20 Oct 2020 14:40:08
Good afternoon ed002,
I understand you have probable had many many messages coming through regarding this new European premier league proposal. If im not mistaken I think you have said previously this was on the cards for a breakaway league to be put forward. My question is do you think this could start the end of the Premier league as we know it (even tho I believe its to rival the champions league more than premiership) but if I was hearing correctly its a lot of extra games to be added to the current season. Secondly do you think its the right thing to be looking at or more of a rich getting richer leaving the rest of the teams to fight it out in a less attractive pool?
Appreciate your time as always.
{Ed002's Note - In the interim it would not impact the Premier League but it will likely kill off the Champions League - and that will likely kill off any support from UEFA.}
20 Oct 2020 15:13:00
Ed002, are the future projected "numbers" (revenues, profits etc etc) for this breakaway league to be larger than those projected for the existing Champions League? Trying to understand what the angle of interest in the breakaway league is.
{Ed002's Note - The "angle" is that investors (or are not European) have been colluding with the owners of Liverpool to find a way to profit out of football. FSG's interest is money and nothing else. They know the rapid growth in the asset has reduced and they want to keep the value of their investment bouyant which will make it easier to cash in on when they find a better option. It is one of several options I have explained in detail.}
20 Oct 2020 18:09:19
Your view in the past was about the inevitability of a pan-European breakaway Ed002, which obviously had money at its heart?
The pints of wallop and chips and curry for those fans who did not wish to partake of a continental diet?
{Ed002's Note - The proposal that the "elite" sides have been working on was originally about removing the shackles of UEFA and taking the opportunity to make money. The proposal being discussed today are around a year old and I have discussed them in the past. They have a wealthy businessman and money underwritten by an American bank behind them - and they are using the opportunity to exploit the game via the incumbent owners of a PL club who are interested only in bettering investments, and not the club itself in particular. That is why they are trying to exploit the game for profit.}
20 Oct 2020 19:35:10
Sorry Ed but that is not true. I know Werner and he is absolutely mad about Liverpool.
{Ed002's Note - It doesn't matter what individuals think - they are not naive and none of these ideas are anything to do with the benefit of the game. You must be incredibly naive if you think it is. I have explained this over and over - you are trying to defend people who want whatever they can get for themselves and their investors - they have had the spectacular growth out of Liverpool and it has now faltterened out - they want it back and if tehy cannot rip off the British and European game to get it, they will sell Liverpool and re-invest elsewhere. THis is an investment business - it is there to make money.}
20 Oct 2020 21:02:17
Thanks for the feedback Ed.
You were always quite complimentary about FSG’s ownership of Liverpool but you seem to have taken much the opposite view, certainly recently?
A large part of our criticism of them was they were never Liverpool-centric, and what you’re saying now really backs that up. And worse than that, not even football centric. American baseball fans first and foremost, which is fair enough but they’d have never appeared over here in the first place if there wasn’t money to be made.
{Ed002's Note - They have been good owners but you can never forget they are an investment company. They invest their own and other people’s money in order to get the best return on their money. They don’t care about collateral damage. It is no difference than you invention £100 - if bank x gives you 2% interest and bank y gives you 8% interest, where do you put your money?}
20 Oct 2020 23:28:11
I don't like anything about this whole thing. It is a money grab and completely self serving. I'd rather them sell and get owners who have the best interest in the club and community than their own selfish self interests.
20 Oct 2020 23:30:50
Oh flidby, as a Red Sox fan, I don't trust a word that comes out of Werner's mouth ever since the whole Francona fiasco.
20 Oct 2020 23:13:25
ed2 - I recall you saying that the game will have to change as it's unsustainable as it is. Is this one of the ideas that will help that?
{Ed002's Note - This was put up as an option to the breakaway league. It is not new.}
21 Oct 2020 00:16:24
ah right yea, so this is one is backed by FIFA in response to the other breakaway league. Which one will actually help football?
{Ed002's Note - No. Go back and read what I have previously explained please.}
21 Oct 2020 09:28:48
Thanks Ed002. I'm not surprised by any of this. Nothing new, and it's all around us from morning to night. It's business as usual; make money and maximize shareholder value.
21 Oct 2020 10:35:25
They need to sell asap.
21 Oct 2020 11:33:18
The fickleness of fans is unbelievable. "they need to sell ASAP"? Really. A few weeks ago everyone was on here raving about FSG. Fans need to get over this issue of owners not wanting the best for the club. Football is a business and always will be. What top 6 club is owned by a "local" fan? If FSG are only interested in money, common sense says they will leave the club in a healthy state in order to maximize their sell on profit.
21 Oct 2020 12:12:55
How is it being fickle? the owners are coming out and trying to change football and not for the good. they are being selfish and not thinking about the negative impact of their selfishness. So what that a few weeks ago people supported them. Things change. Any negative pushback that they get is deserved based on this silly European Premier League nonsense. I agree with Lancaster.
21 Oct 2020 12:22:46
No Stuie-boy i've not supported FSG for a longtime, they have always been about the money not the club, they got it for a steal and will get massive profit if they sold to people who would invest in the team year on year and not make us sell to have money.
21 Oct 2020 13:03:59
LR, I hate to dissapoint but the vast majority of people that buy football clubs will want to make a profit.
We are in a position of selling to buy because of C.V. nothing the owners could do about that one.
As for investing they have spent money on the infrastructure of the club and improving the squad with wages etc. I would rather they spend within their means then shaft us and we end up in the championship (leeds Wigan etc) because our finances are shot.
22 Oct 2020 07:52:27
Like it or not, Football these days is about making money. Gone are the days where football and fans comes first and money second. Without money coming in, how can a club be sustainable? How can fans demand clubs to buy and pay the best players a good sum if they are broke? Maybe if the owners are rich like certain clubs and take this football thing as a hobby and not an investment.
If LFC is seen as an 'investment' then definitely the owners will see how they can milk their way to making more money. I guess EDs hit the nail on the head by comparing where you'd want to place your money. On something that gives a bigger return or something that gives you less or a negative return?
Being football fans, we care about the game but sadly with owners, that is not always the case.
22 Oct 2020 10:14:06
Stone, I think you're spot on mate.
22 Oct 2020 13:23:28
Ta Salah.
23 Oct 2020 00:14:01
Ed2 talked about naivety and I agree. Too many are stuck in the past and want the owners to be ‘fans’ who are happy to lose money as long as the team is successful.
I’m sorry guys that just doesn’t exist anymore. Even Chelsea and City’s Uber rich owners have invested in the infrastructure of the clubs to increase revenue to make it sustainable and make a profit.
I see absolutely nothing wrong with any owner trying to maximise their investment because in order to do that you need a successful, profitable business which is what all of us fans want too.
Maybe on this occasion they are barking up the wrong tree but as a business owner myself I know that you are constantly thinking or new ways to increase profit and reduce overheads. You might have loads of ideas running at the same time, some come to fruition and some don’t but that doesn’t mean you just stop trying to progress.