when did Liverpool lose its commercial innovation

[Kilteragh]

Did we ever have it?

When we were in our prime, football was not the worldwide brand/moneymaking machine that it is today.

I think we have just been slow on the uptake

Exactly what I was thinking. You're a very clever and insightful person.

[SouthAfricaRed]

When we were in our prime, football was not the worldwide brand/moneymaking machine that it is today.

It was a Big enough Worldwide brand for me to follow it in South Africa since 1974. The market has always been there, it hasnt been catered for though

[Redlife]

I always think that the change in football happened at a time when as a club we were in the middle of our most retrospective period.

As we struggled to recover from the tragedies on and off the pitch (which of course accelerated/caused/influenced the change) I feel that collectively the club looked back rather than forward.

It's quite understandbale in individuals when you thinka bout it- after great shock some people tend to stick with what they know and retreat into a "comfort zone". I think this is what happened with us- a "this is how we do things and its worked for 25 years" approach

add the fact that the Souness appointment (who in his way tried to modernise the club after his time abroad) backfired and he was suppossed to be a link with the past boot room ideal coupled with a more broadminded footballing experience.

These factors probably mean it is no surprise that the new commercialisation of football in the 90s was better exploited elsewhere (add in teh fact that certain clubs cashed in on their tragedies as a unique selling point but thats another story)

But the key is that that other club had a better on pitch team at the time (and still does sadly) and ALL of their success flowed from that. They may have been in a great position with such a worldwide following to cash in on with their success but the pitch remains the crux of the issue.

If teh US boys want to make cash the best way from them to do it is to build a successful team on the pitch- everythign else will follow.

I know from my job (live in asia and work at the largest sport broadcaster in the region) that there are 100,000s of floating fans out here who suport the winning team and if we can add them to our hardcore fans in this part of teh world we'll make an absolute killing (in the finanical sense)

That's a good post.


The Scum had the right team at the right time. If we had maintained our previous levels of success on into the years which lead into the 'Sky decade', then things would currently be very different.