thought they could force her out cheaper but ultimately failed and spent twice as much in failing Mate I agree it's as much Moores fault as anyones, we missed a massive opportunity in the 90's and have fallen a long way behind ever since especially when you look at the period since as a whole. In the interests of fairness though I will add that the club was in emotional turmoil post Hillsborough and understandably I think the full implications of the financial turnaround in the game from the Premiership/Skys introduction was missed by those running the club. United saw it coming....we didn't. Anyway I think we just rumble on and hope R Brendan can get us on a roll It's crazy being a Red sometimes eh
Yeah,that poor old girl who lived in that house on Kemlyn Rd all her life was made out to be the obstacle that stopped us progressing by LFC when it was the club's insistence to pay her less than her house was worth,all that for **** all,we're still now where we were then and as you say we've gone through two tragedies. If John Henry thinks he can dupe us he'll get the shock of his ****ing life,and yep.Buck Rodgers will sort things out.
I dont trust FSG 1 iota, but I think/suspect we are 2 seperate entities totally in other words, any money LFC makes goes to LFC.But I also think FSG other than buyin havnt spent a penny of ther own cash on us The way they wanna make money IMO, is get someone else to fund newbuild,extension, therefore greater turnover thru turnstiles, then more investment in team from our profits, therfore more more and better tv deals all over world, therefore more revenue, therefore more investment in team, etc, etc .There business acumen is sound,as businessmen they know what they are doin (unlike H&G who were f**kin clueless).Its just they wont spend any of THERE money to get us from bein worth £200m to £1bn, which is possible if the correct decisions are made over the next few yrs
I think the people moaning about FSG being 'in it for the money' and 'not investing their own cash' etc when it comes to transfers should think back a couple of years... When H&G were in ownership, the vast majority of people would have been happy to have a new owner that just doesn't take money out of the club. Let the club work from its own operating profits etc. Obviously, most wanted to see stadium developments too though
To be fair he sheds light on the issue and the wider pictuer. If he can transform us elsewhere then i'm willing to keep things how they are. As he states, having a new stadium will not make us competitive overnight.
You're right in that given a choice between where we were then and where we are now it's fair to say we can live with the current situation. Believe me I haven't forgotten how bad things were and never want us to go back to being saddled with debt just so the owners can use the club for their own personal ends. Are FSG as bad as H&G? No they are aren't. Does it look like they are going to invest much of their own money into the club from here on in however? Not from this sort of statement it doesn't. I think we are going to need BR to do the sort of job Moyes has done across the park because this is what it means for the club to "work from it's own operating profits". Keep wages relatively low, sell to buy and still keep us in the hunt for top 4. Not going to be easy IMO.
