10 Nov 2022 08:51:42
If Bain Group are interested it is written in the stars. Their chairman's full name is "Stephen Gerard Pagliuca" ? that alone wins it for me!

1.) 10 Nov 2022
10 Nov 2022 09:50:46
Bain Group are vulture capitalists of the worst kind. Be careful what you wish for in case it comes true.

2.) 10 Nov 2022
10 Nov 2022 10:15:47
Im just hoping that if we get another american owner it won't be like H&G 2.0. That was a torture.

3.) 10 Nov 2022
10 Nov 2022 10:48:45
Isn't that what FSG are, venture capitalists?

4.) 10 Nov 2022
10 Nov 2022 11:22:55
Didn't he already owned Atalanta? That would be a problem. Would UEFA allow it?

5.) 10 Nov 2022
10 Nov 2022 11:29:01
Anyone who invests into LFC will expect a favorable return on his investment (whether in whole or in part) . Even if it's a local "good ole boy" from Liverpool with the financial ability to do it (if such exists) .

The key is to do the stringent due diligence and vetting, so that ownership does not become an issue down the road.

6.) 10 Nov 2022
10 Nov 2022 11:49:57
one would argue that Bain Capital (especially in the capacity they are looking to acquire us) are more private equity than venture capital.

I worked (on the advisor side) in private equity for 8 or so years and I must say Bain's supposed interest does not fill me with much joy. PE guys are typically ruthless operators who are interested only in capital appreciation of their investments over a 4 to 8 year time frame (increase revenue base, decrease cost base etc. ) .

I just don't know how I feel about these lot getting involved in a club i feel so dearly about.

7.) 10 Nov 2022
10 Nov 2022 12:04:45
Exactly what Red Sandman says. Hence my comment that they’re vulture capitalists as they’re only interested in asset stripping and maximising their take. It’s like that episode of South Park where the choice was either a giant douche or a turd sandwich. That’s the point we’ve reached.

Do we want vultures who want to strip the club for as much as they can get or Middle Eastern despots. What a time to be alive.

8.) 10 Nov 2022
10 Nov 2022 12:05:15
There is little room for much financial expansion amongst the top clubs at this time, for a variety of reasons, including an impending global recession.
In light of this, the new owners are going to need to be willing to burn their own money, which narrow down the options somewhat .
It seems likely that the Americans will keep this in the 'family' as opposed to selling to a middle eastern group, which brings into question weather new american owners would be willing to invest in the same way that the nation state backed clubs do.
What is best for the club long term?

9.) 10 Nov 2022
10 Nov 2022 12:06:40
Personally i think Liverpool fans need to detach the stigma from American owners. H&G were an exception to the general rule. Most American owners do very well for their clubs. FSG took us from administration to winning everything in a decade. From a 45k to a 60k stadium. New training ground. Record breaking commercial deals. Yes they made mistakes (trademark, ticket prices, super league, Comolli etc) but overall anybody who doesn't think they're leaving our club in a better position than they found it is clueless and need only look at how much the club will sell for this time around compared to when they bought it.

Redbird (AC Milan) and Bain Capital (Atalanta) have both bought clubs in Italy which indicates they are serious options. I'd take either at Liverpool personally.

10.) 10 Nov 2022
10 Nov 2022 12:25:47
Jesus, everyone mentioned is the devil if listening to half the people on here LOL, bring on the Sheikhs ££££.

11.) 10 Nov 2022
10 Nov 2022 12:58:41
I disagree, MKS. Bain Group or it's former name Bain Capital are grade A venture capitalists with a disgraceful reputation and widely disliked across America. They are known for buying up companies, stripping its assets and firing all the workers and keeping all the dough for themselves.

Remember former Republican an nominee for the U. S presidency in 2012 Mitt Romney? He made majority of his money working for Bain (the guy is worth about 300m) and that is a main reason he lost to Barack Obama cos people thought he was the true representation of unfettered greed and crony capitalism. Not a company I want buying my club, Im sorry.

I do agree with you that there are decent American billionaires like FSG who can offer more cash flow and invest in or buy the club if necessary. Bain Capital is NOT one of them. Just my take.

12.) 10 Nov 2022
10 Nov 2022 13:01:00
Personally I'd like to see Connor McGregor have a go at this (not) . ? (Sometimes you just know that the loonies will come out, when certain things happen) .

13.) 10 Nov 2022
10 Nov 2022 13:58:46
Not too sure how you could asset strip a football club you have just purchased for circa £4 billion? What do you do?

14.) 10 Nov 2022
10 Nov 2022 14:10:17
Bain Capital must be favourites they are based in Boston, the home of our baseball parent company Boston Red Sox who amalgamated with LFC to form FSG, Pittsburgh Penguins a national hockey team are also in FSGs remit.

Bain Capital is in the process of starting a Green Hedge Fund they also run a crypto product, posters who are unfamiliar with financial products might remember a certain rogue called Bernie Madoff who like his surname suggests "MADE OFF" with innocent investors money, 65 billion dollars the biggest ever ponzi financial fraud in recent history.

My personal preference for new owners is the same as Lancaster Red I don't think you can beat a bit of "Sheik, Rattle and Roll", will hopefully have to clean me winklepickers up! (all the OAP posters like myself will know what they are)!

15.) 10 Nov 2022
10 Nov 2022 16:54:48
Agreed Irish Rover, there seems little sense to the concept of asset stripping what is basically a brand. In order for a football club to be successful (e. g. profitable) then you need to spend vast amounts to keep it at the top. Whilst I don’t like the sound of Bain on principle, I doubt they’d buy the club for x billions and then let it decline so that they lose their initial investment, which is what asset stripping would do.

