Reds must spend end long wait for big totitle
Mar 26 2007
by Chris Bascombe, Liverpool Echo
IN the final part of the series assessing the challenges facing new owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks, CHRIS BASCOMBE explains why although in the long term the Anfield takeover won’t emulate Roman Abramovich’s ownership of Chelsea, in the short term Rafa Benitez will be hoping there are some similarities
“IT’S not enough to be rich any more, you need to be super-rich in the modern game.”
This was the observation of outgoing Liverpool chairman David Moores as he explained why he had sold his beloved club to George Gillett and Tom Hicks.
It was this heartbreaking reality which forced him into a four-year search for investment.
Moores accepted the club not only needed to finance the stadium, but no matter how many multi-million pound strikers he signed, like every football club, he was only a bad defeat away from being accused of not spending enough.
It wasn’t fair, but reason, wisdom and logic are enemies of the modern football family.
Coaches have increasingly shown themselves to not only be astute tacticians, but also mathematical geniuses.
They have a capacity to analyse club accounts and persuade the world a £25m spending spree was conducted with hands tied behind their back.
Whether it’s Rafa Benitez, David Moyes or Sam Allardyce, for every major purchase we see, they’ll point to the players they claim had to be sold to raise the cash.
Even Jose Mourinho was complaining about lack of funds in January.
Thus, while mere mortals presume an £8m signing cost £8m, managers will argue it’s not so simple and seek recognition for their own diligent book balancing, sacrificing other areas of the team and targeting cheaper options.
Managers fighting off relegation say they can’t compete with those who spend millions pursuing UEFA Cup places; those challenging for sixth say it’s a miracle if they get near the top four; and those hoping to gatecrash the title race compare the spending power of the top two with the rest.
When the wealth of any club is assessed, it’s done so relatively. Boardrooms and managers spin the figures in opposing directions.
When the transfer funds of Liverpool are assessed since 1990, it’s little wonder the allegation which has hurt the outgoing board most is they haven’t invested enough in the team.
This clearly doesn’t stand up to 17 years of scrutiny.
Since 2004, Liverpool have splashed out £44m on strikers, yet they’ll still spend the summer searching for a player who’ll guarantee 20 goals a season.
As he looks back over the course of his reign and assesses why financial realities ultimately brought his time in office to an end, the former chairman will justifiably lament the series of bad choices in the transfer market made by a succession of managers.
At the time, strikers like Dean Saunders, Stan Collymore, Emile Heskey and Djibril Cisse were the most expensive on the market.
Roy Evans, Graeme Souness and Gerard Houllier (twice) smashed the club’s transfer record to bring them to Anfield.
Unfortunately for Moores, and this is the point he acknowledged on the day he made his emotional farewell from the chairman’s seat, the emergence of Roman Abramovich utterly changed the landscape of English football.
Chelsea and Manchester United now think nothing of spending £30m or more on players.
Moores had reached the stage where he was dipping into his personal account to fund the capture of Dirk Kuyt.
The £28m outlay which brought Kuyt, Jermaine Pennant, Craig Bellamy, Mark Gonzalez and Fabio Aurelio to Anfield a year ago was, by the standards of 95% of the Premiership, a hefty sum.
But Liverpool’s ultimate focus is the top two, and rather than find the missing links to significantly close the gap, the Reds are in danger of falling further behind.
Benitez said on the day he signed Bellamy and Pennant he felt he was being forced to gamble, opting for good players he hoped would become world class.
In his fourth summer at Anfield, he’s concluded a dramatic change of transfer policy will be required for Liverpool to compete for the title.
His argument is rather than a series of what he’d describe as mid-range priced targets, Liverpool need to spend big on at least two areas of the team. He wants finished products.
The hope is his judgement, backed by the chequebook of the new owners, will transform the depth of quality of the side.
Among the numerous reassurances he sought from Gillett and Hicks last week when deciding to reject Real Madrid for the second successive season, this was arguably the most pivotal.
What’s significant in recent months is not that Liverpool are being linked with players of the calibre and cost of Samuel Eto’o, it’s that no-one has described such rumours as nonsense, or beyond what the club may be able to afford.
Benitez believes an instant, vast investment in the team, coupled with the changes explained over the previous three articles in this series, will ensure Liverpool can return to a less extravagant spending policy over the long-term.
Or at the very least, they’ll have more revenue generating schemes off the field to allow them to compete regularly for the players Chelsea and United target.
It’s a buy now, don’t pay later theory.
