No queue to buy us???, FSG, Peter Lim and the Chinese consortium all did due diligence and FSG was chosen.
But anyway good post,regarding FSG and the stadium expansion it's being rumoured they are wanting to sell a 30% stake with the tie in naming rights for the main stand,i know they had contact with ooredoo the qatari telecommunications company last year,wouldn't surprise me if something like that happened as it could pay for the main stand and 2nd phase expansion with the anfield road end.
Peter Lim came in at the last minute with what some argue was a PR stunt (some will say it was a genuine offer). He didn't carry out due diligence on LFC, and RBS didn't carry it out on his offer as they claimed they didn't have enough time and in order to prevent LFC going into administration, NESV (FSG) was the only actual option.
I think FSG are now stuck in limbo (which isn't as dire as it sounds). They can't sit back and hope to make a profit, and they can't sell easily either. The expansion might be enough to increase revenue and make the LFC proposition more attractive (at a push), but I think they'd pull out if they could get a modest return, or even break even.
I'm not sure the appetite for football club investment is what it was perhaps 10 years ago, and despite all the increased revenues, most of it goes right back out on players eventually. The amounts of investment required to really compete have become astronomical, and that's narrowing the number of possible buyers (which wasn't a large number even 10 years ago). I think FSG hoped they could just pump a bit of money back into Liverpool, get back into CL, and then reap the rewards. They've discovered (like many others), that it's not that easy, and City certainly haven't helped their plight.
I agree with you about West Ham. They look ripe for a big investor. With each passing year, Liverpool's 'appeal' is diminishing. That's not to say they aren't appealing, just that it's not getting any stronger, and there's more and more competition cropping up. As much as Liverpool have to offer, you could easily make similar cases for West Ham, or even Newcastle. Yes, Liverpool's brand and status is stronger, but it's not the only factor. If there are going to be any other mega owners like City's, then I think they'll look at what City have done and believe they can do the same with a number of clubs, and Liverpool's 'stature' won't really be a major factor for someone looking to invest billions. It's more likely to appeal to a more regular investor looking to cash in a ready made brand (which puts Liverpool right back at square one with a 'normal' investor who doesn't have limitless pockets).
This was supposed to be about Everton though, rather than Liverpool, but the same principle applies really.
1) There's not that many mega billionaires around.
2) There's even less who need / want to use a PL club for their own ends
3) All the 'modestly wealthy' investors have come to realise there's hardly any money to be made (if at all), and they can't compete with the big boys anyway.
So we're left with a bunch of 'nice guy' owners like Kenwright and Lerner who don't have the funds to really move their clubs forwards, and can't find buyers who are a) willing to offer them a decent price and b) do right by the club.
I've no idea how Kenwright thinks he can tell how good an owner is going to be, but he seems hell bent on only selling to the 'right' people.
If there are any people out their willing to buy clubs, the current trend seems to be for business men from the Far East making a name for themselves (and likely not a good name!), and that seems to be a total lottery if you're going to get a stark raving loony or not.
