Found this on Newsnow taken from Rivals.net- taken from Shanklygates Grounds for Change and Reconciliation By Darren Phillips - 08/01/2008 20:02 With £100,000 TV money already banked from the initial game with Luton then another dollop due from SKY for the replay plus gate money, and, if passage to the next stage can be negotiated £40,000 for winning in the 3rd round there is likely to be an extra quid or two floating about the Anfield coffers this month. If Swansea City or Havant and Waterlooville, especially the latter, are to face The Reds in the last 32 there is every chance that game will be televised too. That may equate to something like 1/20th of the fee required to land Javier Mascherano on a permanent basis. Maybe the equivalent of his toes - of one foot - then up to the calf. The reason behind seeking new owners wasn't just to line David Moores' pockets. At last that's how it seemed. The former Chairman had been mulling over a sale since Roman Abramovich arrived on the scene and the financial bar suddenly raised to a level few people saw coming. He flirted with Thaksin Shinawatra's bid to buy a fair portion of the club prior to Istanbul which seemed a night he became certain that a deal would have to be struck if those types of nights were to be repeated. Apart from the obvious swelling of bank balances the value of money in the game is clear to see and when a club is as large as Liverpool - not just nationally but globally estimated at 100 million - the benefits not to mention profits are there to reap from all manner of sources. Cast a greedy eye up the East Lancs Road. Manchester United have turned their worldwide support into a large and steady revenue stream. A huge amount of income is generated through merchandising. Their stadium capacity which has edged up for years partly due to their foresight but also due to their location which is part residential but mainly industrial has given them scope to develop gradually rather than be forced into a rebuild or a new home has given them an huge amount of that old fashioned source of funds - match day income. A new ground or substantial development is designed to increase revenues week in week out and it has offered both Manchester United and Arsenal more income to that Anfield can generate in its present form. The Stanley Park move is designed to level the playing field to some extent but United have been renovating Old Trafford for a number of seasons increasing capacity from its post-Taylor report low of 43,000 to its current level of just over 76,200 following the creation of the quadrants in the north east and north west corners of the ground. It seems most likely that the capacity could be increased towards 100,000 when rather than if the South Stand is revamped. Always assured of a Champions League place since the extension of Premiership participants revenues from television, prize money and sponsorship that no other top flight clubs and few European can match. Alex Ferguson has been able to reap those rewards and put assets on the pitch. If rumours are to be believed he will be given somewhere in the region of £35 million to capture Dimitar Berbatov and without break the British transfer record again. His first team squad will have a combined cost pushing the higher echelons of £200 million. Where United have been lucky given that the location of their ground was selected almost 100 years ago is that the 14 year development has been incremental which offsets the £114 million cost. Reports on Monday suggest the club's annual turnover will be £245 million. A £70 million increase on the figure just five years ago and dwarfing the £201million Arsenal were able to boast back in September. The Gunners who like Liverpool were located in a residential area had to go for a complete divorce from their spiritual home moved into a £350 million stadium with a capacity in excess of 63,500 - just under 22,000 more than Highbury held. Beyond building costs just under £80 million more had to be found. Money was raised by loans which were subsequently turned into bonds. £100 million came back for the naming rights over a 15 year period plus just under £20 million more is due to come back in for exclusive rights for a company to provide all catering. What both Arsenal and Manchester United who hover around record attendances each week they host a game prove is that the team has to be right before any significant ground development or new stadium is planned. In terms of buying power United's attraction in particular makes them a magnet for talent from across the globe which as much as any managerial acumen has bolstered their on field strength and provided a buying power they have been able to increase year on year. Their transfer record stood almost three times as high as Liverpool's at one stage. As did Chelsea's post Abramovich and each pf those clubs has made a significant number of investments and can almost field an entire team based on recruits costing £15 million or more. While United, Chelsea and just to reinforce the point again Arsenal have been using a gold card Rafa has been looking for canny bargains - end of day reductions such as Bosmans and those heading to a close of their contracts rather than what may be termed proved talent. When Benitez has brought in high value players - in excess of £10 million - they have tended to work. Fernando Torres and Xabi Alonso are prime examples. Ryan Babel shows promise. Arsenal had spent more on a consistent basis season in season out. Much is made of Wenger's parsimony in the market but the club record set in August 2000 for Sylvain Wiltord stands at £13 million. It's a fee Liverpool only broke with the signing of Djibril Cisse who was signed by Gerard Houllier in 2004 but never played under his fellow countryman. Rafa has spent more than that former record just once drafting in Torres. If all goes well for Theo Walcott something like that club record fee is likely to make its way to Southampton. Jose Antonio Reyes could have earned Sevilla anywhere between £17.5 million and £20 million according to varied newspaper reports after an initial £10.5 million outlay. His worth may have been less than the top figures quoted given his two and a half seasons with The Gunners being rather mixed but the outlay will have increased after more than 100 games played and some of the £8.1 million said to have been received by Athletico Madrid will have made its way back to the Andalucian club. Wenger has made other purchases at a similar level some meeting with success others an possibly the majority certainly not. Even for those much vaunted youngsters, when Walcott is excluded, cost decent sums and the Arsenal boss is not phased by the spending of money and will look to make investments which threaten the club record if need be. There is value at the level Rafa has found himself buying at and high spending does not guarantee success. There again its not something Rafa can consider due to the limited funds at his disposal and he still has restrictions placed on him regardless of the takeover.
