Hey Liverpool fans - you’re a high growth opportunity!
It’s no secret that Liverpool fans have fallen out of love with their American overlords, but have they actually taken a look at the mission statement of prospective new owners DIC? It goes a little like this:
The company focuses on the creation and maximisation of long-term shareholder value through partnership with the management of the assets in which it invests and makes returns on investments which outperform industry benchmarks. […] Dubai International Capital manages an international portfolio of assets around the globe and invests in high growth opportunities through multiple investment channels including buyouts and public equities.
Careful readers of this tedious piece of business bullshit will notice a lack of reference to the interests of the customers, consumers or whatever the correct commercial description of a fan is. With luck, the aims of investors and supporters will cross paths, but in terms of their attitude towards Liverpool as a business, it appears that the DIC folks’ ideas aren’t a million miles away from those of the greedy Yanks…
Americans join the Prem’s rich tapestry of abhorrent moneymen
Liverpool climbed back into fourth place in the Prem in style last night, but celebrations at Anfield were overshadowed by protesting fans, angry at the way their American owners are handling affairs at the club. They’re guilty of undermining the manager, holding back the cash and dancing around Stetson hats while firing off six shooters into the air, but are they the worst businessmen ever to control the purse strings of a Premier League club?
My vote for worst Premier League owners (and worst football team owners of all time) goes to Bjørn Rune Gjelsten and Kjell Inge Røkke, the Norwegian clowns who took charge of Wimbledon in the late 90s. After putting barmy Norwegian manager Egil Olsen in charge, they stood by and watched the club get relegated, and then killed them off completely by orchestrating a thoroughly unpopular move to Milton Keynes. Destroying the legacy of a club and introducing a dangerous precedent for franchising in football kind of puts Tom Hicks and his Klinsmann tapping in perspective, n’est pas?
What do you make of it all? Cast your votes and leave your comments below:
