Liverpool’s American owner John W Henry has admitted that his ownership can only be deemed successful if Liverpool win the Premier League title. Henry went on to suggest that true success can only be achieved by winning multiple titles. Liverpool and Manchester United are the most successful top flight clubs in England, with 18 league titles each. However, Sir Alex Ferguson is set to lay down a new marker, if he can win the title this year and take Manchester United’s tally to 19.
Before Alex Ferguson arrived at Old Trafford, Liverpool were undisputedly the most successful club in England, but they are enduring a league title exile. Liverpool haven’t won the championship since 1990 – but Henry wants to put the record straight and make Liverpool great again. Henry told FourFourTwo magazine “Our no 1 priority is to win the Premier League title.”
Henry went on to say “Success is winning championships. It’s nothing less than that and when you win a championship – and we will – success isn’t measured or accomplished by winning once.”
These are certainly bold ambitions to have and it’s good to see there is a clearly defined target. However, Liverpool FC have had a turbulent time of late and turning the club around may take a bit of time. Henry feels that the previous owners and Rafa Benitez left the club in a real mess and the new owners were surprised by the lack of depth in the squad, especially seeing the amount of money that has been spent.
There have already been signs of a new era coming, Torres has been sold and that money has been reinvested in Andy Carroll and Luis Suarez. It remains to be seen if Andy Carroll will be worth the £35million transfer fee – but he is an up and coming striker that has made an impressive impact in the Premier League this season.
Kenny Dalglish has done a fine job as manager thus far. Liverpool were going nowhere fast under the guidance of Roy Hodgson – but Dalglish has improved the club’s fortunes and they are currently in sixth place in the Premier League. However, it remains to be seen if Dalglish is the right man to achieve the owners’ lofty expectations.
In a previous article I have outlined the role Rafa Benitez played in revamping the academy and this will a play a very important part in Liverpool’s future success. We are already seeing young players coming through and the new owners will be keen to ensure that the talent is given the opportunity to flourish. It appears that Henry has been concerned with money being wasted, so it’s likely he will want to see the potential title winning side put together in a very thoughtful way. Players will be signed in order to improve the squad and build towards that target of the Premier League title.
It remains to be seen if Liverpool can challenge again for the title. However, owners with a vision and ambition can only be a good thing. Giving players like Martin Kelly the best opportunity to become a legend and a careful selection of new players coming in can help to make Liverpool great again. So will the target be met and can we see Liverpool lifting the Premier League title? Or will Liverpool’s title success remain in the history books?
The article was written by James Kent for FootballFancast.com. Make sure to check out the latest news, blogs and podcasts at FFC – ed.
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Here’s a point for thought. Why not build the new stadium WITH a basketball stadium included?
With LeBron Kelly now part of the setup his fame and influence could be yet a further means of revenue and stadium use surely.