Finances not improving at Liverpool

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Liverpool Football Club has revealed that its financial troubles are not getting any better. In fact, the challenge is getting much worse as the European elite team has reached an unprecedented £87 million of debt, an impressive increase from £22 million in 2011, a sobering result from the economically harsh landscape in Anfield.

The current owners of the team, Fenway Sports Group, tried to offer various explanations as to why this situation has come about. The arguments surround the Champions League but concerns raised by some observers point to the figures covering the period between August 2011 to early 2012 where Ian Ayre, the managing director of the team, oversaw the biggest debt increase thanks to payment transfers. Former employees were paid over £30 million a year such as former manager Kenny Dalglish, leading to the impact we can now see.

In a recent press event, the team has tried to reassure fans and supporters that this is just a temporary setback and that the next European season including the Champions League would help bring the finances back under control. But many are still unsure where the enormous amount of necessary funds will be coming from.

Some of the reveals in these figures include a £120 million package that was used to refinance the team from the Royal Bank of Scotland, Barclays and Bank of America. These types of financial moves do not help to bring more confidence in the management of the Liverpool club, and could make it hard for the manager to gain back the fans’ respect.

 

How a premiership manager tries to win over the fans

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If there were no fans, there would be no football, or certainly not football as we know it today. When you get right down to it, fans are the life blood of any team, and not just because they buy tickets. They can and do influence the way players, coaches, managers and owners behave and perform. However, sometimes you just have to outlast them, as Rafael Benitez is determined to do.

The Chelsea interim coach has faced considerable disapproval since he was brought in to replace Roberto di Matteo, with booing spectators saying his approach is too defensive, especially after the first two Premier League games where the score was a draw at 0-0. Then when Chelsea lost out on the World Cup Final in Japan, the level of disapprobation rose even higher.

However, the team came back and took five goals from Leeds in the Capital One Cup, then went on to a rousing eight-goal win against Aston Villa. They headed to Norwich City on Wednesday and came away with a 1-0 win, and Benitez says that he’s confident the streak will continue. At present Chelsea remains at third place in the Premier League, but if they continue playing as they have been, he says, they’ve got a good shot at the championship.

Disgruntled fans are having to revise their opinions, and Benitez says they’ll come to see that he’s a professional with the best interest of players and fans at the heart of his strategy. It’s his job, he said, to get the best out of his players, and if he can do that, the team will keep on winning matches and fans will have nothing to complain about.