contd Such is the gulf that Manchester United are taking £17 million punts on teenagers. While Liverpool apparently struggle to raise the same amount for a player albeit young with a proven track record and a genuine prospect of becoming a world class holding midfielder. Even six years ago United were spending almost £50 million on two players - Juan Sebastian Veron and Ruud van Nistelrooy. While van Nistelrooy could be justifiably acclaimed as Ferguson's best signing and his reported £6.7 million loss written off against 150 goals from 201 games there is no such luxury with Veron who was sold at a £13.1 million loss on the £28 million initially outlaid and contributed very little. His is not the only name on the list of expensive buys Old Trafford didn't see the best of. It was stated that Liverpool would have money available for transfers in January and at £6.5 million Martin Skrtel is a substantial purchase. It could be held that Gillett and Hicks withholding any significant cash this winter or if the boss is asked to raise his own funds it was to all intents and purposes a vote of no confidence. It may certainly be flagged up as such after that very public falling out in November. However, this window was never likely to be one in which a lot of business was completed. As always there will be ins and outs. Although Mascherano's signing was mooted in January 2007 last term Alvaro Arbeloa came in along with some youngsters and at £2.5 million the Spanish full-back is not only a shrewd purchase but on current evidence could well be a bargain and typical of the type of purchase made in that window. Though players will often state matters outside the dressing room and the other side of the white line don't bother them as professionals it seems unlikely that the unrest which is currently being experienced isn't taking its toll. Can headlines which refer to their manager as a "Dead Man Walking" really play no part in the poor performances. They certainly seem to and when the opposition is a team there is a fair expectation to beat such as Wigan Athletic or Luton Town the nerves and tension seem to grip them and without the best of starts or a failure to turn any domination into a lead it heightens. Most fans not to mention the players are probably more confident of beating Inter Milan than any of the previous two teams. Rafa is a delight for most papers at the moment - not just the tabloids. Having Sam Allardyce on the rack is satisfying enough for the scribes who have seen Jose Mourhinho exit Chelsea but his bandwagon which is always good for a story remain intact. Steve McClaren has left the national team and they can barely believe their luck to have another top four manager under pressure to the extent that every game when maximum points are not picked up is an excuse for a dissection of his future which makes an autopsy appear sloppy. The honeymoon between Gillett and Hicks plus the trinity of fans, management and players is over and promises made almost a year ago appear jettisoned. Though Rafa was given the go ahead to smash the club transfer record and bring in more new faces during the summer net spend is low when set against sales and prize money earned. The manager is unsettled and clearly unhappy that assurances he had upon the new regime coming in turn unnerved a fan base which spent some time divorcing itself from the club's hierarchy including coaching staff before Rafa arrived. Benitez not only galvanised the support but energised it and mended those splits. Moving together as one for the first time in years rewards were gained. Now everything is asunder. For evidence there is no need to look any further than events since the very public spat between Rafa and his paymasters. At times this season Liverpool have been putting in brilliant performances and for a defence minded coach, which Rafa can be, some of the forward play has been little short of excellent and from players beyond Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres. Teams have not only been beaten via dominance but comprehensively outplayed by a team looking not only confident but skilful and hungry. Everyone realised the squad didn't have the same level of investment as other contenders but all parties and most importantly the players seemed positive if not sure they could give it a good go this season mounting a title challenge worthy of the name and in reality at least the type of contest Liverpool haven't been able to produce since 1995-96 when the Premiership was still a possibility until late April and the following season when The Reds, Newcastle and Arsenal failing to win their penultimate games saw the crown end up at Old Trafford for a second successive season. Newspaper stories about the manager and his tenure at the helm are affecting everyone and this more than anything or anyone is disrupting a season which at one stage promised so much.
