Liverpool: New Regime same problems
The long awaited departure of Gillets and Hicks was welcomed by the kop fans and ex-players alike. The U.S based organization, New England Sports Vebtures (NESV) owned by Tom Werner bought the franchise 2 days back and have vowed to take liverpool F.C to
the next level. They have inherited a club with a rich history. A club, that arguably is the most successful club in english football history.
However, NESV has inherited a lot of problems as well. There’s a general feeling among the fans that NESV is going to be a better owner than the previous ones as NESV has a proven record when it comes to changing the fortunes of a beleaguered franchise.
NESV took over Boston Red Sox in 2004. Before that the red sox hadn’t won the MLB(Major league baseball ) title for over 80 years. All this changed two years after the NESV take over. Red sox went on to win the title for 2 consecutive seasons. But is it going
to be the same for liverpool?
The off-field problems have now been sorted out but on the field it’s still the same old story. The fiesty mersyside derby between Liverpool and Everton was all the more important as both teams were at the wrong end of the table. For both teams 3 points
were crucial as languishing at 17th and 18th at the start of a season doesn’t really reflect the aims of any club. For Liverpool it was a chance to impress Tom Werner and for Everton it was important to bag all 3 points infront of a
sell-out home crowd at Goodison Park.
Liverpool had injury woes to look at a week before the kick off with Dirk Kuyt and Daniel Agger both suffering injuries while on national duty. The last meeting between the two sides was an ugly affair with Tim Cahill (Everton) and Javier Mascherano (Liverpool)
getting their marching orders and Fellaini (Everton) getting himself injured seriously. This encounter was to be no different as is the tradition of derbies with tackles and lunges every now and then.
NESV have replaced the 'other' American owners, but theirs has been nothing short of an awkward arrival in every aspect. After the dramatic High Court events, came the low point of a seminal week in liverpools’ rich history delivered by Tim Cahill and Mikel
Arteta. The game was actually a chance for Tim Werner and his associate John W Henry to see what 300million pounds buy. In short, it is a place in the relegation zone and the chants of ‘going down’ resonating around the Goodison Park from the home fans long
after the final whistle.
Liverpool have looked ordinary for far too long now and while Roy Hodgson fumes at critcism of his nascent regime, liverpool have been detiorating for some time now. Whatever the liverpool fans think, it is a fact that Werner and Henry have acquired an institution,
not a team. The promised investment in new players and increase in wage bills would always be welcomed but it is totally irrelevant till the January transfer window by which time half of the domestic season would have finished.
The new owners might need to reconsider their initial support of the manager. Roy Hodgsons’ team has been slow and less dynamic. Furthermore, the influence of substitutes has been even less than limited. Hodgson can give a lot of excuses and blame it on
not being lucky enough but there’s no denying the fact that Everton were the better team through out the 90 minutes. After Everton goalkeeper (incidentally an American), the happiest american in the stadium thwarted fernando torres twice, manager David Moyes’
thoughts turned to the other side of Atlantic. "I wouldn’t swap my chairman(Bill Kenwright) for anybody from America or Saudi Arabia because my chairman is a supporter," he said.
And in these lines lies the reason behind the liverpool crisis. Their chairman Michael Broughton is a Chelsea fan and the new owners did not grow up in the streets of liverpool so they will never fully understand what’s at stake and what needs to be done
and more importantly, how it should be done!
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