Liverpool’s current plight is all down to its previous American owners…
Liverpool’s ex-chief executive Rick Parry has blamed the club’s current predicament on the former American ownership regime of Tom Hicks and George Gillette.
“That period of destabilisation is when we fell out of the Champions League,” Parry told BBC Radio Merseyside.
“Once you’re in there, you’re achieving those regular revenue streams. It’s a mountain to climb when it falls away.”
Liverpool haven’t played in the competition since the 2009/10 season, and their lack of financial or footballing pulling power has been more evident than ever during this summer transfer window. After missing out on major targets Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Diego Costa and Willian, Brendan Rodgers will probably have to snap up less talented players to fill empty squad positions.
In the 2008/09 season, Liverpool had kicked on from making two Champions League finals in three seasons between 2005 and 2007, and were unlucky not to win the Premier League. A midfield trio of Javier Mascherano, Xabi Alonso and Steven Gerrard supplied Fernando Torres, and only the consistency of Manchester United earned them the title from Liverpool’s grasp.
“That’s maybe the best ever chance we’ve had to win the Premier League and that was a time where we should have been kicking on,” said Parry.
“With a few more adjustments to the squad, who knows what might have happened in the next year or two.”
Hicks and Gillette though went into financial meltdown, and put the future of Liverpool into grave danger. FSG took over in October 2010, but have not enjoyed any major success on the pitch other than a League Cup win in 2012.
Parry reckons this is entirely down to the previous regime, who watched Liverpool fall from the highest ranked club in Europe, to a Europa League also-ran.
“You’d do a million things differently with hindsight, but that’s not an option. We all wish passionately that they hadn’t owned the club,” confirmed Parry.
COMMENTS