Ex-Liverpool chief executive risks fan wrath with glowing praise of owners FSG
Former Liverpool chief executive Rick Parry has showered praise on Fenway Sports Group, claiming they are "really good owners".
FSG have owned Liverpool since completing a £300million takeover in October 2010. The American conglomerate has overseen a fruitful period at the club, with Jurgen Klopp winning the Premier League, FA Cup, Champions League and Carabao Cup.
Despite their success on the pitch, FSG has frequently been criticised by Liverpool fans, who have spent far less than some of their Premier League rivals. Owner John Henry has become a lightning rod for that anger, but Parry, who was chief executive of Liverpool from 1998 to 2009, believes the fury is misdirected.
“I think Liverpool have done brilliantly under FSG and Jurgen Klopp,” Parry said on Up Front with Simon Jordan. “The Champions League win was terrific and I think the owners have achieved success with a sustainable model. They don’t want to lose money but they’re not in it to make money, they are in it to build long-term value. They are in it to win and I think they are really good owners.
“The fans give FSG stick because they want to be competing with Manchester City and the clubs owned by sovereign states, but the owners have had the patience and the courage to say that if it is going to have to take longer, that is just the way it will have to be.
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“The fact that they were not (previous owners) [Tom] Hicks and [George] Gillett gave them a lot of credit in the bank with the fans and they were a lot more patient with them. The fanbase were used to Liverpool winning titles so there was always an expectation, but it had become so long that a lot of newer Liverpool fans had never seen them win a title, so they didn’t have quite as much pressure.”
Liverpool fans have protested against FSG's ownership (Robbie Jay Barratt/Getty Images) HAVE YOUR SAY! Do you agree with Rick Parry's comments? Write below.
By contrast, Parry was less than complimentary of former owners Hicks and Gillett, who were in charge of Liverpool between 2007 and 2010. The duo were hugely unpopular and Parry says he was shocked by how they operated at Liverpool.
“How Liverpool ever achieved anything under Hicks and Gillett is one of life’s great mysteries. The day before they took over was when I had already started to think, ‘What have I gotten into here?’”, he said.
“They were 50/50 in the ownership and there were no deadlock provisions, which is ridiculous. It was rushed and they had put their plan together too quickly. In hindsight it was ridiculous, but we didn’t know the nature of their deal at the time and it became the source of many challenges down the line.”
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