Are Liverpool FC Struggling In Football’s Dog-Eat-Dog World?

TOP flight football in England is one of the most cut-throat businesses in the world.

This is plainly evidenced by the likes of Chelsea firing their managers left and right, even after one such manager guided them to a Champions League crown.

One of the biggest clubs in the Premier League, and in the world, is our beloved Liverpool FC, who at times, seem to be struggling to adapt to this merciless sport.

Fans have their preferred areas in which to point the blame. Some argue that the owners are only interested in making a profit from the club, not from restoring it to its glorious past. Others, usually from the same school of thought, wag their finger at Brendan Rodgers, stating that he is incapable of leading a big, illustrious club like Liverpool FC.

FSG are being heavily criticized for their unwillingness to spend big and offer the money it takes to land big-time players. With their so-called eye on the future they are resistant to offer up the sort of wages that talented players often demand. There is no arguing that it is smart to plan for the future but in the business of modern football fans and players demand immediate results.

The owners are going to have to learn that they need to loosen the purse strings in order to obtain the type of player that can help Liverpool reach the top four and a Champions League position. Hopefully FSG are able to realize that this is actually a cyclic process. Most businesses are not made profitable overnight; rather it takes short-term investment in order to see long-term growth.

Investing in players in the short run will help guide Liverpool to the Champions League, as well as runs at the League Cup, the FA Cup, and the league itself, where more profits can be made. Once they reach this stage they’ll soon find out that there is more money available to spend on players and their wages and they’ll also realize that the club will bring them in a greater profit.

A caveat does exist, however. The spending cannot be done at will, lest the club end up in the red such as their neighbours – although many fans may rather take the debt and the trophies over the profit and an empty cabinet. This spending is becoming all too common in the sport with the likes of Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea, and Manchester City. Liverpool are in danger of being left behind by the evolution of the modern game and the way front offices around the continent are being run. Some level of financial restraint is a good thing, and the responsible thing, but one mustn’t strangle himself with parsimony.

A looser budget also benefits the manager; the man that FSG believe is the right one. With more resources at his fingertips Brendan Rodgers will be able to add the quality and depth to the roster that is needed for a squad to be competitive and challenge in the elite competitions. I know that a good manager should be able to get results from what he has in front of him but most managers today are also capable of buying top talent that requires less development.

As frustrating as the past few years have been for Liverpool and their fans a signal of what lies ahead is on the horizon. This month should tell a lot about the direction LFC are heading in, for better or for worse. With a tough stretch of games coming up and the pressure of the second half of the season at hand fans should see what kind of man is steering this ship and whether or not he has what it takes to be successful. In addition, the January transfer window and the deal swirling around, i.e. Wesley Sneijder, will test the mettle of the owners and signal their intent on how serious they are in terms of returning Liverpool to its glory days.

Fans of Liverpool are understandably impatient when it comes to this beloved football club, especially as the nature of the business surrounding the game has intensified. Hopefully in the next few weeks and months supporters of LFC will be able to stop looking for places to lay blame and start commending the team on a job well done. But this will only happen if Liverpool’s management come to realize what it takes to be successful in this sport.

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