Every time English Premier League showcase a new champion, everyone starts inquiring about its past and how it had been doing until now, it holds true for sides who have had a bad spell in English tourney for years and one such side is undoubtedly this year’s most anticipated league champion Liverpool who has been on the top of the table for quite some time now. Less than four games are remaining in this season and they are edging from second positioned Chelsea by five good points, hence they are most likely to end their more than two decades’ old title draught. Since, a League champion enjoys the perks of being in the limelight not only for sponsors but across the world it starts being taken as a safest investment, therefore it is estimated to at least double its profit if not triple in coming years. Liverpool’s financial experts anticipate similar returns in 2014-15, but only few know that this mega performer of current league season was once on the verge of a financial collapse and that too not far behind but in 2010. It happened because Anfield side had been missing any big title for quite some time making it unpleasant for many big sponsors which in turn converted its financial health bad to worst.
Reds managing director Ian Ayre has now talked about club’s ‘bad’ financial health four years ago when Boston-based Fenway Sports Group took the controlling stake in the side. Those who remember that period know that how it was then being linked with an American TV documentary series named ‘Seconds From Disaster.’ This is despite the fact that Liverpool has been among the most successful clubs winning a maximum number of European trophies, however on domestic front, they missed the train longer than expected.
Talking about the TV series and if it has any similarity with the club, Ayre said, “I do not think there was a Liverpool fan in the city or anywhere who was not worried we would not get to this position we are in now, for many reasons. People sometimes forget how bad it was. I speak to people now and they have really short memories. When you think about that day when we tipped it over the edge and finally pulled it back, we have come such a long way.”
“One of the things we have done in a similar way to how we have gone about plans for the stadium, is to give us strength in the commercial department. When I came here seven or eight years ago, there were all these stories of the club shop being closed the day after the Champions League final, and only having a couple of sponsors and stuff like that.”