12 Apr 2023 23:53:27
I wonder if our fan base will ever realize that klopp is actually enabling fsg to carry out there ethos of running our football club? He has signed new contracts knowing what they are like instead of exposing them for taking us backwards as this season is showing. He outwardly said its on him this season as he couldn't identify that his team were going to fall of a cliff and certain players we had faith in are stealing a living e. g keita, oxelade, thiago, Fabihno, vvd .

1.) 13 Apr 2023
13 Apr 2023 00:57:25
But that is on him, Hailstones. The Eds have shared with us countless times that Klopp could have gone for midfielders in both of the previous transfer windows but chose not to. That has nothing to do with our owners. He looked at our current crop of players and decided that they were good enough for this campaign. The owners are not involved in the day to day running of the club did not force Klopp to work with what he had. That was on Klopp and his team, so he's taking responsibility for it.

2.) 13 Apr 2023
13 Apr 2023 01:52:44
It’s almost as if Klopp is human and makes mistakes just like everyone else. Except obviously the posters on this forum who are perfect and beyond reproach.

3.) 13 Apr 2023
13 Apr 2023 05:23:13
I think Hailstones is saying it's on Klopp also. Unless I'm reading it wrong.

4.) 13 Apr 2023
13 Apr 2023 07:09:06
I think hailstones klopp takes the heat for everybody when things going poorly. Owners, staff and players for the good of the club but to the detriment of himself.
He works with a midtable team budget and has worked miracles on it.
Our owners are our main problem if we as fans expect to be competing at top of table year in year out, can't expect to be doing it on what we spend compared to our rivals.
People say we should be ruthless in selling players but you have to be able to get a better player in than the 1 you are selling, just not as simple for klopp as it is for guardiloa, arteta, 7 hag and likes, they be backed to hilt with huge funds every season.
If we want to be competing at top all the time and we want to be able to sign likes of Bellingham we need new owners, if we want to be steady financially, have a good year r 2 every now again stick with who we have.

5.) 13 Apr 2023
13 Apr 2023 07:45:08
I don't know what the issue is with how FSG run the club. They loan the club money for infrastructure improvements and then let the club spend every penny it generates itself. I don't want our success on the pitch to be bankrolled but that must be the thing people have an issue with? Because FSG don't do that? For me though that detracts from the value of what you achieve on the pitch for one but more importantly look at how many clubs it's failed at. Everton, Villa, Wolves, Bournemouth, Leeds, Portsmouth, Blackburn etc. For every Man City or Chelsea there are 2 or 3 clubs that just end up in FFP trouble fighting relegation or who completely collapse financially when the owner pulls the plug.

I like us being self sustainable. We need to be run better by the DOF and the manager. Edwards/ Ward and Klopp have wasted obscene amounts on average players with big contracts. You can't blame FSG for that. FSG's only real mistake was pushing for a Super League. Aside from that I think they have been good owners.

6.) 13 Apr 2023
13 Apr 2023 08:31:02
@Digger, spot on
@MK, We aren't self sustainable though, we have huge debt and we can't compete with half the league regarding spending, some like to sit back and enjoy watching Le Bron and the rest make money off the LFC name while the squad has gone backwards, if you had put years of work into thinking you were getting a world class player, and being told by the people who control the money, yes we will back you, to suddenly be told, actually, no we aren't getting them, you need to work miracles again with a Fulham size budget, I'd be raging, Klopp does need to get tough with the Yanks and give them hell publicly. We have enough youngsters to cover the fact of only splahing out on Bellingham, to then get linked with Rice, Mount, Mac Allister who are all of the £70 mill value is laughable, we will end up with a £40 mill 'marquee' signing, a couple of freebies and then we will sell a few fringe players and end spending next to nothing as per, fans need to wake up to FSG.

7.) 13 Apr 2023
13 Apr 2023 08:48:28
There isn't anything wrong with the way FSG run the club per se, but football has moved on and inflated ridiculously. 15/ 20 years ago there were probably around 20 teams who could realistically win the Champions League and afford the best players. Nowadays there are 3, 4 maximum, we can no longer be one of them under FSG.