16.) 10 Nov 2022
10 Nov 2022 16:55:07
Irish, probably not as hard as you’d think. Just look at the job the Glazers are doing at United.

17.) 10 Nov 2022
10 Nov 2022 16:55:28
So everyone in finance is a Bernie Madoff?

Just love all this "LFC need money. we can't afford to buy anyone. that's why we're not winning the league. " nonsense and then there are "talks" of investment from billionaires, but it's not the right kind of billionaire so no one wants them. The amount of hypocrisy and whining is ridiculous.

18.) 10 Nov 2022
10 Nov 2022 17:36:08
It's not hard, RedMob. A straw poll concludes that we want and ethical multi-billionaire who is a good egg, a die hard Liverpool fan, who helps grannies across the road, is humble, doesn't exploit staff or asset strip companies but is happy to fund us buying the best of the best so that we can compete with our English and European peers.

We're going to be spoilt for choice, there'll be hoards pounding their way to FSG's door.

Or, let's just see where the dice fall.

19.) 10 Nov 2022
10 Nov 2022 17:45:48
Hicks and Gillett are apparently billionaires too, guessing you’d welcome them with open arms RedMob? My take is that caution is very much needed given what’s happened before and I’m extremely sceltical of a certain breed of American billionaire who makes their fortune from asset stripping and extreme exploitation, as much as I’m not in favour of intolerant blood thirsty fascist regimes.

20.) 10 Nov 2022
10 Nov 2022 17:54:46
FSG bought for $300mill and sold for $5bill amazing profit.

these new Vulture Capitialists will buy for $5bill and sell for? surely only real fans would be interested at the $5bil price.

21.) 10 Nov 2022
10 Nov 2022 18:32:11
You’ll get who ever the yanks sell u too like
It or not.

22.) 10 Nov 2022
10 Nov 2022 18:32:54
I can only see these guys doing a Glazers as it’s the only way they’ll harvest profits out the club before selling up again. They’re certainly not benevolent benefactors and are only looking at what they can scam out of it for themselves.

As for Pagliuca, he’s not much more wealthy than JWH himself. The firm he’s chairman of does have vast assets, but that literally means nothing to us as a club in any context. So any expectations of suddenly being flush in the transfer market or competing for big signings can be dismissed very quickly. It’ll be business as usual. Hand to mouth. Hope for the best but expect the worst.

23.) 10 Nov 2022
10 Nov 2022 20:06:00
VVVV, Man Utd under the Glazers have spent circa £700 million on transfers in the last 4 seasons. I'm not really sure what point you're trying to make.

24.) 10 Nov 2022
10 Nov 2022 22:32:15
Exactly Irish, the Glazers aren’t shy of spending money, their problem is that they simply don’t actually know how to run a football club. I agreed with your earlier point, asset stripping is about buying a company and then farming off its profitable components, the concept simply can’t really apply to a football club.

25.) 11 Nov 2022
11 Nov 2022 01:10:56
And this is where the spend lots of money argument loses me. It starts with and ends with the Glazers and all the trophies they've won.

26.) 11 Nov 2022
11 Nov 2022 06:12:55
FSG, to my knowledge and to their credit, have not taken out dividends from LFC. Unlike the Glazers, who do very nicely from money made by their club.
They have also not invested their own money.
We do not want to go down that route, even if Utd have had large transfer kitties.

27.) 11 Nov 2022
11 Nov 2022 06:54:14
The Glazers have not invested their own money I meant, as opposed to FSG who certainly have done, albeit at low / no interest loans.

28.) 11 Nov 2022
11 Nov 2022 07:59:30
Point about the Glazers though is the accusation of asset stripping. Someone needs to look up what that phrase actually means….

29.) 11 Nov 2022
11 Nov 2022 08:45:03
these American owners strip clubs bare under the guise of capitalist values. Any investment has been with the sole purpose of gaining maximum return. FSG are currently in debt and put zilch of their own money into the pot. Yet we should praise them for building an extra 10,000 seats. That’s what they should be doing.

30.) 11 Nov 2022
11 Nov 2022 15:48:35
VVVV - you completely missed my point. I'd rather we build a sustainable model that doesn't rely on additional investment from financiers, blood money, etc. but the fans are impatient and never satisfied.

31.) 12 Nov 2022
12 Nov 2022 14:19:40
Irish they may have spent that, but that’s largely due to their colossal commercial income, equally though have a look at how much the Glazers have taken out of it too and now much debt they’re in, also have a look at the poor state of repair the United ground is and their training ground because of the years of failing to maintain it. They’re running it into the ground, which is fine by me, just that I don’t want that happening to us.

Truth is that Pagliuca really doesn’t have the funds to buy the club or be able to provide for sustained success. Which means that the probability is that he and his “consortium” will likely leverage debt against the club to buy it in the same way H&G did. Only this time £4bn at the current interest rates would be even more excruciating to pay. Good luck finding transfer funds after that loan is paid.

Also, his track record is nothing to write home about, Atalanta are at best a very mediocre team in Serie A who only occasionally break top four, the Celtics have been mediocre for years and only won one championship during his tenure it’s hardly inspiring stuff.

And that’s not even getting into the fact that the PE firm he works for is notorious for not plowing profits back into the companies they take over, but paying dividends to themselves instead and even worse, taking out loans against the companies they take over, then paying dividends to Bain shareholders and execs out of the loans before winding the companies up.

Bearing in mind that major changes in personnel are needed in midfield over the next two windows, something that FSG can’t and won’t be able to fund, I can’t see that Pagliuca is going to change that either. I’m firmly Pagliuca out before he’s even here. He’s definitely not good news for us.