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By Adrian BRyan

Liverpool is now under the ownership of a new manor rather men. The New England Sports Venture (NESV) completed their long drawn out saga of a takeover on Friday, the exact deadline for repaying the Royal Bank of Scotland loan and hours before a potential administration and nine point deduction. Is it therefore time for Liverpool fans and the Spirit of Shankley supporters group to relax and look forward to a golden era or should they be nervous about being passed from one group of American Investors to another?

The New England Sports Venture group are fronted by 61 year old American John Henry and they are the owners of Baseball team Boston Red Sox. The Red Sox endured an 86 year wait for the World Series title (the highest title in baseball) before John Henry and his friends led them to two titles in 2004 and 2007. Liverpool fans will hope the strong comparisons to their current droubt without a Championship trophy win. The parallels dont end there though. The Red Sox were in a run down stadium that did not provide the team with sufficient off field income. NESV had a tough decision to make as to re-locating to a new purpose built stadium or whether to re-develop their existing plot. The limited capacity of Anfield and the revenues it generates compared to Old Trafford and The Emirates Stadium are an urgent cause of concern and Liverpool fans will judge NESV on this as an area where Hicks and Gillet failed.

Even the most hard nosed Liverpool fan would admit that the team needs some serious investment in order to compete. At the time of writing they languish in the relegation zone and aside from Torres, Gerrard and Reina lack any real world class personnel. At the Red Sox, Henry displayed a distinct willingness to invest in the team, realising that a successful team leads to high off field revenues, the Red Sox spend the second highest amount on players in a league full of big spending clubs.

The flip side of high spending in the playing squad is generally seen as increased ticket prices. At Liverpools main rivals Manchester United, fellow American owners The Glazers have seriously hiked tickets to fans annoyance. The Red Sox have a range of seat prices, from $28 for a less desirable view high in the stands to close to $300 to sit close to the pitch. This ranks the Boston Red Sox in the top three most expensive baseball teams to watch and prices many fans out of supporting their team.

So, the New England Sports Venture are made up of investors, and investors invariable expect a return on their investment, quite what level of return that will be is not clear but an initial investment of 300 million with more to spend on players and the stadium will mean a significant return for sure. However, Liverpool fans will accept that this happens in any business, including a football business but as long as they deliver success on the pitch, and most importantly a Premier League winners medal or two with success in the Champions League to boot.

About the Author: Adrian Bryan writes for The Football Merchandise Store the webs finest collection of

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Source:

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