contd 2 Rafa built his Valencia side as something akin to a machine which either in attack or defence moved and acted as a unit. The benefits in that approach were not only confined to La Liga. Cast your mind back to late 2002 and those displays in Spain and at Anfield during the opening Champions League group phase. Their defence was invincible and unbreached in both games. It rarely looked like being beaten and their attack was overpowering. Certainly deserving of more than a couple at home then a single strike from winger Francisco Rufete away. Liverpool weren't quite at that grade but making progress towards that. While it was just over two weeks ago that those satisfying levels were last reached it seems a lifetime away and right now the situation is nothing short of a vicious circle. The manager is under constant pressure which puts the board under scrutiny and players feel it too. Fans get tense. The players feel that as does the manager who also has to handle any concerns in his charges. And so it goes on. At any other club there would be protests very different to those held or planned for the future but Reds fans have been more constructive and focussed in making sure support for their manager is recognised and felt beyond these shores. Not so much a question but a statement made about Rafa is that he cares about Europe far more than The Premiership. He is accused of talking the talk but in terms of his selections which he rarely, but not always, gets wrong in the Champions League never walking the walk. The rotations of players and formations are also pointed at but the truth probably lies in the manager's approach to the game which is very different to say Alex Ferguson who more or less says to opponents "we are Manchester United you know our strengths and our threat deal with them". That dealt with he urges his side to get on top of his opponents weaknesses. His defence is strong now but in previous seasons the mantra has been no matter how many you score we will get at least one more. Be it AC Milan or Accrington Stanley Rafa who is more cautious will have everything analysed and look at cancelling out their strengths. When it works as it does in Europe as it is an approach which has almost six decades of success from a host of clubs the results can be glorious - ask Toulouse, Derby County, Besiktas, Newcastle United, Porto, Bolton Wanderers, Marseilles and Portsmouth. When it doesn't come off then the type of results experienced against Wigan and Luton amongst others are frustrating. The plans tell statistically but not always in the only measure of deciding a football match - goals. Like some of his contemporaries but by no means all Rafa should probably just cut loose and say: "We are Liverpool deal with it" but the boss regardless of the tactical work he puts in may not quite feel he is able to do dispense with his natural prudence despite having players like Steven Gerrard, Fernando Torres, Jose Reina, Xabi Alonso and Jamie Carragher amongst his number. Against other members of the Big 4 results can be just as varied as against the lesser lights. Is it a weakness? It can be teams can be over analysed. Rafa doesn't always get it right but who does - certainly not Messers Ferguson, Wenger or Grant but did Shanks, Bob Paisley, Joe Fagan or Kenny Dalglish? We can point to various errors each has made but those named would on paper appear to make less. The next question has to be is there a way out? No problem is without its remedies and at this stage a little pride needs to be swallowed at the top and on both sides. Rafa has gone a long way since his stance at the pre-match press conference prior to the Newcastle game and the match itself when he ditched the designer suit for a trackie. Sacking Rafa or backing him into a position where he leaves of his own accord is not the answer. It will set Liverpool back years. The 18 year wait could well be dwarfed and though maybe not be the same type of interval Newcastle United and 39 trophyless seasons The Magpies have endured four years of positive work which it has been for the most part would be undone. It could take the best part of a decade and a huge amount of new investment for somebody else - and the question is who exactly - to reshape things. Gillett and Hicks have to support the manager and put their trust in him. Even if it's not a matter for public record Rafa needs to know he is the man they want. At this time he certainly does not. Sunday's headlines came about after some off the record remarks to journalists after the press conference prior to the Luton game none of which went anywhere near the headlines generated. It was more a suggestion that the manager could not guarantee anything which was out of his direct control and was just getting on with the job of managing until told he was no longer on charge. It was not a briefing just an aside when the dictaphones were supposed to be off. Despite suggestions to the contrary nobody was pulled to one side and given a line. Anything beyond that form of words is purely speculation. Barely a peep was heard from TV Williams, Sir John Smith, Noel White (at least during his time as Chairman) or David Moores for well over half a century and despite the global appetite for all things Liverpool especially news Reds should be happy for that to continue. Interviews no matter who they are given to and where will zing round the globe's media quicker than footage of Britney Spears being wheeled in to an ambulance and that needs to be considered by the owners who did at least do the right thing on refusing to say anything about the meetings with Rick Parry this week which are most likely to deal with pressing financial matters and stadium designs rather than the manager. There is deadwood in the squad and players no longer in their prime. Some are not showing the promise they once had or at least appeared to possess. Those beyond motivation and should be allowed to move on. If anything Rafa has proved himself a ruthless operator even with players he showed great patience in landing and those who he put a lot of work in to. Liverpool possibly are two maybe three players away from being genuine challengers. There are certainly two to three areas of squad improvement needed which everyone can identify.