Christian Purslow on Rafa Benitez and The Team
After watching Liverpool Football Club crash out of the Champions League on Tuesday evening Christian Purslow was interviewed by Sky commentator Geoff Shreeves. Geoff immediately asked if the impending exit meant that the owners would make a decision about Rafa and his management skills. He was quickly told that there was no decision to make as Rafa had fairly recently signed a new five year contract. This meant that as far as he and the owners were concerned Rafa was the man to lead the club forward reiterating that there was no crisis at Anfield even though the club was having such a bad run of results. I am really amazed at this statement because if I was the chief executive or one of the owners, I certainly would be asking questions. For a club of Liverpool Football Club's stature that sort of run is simply not good enough.
Geoff Stelling then bought up the question of lost revenue. Although estimates have put this at about £30 million Christian Purslow said that this would not have any financial implications for the club. Apparently when the year's budget is put together, the club only budget up to the group stages. That does not make any sense to me, surely a big club would budget for the whole season - did they know something earlier than us the supporters? According to Christian Purslow as long as we have three home games in the Europa League, we will bring in the equivalent amount of revenue.
Christian who appears to have a crystal ball said that Liverpool Football Club will be taking 40-50,000 people to Hamburg in May when we play in the final? This it appears will make us more money than playing one round in the Champions League.
Finishing off he said that it is a missed opportunity financially and will have no effect on the budgeted performance of the club and that is the key. If when you budget prudently you will not get any nasty surprises if your football goes the wrong way.
The interview finished with the subject turning towards the football as Christian Purslow is also a lifelong Liverpool fan. His verdict on the game was that positive signs were now coming from the team. They had a job to do and they did it by winning by one goal. I would have thought that they should have aimed for the four goal cushion that we needed to secure our place higher in the table.
The next part of his statement was worrying, he said that as everyone was aware we had players coming back from injury and who were playing whilst they were still not fully fit. As much as I want to see our major players in the team, to bring them back early, no matter how desperate you are, is in the long run very silly. Muscles are very delicate and if not ready for further punishment can easily go again quickly - hence the player can be out for a lot longer than originally anticipated.
Christian said that he needed to make it clear to us the supporters that we have had many heroes on the pitch in the last few games, who were half fit and surviving on pain killing injections - Stevie G, I believe is one of these and believe me I am glad that our captain is setting such a good example. I just hope that the injections have finally worked and his problem has now completely cleared up. He said that he believed that we have now turned the corner where injuries are concerned and he has high hopes for Sunday's result against Everton. I hope that he is right; the Merseyside Derby would be a great match to finally get our season of the ground - now where have I heard that statement before? It has also has just been announced on the radio that it is possible Torres will play on Sunday. He will I understand have a late fitness test tomorrow.
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Geoff Shreeves or Jeff Stelling - make your mind up. Absolute chuff, same as half the tat I have read about the club lately. Purslow has just pulled off 2 of the best sponsorship deals the club has ever had, so I think he knows a bit about money, and I for one have no doubt that our future will improve.
Haven't you forgotten what happened to Leeeds they budget on qualifying for next year Champions League and look what happened. That is why you don't budget any further than where you are.
You can tell you don't run a buisness
Hi CJ Yes I do remember what happened to Leeds United and that worries me. i am not sure that we have had the whole truth about the finances. You are right I do not run a business thankfully but I do know that whatever the situation you have to look at forward planning.
Hi Anon, I think I wrote about Geoff Shreeves throughout my article. If I did go wrong and have not noticed it then I apologise. There is a lot of rubbish out there definitely and believe I find some of hard to believe. Yes I know Christian Purslow has pulled off 2 of the biggest sponsorship deals the club has ever had. It will be interesting to see if they are as good as they are made out to be and believe me I sincerely hope they are because without them I think you will find that unless further finance is found the club is in serious trouble. I would live to agree with about the clubs future improving but as I said in my earlier sentence I think there is still trouble ahead.
"That does not make any sense to me, surely a big club would budget for the whole season - did they know something earlier than us the supporters?"
You really have no idea about finance do you - no sensibly run club would base their budget on the assumption that they have a run in the champions league all the way through the season till the final - you do that and you will end up like Leeds.
This article is very amateur. The reply to an earlier comment proves the author hasn't even understood the question posed.
I work in a well-known high street bank as a business advisor and if you had any idea how the vast majority of businesses were run you would fill your shorts.