Someone like Bellingham becoming available back in the day, you'd have had both major Spanish clubs, at least 4 in England, both Milan clubs and Juventus trying to sign him. Nowadays there are two clubs who have the finances to even bother. Football is eating itself alive and I don't think it will continue in its current format for much longer, but if we want to win a few more titles and European cups before then - we could do with new owners.

8.) 13 Apr 2023
13 Apr 2023 09:03:27
Lancaster, we don't rely on the owners putting money in and we just posted a profit. That's self sustaining.

The debt is mostly low interest loans from FSG i believe, for the infrastructure improvements.

The buy now pay later deals Edwards saddled us with are a bigger hindrance than the loan repayments. That and the £200m we've paid to agents and intermediaries. Or the £500k a week we pay to Ox, Arthur, Keita and Jota to watch from medical centre.

What do the fans need to wake up from? FSG don't handle the transfer business or allocate funds. It's all internal. And last i checked we've signed Diaz (circa €50m), Nunez (circa €85m) and Gakpo (circa €50m) as the 'marquee' players in the last 3 windows, despite only selling Mane of note. If you think they were a poor use of funds then fair enough, but that's still not FSG.

9.) 13 Apr 2023
13 Apr 2023 09:26:59
@thomas, the sooner wage, transfer and agent caps come in the better, no fan should be paying £100 for a kit, £70 for a ticket to watch the team.

10.) 13 Apr 2023
13 Apr 2023 09:46:22
Ultimately, before Klopp we were nowhere near winning a title, Klopp has done that, if he goes I sincerely doubt FSG will be able to recruit another manager of his calibre again. So be careful what you wish for.

11.) 13 Apr 2023
13 Apr 2023 09:55:28
Unbelievably how some on here actually think FSG have done a great job.
FSG aren’t interested in LFC we are just part of there sporting port folio along side Baseball, ice hockey and motor car racing. They were desperate to purchase the LA lakers for Le Bron but required 4 billion to do it which didn’t materialise.
So now we are left with owners who are not willing to move this team on hence the Bellingham mess no embarrassment.
So now it’s down to minority investors none of which will want to part with more money for a minority than FSG did to buy the club.
Don’t get me wrong Klopp has a part to play in this current mess with his ridiculous loyalty to average ageing players.
Be prepared for some very lean years of scrapping it out because other clubs will leave us in there wake over the next few years, so don’t tell me FSG have done a great job.

12.) 13 Apr 2023
13 Apr 2023 09:59:25
Agree Lancaster, there is too much vested interest for anything like that to happen though unfortunately. Unless Sky and BT Sport are pretending to be the good guys because they are worried about their pockets, there will never be anyone to bring different fan groups together to oppose this current mess.

13.) 13 Apr 2023
13 Apr 2023 10:01:24
Mk. My fault with the owners is they are too greedy. They bought club for 300m and they now believe it worth 4b, about 13 times what they paid for it. fair play to them for making money on it I've no problem with that. But for me good owners when they have seen how much club has went up in value would've put there hands in there pockets and paid for stadium + training ground refurbishments, I think 110m+ 50m was prices for them. instead of saddling club with this debt and also paying interest on it, we could've put this money into our team. When we got all our cbs injured in 20/ 21 they should've went and got a top class cb for us in January, we where still top of league at xmas and had dominated the league, including City, for 18months. instead they took out 40m to pay back for main stand, no other owners in prem took out money of club during C.V. only ours, most other owmers where putting money in or borrowing to keep all going. We've never been at top of table since.
That for me would be good owners, not crazy money like psg, city etc but owners when they see there investment doing well put something into it, instead of making 13 times what u paid for it make 11 times what u paid for it. If the value of club fell from when they bought it I would have no problem with them not doing it.

14.) 13 Apr 2023
13 Apr 2023 10:02:16
this is so stupid. If he is enabling their ethos, then he is doing the job that FSG appointed him to do. , think about it for a second mate.

15.) 13 Apr 2023
13 Apr 2023 10:12:57
Some people don’t think £70 is enough for a ticket and were quite happy with the ticket rise.

I’m Alright Jack comes to mind.

