Would missing out on 4th be a good thing??

[The Birdman]

Serious question, I don't know enough about the financial situation but if we finished outside the top 4 obviously our revenue would drop but so in theory would the value of the club which I presume makes it easier for interested parties to offer what they see as value for money bids.

If we are losing revenue and not see as such an 'asset' would that make it more or less likely that H&G would sell up??

Would they take another look and think hey Liverpool aren't the cash generating machine I thought they would be lets cut our losses and get out??

I understand the argument about attracting top players etc... but I can't see a mass exodus if we finish outside the top 4 once, yeah maybe if next season we're poor as well then players will reconsider and leave.

And ultimately H&G could theoraticly accept a 80m bid from Man City for Torres but they can't force him to leave, he is well within his rights to turn them down, no player under contract can be sold against his will.


Edit: Good thing in the short term of getting H&G out obviously

[BobTheCharmer]

If it meant Rafa falling on his sword I'm all for not getting 4th. But the more I think about it the more I'm convinced we're stuck with him and his methods for another 12 months.

[Guest]

But the more I think about it the more I'm convinced we're stuck with him and his methods for another 12 months.

I'd have to endure you for another 12 months.

[BobTheCharmer]

I'd have to endure you for another 12 months.

how predictable that you would be the next poster in this thread!

[the rev leeroy brown]

IMO, missing 4th place this year would be a fatal blow to LFC as a "big" club.

we need the cash injection brought around from the CL. we need the draw of the CL to attract big name players. we need the draw of the most prestigious cup comp ( outside world cup of course ) in sport to attract outside investment.

city will spend large this summer for sure. if they have 4th place CL football next year, big wages too, then they'll become a much much much more appealing club to footballers than us.

spurs and villa are right on our tails in this respect too. they have a sound financial footing and are pushing for 4th also. we would then be competing with these clubs for new players.

to miss out of the CL would as said before, make us a less attractive option for outside investment. G&H are business men and as such would no doubt lower the investment they put in already to a bare minimum ( worse than already ) but i doubt they'd just accept any old bid for the club..............they're arrogant cunts and would still ( due mainly to the land owned by the club ) be looking for a massive amount of money to sell the club. we'd be stuick with them for the long term i reckon.

add to all this the fact our best players would leave us by january next year ( summer at latest ) and we would be in the ****.............a mid table team fighting with fulham / everton / brum for a top 10 finish. hell, we could end up going the way of leeds.

that is the darkest side to the situation but a possiblility none-the-less. we NEED top 4 football IMO.

[kingfunk]

IMO, missing 4th place this year would be a fatal blow to LFC as a "big" club.

we need the cash injection brought around from the CL. we need the draw of the CL to attract big name players. we need the draw of the most prestigious cup comp ( outside world cup of course ) in sport to attract outside investment.

city will spend large this summer for sure. if they have 4th place CL football next year, big wages too, then they'll become a much much much more appealing club to footballers than us.

spurs and villa are right on our tails in this respect too. they have a sound financial footing and are pushing for 4th also. we would then be competing with these clubs for new players.

to miss out of the CL would as said before, make us a less attractive option for outside investment. G&H are business men and as such would no doubt lower the investment they put in already to a bare minimum ( worse than already ) but i doubt they'd just accept any old bid for the club..............they're arrogant cunts and would still ( due mainly to the land owned by the club ) be looking for a massive amount of money to sell the club. we'd be stuick with them for the long term i reckon.

add to all this the fact our best players would leave us by january next year ( summer at latest ) and we would be in the ****.............a mid table team fighting with fulham / everton / brum for a top 10 finish. hell, we could end up going the way of leeds.

that is the darkest side to the situation but a possiblility none-the-less. we NEED top 4 football IMO.

[Craig_H]

There's a train of thought that missing the CL might help convince H&G that the club isnt the cash cow they need it to be, but i think all it would mean, is that they'd just sell players to make up one year's shortfall. TBH, i think they'll do that anyway, to get the debt paid off. Hicks will do anything to keep hold of the club.

A new overseas collective PL tv deal is being negotiated for something like £1.4B. That's why it remains lucrative for him to keep the club, even without a new ground.

Our only hope is that RBS put the squeeze on him and that top players refuse to move. The cynic in me also fears that he's only sanctioning new deals for Reina and Mascherano so that their transfer value is protected when he sells.

[Exiled_red]

I don't think it is really, I'd like to believe that if we didn't make 4th then H&G would sell up and bugger off, in which case I'd say it's a price worth paying. In reality though I think we're stuck with them for the long term, we'll probably have to sell a player to make up the deficit, and will probably have less money to spend than we'll raise through sales (at best we'll have a zero net spend whether we make 4th or not IMO). A slip down the table is inevitable given the financial constraints we have to work up under regardless of who the manager is.

[Baracus]

If we don't get it, it would mean a chance to clear the decks. I don't necessarily mean the manager too.

However on a side point. If we don't get 4th spot, which ever team does. I can quite comfortably say they will only play 2 games in the champion’s league and that will be the play-off game or the qualifier game.

[cream]

If we drop out of the CL, there is no guarantee the owners will **** off. They will cut spending and will continue looking for someone to help build a new stadium, even if it takes ten years.

[anfieldanfield]

If it meant Rafa falling on his sword I'm all for not getting 4th.

[-V-]

We need 4th badly, to lose our place to City would make our situation horrendous.
But thing is we just don't deserve it, our mentality this season has been an absolute disgrace and sunday was a perfect example of that. Everytime we have started to get going and scoring goals we then drop back into a negative defensive mindset.

Its sickens me how much respect we showed United on sunday. Park, Nani, Valencia, Carrick, Fletcher, Neville........ thats some of the ****e that we let dominate us. We moan about other teams not attacking United and then we go and do exactly the same. We don't deserve 4th place, Rafa doesn't deserve it for being such a pussy this year

[gentingfrmhell]

We need 4th badly, to lose our place to City would make our situation horrendous.
But thing is we just don't deserve it, our mentality this season has been an absolute disgrace and sunday was a perfect example of that. Everytime we have started to get going and scoring goals we then drop back into a negative defensive mindset.

Its sickens me how much respect we showed United on sunday. Park, Nani, Valencia, Carrick, Fletcher, Neville........ thats some of the ****e that we let dominate us. We moan about other teams not attacking United and then we go and do exactly the same. We don't deserve 4th place, Rafa doesn't deserve it for being such a pussy this year

sad but true i guess. if we all our players had park's mentality we would have taken them out.

[Norbs]

If it meant Rafa falling on his sword I'm all for not getting 4th. But the more I think about it the more I'm convinced we're stuck with him and his methods for another 12 months.

If we finish lower than 4th, Rafa will resign, he's made that clear with his 'guarantee' statement. End. Whether his resignation is accepted or not is an entirely different matter.

If he manages to finish 4th then 'stuck with him' is surely not such a bad thing as it'll mean he's salvaged a CL spot from a dreadful season. I can't see any way that that could ever be perceived as a bad thing

[anfieldanfield]

If we finish lower than 4th, Rafa will resign, he's made that clear with his 'guarantee' statement. End.

Not sure about that.

He is a very, very stubborn man.