The Political Economy of Football V2

Is he a semi-detached owner, asks the New York Times? It is coming up to a year since Henry last watched a Liverpool game in the flesh. Henry is 76, so regular transatlantic flights are perhaps more challenging. But throughout FSG’s 16-year tenure, the pattern has largely stayed the same, with Henry only visiting Anfield once or twice a season. There was a reason fans chose a picture of Henry with his fingers in his ears to display on Saturday — his lack of engagement means chief executive officer Billy Hogan effectively acts as his representative on earth, a conduit between the levels of management below him and the tier of ownership above. Hogan has left a generally good impression on supporters who have worked with him in the past due to his responsiveness. Senior executives elsewhere in football have formed the view that FSG rate him extremely highly, but it is also very clear he is there to do a job for them. Though he is viewed as intelligent and well-mannered, he alway...

When the Premier League was formed Everton was closely involved in the discussions as it was seen one of the country’s top clubs.  Since then, it has had some challenging times on and off the pitch, but a brighter future now beckons.   Sad to say, my old friend and lifelong Bill Tupman is not here to see it. From his Zurich fastness, the Swiss Ramble has reviewed the 2024/25 accounts which cover the last season at Goodison.    Here are some highlights: much more data and in depth analysis of his Substack page. Ownership change Friedkin purchased Moshiri’s 94.1% holding, then converted the £451m shareholder loan into equity, raising the stake to 97.2%, while finally making an additional equity injection to repay third party debt and satisfy working capital requirements, giving a total shareholding of 99.5%. Everton fans will have breathed a sigh of relief, not only because this brought an end to Moshiri’s uncomfortable tenure, but also because they manage...