The Premier League, at the moment, allows anybody to ‘buy in’ and Liverpool are definitely worth the entry fee. It obvious what Henry is at Anfield for. No way did he have pictures of Ian St John or (Sir) Roger Hunt on his wall. No way did he stand in the boys pen. He knows little of Merseyside life and being a Liverpool supporter. He smells a profit.
He must remember that any promises he makes must be swiftly met, no ‘spades in the ground’ its a stadium we want. He must distance himself from Hicks and Gillett. He needs a PR campaign to win the hearts, minds and money of Liverpool supporters.
I personally know many supporters, who for them Liverpool is their life. Following Liverpool is a religion, a reason for living. The Kop will see through any sycophancy. However, Liverpool fans will never greet any new owner with open arms because they have been badly burned once and will will see through any false prophets.
How can they win us over, well, the £300 million valuation is a pointer. It means that £50m would buy just under 20 per cent. If Share Liverpool can get 100,000 Liverpool fans to write out cheques for £500 each they can guarantee they won't be shafted again. And Henry has some money for a transfer kitty.
Those sums may seem ambitious, but I doubt it (I have my £500 ready). But inviting fans to have some financial input, echoing their emotional investment, would get them ‘on side’.
Henry is not buying Liverpool with the same motives as Roman Abramovich at Chelsea or Sheik Mansour at Manchester City. These billionaires have used their clubs as hugely expensive vanity projects. For Henry it is just another commodity deal. The Premier League or better still RBS (before they exit stage left and don’t ever forget they have made a profit!) must get some guarantees from this American that he has the cash for the takeover, the stadium and squad improvement.
John Henry is buying into an iconic name in Football. But f**k us, the supporters, up and we will bite. Defo!
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