There are a number of suitors just waiting to jump in to buy LFC on the cheap in the unlikely event of our value slumping.
Personally, I believe we're simply in for a rocky ride but nothing to the overall detriment of the club.
From what I've heard from and about Purslow so far has been impressive to say the least.
In your earlier reply you say "I do remember what happened to Leeds United and that worries me." That has to be the silliest thing I've heard in ages. Thank you.
I believe you suffer from tabloiditis and at such a tender age!
Utter tripe. Cheap, amateur journalism. What is the whole point of the piece anyway?
Hi Callagher. yes the article is very amateurism and I admit I know I can do better and shall.
You work in a well known high street bank - well look at the mess you lot have made of this country. Maybe I did not fully understand the question but that happens to everybody. Maybe as supporters we are in for a rocky ride but that does not excuse the fact that things are not going as they should be. Christian Purslow I agree does have a very good following in the city - I just hope with the sponsorship deals that he has managed to get he can prove me and a lot of people wrong. I also urge you to look up the history of Leeds United - they thought they were safe and their budgets secure - I dont need to say anymore
Hi Slim - Utter trip is it. Why don't you try and do better. The point of the piece was to let people know what is going on, and before you say everybody knows - I hate to say but they do not.
Callaghan, I could not give 2 hoots that you work in the banking sector. I don't want my club to finance for just the group stages. If we do then we have no business asking our manager to win probably the hardest league in the world. Unfortunatley if you want to run a business you may stay in the league but you are never gonna win anything. MUFC and CFC have limitless cash for players. I hear CFC are looking to buy Ribery. LFC could not buy the left leg of Ribery with the americans at the helm. Puslow has shown his and the owners true ambitions. arsenal are another club who are doing ok with csh restarints but now Persie is injured , lets see if they stay in the top 2 or 3. The season is very long and I believe CFC are going to last the distance. If everyone wants a business then fine but don't expect to usurp theh likes of CFC and very soon MUFC
would you all just give over!!! its amazing how fans are soo interested in money, try and pay some interest (& support) to the players, manager and club. Get your heads out and stop talking about things that you have no authority on!!! peace out!
Hi Ben, I am not interested in just the money, i am interested in what is happening within the club. I pay attention to the players twenty fours a day every day, but I am also concerned about the environment in which they are expected to work and play in. Like the the rest of us when there is unrest within the management structure it will affect the team whether they like it or not. It is one of those things that will not be totally obvious, but if you have a player with something other than the football on his mind it is going to show in his performance. I know we do not have any authority to talk about what is going on behind closed doors but when a club virtually shuts up shop - and it has gone quiet with all things surrounding Anfield - of course the supporters are going to discuss and speculate about what is going on. That I should imagine is one of the reason's Rafa and Christian Purslow have come out this week and both said that he is going nowhere. I just hope that neither of them regret that statement, because unless the results improve the opposite may well become the only alternative.
@faith & @jack
Is it possible you could both learn to read? Apologies if english isn't your first language, mind.
@jack
I didn't mention anything about budgeting. I have no idea what you're going on about. Also, and this is just a guess... the only books you have inspected recently are "Where's Wally?" and "The Beano".
@faith
You've done it again! "You work in a well known high street bank - well look at the mess you lot have made of this country. Maybe I did not fully understand the question but that happens to everybody."
I said I work in the business deptartment of a bank. I didn't say I was the head of the Bank of England. It's clear to anyone who has read the article and your comments, you're still at school and you're not doing so well.
I guess you and jack share the same lineage and both have arms longer than your legs.
Stop trying to read the tabloids, you're making matters even worse for yourself. Tackling financial topics is way beyond the scope of your ability at this stage.
Hi Callaghan , i hate to disappoint you but I can read. You may not have mentioned anything about budgeting but could possibly have implied it. Where's Wally was not around when I was a child and the last time I read the Beano was a good 40 years ago. for information though the last book I read was Shankly my Story - I trust you have plans to read it because it is very good. I have not done it again. The Bank of England is the overall boss of the banking institutions in this country so yes every high street bank is part and part of the problems that have been caused. Maybe working for the business department, you could possibly give me some lessons - now going by your comments that would be some challenge. As for not doing well at school, I have not been near one for 40 years. Maybe my article was written badly but that happens sometimes to even the best journalists and before you say it, I am not a journalist, just an ordinary woman who enjoys her football. As for reading the tabloids, yes I read one of them and it happens to print more of the truth than some of the quality papers.