16.) 13 Apr 2023
13 Apr 2023 10:06:59
This all makes me laugh. FSG saved the club and bankrolled £1m plus per week at the start to keep the club running.
The club is now pretty much self sustainable and in a good place financially.
The stadium capacity has been increased and brought up to date.
There has been success on and off the pitch.
We have paid big money for players.
We have a world class manager brought in by FSG so there is no reason this can not be done again when the time comes.
We are having a bad season compared to the overachieving seasons that have come previously.
Guess what, I still support and believe things will get better.
The only criticism I have of FSG is the European super league debacle and trying to put staff on furlough in lockdown.

17.) 13 Apr 2023
13 Apr 2023 10:07:40
Viktor, that's what I always say. The grass is always greener on the other side until you get there. There's been a variety of missteps and mistakes made, but as a whole, FSG and Klopp have done a good job for the club.

I keep banging on about it, so I'll do it one more time. Look at the 170 million spent on stadium expansion. They could have spent that on 3 players that would last us 5-10 years. Instead they spent it on something that will last for decades and decades, enlarge the LFC community and enhance image as a top club. Somehow, that's the right thinking.

18.) 13 Apr 2023
13 Apr 2023 11:01:04
Hold on the reason how FSG saved us wasn’t because they were brilliant they are business people unlike dumb and dumber Hicks and Gillett previously. Who’s at fault there well surely it has to be the people who sold to H&G in the first place.
Any half decent business would of got us out of that mess so stop making out they were the great saviours in all this.

19.) 13 Apr 2023
13 Apr 2023 11:36:02
This site, along with all social media outlets are on FSG overdrive after what’s looking like, failing to secure top 4, challenge for the title and having one of the worst away records in the league - failing beat Fulham, Everton, Bournemouth, Forest, Palace, Brighton, Leeds, Wolves, all teams that have no where near the wage bill we do not spend big on players like VVD, Nunez, Alisson etc etc…

Of course, these failures on the pitch are all the fault of FSG.

20.) 13 Apr 2023
13 Apr 2023 11:51:51
Aray this isn’t to argue with your point mate as I don’t think FSG have been bad owners. But they didn’t increase the stadium and training ground out of the goodness of their hearts. Increasing and improving the infrastructure is a massive reason why our valuation is so high now. 170 mill on players won’t have increased our overall value.

FSG loaned the club the money so will get it all back with interest. It’s like me loaning the wife money at an interest to get a new kitchen fitted and then reaping the rewards as my house value increases for when I sell it.

21.) 13 Apr 2023
13 Apr 2023 12:20:55
@whitewalker
I’m knocking on a bit so memory is not my strongpoint, however, I believe the club very nearly went out of business. I don’t believe there was a queue of people wanting to buy it, so yeah, FSG pretty much saved the club, regardless of being business men or not.

22.) 13 Apr 2023
13 Apr 2023 13:27:28
It’s like a snowball effect. Someone mentions FSG for instance and everyone jumps on board. It happens a lot on this site for all different reasons.

23.) 13 Apr 2023
13 Apr 2023 13:28:42
@White, that's true, many others would of bought us back then too, and ones that would of put, and had the money to rival the others, we are paying them back interest on loans to their own club, so they are taking out from the club, they can make massive profit like some was saying by selling, it's a disgrace that they clearly know they can't afford to run the club at the high level required yet still hang on to us, when we would have many bidders interested if they weren't being so greedy, there shocking owners from the time we won the league, it's all about FSG not LFC!

24.) 13 Apr 2023
13 Apr 2023 15:09:47
Hi scotty
Think you’ll find LFC weren’t interested in selling to any Saudi or Qatar consortium so we were left with FSG who on paper looked great but no use buying a house and not extending it is there?

25.) 13 Apr 2023
13 Apr 2023 15:18:41
FSG run the club sensibly
They have provided funds for big transfers and have improved the infrastructure
They are an investment entity _ we always knew this but it wasn’t an issue when the saved us from going under

Now we are having a poor season it’s all their fault?

John Henry can’t tackle a left winger?

Tom Werner couldn’t hit a cows ar$€ with a banjo?

