Why didnt Sheikh Mansour wait to buy Liverpool?

[bigA]

And we all know what happened to King Kong in the end. He ultimately got shot down and so too will the insider at Anfield.

They (Liverpool) have got to realise they are at this moment no longer a force and are in serious danger of falling into even further decline if - and probably when - they lose their two name players Gerrard and Torres to better clubs.

If you look at both City and Liverpool's strongest starting eleven - and squad for that matter, how many of the Liverpool squad would you have in our squad - Torres, Mascherano, Joe Cole, Gerrard and that might be about it. How many of our squad would Roy Hodgson like in his team? Tevez, Hart, Given, Silva, De Jong, Barry, Milner, Adam Johnson, Kompany, Yaya Toure, Kolo Toure, Adebayor to name a few. I reckon if they had half of that list, they would be top four certainties.

Times change and everything evolves and maybe it is our turn to be up there challenging and for the established to fall and no doubt in years to come there will be someone who will get as fortunate as us and replace us and those up there when the time comes. Hopefully that won't be for many years for us though.

 

[peacefrog]

I would get that article and others like it, translate them into every language of every player in our dressing room and make all our players sit and read them. There's got to be motivational value in that surely. It get's my blood boiling.

 

[PoolHustler]

Didn't Liverpool spend 10 years or so in the old Div 2 in the late 50's before the Moore's family (Littlewoods Pools) bought shares in them and thus buying their history.

 

[BobKowalski]

Location was the principal reason. City was relatively cheap with a 250 year lease on a purpose built stadium in the middle of an area ripe for development and property development is one of their core businesses.

Leaving aside the actual football City where ahead of Liverpool from a business standpoint. You could also argue that the global rise of City is directly linked to Sheikh Mansour's patronage whereas doing it with Liverpool would not have had the same association. Nevertheless location was the single biggest key factor.

 

[Vienna_70]

Didn't Liverpool spend 10 years or so in the old Div 2 in the late 50's before the Moore's family (Littlewoods Pools) bought shares in them and thus buying their history.

Yes, it was the early-mid 60s that Liverpool was last promoted to the top flight, just after Shankley was appointed as manager.

In fact, them, Everton and Arsenal are the only three teams I can't remember out of the first division / Premier League.

 

[BrianW]

I can't get over the huge sense of entitlement that clubs like Liverpool possess. Or maybe it's just their fans, not the club itself.

The attitude that basically says: 'How dare a little club like City have any ambition? How dare someone buy them and try to compete with us? They should know their place!'

I think this reflects a common attitude in the UK, and especially England, fawning deference is due to the establishment, and everyone else should be humble and quiet. You see it in all walks of life. One reason the country is so slow to progress, and is in many ways totally shit.

I am glad the Sheikh decided to buy us, and I'm pretty sure he did so for his own good reasons, after careful consideration of all the options. It would not have been an idle whim. One factor may have been that Liverpool is a shithole in terminal decline, whereas Manchester is a progressive and thriving connurbation (sp?) that is moving forward and is, in effect, the second City of the UK in all but name.

Mind you, I am biased. However, unlike yer average journo, I'm prepared to admit to it.

 

[alera]

Some reasons :

- Shocking demographics - Liverpools population is in decline and has been for decades. The city war originally build to house over 1 million people. Currently only 600,000 living there. Greater manchesters population has expanded rapidly over the same period. Outside london and south east it has the highest growth rates and increase in population of any region.

- Merseyside is one of the poorest regions in the country. Parts of Manchester are very poor as well but large areas are very affluent particuarly to the south, cheshire area. Premier league clubs required large catchment areas with affulent supporters being desirable.

The first 2 factors add up to poor potential revenue streams from match days, moving onto.....

- Need for a new stadium. Anfield is well past its sell by date, Rags, Arsenal have much bigger and better venues. Cost of new 65,000 seater stadium in stanley park, difficult developement site surrounded by park and housing - £350 - £400 million MINIMUM. City already had a world class stadium, with plenty or room for expansion.

- The Yanks want £650 - £700 million for Liverpool. City cost the Sheik £200 million INCLUDING THE MONEY PAID TO CLEAR DEBTS !

- Liverpools debt currently stands at around £400 million. If its not paid off in October - £20 milllion penalty. Interest charges currently stand at £2 million a day. The debt in the current market is near impossible to refinance.

- Much has been made of the money spent on players at city. Byt Gerrard (30) Torres and Reina aside Liverpools squad is looking weak and lacking depth. They struggled badly last season and finished 7th. To make Liverpool champion and CL contenders you would be looking at £100 - £200 million of players.

- Liverpool youth team setup has been in decline for years. When was the last time they produced any decent home grown players.

- No scope for redevelopement around stadium or new stadium. CIty have 200 acreas + given or purchased for buttons. Thats a huge area minutes from the centre of Manchester. with huge revenue potential long term.

The factors are numerous, but the Sheik could easily have spent £2 billion on more on Liverpool, more than double what he has spent at city.

Why has no one decent wanted to buy Liverpool. Looka t the above. The problems are huge and in many cases intractable.

 

[mackenzie]

Have I dreamt this or was it reported that the Sheikh also considered Newcastle before he decided on us??

Anyway, I think there was a definite angle towards looking at a club that had a great fan base but had also won next to nothing for years. Prestige in other words.

 

[somapop]

I can't get over the huge sense of entitlement that clubs like Liverpool possess. Or maybe it's just their fans, not the club itself.

The attitude that basically says: 'How dare a little club like City have any ambition? How dare someone buy them and try to compete with us? They should know their place!'

I think this reflects a common attitude in the UK, and especially England, fawning deference is due to the establishment, and everyone else should be humble and quiet. You see it in all walks of life. One reason the country is so slow to progress, and is in many ways totally shit.

I am glad the Sheikh decided to buy us, and I'm pretty sure he did so for his own good reasons, after careful consideration of all the options. It would not have been an idle whim. One factor may have been that Liverpool is a shithole in terminal decline, whereas Manchester is a progressive and thriving connurbation (sp?) that is moving forward and is, in effect, the second City of the UK in all but name.

Mind you, I am biased. However, unlike yer average journo, I'm prepared to admit to it.

If that post was on 'facebook', I would've clicked the 'Like' button :)
Just the one 'n' in conurbation mind.

 

[Vienna_70]

I think the position of our previous owner on the world stage has to be a major factor.

As a former Prime Minister (even a discredited one), Frank had access to many more politicians and heads of state than most football club owners.