There is a truth universally acknowledged that you should never look to social media for a sense of what people are thinking. That was true of Twitter before Elon Musk got his hands on it and turned it into the hellscape that it currently is. Yet there is also a reality that the likes of Twitter and TikTok can offer an insight into how a certain section of society, or in this case the Liverpool fanbase, is thinking.
There are definitely some supporters that simply despise Fenway Sports Group and refuse to see any good that they’ve done during their time in charge of Liverpool Football Club, but is that an entirely fair way of thinking?
FSG Have Definitely Made Mistakes
First and foremost, it is important to acknowledge that Fenway Sports Group have made errors during their time in charge of Liverpool. When they first took over the club those at the top readily admitted that they didn’t know much about football and employed others to make the footballing decisions for them.
This led to some high-profile mistakes, such as the purchase of Andy Carroll or the decision to allow Roy Hodgson to remain in charge for longer than five minutes. They tried to learn as much as they could, but they have still had numerous examples of massively misjudging things and having to issue apologies as a result.
The two most high-profile examples were in the decision to raise ticket prices in 2016 and in their involvement with the European Super League in 2021. The ticket price hikes were about nothing more than greed from a group of hedge fund managers who saw a way of bringing in more money for the club, lifting season ticket prices from a maximum of £59 to £77, which led to the 77th minute walkout.
The ESL was also about greed, but maybe about challenging UEFA too. That might not have been the big mistake that some people thought it was, given the manner in which UEFA seem to be screwing fans and players alike, but there’s no doubt that it was an error.
They’re Generally Good Owners
In spite of the examples that one could point to regarding Fenway Sports Group making errors in their ownership, the reality is that they are generally quite good at what they do. The first thing that we all need to remember is that hedge funds want to make money.
Even if you take the most cynical view of their ownership possible, which is that they’re just here to make as much money as possible, the best way for them to do that is for the club to be as successful as possible. It doesn’t do them any favours to have an underperforming team on their hands, so they actively want the Reds to win as many trophies as possible.
Opportunistic is the new buzz-word used by Liverpool. Usually this word signals excitement, vision and development. Under FSG it seemingly means improve at minimal cost. Liverpool needs to be proactive and ambitious! FSG must leave if they can't supply this! #fsg #LFC
— Pete (@thedarkpete) August 30, 2024
The idea that they constantly want to do everything on the cheap is just nonsensical. Aside from anything else, they paid what was a record fee for a defender when the club signed Virgil van Dijk and a what was a record fee for a goalkeeper when they signed Alisson Becker. They pay amongst the top amount of wages in the Premier League, with the added bonuses on top of that to ensure that players are happy.
If that wasn’t the case, why would Mo Salah and Virgil van Dijk be going out of their way to say that they’d like to sign new contracts? FSG have done what they can to make us as successful as possible both on and off the pitch.
@thisisanfield_lfc Pep Lijnders on news that #FSG could be preparing to sell #Liverpool 🧐 #lfc #liverpoolfc #anfield #soccer #football #premierleague #championsleague #foryou #foryoupage #fyp
The owners have moved to put the best possible people in charge of the football operation, so we have to trust those people to be making the right decisions for the improvement of the club. Many of us would’ve liked a new number six in the summer, but if we had just brought anyone in for the sake of it when Martin Zubimendi decided to stay in Spain then Ryan Gravenberch would likely not have had the chance to play the position and impress as much as he has.
Spending money on transfers just for the sake of it isn’t a winning strategy and if you think it is then ask why Everton and Manchester United are in such a state.
FSG’s Liverpool have been up against sportswashers owned by a nation state and if not for them would’ve won four Premier League titles in a little over ten years in charge. That is not bad for ‘terrible’ owners, all things considered.