Think people are looking in the wrong places ….

26.) 13 Apr 2023
13 Apr 2023 16:24:01
@whitewalker
Think you’ll find it was RBS that sold the club to FSG and nothing to do with the club or owners. RBS took control of the club of Hicks and Gillet. At this point there was no Saudi or Qatari interest. Martin Broughton was brought in to oversee a sale. Hicks and Gillet then tried to sue as they felt they had the club “stolen” from them.
A quick google search and you can find all this out.

27.) 13 Apr 2023
13 Apr 2023 20:34:37
Dracred, spot on. FSG told us how we were going to get run as soon as they came in so I don't know why people are out here crying as if they were lied to about the way we would be run. Oh and they did put their money into the club. Who do these people think was covering the 1m per week in losses we were suffereing when they first arrived?

They have provided the funds to all 3 managers under their tenure whether it be Klopp (700m), BR (300m) or Kenny (100m or so) . The dough was there for the managers to us and if they bought dross or pplayers who didn't work or refused to spend it when required, that's on the managers.

If Klopp won't spend the money to replenish the squad where it is required and sits on his hands then, how is that the owner's or the club's fault kepping in mind that FSG do not handle transfers AT ALL. Pretty sure John Henry wouldn't recognise Fab Carvalho is they walked by each other going in and out of Starbucks.

As for people saying FSG are greedy, provide the proof with actual numbers or keep it moving. Oh, and them buying the club and rebuilding it with new infrastructure, stadium renovations is just smart business from smart business men taking care and increasing the value of their asset BUT now, it seems being a smart business man is now frowned upon. As if when they leave, they will take all these bells and whistles with them. Our problems on the pitch have NOTHING to do with FSG. They have ALL to do with Klopp.

28.) 14 Apr 2023
13 Apr 2023 20:52:12
I fully understand why people think we can't compete with state run clubs or sugar daddies. But just say what you really mean. FSG aren't bad owners, you just want a billionaire to bankroll and buy success. That's fine if you want that but so far thomas194 is the only person on this thread to say that. I have no problem with people who want that, i just think it's ignorant of the facts to just say FSG won't let us spend money or that they've done a bad job. That's not true. They just don't let us spend their money anymore. They invested a huge amount into the club in the early years of their ownership. At one point the club was losing millions of pounds a week as per Ed002, and they footed that bill.

I don't think they're the best owners but i do think overall they've done a good job. Taking a club from mid table and administration to winning everything that's been on offer except the Europa league in 13 years, is good. From Hodgson to Klopp. From Spearing to Thiago. From Kyriakgos to Virgil. From Cole to Salah. If people can't see how far we've come then I think they've forgotten where we started.

Thomas made the best point. Can they take us further with the way the game is changing? That's more than fair and only time will tell. I'm not going to say it won't be tough but I still think we can compete with City with our current model. It would be easier if we had the same financial muscle. I'm not foolish enough to deny that. But it's still not impossible.

I thought Digger's point was good too about them being greedy with their asking price. I agree with that completely.

29.) 14 Apr 2023
13 Apr 2023 21:59:57
In fairness lads, I'd have loved a few more big name signings over the last few years

Money was available for the midfielder Klopp wanted last summer - player wanted Madrid, end of story. Klopp could have bought another, back up target, but chose not to

Hell lads, they have proper invested in the stadium over the last log of years, which has restricted spending - is that not a good thing?

I mean look at Man Utd, their fans criticise out of their owners for not improving the stadium etc etc, but they've actually even outspent City over the last decade

If we look at recent examples of Everton, Aston Villa and Chelsea, spending huge sums of money does not guarantee success - I like the fact we are self-sufficient, a few seem to forget just how close we were to administration before FSG took over, we were truly in a dire position

The issue we find ourselves in, I think anyway, is largely due to mismanagement of Edwards and Ward

We don't have a small squad, it's actually quite bloated. The issue is that many are injury prone, yet were awarded fat contracts

Our wages are ridiculous and est into the profits the club makes, thereby reducing the amount that can be spent on the squad

FSG are not the best owners, but they have, on the whole, been decent - we are in a far better position than we were.