This is an idealist view, of course, depending on several unknown factors, not least the capacity of the manager not to waste the money.
Benitez must be certain the choices he makes are right for English football.
As the examples of Collymore, Heskey and Cisse show, a striker who looks as if he possesses all the attributes to score 150 goals over five seasons doesn’t always live up to his potential.
Benitez will also be well aware the more a manager spends, the more expectations grow.
It’s a pressure he’ll willingly accept if it means he has a broader choice of players to sign in the years to come, but the consequences of getting it wrong are sterner.
In Benitez’s defence, there’s no question he’s had to do much more wheeling, dealing and risk-taking than his predecessors.
His triumph in the transfer market so far isn’t just signing Xabi Alonso or Daniel Agger, it’s getting the likes of Cheyrou, Diao, Diouf, Le Tallec, Vignal, Luzi, Medjani, Biscan and a cast of at least 20 unwanted reserves off the payroll.
There’s no comparison between the overall standard of the squad today than in 2004, but the last tweak to turn the side into something special has consistently been shown to be the most difficult.
On a more technical point, it remains to be seen how the process of scouting, negotiating and then signing players will alter under the new regime.
There are currently more Liverpool scouts working on Merseyside than the whole of others areas of England, Europe and rest of the world combined, and Benitez has long argued for a rethink.
His impatience for concluding deals once he’s made a decision has also been a feature of his reign.
George Gillett’s son Foster is expected to be added to the negotiating team, and the dynamic between the different individuals when Benitez is searching for his daily update on the progress of a transfer is sure to be of interest.
Whether it’s extra revenue generated from the new stadium and expansion of commercial activities, or a rethink on how to ensure Academy graduates make the grade at senior level, Gillett and Hicks will recognise what happens on the pitch will determine the success of their American dream.
All the areas of the club are linked by the same, ultimate goal.
When John O’Shea nicked three points at Anfield last month, Jamie Carragher explained in a millisecond why Liverpool has been sold, is prepared to spend £180m on a new stadium, has spent over £20m on The Academy and head into a new era with a mixture of excitement and trepidation.
“We need better players,” he said.
George Gillett Jnr and Tom Hicks would be wise to pin this slogan on their office wall as the truest reminder of what’s required to put Liverpool back at the top of English football.
CLICKY - The Echo
Mar 26 2007
by Chris Bascombe, Liverpool Echo
IN the final part of the series assessing the challenges facing new owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks, CHRIS BASCOMBE explains why although in the long term the Anfield takeover won’t emulate Roman Abramovich’s ownership of Chelsea, in the short term Rafa Benitez will be hoping there are some similarities
“IT’S not enough to be rich any more, you need to be super-rich in the modern game.”
This was the observation of outgoing Liverpool chairman David Moores as he explained why he had sold his beloved club to George Gillett and Tom Hicks.
It was this heartbreaking reality which forced him into a four-year search for investment.
Moores accepted the club not only needed to finance the stadium, but no matter how many multi-million pound strikers he signed, like every football club, he was only a bad defeat away from being accused of not spending enough.
It wasn’t fair, but reason, wisdom and logic are enemies of the modern football family.
Coaches have increasingly shown themselves to not only be astute tacticians, but also mathematical geniuses.
They have a capacity to analyse club accounts and persuade the world a £25m spending spree was conducted with hands tied behind their back.
Whether it’s Rafa Benitez, David Moyes or Sam Allardyce, for every major purchase we see, they’ll point to the players they claim had to be sold to raise the cash.
Even Jose Mourinho was complaining about lack of funds in January.
Thus, while mere mortals presume an £8m signing cost £8m, managers will argue it’s not so simple and seek recognition for their own diligent book balancing, sacrificing other areas of the team and targeting cheaper options.
Managers fighting off relegation say they can’t compete with those who spend millions pursuing UEFA Cup places; those challenging for sixth say it’s a miracle if they get near the top four; and those hoping to gatecrash the title race compare the spending power of the top two with the rest.
When the wealth of any club is assessed, it’s done so relatively. Boardrooms and managers spin the figures in opposing directions.
When the transfer funds of Liverpool are assessed since 1990, it’s little wonder the allegation which has hurt the outgoing board most is they haven’t invested enough in the team.
This clearly doesn’t stand up to 17 years of scrutiny.
Since 2004, Liverpool have splashed out £44m on strikers, yet they’ll still spend the summer searching for a player who’ll guarantee 20 goals a season.
