Liverpool chairman Tom Werner’s ‘crazy idea’ about playing a Premier League game is further evidence of football eating itself for profit…
“I’M determined one day to have a Premier League game be played in New York City.
“I even have the sort of crazy idea that there would be a day where we play one game in Tokyo, one game a few hours later in Los Angeles, one game a few hours later in Rio, one game a few hours later in Riyadh and make it sort of a day where football, where the Premier League, is celebrated.”
Tom Werner, Liverpool’s chairman, may well have been drifting off into a reverie when talking to the Financial Times in the same way a former Home Secretary gushed about her ‘obsession’ to deport people to Rwanda.
Maybe he was thinking aloud rather than offering a serious point for consideration. It’s the only explanation I can offer.
John Henry, his mate, has since stated that he’s not investigating the possibility so hopefully that’s that, but it’s yet another gaffe from the club’s hierarchy.
In the days of football fora, many voiced concerns about the future of the games. I can remember one discussion led to the idea of Texas Liverpool kicking off at midnight against the Manchester McDonalds on Christmas Eve at the Parrydome sponsored by Nesquik. Manager Alan Curbishley standing proudly on the sidelines.
All very laughable at the time. I mean, no one would look at scheduling a Christmas Eve game or including a brand name in a club’s name. RB Leipzig would agree with that.
It’s OK, though. Tom says that travel would be subsidised to cut down on costs.
This is what happens when you give football over to people who know nothing about it or its culture.
Don’t get me wrong, the game is for everyone and I’m not suggesting that it belongs solely to me just because I happened to be born in the same city as the club. I love our global support and have written extensively on its glory, but this is such a poor idea. It exposes an astonishing ignorance about their ‘product.’
Please, please, please. Just leave the game alone. It doesn’t need further ‘improvement’ or new revenue streams. We’ve already got people in an office in Uxbridge deciding if a goal has been scored or not. We don’t need another ‘crazy idea’.
Can we just have football people run the club rather than venture capitalists hell bent on hawking our badge over continent after continent for the sake of the almighty dollar? Let’s face it. Tom won’t be standing in Yankee Stadium misty eyed at the sight of NY Reds watching a Premier League game in their own city. This is all about revenue.
Yes, but we need to compete. Agreed. We do, but we don’t have to lend our name to every hare-brained scheme just to do so.
This may well be the rantings of an arl-arsed fan, but I just want to see Liverpool play at Anfield or at an away ground in the UK. I want us to have some dignity. I want us to protect what our badge means and I want custodians who know something of what this all means.
I’m not sure I want the former Producer of Mork & Mindy messing around with footballing decisions. Just sign the cheque and pay the wages.
It’s hard enough getting to the ground as it is. Many of us are at the biting our lip stage when asked ‘what are we doing at the weekend’ question.
‘Tokyo, love. We’ve got Stoke at home.’
Not that Tom thinks that people like me are going to go. They don’t want you or I. This would be a strict cash machine game meant to pull Hollywood involved. Get Justin Bieber to throw out the first pitch. Or something.
This may have been a non-starter at the moment, but the game has changed so much since the club wore Hitachi shirts and put a McDonalds logo on the outside of The Kop. Bad ideas have a way of being normalised and then accepted.
Please just leave the game alone. It seems to have survived pretty well up till now.
Pre-order Neil Atkinson’s book ‘Transformer’ and help us get a Sunday Times bestseller…
Well, its your job TAW to ensure that the masses are given balanced views on our ownership…
rather than blowing smoke up their backsides and lauding them for making a ton of money while at the same time pleading poverty in every transfer window!!!