As he looks back over the course of his reign and assesses why financial realities ultimately brought his time in office to an end, the former chairman will justifiably lament the series of bad choices in the transfer market made by a succession of managers.
At the time, strikers like Dean Saunders, Stan Collymore, Emile Heskey and Djibril Cisse were the most expensive on the market.
Roy Evans, Graeme Souness and Gerard Houllier (twice) smashed the club’s transfer record to bring them to Anfield.
Unfortunately for Moores, and this is the point he acknowledged on the day he made his emotional farewell from the chairman’s seat, the emergence of Roman Abramovich utterly changed the landscape of English football.
Chelsea and Manchester United now think nothing of spending £30m or more on players.
Moores had reached the stage where he was dipping into his personal account to fund the capture of Dirk Kuyt.
The £28m outlay which brought Kuyt, Jermaine Pennant, Craig Bellamy, Mark Gonzalez and Fabio Aurelio to Anfield a year ago was, by the standards of 95% of the Premiership, a hefty sum.
But Liverpool’s ultimate focus is the top two, and rather than find the missing links to significantly close the gap, the Reds are in danger of falling further behind.
Benitez said on the day he signed Bellamy and Pennant he felt he was being forced to gamble, opting for good players he hoped would become world class.
In his fourth summer at Anfield, he’s concluded a dramatic change of transfer policy will be required for Liverpool to compete for the title.
His argument is rather than a series of what he’d describe as mid-range priced targets, Liverpool need to spend big on at least two areas of the team. He wants finished products.
The hope is his judgement, backed by the chequebook of the new owners, will transform the depth of quality of the side.
Among the numerous reassurances he sought from Gillett and Hicks last week when deciding to reject Real Madrid for the second successive season, this was arguably the most pivotal.
What’s significant in recent months is not that Liverpool are being linked with players of the calibre and cost of Samuel Eto’o, it’s that no-one has described such rumours as nonsense, or beyond what the club may be able to afford.
Benitez believes an instant, vast investment in the team, coupled with the changes explained over the previous three articles in this series, will ensure Liverpool can return to a less extravagant spending policy over the long-term.
Or at the very least, they’ll have more revenue generating schemes off the field to allow them to compete regularly for the players Chelsea and United target.
It’s a buy now, don’t pay later theory.
This is an idealist view, of course, depending on several unknown factors, not least the capacity of the manager not to waste the money.
Benitez must be certain the choices he makes are right for English football.
As the examples of Collymore, Heskey and Cisse show, a striker who looks as if he possesses all the attributes to score 150 goals over five seasons doesn’t always live up to his potential.
Benitez will also be well aware the more a manager spends, the more expectations grow.
It’s a pressure he’ll willingly accept if it means he has a broader choice of players to sign in the years to come, but the consequences of getting it wrong are sterner.
In Benitez’s defence, there’s no question he’s had to do much more wheeling, dealing and risk-taking than his predecessors.
His triumph in the transfer market so far isn’t just signing Xabi Alonso or Daniel Agger, it’s getting the likes of Cheyrou, Diao, Diouf, Le Tallec, Vignal, Luzi, Medjani, Biscan and a cast of at least 20 unwanted reserves off the payroll.
There’s no comparison between the overall standard of the squad today than in 2004, but the last tweak to turn the side into something special has consistently been shown to be the most difficult.
On a more technical point, it remains to be seen how the process of scouting, negotiating and then signing players will alter under the new regime.
There are currently more Liverpool scouts working on Merseyside than the whole of others areas of England, Europe and rest of the world combined, and Benitez has long argued for a rethink.
His impatience for concluding deals once he’s made a decision has also been a feature of his reign.
George Gillett’s son Foster is expected to be added to the negotiating team, and the dynamic between the different individuals when Benitez is searching for his daily update on the progress of a transfer is sure to be of interest.
Whether it’s extra revenue generated from the new stadium and expansion of commercial activities, or a rethink on how to ensure Academy graduates make the grade at senior level, Gillett and Hicks will recognise what happens on the pitch will determine the success of their American dream.
All the areas of the club are linked by the same, ultimate goal.
When John O’Shea nicked three points at Anfield last month, Jamie Carragher explained in a millisecond why Liverpool has been sold, is prepared to spend £180m on a new stadium, has spent over £20m on The Academy and head into a new era with a mixture of excitement and trepidation.
“We need better players,” he said.
George Gillett Jnr and Tom Hicks would be wise to pin this slogan on their office wall as the truest reminder of what’s required to put Liverpool back at the top of English football.
CLICKY - The Echo
RAFA 
Comment